Angiogenesis: growth
of new blood vessels sprouting from existing blood vessels
Aneuploidy: an
abnormal number of chromosomes. Humans
are diploid, meaning we have two sets of 23 chromosomes for a total of 46
chromosomes. Aneuploidy is a form of
genetic instability
Apoptosis: Programmed cell death, initiated from within the
cell
Autophagy: A form of programmed cell death where the
damaged organelles of the cell are recycled by the lysosome; literally means
“eating self”
Carcinoma: abnormal
cellular growth of epithelial cells; the most common type of cancer
Cell Proliferation: A
cellular process under control of the cell cycle whereby each cell duplicates
its DNA and divides into two daughter cells
Chromosome: structure
that consists of long strands of DNA and its associated
Proteins
Cytokine: extracellular
signal or peptide secreted by immune cells that elicit cellular response in
neighbouring cell types; cytokines can include growth factors, interleukins, or
interferons.
DNA: deoxyribonucleic acid; the genetic and
hereditary information; the basic building block of life: transcription from
DNA to RNA to protein
Endothelial cell: cells
forming the inner lining blood vessels
Epithelial cell: make
up the epithelium; arranged as sheets of cells, the epithelium is the outer
layer of body tissues (organs), blood vessels, and small cavities.
Genetic: relating
to genes; interchanged with genomic
Genetic Instability: a
situation characterized by a high degree of mutations that ultimately leads to
further mutations
Genome: all of
the genetic information of an organism or cell
Genotype: the
genetic makeup of a cell or organism; translated into its phenotype
Growth Factor: external signals that relay growth
information into receptive cells.
Specific growth factors act as signals (ligands) for specific receptors
on cell surfaces. For example, epidermal
growth factor (EGF) activates the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) to
promote proliferation.
Hereditary: genes
originating from germ cells that can be passed down from parent to child
Homeostasis: a state of balance; a non-diseased state
Metastasis: the
process by which a cancer cell migrates from the primary tumor to a distant
site in the body
Mitogenic: Capable
of promoting growth by the induction of mitosis; proliferative protein
Mitosis: division
of the nucleus of one cell into two identical daughter cells; involves the
duplication and separation of chromosomes
Morphology: the
structure and appearance, in particular of that of cells
Mutation: an
alteration in the DNA sequence; mutations can include single nucleotide changes,
frameshift mutations, or deletions and insertions
Neoplasia: abnormal
cellular growth; tumor
Next generation
sequencing: the encompassing phrase describing new high-throughput
sequencing or nucleic acids (DNA or RNA).
Phenotype: the
physical appearance of a cell or organism; related to its genotype
Phosphorylation: A
specific post-translational modification that involves linking a phosphate
group to a protein
Polymorphism: variations in genes
Post-translational
modification (PTM): An
enzyme-catalyzed change in a protein made after the protein is
synthesized. Examples include
phosphorylation, acetylation, methylation, cleavage, or glycosylation.
Targeted therapy: therapy involving small molecules whose
action is directed against a specific protein; to alter cellular signaling
dynamics
Telomere: end of
a chromosome, composed of characteristic telomeric repeats which is a measure
of cell life
Transcription: copying
one strand of DNA into a complementary RNA strand (mRNA); under the control of
RNA polymerase; the process by which genes are converted to proteins
Transcription factor:
any protein involved in regulating (initiating, inhibiting) transcription
Translation: the
process of converting mRNA into proteins
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