13.S: Cancer Genetics (Summary)

Introduction to Genetics · LibreTexts

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    • Cancer is the name given to a class of different diseases that share common properties.
    • Most cancers require accumulation of mutations in several different genes.
    • Most cancer causing mutations are sporadic, rather than inherited, and most are caused by environmental carcinogens, including virus, radiation, and certain chemicals.
    • Oncogenes are hyperactivated regulators of cell division, and are often derived from gain-of-function mutations in proto-oncogenes.
    • Tumor suppressor genes normal help to repair DNA damage, arrest cell division, or to kill over proliferating cells. Loss-of-function of these genes contributes to the progression of cancer.
    • Genetic research into cancer can provide enzyme targets for drug investigation and potential treatment. E.g. Gleevec™

    Key Terms:

    metastasis

    dysplasia

    carcinogen

    HPV

    oncogene

    ionizing

    epidemiology

    proto-oncogene

    receptor

    signal transduction

    ras

    apoptosis

    BRC1A

    p53

    tumor suppressor

    phosphorylation

    CML

    Gleevec™

    bcr-abl

    This page titled 13.S: Cancer Genetics (Summary) was last modified on Tue, 21 Jan 2020 05:00:17 GMT and is shared under a CC BY-SA 3.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Ying Liu via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.