CANCER AND ITS
MOLECULAR
BIOLOGY
PRESENTED BY – DEBABRATA BHUNIA (2ND SEM ZOOLOGY MJH)
ROLL-135
DATE – 7TH DEC,2024
What is cancer ?
A normal cell
Lose their control
Regulated division
over division
differentiation
Neoplastic or
tumour cells
Apoptosis (programmed
cell death)
Abnormal growth of
these cell called
NEOPLASIA /NEOPLASM
TUMOUR GRWOTH AND INVASION :
Types acc. to cell types : • Non-Capsulated
• Capsulated (de-localised)
(localised) • Fast growing
• Slow growing • Invasiveness +nt
• Invasiveness -nt • Metastasis +nt
• Metastasis -nt
Sl. No. ORIGIN TYPE subtypes
1 EPITHELIAL Squamous cell carcinoma
(most common) – the
carcinomas Adenocarcinoma
2 MESENCHYMAL - sarcomas
3 HEMATOPOIETIC – blood Leukaemias – cancer from bone
origin barrow
Myelomas – from plasma cells
Lymphomas - cancer from lymph
nodes
4 NEURECTODERMAL –
originates from components
of nervous system
MOST CANCER ORIGINATES FROM
MONOCLONAL ORIGIN
EPIGENETIC CHANGES –
Change in pattern of gene
expression without
GENETIC CHANGES – changing DNA sequence
changes in cell’s DNA
sequence
• Cancer mostly – non- transmissible disease ( because 99% mutation-
somatic cell)
• Cancer (malignant) is a multistep process.
CLONAL EVOLUTION
IN CANCER
METASTATIS :
Spread of cancer
1. Intravasation : movement of
cancer through the wall of
blood vessel/lymph node.
2. Extravasation : out of blood
vessel into the tissue.
(secondary distant sites)
Properties of cancer cells :
SL.NO. Properties Description
1 Immortalization Can grow indefinitely
2 Loss of anchorage Can proliferate even when they are
dependence growth suspension culture or semi solid
medium.
3 Loss of contact Continue to migrating even after contact
inhibition with neighbouring cell.
Growing in disorders multilayered
pattern.
4 Invasiveness and Malignant cells secret proteases that
metastasis digest extracellular matrix components
allowing them invade.
Also promotes angiogenesis.
MOLECULAR BASIS OF CANCER :
All genes whose genetic and epigenetic changes
contribute to the causation of cancer are described as
cancer critical genes.
Mutation of a cancer critical gene can be either dominant or
recessive.
Proto Oncogene :
• Proto Oncogenes control the growth and
divisions of cells.
• The proteins encoded by Proto
oncogenes include growth factors,
growth factor receptors, transcription
factors and signal transducers.
Proto oncogene Activation include the following :
1. Point Mutation :
Single alternation of a molecule
Usually changes the amino acid
sequence of the encoded protein and
thus altered Protein function.
One example : Ras protooncogenes. In
human cells three closely related Ras
genes are H Ras, K Ras, and N Ras.
Chromosomal translocation :
• Translocation induced over
expression of a protooncogene is
based exemplified by Burkitt's
Lymphoma.
• it is a childhood tumour
particularly affecting the jaw and
found mainly in Africa.
• In Burkitt's lymphoma the MYC
containing segments of
chromosome 8 (8q24) translocated
to chromosome 14 (14q32).
Chimeric BCR-ABL gene
codes for – fusion protein • Similarly patients with chronic myelogenous leukaemia contain an abnormal
have high tyrosine kinase Philadelphia chromosome which forms as a result of balanced reciprocal 9;22
activity. translocation.
Insertional activation :
Insertion of mobile genetic element
such as retrovirus changes the
expression of genes but leave their
coding sequence unaltered. The best
characterised is MYC genes.
The retrovirus called Avian Leucosis
virus (AVL) has been shown to integrate
within the MYC Proto Oncogene which
contains three exons.
The presence of LTR sequences in the
transcript results in increased
expression of the MYC protein which is
harmful to the cell.
Tumour suppressor gene Five broad categories of genes that
generally grouped into tumour supply
Involved in cell cycle checkpoint activation DNA damage surgeons :
repair induction of apoptosis and prevent unregulated
cellular growth. • Genes That regulate or inhibit cell cycle
progression (example RB1)
• Encode receptors or developmental
signals that inhibit cell proliferation
(example the hedgehog receptor)
• genes encoding checkpoint control
Caretakers : proteins that arrest the cell cycle if
Gatekeepers: DNA is damaged (example TP53)
genes directly Those genes that do
not directly • Genes that promote apoptosis
inhibit cell growth • Genes that encode enzymes that
or promote cell suppress
proliferation but participate in DNA repair
death
function to promote
genetic stability
TUMOUR SUPRESOR GENE : Tp53 : oligomer(4 subunit)
associated with 50% of human cancer
dominant-negative mutation
mdm2
Tumour suppressor gene : RB1 : monomer
recessive mutation
OTHER TUMOUR SUPRESSOR GENE :
1. BRCA 1 /BRCA2 : DNA repair , protein defect associated
with breast and ovarian cancer.
2. N F1 : Defect associated with neurofibromatosis colorectal
cancer
Causes of cancer : SUMMERY
THANK
YOU
