BIOL304 6380 The Biology of Cancer exam 2016

Biology of Cancer- final examination Spring 2016 Dr. Harold Katcher

The final exam covers all aspects of the course taught. In all cases you will use your own words: no quotes (and of course no plagiarism)- I want to know your understanding. If information is from other sources than your readings you must cite them but not quote them – all in your own words, or that’s fifty percent gone on each question even if you quote the source.

1. A chemical or physical agent that causes cancer general operates to damage an organism’s______________

2. The majority of cancer cases are due to __________________.

3. Do you agree with the statement; organs and tissues normally manage somatic (body, non-sexual) tissue homeostasis (keeping size and cell number the same) by having tissue cells undergoing binary fission. Yes or no or neither, explain

4. What is a gatekeeper protein? Give two examples of how they work, where they work and how their mutation might result in a particular hallmark of cancer away to avoid or eliminate barriers to proliferation or progression.

5. Describe the path a growth factor takes to make a normal cell undergo cell division?

6. Loss of restriction point control is a big factor in most cancers t/f

7. It is found that with some cancers there are no changes in the nucleotide sequences of affected genes, yet the amount of the protein produced is wrong – too much or too little. One explanation that would not be applicable to this case would be…

A. a splicing change so that the normal protein isn’t made in the same amount

B. the cytosine residue of a promotor has been methylated

C. An epigenetic change in the histone code surrounding the gene was made

D. A change in a controlling DNA other than the protein coding region was made

E. All of the above are possible

8. A DNA damage that changes one nucleotide to another is not as dangerous as a damage that eliminates or adds a nucleotide to a DNA sequence because

A. Adding or subtracting nucleotides means you have to break the DNA strand

B. A single base addition or elimination changes the entire protein from that point on

C. A single addition or elimination changes the reading frame

D. Damage that changes one nucleotide to another is not at all dangerous

E. Both B, and C are the only true statements

9. Two alleles of a gene code for exactly the same amino acid sequence and yet the produce different proteins: explain how this can occur.

10. RB prevent the cell from undergoing ______________ by binding to _________ which is a transcription factor .

11. The transcription factor to which RB bind controls _______________. RB become inactive when it is _________.

12. The biggest single risk factor for cancer is

A. age

B. environmental mutagens and carcinogens

C. sunlight

D. tobacco

E. all of the above are about equal.

13. True or False: Cancer occurs more frequently in epithelial tissues than in connective tissues

14. True or False: Many different cancers often have mutations in the same

15. Senescent cells

A. Are normally smaller than ordinary cells

B. Are metabolically inactive

C. Are removed from the cell cycle

D. Are known to prevent cancers from arising

E. All of the above

16. The most common mutation in cancer is a mutation to the gene named _____

17. The protein ubiquitin is attached to other proteins by ubiquitin ligase in order to

______________________________________________________________.

18. Some RNA viruses are able to insert their genomes into host (human) cells by use of the enzyme ____________________________________________

19. Many scientists believe that telomere attrition is an anti-cancer mechanism used by the body to ________________ cell ____________________.

20. VEGF receptors are stimulated in order to allow or promote _________________ (one word).

21. That people with the hereditary diseases of ataxia telengectasia and Werner’s syndrome are prone to cancer is an indication of the importance of _________________ to preventing cancer

22. One cancer barrier innate immune system helps to overcome is _______________________, because macrophage secrete __________________.

23. The phenomenon that allows epithelial cells to become active and motile, giving them freedom from anchorage independence is called __________________________.

24. The epithelial to mesenchymal transition called a ‘program’ and your texts calls it a process normally used in embryogenesis and wound healing that is co-opted by a cancer cell. This ‘program’…

A. Applies to all types of cancers

B. Applies only to carcinomas

C. Allows severely defective cells to propagate

D. Results from signals arising from the cancer cells themselves

E. All of the above

25. -40. (worth fifteen points so I expect a lot) You’ve inherited the gene-variant called the APC gene from your father’s side of the family. Unbeknownst to you. You are now twenty-five by the time you are fifty-five you will be diagnosed with full blown cancer that’s metastasized to your – you will explain step by step (as shown in your “Hallmarks” paper) now a cell (where? I want as normal a case as you care to give but whatever you choose) – each evolutionary ‘advance’ of the cell at each stage in the progression to a metastasized cancer each step, with an appropriate gene mutation (which you will give) necessary to overcome and signals (so gene A is defective allowing the cell to propagate though damaged – might be step 2 or 3 (but you’ve got to name that gene – it has to make sense – describe the obstacle and the solution at each step winding up in the lungs (and trace the anatomical path and how it got there).

41. – 50. (That’s ten points for you to be, “Scientist for a Day!” (or two)). You are a scientist assigned to work on curing cancer – the particular lab you are in is involved with the Warburg Effect. Explain what it is, why it is and come up with a target that you would like to use in order to treat all cancers that show this effect (if only!). You must come up with some target (a protein usually) and some way particular means to precisely target and destroy (or enhance) it – you can make it up if it’s logical even if it hasn’t been done – and promise to mention my class in your Nobel prize acceptance speech.

51. – 55. Cancer is a cell autonomous function (meaning it depends only on changes in the cancer cell): agree or disagree, but give your evidence.