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Why do some cells become immortal? Explore the magic of telomerase!
Cancer cells are cells in the body that continue to divide, forming tumors or filling the blood or lymph with abnormal cells. Cell division is a normal process used by the body for growth and repair. A mother cell divides to form two daughter cells, and these daughter cells are used to build new tissue or replace cells that die due to aging or damage. Healthy cells stop dividing when they no longer need more daughter cells, but cancer cells continue to replicate. Additionally, cancer cells are able to spread from one part of the body to another through a process called metastasis.
The different lineages of cancer cells can be classified according to the cell type from which they originate.
Classification of cancer cells
Cancer cells can be divided into different categories depending on the type of cell they originate from. For example, carcinomas, where most cancer cells originate, begin in epithelial cells that line the inner and outer surface tissues of the human body. Leukemia begins in the tissue responsible for producing new blood cells, most often in the bone marrow. Lymphoma and multiple myeloma begin in cells of the immune system. Other types, such as sarcomas, arise from connective tissue, including fat, muscle, and bone, while central nervous system cancers arise from cells in the brain and spinal cord.
Cancer cells have a characteristic feature visible under a microscope, with their nuclei usually being large and irregular.
Histological features
Cancer cells often show changes in nuclear shape, size, protein composition, and texture. Common changes include the appearance of grooves, folds, or pits, and the distribution of chromatin may be clumped or diffuse. In addition, the nucleolus may also become larger. The nuclei of normal cells are usually round or solid, while the outlines of cancer cells are often irregular. Therefore, cancer cells of various cancer types have different characteristic changes, which can even serve as markers for cancer diagnosis and staging.
Causes of Cancer
Cancer cells develop when the genes responsible for regulating cell division are damaged. The carcinogenic process results from mutations and epimutations in the genetic makeup of normal cells, which disrupt the normal balance between cell proliferation and death, leading to uncontrolled cell division in the body. The rapid proliferation of these cells may lead to the development of benign or malignant tumors, the latter of which can invade other organs and pose a threat. The accumulation of multiple mutations is usually necessary to transform a normal cell into a cancer cell. These mutations can result from exposure to radiation, chemicals in the environment, and uncorrected errors in DNA transcription. Age also becomes a risk factor. factor.
DNA repair and mutationWhen cells lack the ability to repair DNA damage, these damages may remain in the cell as the cell divides.
If a cell cannot effectively repair damage to its DNA, these damages will accumulate at higher levels within the cell. These lesions can lead to replication errors when the cell's DNA is replicated, including mutations that cause cancer. Several inherited disorders of DNA repair have been described, and deficiencies in specific DNA repair enzymes have been implicated in a variety of cancers. For example, underexpression of the DNA repair enzyme O-6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase has been observed in several different types of cancer. These defects in DNA repair capacity may render cell lines more susceptible to the development of cancer, while enhancement of repair capacity in the progression of cancer cell lines may still have important effects on clinical outcome.
The role of telomerase
Cancer cells have some unique characteristics that make them appear to be "immortal" in the human population. According to the research, telomerase is an enzyme that helps these cells extend their lifespan. In most cells, telomeres shorten each time they divide, eventually leading to cell death. However, cancer cells lengthen their telomeres via telomerase, which is one of the main reasons why cancer cells accumulate and form tumors. This provides new possibilities and challenges for future cancer treatment.
Latest treatments
As research deepens, more and more innovative therapies emerge. In February 2019, medical scientists announced that they had used rhodium bound to albumin to create a photosensitized molecule that can penetrate cancer cells and treat them when exposed to light, a treatment known as photodynamic therapy. Showed good results.
These discoveries allow scientists to continue to explore the mysteries of cancer cells, and perhaps in the future there will be more effective countermeasures to further defeat cancer. But can our understanding of these immortal cells help us find ways to control them?
