GMS 6552 Final Exam (2025/2026) Questions and Verified Answers
100% Correct!
QUESTION: Hallmarks of Cancer Correct Ans- Sustaining proliferative signaling
Evading growth suppressors
Activating invasion and metastasis
Enabling replicative immortality
Inducing angiogenesis
Resisting cell death
QUESTION: In vivo oncogenic evidence Correct Ans- Cause cancer when activated in a
transgenic animal
Render nontumorigenic cells tumorigenic
Knock down or knock out in tumorigenic cells renders the cells nontumorigenic
Activation/overexpression of the oncogene is strongly correlated with human cancer
QUESTION: In vitro oncogenic evidence Correct Ans- Causes anchorage-independent growth
in soft agar (protection from anoikis)
Causes focus formation (loss of contact inhibition)
Renders cell growth factor independent
QUESTION: Oncogenes in Cancer Correct Ans- Aberrant expression of proto-oncogenes that
increases cell proliferation/survival
First identified in cancer-causing viruses
Typically a dominant mechanism
Oncogene activation is usually limited to somatic tissue, but more cases of inherited oncogene
mutations are being found
QUESTION: Biochemical functions of oncogenes Correct Ans- G-proteins (Ras)
Protein Kinases (Raf, Akt)
Lipid Kinases (PI3-Kinase)
1|Page
, Transcription Factors (Myc)
Binding and inactivating apoptotic proteins (BCL2)
Protein Kinase regulatory subunits (Cyclins A, E, D)
Transcriptional coactivators (B-Catenin, YAP, TAZ)
QUESTION: Five Ways to Activate Oncogenes Correct Ans- 1. Mutation of gene to make it
overactive
2. Amplification of a normal gene
3. Chromosomal Rearrangement
4. Promoter/enhancer insertion
5. Hypomethylation of oncogene
QUESTION: Amplification Correct Ans- Multiple gene copies = too much transcript and
protein
DNA sequencing, DNA-PCR
RNA sequencing, RNA-PCR
Protein: Western
QUESTION: Chromosomal Rearrangement Correct Ans- Affects regulatory region of
oncogene
Cytogenetics
PCR using primers
QUESTION: Promoter/Enhancer Insertion Correct Ans- From retroviral integration near
oncogene
Gene expression activated from the viral promoter
Should activate oncogenes or disrupt tumor suppressors
Can find new genes
QUESTION: Hypomethylation of Oncogenes Correct Ans- Ex. N-ras is activated in liver cancer
due to under-methylated promoter, allowing gene expression
2|Page
100% Correct!
QUESTION: Hallmarks of Cancer Correct Ans- Sustaining proliferative signaling
Evading growth suppressors
Activating invasion and metastasis
Enabling replicative immortality
Inducing angiogenesis
Resisting cell death
QUESTION: In vivo oncogenic evidence Correct Ans- Cause cancer when activated in a
transgenic animal
Render nontumorigenic cells tumorigenic
Knock down or knock out in tumorigenic cells renders the cells nontumorigenic
Activation/overexpression of the oncogene is strongly correlated with human cancer
QUESTION: In vitro oncogenic evidence Correct Ans- Causes anchorage-independent growth
in soft agar (protection from anoikis)
Causes focus formation (loss of contact inhibition)
Renders cell growth factor independent
QUESTION: Oncogenes in Cancer Correct Ans- Aberrant expression of proto-oncogenes that
increases cell proliferation/survival
First identified in cancer-causing viruses
Typically a dominant mechanism
Oncogene activation is usually limited to somatic tissue, but more cases of inherited oncogene
mutations are being found
QUESTION: Biochemical functions of oncogenes Correct Ans- G-proteins (Ras)
Protein Kinases (Raf, Akt)
Lipid Kinases (PI3-Kinase)
1|Page
, Transcription Factors (Myc)
Binding and inactivating apoptotic proteins (BCL2)
Protein Kinase regulatory subunits (Cyclins A, E, D)
Transcriptional coactivators (B-Catenin, YAP, TAZ)
QUESTION: Five Ways to Activate Oncogenes Correct Ans- 1. Mutation of gene to make it
overactive
2. Amplification of a normal gene
3. Chromosomal Rearrangement
4. Promoter/enhancer insertion
5. Hypomethylation of oncogene
QUESTION: Amplification Correct Ans- Multiple gene copies = too much transcript and
protein
DNA sequencing, DNA-PCR
RNA sequencing, RNA-PCR
Protein: Western
QUESTION: Chromosomal Rearrangement Correct Ans- Affects regulatory region of
oncogene
Cytogenetics
PCR using primers
QUESTION: Promoter/Enhancer Insertion Correct Ans- From retroviral integration near
oncogene
Gene expression activated from the viral promoter
Should activate oncogenes or disrupt tumor suppressors
Can find new genes
QUESTION: Hypomethylation of Oncogenes Correct Ans- Ex. N-ras is activated in liver cancer
due to under-methylated promoter, allowing gene expression
2|Page
