What are the basics?
There are three primary concepts that underlie all cancerous change. When you grasp those concepts, it is possible to visualize what happens to a colon, brain, or breast cell on its cancerous path.
Membrane proteins:
Three types
I will break down the proteins that line cell membranes into three types
Cell membrane proteins (also called membrane receptors) are the primary conduits of stuff and information across membranes. They are the doors and windows into the cytoplasm and the nucleus.
Cell division:
Final common pathway
All cells that divide have to follow a certain pathway.
There are specific steps that have to be followed before a cell goes into division. Part of the steps involves production of key types of proteins that prepare the nuclear and cytoplasmic membranes for cell division.
What defines a cancer cell:
Three traits
There are only three attributes to a cancer cell.
Each cancer cell - from cancer-in-situ to metastatic cancer - has to have all three attributes. Otherwise, there is no cancer.
COMING UP:
- Course on Cell Membrane Proteins: How do cells age? In this course, I will describe the three types of membrane proteins.
- In future courses, I will describe the final common pathway and the three traits of cancer cells.
Picture credits:
- By Jose Luis Calvo. Shutterstock, ID: 522829411. Multinucleated giant cells. Light micrograph of a giant cell tumour of bone showing giant cells derived from osteoclasts.
- By Designua. Shutterstock, ID: 483015559. Facilitated diffusion or facilitated transport or passive-mediated transport. Carrier protein.
- By yamaoyaji. Shutterstock ID: 1491569426. Yellow slime mold on fallen leaf.
- By David A Litman. Shutterstock, ID: 1012664833. Photomicrograph of a lymph node in a patient with Hodgkin's Disease (lymphoma), showing a Reed Sternberg cell variant.