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1. Apoptosis: programmed cell death in which the cell plays an active roll in its own death
a.) The cell receives a signal for apoptosis, coming from things like cellular stress or non-repairable
DNA damage.
b.) Caspases: main executers of apoptosis; are activated after the cell receives signals to kill itself
c.) Structure proteins of the cytoplasm and DNA repair proteins are destroyed. The caspases activate
enzymes that decay the nucleus, and the nucleus is disassembled.
d.) Macrophages: a type of white blood cells that remove the cell's “dead bodies” after apoptosis
Importance of apoptosis in healthy cells: This prevents cells from becoming out of control or viruses
spreading because with a mutation, the cells automatically kill themselves.
2. The Problem with Apoptosis: the p53 tumor suppressor gene (tumor suppressor: stops formation
of tumors) Tumor : if there is no apoptosis, a cell will grow out of control
a.) Normal function: sends out tumorrelated signals for apoptosis
b.) Over half of all human cancers and most tumors exhibit mutations to this gene, causing the tumors
to grow excessively and sometimes making them immune to chemotherapy and radiation.
3. Malecki's Suicide Gene Treatment
a.) Genetically engineered antibodies guide cells that induce apoptosis to specific markers found only
in cancer cells.
b.) Synthetic Transgenes: human created material which is transferred into the body from the outside;
they are sent into the body to kill the cancer cells
c.) Free Radicals: normally created as byproducts of cell breathing; in cancerous and normal cells.
d.) The higher the amount of breathing, the more free radicals are created. Since cancer cells reproduce
more quickly than normal cells, they create more free radicals.
e.) Moderately stopping free radicals could cause apoptosis to happen.
f.) AntiOxidative Enzymes block the formation of free radicals, which is good in normal cells.
g.) Cancer patients may have to stop eating foods high in antioxidants, so that it will be easier to
induce apoptosis. The transgenes also block antioxidant formation in order to signal apoptosis.
4. Why study the Suicide Gene for cancer research?
a.) The treatment is selective, unlike radiation or chemotherapy. This means that it will not harm
healthy cells along the way.
b.) This treatment would be free of sideeffects and surgery, and cheaper than other treatments.
5. Would this treatment work for all types of cancer?
a.) Ideally, this treatment would be great for all types of cancer, especially in sensitive areas (i.e.
pancreas, brain, ovaries, breasts, cervix, prostate)
b.) This could be the only treatment that could work for rapidly spreading cancers, especially those
spreading through metastasis.
c.) Metastasis: spreading of a disease from one organ to another
6. The Problem with the Suicide Gene Treatment:
a.) The problem is getting the transgenes to the places in the body where they need them to go.
b.) The only way that the transgenes can be delivered right now is randomly, and only small portions of
genes actually make it to the cancerous cells as they randomly flow throughout the bloodstream
(although they do not harm good cells).
c.) Trying to solve this problem, scientists put the Suicide Gene inside of liposomes.
d.) Liposomes: microscopic bubbles between 100 and 200 nanometers across; when liposomes touch
cells in a patients body, they fuse into the cell's membrane and put what they need to inside of the cell,
triggering apoptosis.
e.) To avoid sideeffects, scientists have put the gene inside of ringshaped DNA, so that it only affects
cells with a certain protein found only in cancer cells.