Cells only reproduce when it is necessary. The brain will send signals throughout your body that will either halt or begin the reproductive process, controlling production rates. This prevents the system from being flooded with cells. Another thing to keep in mind is that not all cells reproduce. A good example of these are the cells found in your brain. Once a brain cell is killed, it will not be reproduced. With that in mind, let's dig in to the actual reproduction process.
The "cell cycle" is a reproductive process that involves five stages: interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. Together, these are called mitosis. In order to better understand mitosis, we are going to delve into each step and understand their purposes.
Interphase- This phase is where the cell spends most of its life. It is also known as the "resting phase". This is the stage where the DNA begins to be copied.
Prophase- This phase is where the DNA begins to separate to the opposite sides of the cell. The membrane of the nucleus is broken down, and the chromosomes become visible.
Metaphase- During this phase, the chromosomes attach to the spindle fibers and line up along the metaphase plate. This is an imaginary plate that is used as a boundary between the sets of DNA. The membrane is completely broken down.
Anaphase- In this phase, the chromosomes are split apart and pulled to the opposite sides of the cell.
Telophase- This is the final phase of cell division before the cell actually separates. The nucleus membranes begin to reform around the chromosomes, and the cell prepares to separate. This is also where the cell walls begin to form.
Below is an example of the cell cycle as shown with donuts.
Now that we have discussed the cell cycle, let's talk about cancer.
Overview- In the basic sense, cancer cells are not too different than normal, healthy cells. The difference lies in the genes of the cell. In a normal cell, genes work to keep the cell from mutating. Cancer forms when these genes become mutated, as they become unable to protect the cell. The cell then becomes mutated and reproduces more mutated cells at a rapid rate. Cell mutations can also be caused by an over expressed protein. The cell cycle becomes over stimulated, and cells become cancerous.
Position- Normal cells only reproduce when needed. They are "densely-dependant" meaning they rely on their surroundings to tell them when to reproduce and when to stop. If there is a high concentration of cells, reproduction is not necessary. If there is a low concentration of cells, the cells will reproduce. This process does not exist with cancer cells. Cancerous cells reproduce at a rapid rate and overpopulate their surroundings. This is how tumors form. At some point, if the cancer goes untreated, the cancer cells will enter the bloodstream and distribute themselves throughout the rest of your body. They will continue to reproduce in their new location, causing more tumors to form.
Treatment- Cancer treatment, though multiple processes are used, really has one goal. This goal is to block the protein that causes the cell to reproduce rapidly. By blocking this protein, mutated cells will no longer be produced, and the cancer will be prevented or stopped.
No comments:
Post a Comment