Cell Communication and Cell Cycle Glossary
8 essential terms — because precise language is the foundation of clear thinking in Cell Communication and Cell Cycle.
Showing 8 of 8 terms
An abnormal number of chromosomes resulting from errors in chromosome segregation during cell division. Aneuploidy is a hallmark of many cancer cells.
Programmed cell death executed by caspases, characterized by cell shrinkage, DNA fragmentation, and formation of apoptotic bodies. Unlike necrosis, it occurs without inflammation.
A protein kinase that is active only when bound to its cyclin partner. Different cyclin-CDK complexes drive transitions between cell cycle phases by phosphorylating specific target proteins.
A seven-transmembrane-domain cell-surface receptor that activates intracellular G proteins upon ligand binding, initiating signaling cascades via second messengers like cAMP.
A mutated form of a proto-oncogene that is constitutively active, promoting uncontrolled cell growth and division. Oncogenes act as gain-of-function mutations that drive cancer.
A cell-surface receptor that dimerizes and autophosphorylates tyrosine residues upon ligand binding, creating docking sites for intracellular relay proteins.
The process of converting an extracellular signal into an intracellular response through a cascade of molecular interactions including receptor activation, relay proteins, and second messengers.
A gene whose protein product inhibits cell division, promotes DNA repair, or triggers apoptosis. Loss-of-function mutations remove growth-inhibiting controls, contributing to cancer.