Cell Proliferation, Death, and Epigenetics: Determination of Cancer Cell Fate

These flashcards cover key vocabulary related to the cell cycle, cancer biology, apoptosis, and epigenetics, highlighting essential concepts for understanding the material.

Cell Cycle

The life cycle of a cell divided into phases: G1, S, G2, and M, which includes cell division.

Apoptosis

Programmed cell death that occurs in multicellular organisms.

Quiescent State (G0)

A resting phase where cells are not actively dividing.

Oncogenes

Genes that, when mutated or expressed at high levels, can lead to the development of cancer.

Tumor Suppressor Genes

Genes that protect a cell from one step on the path to cancer; their loss can lead to uncontrolled cell growth.

Cyclin-Dependent Kinases (CDKs)

Enzymes that regulate the cell cycle by interacting with cyclins.

Phosphorylation

The addition of a phosphate group to a molecule, which can activate or deactivate many protein enzymes.

p53

A tumor suppressor protein that regulates the cell cycle and hence functions as a cancer checkpoint.

DNA Methylation

The addition of methyl groups to DNA, often leading to the silencing of genes.

Epigenetics

The study of heritable changes in gene expression that do not involve changes to the underlying DNA sequence.

Bcl-2

A protein that helps regulate apoptosis and is often found to be upregulated in some cancer types.

Histone Modifications

Chemical alterations to histone proteins that can affect gene expression by altering chromatin structure.

CpG Islands

Regions of DNA with a high frequency of CG dinucleotides, often found in promoter regions and associated with gene regulation.