GEF Flashcards
what is a GEF?
guanine nucleotide exchange factor
what is RAS?
small GTPase protein
what are Raf, MEK and ERK?
they are kinases
what does SOS do for ras?
catalyzes exchange of GDP for GTP
what does ERK do?
moves into nucleus and activates transcription factors so you can have transcription of different genes
-phosphorylates substrates involved in cell proliferation, survival, growth, etc.
what type of pathway is the Ras oncogene pathway?
kinase pathway (phosphorylation happening)
why is Ras important for us?
important because its involved in lots of metabolic pathways but often mutates and leads to cancer
what is a proto-oncogene?
can become something that leads to cancer
how could Ras lead to cancer?
-would always be bound to GTP, which would make it always active
-usually growth factor is the signal for the pathway to happen
-even in absence of growth factor, pathway will still be happening, which leads to uncontrolled replication, which causes cancer
what is the percentage of Ras mutations found in cancer patients?
19 percent
what molecules lead to cancer in our bodies?
any molecules that are involved in cell proliferation
what does the Ras oncogene pathway look like?
