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Conceptual Evolution in Cancer Biology

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Molecular Genetic Pathology

Abstract

Stem cells are founder cells for every organ, tissue, and cell type in the body. Epigenetic processes govern cell differentiation by turning on or off tissue-specific genes; it also is an important mechanism of tumorigenesis. The major epigenetic process operates through DNA methylation at CpG sites converting cytosine to 5-methylcytosine. Another epigenetic process, gene imprinting, causes parental allele-specific expression of genes and is required in the development of an embryo. Loss of imprinting is associated with many types of tumors. DNA homeostasis depends on DNA repair. Impaired DNA mismatch repair mechanisms in the cell lead to accumulation of nonrepairable DNA alterations such as microsatellite instability, which is associated with both hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer and sporadic colorectal cancers. Chromosome instability leads to changes of number and structure of chromosomes, including chromosomal losses, gains, and rearrangements. These are common features of malignant tumors. Gene expression is also regulated posttranscriptionally through microRNA or RNAi, which degrade the mRNA through binding to its complementary sequence. Telomeres protect the chromosome from gene loss by preventing ring chromosome formation and from gene gain by eliminating nonreciprocal translocation during cell division.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    Shaobo Zhang MD (Associate Scientist), Darrell D. Davidson MD, PhD & Liang Cheng MD (Professor of Pathology and Urology, Director of Molecular Pathology Laboratory, Chief of Genitourinary Pathology Division, Director, Fellowship in Urologic Pathology)

  2. Institute of Pathological Anatomy and Histopathology, Polytechnic University of the Marche Region (Ancona), School of Medicine, United Hospitals, Ancona, Italy

    Rodolfo Montironi MD (FRCPath Professor of Pathology)

  3. Unit of Anatomic Pathology, Department of Surgery, Cordoba University School of Medicine, Cordoba, Spain

    Antonio Lopez-Beltran MD, PhD (Professor of Anatomic Pathology)

  4. Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Gregory T. MacLennan MD (Professor of Pathology, Director, Anatomic Pathology)

Authors
  1. Shaobo Zhang MD
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  2. Darrell D. Davidson MD, PhD
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  3. Rodolfo Montironi MD
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  4. Antonio Lopez-Beltran MD, PhD
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  5. Gregory T. MacLennan MD
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  6. Liang Cheng MD
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, Dept. Pathology, Indiana University, N. University Blvd. 550, Indianapolis, 46202, Indiana, USA

    Liang Cheng

  2. Dept. Pathology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Gustave L. Levy Place 1, New York, 10029, New York, USA

    David Y. Zhang

  3. School of Medicine, Department of Pathology and, Indiana University, 635 Barnhill Drive, Indianapolis, 46202, Indiana, USA

    John N. Eble

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Zhang, S., Davidson, D.D., Montironi, R., Lopez-Beltran, A., MacLennan, G.T., Cheng, L. (2013). Conceptual Evolution in Cancer Biology. In: Cheng, L., Zhang, D., Eble, J. (eds) Molecular Genetic Pathology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4800-6_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4800-6_4

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  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-4800-6

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