Lecture 18: WHAT ARE RECESSIVE AND DOMINANT MUTATIONS? Flashcards

1
Q

When is a mutation a germline mutation?

A

If a mutation occurs in a cell that go on to make gametes (eggs or sperm), the mutation can be passed on to the next generation (in born errors of metabolism)

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2
Q

Where do somatic mutations occur?

A

In other cells and cannot be passed on

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3
Q

How many cells is the human body made up of?

A

Approximately 37 trillion

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4
Q

What does a human cell normally do?

A

Grow and divide to form new cells as the body needs them (balance and homeostasis)

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5
Q

What happens when cells grow old or become damaged?

A

They die and new cells take their place

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6
Q

What is cancer?

A

A collection of related diseases and can start almost anywhere in the body

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7
Q

What are cancer cells?

A

Cells within a tissue that no longer respond to many of the signals that control cellular growth and death

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8
Q

What happens to cancer cells over time?

A

They become increasingly resistant to the controls that maintain normal tissue - and as a result they divide more rapidly

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9
Q

What do cancer cells evade?

A

Programmed cell death despite their multiple abnormalities

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10
Q

What happens in the late stages of cancer?

A

Cells break through normal tissue boundaries and metastasise (spread) to new sites in the body

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11
Q

What is cancer a result of?

A

An accumulation of mutations

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12
Q

What are most cancer mutations associated with?

A

DNA replication

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13
Q

What happens the more times a cell divides?

A

The more likely it is to gain a mutation - this is why the incidence of cancer is greatly increased with age

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14
Q

How many genes encode proteins that normally regulate cell growth and division?

A

Hundreds

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15
Q

What can lead to cancer?

A

Mutations that alter the genes regulating cell growth and division in somatic cells

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16
Q

What may mutations be?

A

Spontaneous (occur by chance) or the result of exposure to a mutagen (carcinogen) such as smoking or UV radiation

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17
Q

What are the types of genes that cause cancer when mutated?

A

Tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes

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18
Q

What do tumor suppressor genes encode?

A

Proteins that normally prevent uncontrolled cell growth

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19
Q

What are examples of tumor suppressor genes?

A

proteins that inhibit cell division and prevent other mutations (DNA repair enzymes)

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20
Q

What can lack of tumor suppressor genes do?

A

Stimulate cell growth

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21
Q

What type of mutations occur in tumor suppressor genes?

A

Recessive

22
Q

What do oncogenes encode?

A

Proteins that promote cell growth

23
Q

What are examples of oncogenes?

A

Proteins that stimulate cell division. Cancer mutations increase the activity of these genes

24
Q

What type of mutations occur in oncogenes?

A

Dominant

25
Q

What happens to the cell normally?

A

It is prevented from undergoing cell division, due to E2F transcription factor being bound to RB protein in the cytoplasm

26
Q

What happens when the signal for cell division is detected by a receptor?

A

A kinase is activated which adds a phosphate to RB protein. This initiates a conformational change, releasing E2F transcription factor into the nucleus so cell division genes can then be expressed

27
Q

What does a loss of function get in both copies of the RB gene do?

A

Cause activation of the E2F transcription factor

28
Q

What does a loss of function mutation in the p16 gene cause?

A

Activation of the E2F transcription factor

29
Q

What is a proto-oncogene?

A

A normal gene that when mutate can promote uncontrolled cell growth

30
Q

What do mutations that increase transcription in the promoter region cause?

A

An excess production of normal growth stimulating protein causing increased cell growth

31
Q

What do mutations that increase protein activity in the coding region cause?

A

A protein to always be active or not be degraded causing increased cell growth

32
Q

What chromosomal changes can cause increased cell growth?

A

Gene duplications and translocation

33
Q

What can gene duplications cause?

A

Increased protein production and cell growth

34
Q

What is translocation?

A

When a piece of one chromosome fuses with a piece of another chromosome and can increase cell growth

35
Q

What is chronic myeloid leukaemia an example of?

A

How oncogene and tumor suppressor mutations lead to cancer

36
Q

What happens in chronic myeloid leukaemia?

A

A break in chromosome 9 fuses with a break in chromosome 22 to form a Philadelphia chromosome where BCR gene infused to ABL gene

37
Q

What is the ABL gene under control in the Philadelphia chromosome?

A

The BCR promoter region so it isn’t regulated how it should normally be

38
Q

What is the oncogene in chronic myeloid leukaemia?

A

BCR-ABL gene

39
Q

The new BCR-ABL gene is …

A

always active

40
Q

What does the norma BCR-ABL gene need?

A

A cellular signal to activate it so it can promote cell division

41
Q

What can the BCR-ABL gene do?

A

Promote cell division without a signal

42
Q

What is needed to cause uncontrolled cell division and cancer?

A

A functional tumor suppressor gene will prevent cancer so mutations in both copies of RB tummy suppressor genes and the oncogene are needed

43
Q

What do inherited mutations do?

A

Increase chance of cancer because it is one less mutation which needs to occur

44
Q

What are the types of cancer treatment?

A

Surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and target therapy

45
Q

What happens in surgery?

A

Cancer cells are removed

46
Q

What happens in radiation therapy?

A

Targeted radiation treatment to kill cancer cells

47
Q

What happens in chemotherapy?

A

Uses drugs that target dividing cells as cancer cells grow and divide rapidly but it also affects normal cells

48
Q

What is an example of chemotherapy?

A

Mercaptopurine

49
Q

What is Mercaptopurine?

A

A DNA base analog that inhibits with enzymes that make dATP and dGTP nucleotides needed for cell division

50
Q

What is used in target therapy?

A

Drugs that target changes in caner cells that allow them to grow and divide

51
Q

What is an example of target therapy?

A

Gleevac

52
Q

What does Gleevac do?

A

Inhibits kinase activity of BCR-ABL protein