Cellular pathology

• Define Pathology

  The scientific study of causes and effects of disease
• What are the scientific areas of pathology

  
  

  • Histology
  • Cytology
  • Microbiology
  • Haematology
  • Clinical chemistry
  • Clinical genetics
• What is Pathological stress

  Environmental changes outside the acceptable physiological range
• What are the adaptations that a cell can use to stress

  
  

  • Alterations in metabolism
  • Physiological adaptations
  • Hyperplasia
  • Hypertrophy
• 'Housekeeping' genes

  Normal structural proteins
• Define Hyperplasia

  Increase in number of tissue cells due to increased cell division
• Define Hypertrophy

  Increase in size of existing cells.
• What is the purpose of Apoptosis

  Elimination of unwanted or damaged cells
• Define cytology

  Looking at cell structure for signs of stress.
• Define microbiology

  Looking at the microorganisms present.
• Define haematology

  Blood tests looking for chemical markers
• Define clinical chemistry

  Looking at bodily fluids.
• Define clinical genetics

  Looking for genetic markers
• What happens if a cell is placed out of its physiological limits

  The increased stress will result in cell death.
• What causes cell death

  When a cell is unable to adapt
• What is the role of cell adaptation

  To preserve the cell by changing the ability to function
• What causes abnormal cell growth

  Stress
• What are the two genes which are altered in a physiological response to stress

  Housekeeping and cell stress genes.
• What are cell stress genes

  Code for protective and organisational proteins.
• What happens to housekeeping genes in the physiological stress response

  Decrease
• What happens to cell stress genes in the physiological stress response

  Increased
• What are the two main examples of proteins produced from cell stress genes

  Heat shock proteins and ubiquitin.
• What do heat shock proteins do

  Protect proteins and assist in refolding.
• What does ubiquitin do

  Targets proteins for destruction.
• What causes hyperplasia and hypertrophy

  Increased functional demand due to stress.
• What is apoptosis

  Programmed cell death
• what are the steps of apoptosis

  Signalling, Effector, Degradation and phagocytosis
• Describe the steps in apoptosis

  1. Signalling
  2. Mitochondrial permeability results in Iron leakage and ATP reduction
  3. Organelles disintegrate and membrane blebs
  4. Apoptotic bodies are phagocytosed
• What is the main difference between apoptosis and necrosis

  Phaogocytosis in apoptosis prevents the development of an immune response.
• Briefly describe necrosis

  Enzymatic digestion and leakage of cell contents.
• Define necrosis

  Unregulated cell death.
• Describe the main steps in necrosis

  • Reduction in ATP results in internal membrane swelling
  • Cathepsin and calpain increase intercellular calcium levels
  • Calcium mediates breakdown of cellular components
  • Reactive oxygen species damages DNA
  • Cells lyse and burst.
• What produces cathepsin in necrosis

  Lysosomes.
• What is cathepsin

  A protease produced by lysosomes.
• What produces calpain in necrosis

  Endoplasmic reticulum
• What produces reactive oxygen species in necrosis

  Mitochondria
• What is the difference between the gel electrophoresis of between necrosis and apoptosis DNA

  Apoptosis is a non-random degradation of DNA, and so produces a ladder pattern. Necrosis random degredation of DNA and so produces a smear pattern.