Section 9-3

NWRC BIO 30

Cell Cycle Regulation

The average cell in your body has a cell cycle of about 20hours however not all cells in the body reproduce at the same rates. Hair skin and nails for example have a shorter cycle than does bone tissue or nerve cells. The timing really does depend on the type of cell.

Cell Cycle Regulation

Cyclins (protiens) bind to Cyclin dependant Kinases (enzymes) during interphase and mitosis to control the rate of the cell cycle.

Cell Cycle Regulation

Cyclins are so named because their concentration varies in a cyclical fashion during the cell cycle; they are produced or degraded as needed in order to drive the cell through the different stages of the cell cycle.

Checkpoints
To minimize the occurrence of mistakes in cellcycle events, a cell's progress through the cycle is monitored at four key checkpoints Control mechanisms that operate at these checkpoints ensure that chromosomes are intact and that each stage of the cell cycle is completed before the following stage is initiated.

Checkpoints

Checkpoints
There is also a checkpoint in the S (synthesis) phase to check against DNA damage

Cell Cycle Regulation

Cancers occurs when these checkpoint processes fail and cells go through abnormal uncontrolled growth and cell division. This is lung cancer

Cancer self study website

Cancer
The uncontrolled growth of cells forms a lump called a tumour. Cell division is essential for growth, repair and reproduction. It is tightly controlled by genes inside the cell. Special genes,, stimulate the production of growthstimulating chemicals that trigger cell division.

Cancer
Tumour in pancreas Tumour in brain

Cancer
Tumour in pancreas Tumour in brain

Cancer
There are many different types of cancer and there can be a number of different causes for each one. However, researchers think that cancers happen when the normal control of cell division goes wrong. A mutation is simply a change in the structure of the cell's DNA. Everybody has DNA that contains mutations and these mostly do not cause any problems -

Cancer
This demo shows you how cancer cells multiply and spread into the bloodstream.

Causes of Cancer
Substances which interfere with normal cell division are called carcinogens (link to list of known/suspected carcinogens)

Apoptosis

Is a process of planned orderly death by a cell in a multicellular organism. It involves an orderly series of biochemical events leading to a cell death. The apoptotic process is executed in such a way as to safely dispose of cellular debris.

Stem Cellls
Stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body. Serving as a sort of repair system for the body, they can theoretically divide without limit to replenish other cells as long as the person or animal is still alive. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential to either remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell.

Embryonic Stem Cells

Adult Stem Cells

The major function of adult stem cells is to maintain homeostasis in the body in terms of replacing dead or injured cells with new ones that function correctly. Scientists have found that certain bone marrow cells behave very like embryonic cells and can be transformed into different types of cell.

Adult Stem Cells

Assessment
1. Certain cyclins and cyclin dependant enzymes control the cell cycle 2. The cycle is shorter and it divides in an unrestrained way

Assessment
3. cigarette smoke, ultraviolet radiation, asbestos (there are many others) 4. apoptosis is programmed cell death cancers will grow and divide as long as they are supplied with essential nutrients