cycle 9

Question 1

molecular mechanisms underlying Alzheimer’s Disease

Answer 1

formation of beta-amyloid plaques, Tau tangles

Question 1

structure of neurons and how they communicate at the synaptic cleft

Answer 1

structure - microtubules, Tau protein
axon terminal meets dendrites of another neuron.

Question 2

why cholinergic neurons are downregulated in AD

Answer 2

little production of acetylcholine in AD, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors inhibit break down of acetylcholine

Question 3

molecular mechanism of beta-amyloid plaque formation

Answer 3

APP (maintains structure and function of neurons) gets cut in a way that can form clumps which can form plaques

Question 4

know the molecular mechanism of neurofibrillary tangle formation

Answer 4

tau protein holds microtubules together
hyperphosphorylation of tau causes structure to dissociate
neuron dies
tangled tau forms tangle

Question 5

know the genetic risk factors of AD

Answer 5

down syndrome (trisomy 21)
mutations in presenilin 1 and 2
inheritance of Apo E4 (variant of Apolipoprotein E) (Apo E4 not effective at removing Aß aggregates)

Question 6

difference between inter-tumoural heterogeneity and intra-tumoural heterogeneity

Answer 6

inter-tumoural - difference between different tumours from same or different patients
intra-tumoural - differences within a single tumour mass

Question 7

process of clonal evolution of cancer

Answer 7

C required A and B to be mutated before mutating. A and B support C

Question 8

how certain cancer cells become resistant to drug treatment which leads to relapse

Answer 8

chemo is general treatment, targets all rapidly proliferating cells, don’t know where mutation is. second time - different array of heterogeneity

Question 9

driver mutations vs. passenger mutations

Answer 9

driver mutation - pushes clonal evolution, cell to proliferate rapidly
passenger mutation - not contributing to cancer phenotype

Question 10

difference between proto-oncogenes (RTK) and tumour-suppressor genes (p53) leading to cancer progression

Answer 10

proto-oncogenes - growth factor receptors (gain of function mutations), normal genes that become oncogenic if mutated
tumour-suppressor gene - cell cycle checkpoint and DNA repair (loss of function mutations)

Question 11

role of cancer stem cells in cancer progression and therapy

Answer 11

cancer stem cells drive oncogenesis