Bi9910en Molecular and Cell Biology of Tumors

Faculty of Science
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 2 credit(s) (plus extra credits for completion). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Lucia Knopfová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Lucia Knopfová, Ph.D.
Department of Experimental Biology – Biology Section – Faculty of Science
Contact Person: Mgr. Lucia Knopfová, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Experimental Biology – Biology Section – Faculty of Science
Prerequisites
(! Bi9910 Tumor Biology ) && !NOWANY( Bi9910 Tumor Biology )
Essential knowledge of molecular biology of eukaryotic cells.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course aims to uncover key mechanisms leading to tumor formation and development and to link them to basic mechanisms regulating cell functions and intercellular relationships.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course students should be able to understand cancerogenesis as multistep process and to comprehend main molecular mechanisms responsible for tumor progression.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction, 2. History of cancer studies, terminology of cancer, oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes; list of processes that malfunction during cancerogenesis; complexity and heterogeneity of tumor tissues. 2. Cell cycle regulation, cell cycle machinery, mitogen and antimitogen signaling, cell signaling pathways in healthy and cancer cells. 3. Individual predispositions to cancer, list of important hereditary syndromes connected with increased frequency of cancer and underlying molecular mechanisms, retinoblastoma, Li-Fraumeni syndrome, Ataxia – Telangiectasia, NBS, inherited form of breast cancer (BRCA1, BRCA2), Bloom syndrome, Werner syndrome, Fanconi anemia, malignant melanoma, Xeroderma pigmentosum, Wilms tumor, von Hippel-Lindau syndrome, FAP, Juvenile polyposis coli, Lynch syndrome, Cowden syndrome, hereditary diffuse gastric cancer. 4. Apoptosis and cancer, physiology of apoptosis, regulation of apoptosis in Caenorhabditis elegans, death receptors, the role of mitochondria in apoptosis, Bcl-2 proteins, caspases. 5. Telomeres, telomerase and cancer. Chromosome replication, cell aging, structure of telomeres, function of telomerase in cancer formation. 6. Tumor angiogenesis, physiology of neovascularization, angiogenesis and its regulation. 7. Metastasis formation, metastatic cascade, ECM degradation, metalloproteinases, adhesive complexes - cadherins, integrins, selectins, immunoglobulin-type receptors. 8. Genetic instability of tumors, instability of DNA sequences, microsatellite instability; instability in number of chromosomes, control of mitotic spindle. 9. Chromatin remodeling and tumors, mechanisms of chromatin rearrangement, the role in cancerogenesis, Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome, malignant rhabdoid tumors in children, chromatin remodeling and leukemia, chromatin therapy – inhibitors of histone deacetylases, DNA methylation and tumors.
Literature
    recommended literature
  • WEINBERG, Robert A. The biology of cancer. 1st ed. New York: Garland Science, 2007, 1 sv. ISBN 9780815340782. info
  • WEINBERG, Robert A. Oncogenes and the molecular origins of cancer. New York: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 1989, x, 367 s. ISBN 0-87969-340-1. info
Teaching methods
Lectures followed by class discussions.
Assessment methods
Written test is required to pass the exam. At least 60% of questions have to be answered correctly.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2023, Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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