p. 995. Cell Signalling Disorders; Cancer And Apoptosis
- John T. HancockJohn T. HancockProfessor of Cell Signalling, University of the West of England, Bristol
Abstract
This chapter examines why cells need to proliferate and die and talks about some mechanisms that control cell development. It discusses how epigenetics can influence cell signalling and how cell signalling dysfunction can lead to tumour development. It also points out the importance of apoptosis and the mechanisms that control it, such as mitochondrial-dependent and mitochondrial-independent pathways. The chapter highlights that while all the encoding that is needed to make a human from a single cell is held in the genome and the same in every cell, there is also a need for cell specification. In this context, it is of great importance that the control of cell growth and development is both accurate and ongoing to ensure that cells are in the right place and carrying out the correct jobs.
