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Questions

The Biology of Henrietta Lacks

1. There are two types of cervical cancer: invasive and noninvasive. What is the difference between the two and how does noninvasive carcinoma grow?

2. Henrietta's cancer cells grew with mythological intensity. Why do cancer cells grow so rapidly?

3. Cells often behave differently, even cells from the same sample. What gives cells these unique traits?

4. Researchers began to identify chromosomal disorders and discovered that some diseases developed from chromosomal abnormalities. What causes chromosomal disorders and give an example of two. (Pg. 100)

5. Researchers believed that cells spontaneously transformed into cancer cells, but later research suggested otherwise. How do cells become cancerous? What is the process?

6. Henrietta died of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) a sexually transmitted virus that was believed to have caused cancer. How does HPV cause cancer?

Sara Duggan

Answers

The Biology of Henrietta Lacks

1.) Invasive carcinoma penetrates the surface of the cervix whereas noninvasive does not. Since noninvasive carcinoma does not penetrate the cervix it is a smooth layered sheet across the surface of the cervix.

2.) Cancer cells grow so rapidly because they do not have density dependence or anchorage dependence. Regular cells grow in an even layer whereas cancer cells grow tightly together and grow on top of each other and divide much more intensely.

3.) The nucleus, which controls cellular activity and contains the DNA and genetic material, gives cells their unique characteristics.

4.) Chromosomal disorders occur due to an extra chromosome, extra sex chromosome, or lack of part or all of a chromosome. Two diseases due to chromosomal disorders include Down syndrome and Turner syndrome. Down syndrome is caused by an extra chromosome number 21. Turner syndrome is caused by lack of a chromosome or part of it.

5.) A cell suffers a mutation in a gene that is involved in the cell cycle which causes it to grow more rapidly than normal cells. The cell will suffer more mutation in the cell-cycle gene deregulating it. The rate of mitosis increases, increasing the chance of DNA damage. This will result in a higher and more intensified amount of cancer.

6.) HPV causes cancer by inserting its DNA into the DNA of the host cell, producing proteins that lead to cancer.