Molecular Oncology

Question 1

Oncology

Answer 1

The study of cancer.

Question 2

Neoplasm

Answer 2

A tumor. A growth of tissue that exceeds that of normal tissue and is not coordinated with it.

Question 3

Cancer

Answer 3

Diseases that are caused by uncoordinated, rapid cell growth. Malignant tumors.

Question 4

Carcinomas

Answer 4

Epithelial tumors.

Question 5

Epithelial

Answer 5

Tissue that forms the outer layer of a body’s surface. They also line your organs, inside of your throat, intestines, and blood vessels.

Question 6

Teratocarcinomas

Answer 6

Tumors that consist of multiple cell types.

Question 7

Metastasis

Answer 7

The movement of dislodged tumor cells from the original site to other locations. Only applied to malignant tumors.

Question 8

Leukemia

Answer 8

A neoplastic disease of blood-forming tissue in which large number of white blood cells populate in the bone marrow and peripheral blood.

Question 9

Leukemia

Answer 9

A neoplastic disease of blood-forming tissue in which large number of white blood cells populate in the bone marrow and peripheral blood.

Question 10

Lymphoma

Answer 10

A neoplasm of lymphocytes that forms discrete tissue masses.

Question 11

Lymphocytes

Answer 11

A type of immune cell that is made in the bone marrow and is found in the blood and in lymph tissue. The two main types of lymphocytes are B lymphocytes and T lymphocytes.

Question 12

Peripheral Blood

Answer 12

The flowing, circulating blood of the body.

Question 13

Plasma Cell Neoplasms

Answer 13

Diseases in which the body makes too many plasma cells. Can be benign or malignant.

Question 14

Oncogenes

Answer 14

A mutated gene that promotes the proliferation and survival of cancer cells.

Question 15

TSG

Answer 15

Tumor-suppressor Genes. A gene that dampens proliferation and survival. TSG function is often lost in cancer cells.

Question 16

Cell Division Cycle

Answer 16

The succession of events when a single cell divides, including pre-replication phase (G1), DNA synthesis (S), post-replication (G2), and separation (M).

Question 17

Class Switching

Answer 17

A secondary recombination event.

Question 18

Checkpoint

Answer 18

Regulated phases in the cell division cycle; between the G1 and S phase (G1 checkpoint) and between the G2 and M phases (G2 checkpoint).

Question 19

SISH

Answer 19

Silver-enhanced in situ hybridization. A bright field hybridization method similar to CISH for the detection of chromosomal abnormalities and gene amplification.

Question 20

TKIs

Answer 20

Tyrosine-kinase inhibitors. Chemotherapeutic agent that inhibits phosphorylation catalyzed by oncogenes such as EGFR and BCR-ABL.

Question 21

Signal Transduction

Answer 21

Transfer of extracellular and intracellular stimuli through the cell cytoplasm to the nucleus, ultimately affecting gene-expression patterns.

Question 22

Protein Truncation Tests

Answer 22

Mutation/polymorphism analysis using in vitro transcription-translation systems.

Question 23

MSI

Answer 23

Microsatellite Instability. Contradiction and expansion of mononucleotide and dinucleotide repeat sequences in DNA caused by lack or repair of replication errors.

Question 24

Capillary Gel Electrophoresis

Answer 24

Separation of particles through a sieving polymer or gel inside of a glass capillary.

Question 25

Proband

Answer 25

The initial patient resulting in a genetic study of a family.

Question 26

LOH

Answer 26

Loss of Heterozygosity. Deletion or inactivation of a functional allele, leaving a mutated allele.

Question 27

V(D)J Recombination

Answer 27

Normal intrachromosomal breaking and joining of DNA in the genes coding for immunoglobulins and T-cell receptors.

Question 28

Gene Rearrangement

Answer 28

Intrachromosomal deletion and ligation of gene segments in immunoglobin and T-cell receptor genes.

Question 29

Germline

Answer 29

Having an innate, unmutated, or unrearranged genotype or genetic structure.

Question 30

Allelic Exclusion

Answer 30

Expression of a gene on only one of two homologous chromosomes, with the other not expressed.

Question 31

Somatic Hypermutation

Answer 31

Enzymatic alterations of nucleotide sequences in the variable region of the immunoglobulin heavy-chain gene.

Question 32

Class-switch Recombination

Answer 32

Movement of the VDJ gene segment of a rearranged immunoglobulin gene to gene segments encoding IgG, IgE, or IgA constant regions.

Question 33

KDE

Answer 33

Kappa deleting element. A DNA sequence that determines deletion of the IgK constant region in cells producing the IgL light chains.

Question 34

Affinity Maturation

Answer 34

Selection of B cells expressing antibodies with greater affinity of the antigen.

Question 35

Trimming

Answer 35

Deletion of nucleotides. Addition or deletion of nucleotides at the junctions between V, D, and J segments during immunoglobulin and T-cell receptor gene rearrangements.

Question 36

Polyclonal

Answer 36

Having a variety of genotypes or phenotypes.

Question 37

Monoclonal

Answer 37

Having the same genotypic or phenotypic composition.

Question 38

Oligoclone

Answer 38

A small subpopulation with identical genotype or phenotype within a larger group.

Question 39

Fusion Gene

Answer 39

A chimeric gene containing parts of two or more separate genes.

Question 40

RNA Integrity Control

Answer 40

Amplification control included in RT-PCR to distinguish negative and false-negative results.

Question 41

Proliferation

Answer 41

Rapid reproduction of a cell.

Question 42

Chimeric Gene

Answer 42

Literally, made of parts from different sources. They form through the combination of portions of two or more coding sequences to produce new genes. These mutations are distinct from fusion genes which merge whole gene sequences into a single reading frame and often retain their original functions.