Question

Describe the six characteristics that cancer cells acquire, or lose, as they transform from normal cells. Provide an example for each characteristic and describe the types of DNA changes that may occur to cause such protein changes.

Answer 1

1) When cells become damaged or old they are programmed for apoptosis. This is how body discard cells with damaged DNA so that prevent replication of DNA errors.

Cancer cells continue to accumulate in the body and avoid the normal cell death

Apoptosis signals disrupted when tumor suppressor genes has mutations.

2) In normal cells, a small portion of the end of each chromosome called as telomere, is lost when DNA is copied. So cell can no longer divide and replicate.

But cancer cells activate telomerase, So cell continue to divide and replicate.

3) Genes provide the instructions for all cellular activity such as promote cell proliferation (e.g., activating oncogenes) or disrupt control mechanisms (e.g., tumor suppressor genes). It can transform normal cells into cancer cells.

4) Chronic inflammation result in proliferation, cell survival and angiogenesis and can also enhance production of free radicals that can damage DNA. So it can transform normal cells into cancer cells.

5) The body’s immune system destroys foreign and abnormal cells. But cancer cells led to destruction of body immune defenses when genes encoding that function will disrupt that allow to proliferate and invade other tissues.

6) Normal cells use oxygen to convert glucose to energy through the process of aerobic metabolism.

Cancer cells disrupt ther DNA and so genes encoding this function will damaged so they have the ability to switch from aerobic to anaerobic (oxygen-free) glucose metabolism (glycolysis) that allow oxygen-deprived cells to continue to produce energy and survive.