BI13.1-5 | Miscellaneous — Glossary

The process by which normal cells transform into cancer cells through accumulation of genetic and epigenetic changes

A normal gene that promotes cell growth and division; when mutated or overexpressed, it becomes an oncogene driving uncontrolled proliferation

A mutated or overexpressed proto-oncogene that acts as a permanently activated growth signal, contributing to cancer development

A GTPase proto-oncogene mutated in ~30% of all human cancers, acting as a constitutively active growth signalling switch

A gene that normally inhibits cell division or promotes apoptosis; loss of function (both alleles) contributes to cancer

The 'guardian of the genome' — a tumour suppressor protein that responds to DNA damage by triggering cell cycle arrest, DNA repair, or apoptosis; mutated in >50% of cancers

Programmed cell death — an orderly process of cell self-destruction involving caspase activation, DNA fragmentation, and formation of apoptotic bodies

A family of cysteine proteases that execute the apoptosis programme through a cascade of activation

A family of proteins regulating apoptosis, including pro-survival members (Bcl-2, Bcl-xL) and pro-apoptotic members (Bax, Bak, Bad)

A substance (protein, glycoprotein, enzyme, or hormone) produced by cancer cells or in response to cancer, measurable in blood for diagnosis or monitoring

A serine protease produced by prostate epithelium; elevated in prostate cancer, BPH, and prostatitis

An oncofetal protein elevated in hepatocellular carcinoma and yolk sac tumours; also physiologically elevated in pregnancy

The HIV enzyme that converts viral single-stranded RNA into double-stranded DNA, reversing the normal direction of the central dogma

The HIV enzyme that inserts the viral DNA (provirus) into the host cell genome

The primary target of HIV infection; their progressive depletion leads to immunodeficiency and opportunistic infections

The cytosolic enzyme catalysing the main pathway of ethanol oxidation: ethanol → acetaldehyde, using NAD+ as cofactor

The mitochondrial enzyme that oxidises acetaldehyde to acetate; genetic variants (ALDH2*2) cause Asian flush reaction

The primary toxic metabolite of ethanol that forms protein adducts, generates free radicals, and causes liver inflammation and fibrosis

Microsomal Ethanol-Oxidising System — the CYP2E1-dependent pathway in smooth ER that metabolises ethanol, induced by chronic alcohol use

Accumulation of fat droplets in hepatocytes due to impaired fatty acid oxidation from high NADH/NAD+ ratio; the earliest and reversible stage of alcoholic liver disease

Irreversible replacement of normal liver tissue with fibrous scar tissue and regenerating nodules, leading to liver failure and portal hypertension

An acute neurological emergency caused by thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency in alcoholics, presenting with ataxia, ophthalmoplegia, and confusion

An AI-driven laboratory process where algorithms automatically validate and release lab results that meet predefined quality criteria, reducing turnaround time