Cancer and Cell Biology
Cancer is a class of diseases (also known as malignant neoplasms) in which normal cellular homeostasis is lost and a group of abnormal cells divide without control or stop responding to normal restraint in growth. In addition to uncontrolled growth, these cells can also display invasion (intrusion on and destruction of adjacent tissues) and sometimes metastasis. In the US, cancer accounts for 1 of every 4 deaths. The American Cancer Society estimated that this year about 565,650 Americans are expected to die of cancer, more than 1,500 people a day. Nearly all cancers are caused by abnormalities in the genetic material of the transformed cell. These abnormalities can either be inherited genetically (~10% of cases) or occur sporadically due to the effects of carcinogens, such as tobacco smoke, radiation, chemicals or infectious agents.
Genetic abnormalities found in cancer typically affect two general classes of genes: oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Cancer-promoting oncogenes are typically activated in cancer cells, giving those cells new properties, such as hyperactive growth and division, protection against programmed cell death, loss of respect for normal tissue boundaries, and the ability to become established in diverse tissue environments. Inactivation of tumor suppressor genes in cancer cells can result in the loss of normal functions in those cells, such as accurate DNA replication, control over the cell cycle, orientation and adhesion within tissues, and interaction with protective cells of the immune system. Additional pathways that contribute to tissue homeostasis are regulated by genes that control DNA damage, apoptosis, senescence and the activity of carcinogens.
Among the faculty involved in such studies are:
- Kathrin H. Kirsch (cell signaling)
- Katya Ravid (cell cycle)
- Michael Sherman (cell senescence, cell stress)
- Gail E. Sonenshein (nuclear oncogenes)
- Jim Xiao (tumor suppressor genes)
