Week 4: Discussion Describe how normal cells go through the process of transformation into cancer cells. How is this process different from DNA mutations associated with genetic disease? Review this article on genetics and identify (Links to an external site) how the mutations differ.

Week 4: Discussion Describe how normal cells go through the process of transformation into cancer cells. How is this process different from DNA mutations associated with genetic disease? Review this article on genetics and identify (Links to an external site) how the mutations differ.

Week 4: Discussion Describe how normal cells go through the process of transformation into cancer cells. How is this process different from DNA mutations associated with genetic disease? Review this article on genetics and identify (Links to an external site) how the mutations differ.

            Cancer can be differentiated from multiple other human diseases, given that its root cause is neither associated with a reduction nor a lack of cell function. For instance, a diabetic patient may lack insulin production or reduced body response to insulin.  On the other hand, coronary heart disease can result from poor supply of blood to the heart, which may lead to organ failure. However, cancer only occurs when there is an alteration in the normal biological processes such as cell division (Basu, 2018). Cells progressing through the unchecked cell cycle can ultimately lead to malignant tumors, characterized by uncontrolled growth and division of masses of cells. These cells also develop the ability to migrate and spread to other body parts. Cancerous or abnormal cells grown in vitro display transformational changes from their normal phenotype as a result of genetic changes that affect proteins associated with cell cycle control (Giacomelli et al., 2018).Consequently, the proteins and genes related to the restriction of cell cycle progression have also been identified through research. Such genes are referred to as tumor suppressor genes. Generally, multiple tumor suppressors and oncogenes must act together to promote abnormal proliferation of cells and promote cancer development.

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DNA mutations impact body cells in several ways leading to genetic diseases. Some mutations are associated with stopping specific proteins from being produced entirely(Giacomelli et al., 2018). Other mutations may alter the functioning of the produced protein such that it no longer performs its intended purpose or may fail to function completely. Others may lead to some genes being turned on, causing overproduction of the protein (Turajlic et al., 2019). Generally, some mutations may not have a significant effect, hence go unnoticed, whereas others may lead to the development of different diseases. For instance,specific gene mutations for hemoglobin are associated with the development of sickle cell anemia.

The transformation of normal cells to become cancerous cells largely depends on several mutations rather than a single mutation process. These mutations may be associated with different genes which control cell division and cell growth. Some of these genes, as mentioned earlier, are known as tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes (Basu, 2018). In the process of cancer formation, both the two copies of most genes, available in pairs in each chromosome, are involved. For the gene to completely stop working and possibly lead to cancer, both DNA copies must be “knocked out” with mutations.The most commonly mutated genes among cancer patients are TP53 or p53 (Giacomelli et al., 2018). Different combinations of DNA mutations lead to different types of cancers, hence the variations in gene therapy for cancer patients. Generally, this means that it takes at least two mutations to cause cancer, rather than a single mutation, as seen in the development of other diseases such as sickle cell anemia.

References

Basu, A. K. (2018). DNA damage, mutagenesis, and cancer. International journal of molecular sciences, 19(4), 970.https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms19040970

Giacomelli, A. O., Yang, X., Lintner, R. E., McFarland, J. M., Duby, M., Kim, J., … & Hahn, W. C. (2018). Mutational processes shape the landscape of TP53 mutations in human cancer. Nature genetics, 50(10), 1381-1387.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-018-0204-y

Turajlic, S., Sottoriva, A., Graham, T., & Swanton, C. (2019). Resolving genetic heterogeneity in cancer. Nature Reviews Genetics, 20(7), 404-416.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41576-019-0114-6

Select one of the following discussion prompts to address. In the subject line of your post, please identify which prompt you are responding to, for example, choice #2 vitamin deficiencies.

Describe how normal cells go through the process of transformation into cancer cells. How is this process different from DNA mutations associated with genetic disease? Review this article on genetics and identify (Links to an external site.)how the mutations differ.

Stress and Disease: Describe the physiologic effects on body systems of increased cortisol levels released during the stress response.

Review the current research evidence from credible, scholarly sources and summarize the results of the effects and health risks of electromagnetic radiation (from cellular and cordless telephones, microwaves, computers, fluorescent lights, radar, and electronic equipment).

Use at least one scholarly source other than your textbook to connect your response to national guidelines and evidence-based research in support of your ideas. This is required. In addition, you may also provide an example case, either from personal experience or from the media, which illustrates and supports your ideas. All sources must be referenced and cited using correct APA (including a link to the source).