Gene responsible for cancer
Answers
Chromosomes are the thread-like structures in cells that contain genes. There are 46 chromosomes, arranged in 2 sets of 23.
You inherit one set from your mother and one from your father. One chromosome in each set determines whether you are female or male. The other 22 chromosome pairs determine other physical characteristics. These chromosome pairs are called autosomes.
How genes work
Genes control how your cells work by making proteins. The proteins have specific functions and act as messengers for the cell.
Each gene must have the correct instructions for making its protein. This allows the protein to perform the correct function for the cell.
All cancers begin when one or more genes in a cell mutate. A mutation is a change. It creates an abnormal protein. Or it may prevent a protein’s formation.
An abnormal protein provides different information than a normal protein. This can cause cells to multiply uncontrollably and become cancerous.
About genetic mutations
There are 2 basic types of genetic mutations:
Acquired mutations. These are the most common cause of cancer. They occur from damage to genes in a particular cell during a person’s life. For example, this could be a breast cell or a colon cell, which then goes on to divide many times and form a tumor. A tumor is an abnormal mass. Cancer that occurs because of acquired mutations is called sporadic cancer. Acquired mutations are not found in every cell in the body and they are not passed from parent to child.
Factors that cause these mutations include:
Tobacco
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation
Viruses
Age
Germline mutations. These are less common. A germline mutation occurs in a sperm cell or egg cell. It passes directly from a parent to a child at the time of conception. As the embryo grows into a baby, the mutation from the initial sperm or egg cell is copied into every cell within the body. Because the mutation affects reproductive cells, it can pass from generation to generation.
Cancer caused by germline mutations is called inherited cancer. It accounts for about 5% to 20% of all cancers.