■ DRY LAB: Loss of Cell Cycle Control in Cancer
Many of us have family members who have or have had cancer. Cancer can occur when cells lose control
of their cell cycle and divide abnormally. This happens when tumor suppressor genes, such as p53 or Rb
(retinoblastoma), are mutated. There are many questions you should consider before beginning your
investigation.
First, go to https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/cellular-molecular-biology/stem-cells-and-
cancer/a/cell-cycle-checkpoints-article
Read the articles on: Cell Cycle Checkpoints, Cancer and the Cell Cycle, and Apoptosis
■ Review of Mitosis
• 1) How is the cell cycle controlled in normal cells?
• 2) What are cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases? What specific roles do these proteins play
in a cell?
■ Prelab Questions
• 1) How are normal cells and cancer cells different from each other?
• 2) What are the main causes of cancer?
• 3) What goes wrong during the cell cycle in cancer cells?
• 4) What makes some genes responsible for an increased risk of certain cancers?
• 5) Do you think that the chromosomes might be different between normal and cancer cells?
The last question is the focus of this part of the lab.
6) Write a one-sentence a hypothesis as to how the chromosomes of a cancer cell might appear
in comparison to a normal cell and how those differences are related to the behavior of the
cancer cell.
Use a Google image search to look at pictures of the chromosomes (karyotype) from normal human
cells. Compare them to pictures of the chromosomes (karyotype) from cancerous cells (searching for
“cancer cell karyotype” is a good starting point).
If possible, count the number of chromosomes in each type of cell, and discuss their appearance. Then
answer the following questions.
• 7) Do your observations generally support your hypothesis? How so? Describe.
■ Case Study #1: HeLa cells
HeLa cells are cervical cancer cells isolated from a woman named Henrietta Lacks.
Her cells have been cultured since 1951 and used in numerous scientific experiments.
Henrietta Lacks died from her cancer not long after her cells were isolated. Lacks’s cancer cells contain
remnants of human papillomavirus (HPV), which we now know increases the risk of cervical cancer.
Your teacher may ask you to read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. Alternatively,
check out her Wikipedia page. Then look at these links:
Henrietta Lacks Article – read it.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/08/130816-henrietta-lacks-immortal-life-hela-cells-
genome-rebecca-skloot-nih/
1
Henrietta Lacks Videos – watch them.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3445_162-6300824/the-immortal-henrietta-lacks/ if this video won't
play, watch this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22lGbAVWhro (4:26) and this one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y38pgPY6Zq0 (2:44)
HeLa Karyotype – look at it.
http://www.umanitoba.ca/institutes/manitoba_institute_cell_biology/MICB/www.itmhrt.ca/courses/ori
ginalimages/karyotype.jpg
After you complete the above, answer the following:
• 1) From your observations, what went wrong in Henrietta Lacks’s cervical cells that made
them cancerous?
• 2) How was the HeLa cell line cultured?
• 3) What virus infected Henrietta Lacks and may have caused her cervical cancer? What cellular
process is affected by this virus?
YOUR TAKE:
• 4) Should tissue be removed from a patient without his or her consent for research? Why?
• 5) Was there bias in the way Henrietta Lacks was treated at Johns Hopkins? Explain.
• 6) Put the use of HeLa cells on trial. Debate what is more important: an individual’s rights to
his/her own body tissues or the medical knowledge gained by studying a patient’s tissues? Write
a couple of sentences arguing both the “pros” and “cons”.
• 7) Should Henrietta Lacks’s family be compensated for the discoveries made using her cells?
• 8) Do companies or universities have the right to patent discoveries made using a patient’s
tissues or genes without consulting the patient?
• 9) What other legal and ethical questions are raised by this case?
■ Case Study #2: Philadelphia Chromosomes
In normal cells, mitosis usually is blocked if there is DNA damage. Sometimes, though, DNA damage
makes cells divide more often. Certain forms of leukemia have a unique feature called a Philadelphia
chromosome (Figure 5, below).
Philadelphia Cell Karyotype
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4co61v90rNA/R8BtX470mUI/AAAAAAAAADY/Tuj0im1lFzc/s320/philadelphia
_karyotype.jpg
Answer the following questions:
• 1) What happens in a normal cell if the DNA has mutations?
• 2) What would happen if cells with mutated DNA replicated?
• 3) How do cells monitor DNA integrity?
• 4) How are the chromosomes different in the cancer cells compared to normal cells?
• 5) How could these differences lead to cancer?
2
3
