Hallmarks, Evading death: Hanahan

Professor Douglas Hanahan explains that a fundamental property of multi-cellular organisms is the capability to have cells commit suicide or undergo apoptosis, which is a form of programmed cell death.

In 2000, Douglas Hanahan (shown below) and Robert Weinberg published a paper in Cell, "The Hallmarks of Cancer," which identified some organizing principles of cancer cell development. “A fundamental property of multi-cellular organisms is the capability to commit suicide or undergo apoptosis, which is a form of programmed cell death. And it is evident that this is another check and balance on aberrant tissues, so that early on in the development of many cancers one can see prominent induction of apoptosis, which we imagine to be a form of protection for the organism. The cells are proliferating aberrantly and they therefore commit suicide for the common good.”

programmed cell death, fundamental property, cancer cell, professor douglas, apoptosis, hallmarks, organisms, organism, cancers, induction, tissues

  • ID: 942
  • Source: DNALC.IC

Related Content

941. Hallmarks, Evading death

Professor Robert Weinberg discusses how cancer cells have to learn how to avoid the process of programmed cell death known as apoptosis carried out in normal cells.

  • ID: 941
  • Source: IC

16783. Concept 38: Development balances cell growth and death.

Normal development requires growth as well as apoptosis, or programmed cell death.

  • ID: 16783
  • Source: DNAFTB

948. Hallmarks, Invading tissues: Hanahan

Professor Douglas Hanahan discusses how cancers kill you, in general, not just because they grow into a large lump, but because they invade into normal tissues and disrupt the functions of those tissues.

  • ID: 948
  • Source: IC

944. Hallmarks, Processing nutrients: Hanahan

Professor Douglas Hanahan discusses how cancer cells require a source of nutrients and oxygen, which is supplied through new blood vessel growth – the process of angiogenesis, which is critical for almost all cancers.

  • ID: 944
  • Source: IC

947. Hallmarks, Invading tissues

Professor Robert Weinberg, explains that cancer cells have to learn how to invade and metastasize.

  • ID: 947
  • Source: IC

943. Hallmarks, Processing nutrients

Professor Robert Weinberg explains how cancer cells have to learn how to become angiogenic, that is to say attract blood vessels to grow into the tumor mass.

  • ID: 943
  • Source: IC

935. Hallmarks, Overview

Cancer is a disease that affects people of all nationalities and age groups and all cancers start with mutations in one cell.

  • ID: 935
  • Source: IC

938. Hallmarks, Overview: Hanahan

Professor Douglas Hanahan discusses how cancer acquires capabilities and these capabilities are all, to some approximation, necessary to produce a successful tumor.

  • ID: 938
  • Source: IC

946. Hallmarks, Becoming immortal: Hanahan

Professor Douglas Hanahan, discusses that due to the nature of the replication machinery chromosomes get smaller every time they divide, and that we now appreciate that specialized cells in the body have a way to counteract this telomere shorting.

  • ID: 946
  • Source: IC

939. Hallmarks, Growing uncontrollably

Professor Robert Weinberg explains that cancer cells have to learn how to grow in the absence of growth stimulatory signals that normal cells require from their environment.

  • ID: 939
  • Source: IC