Pathoma Chapter 1 Exam Study Guide
Latest Updated 2024/2025
What leads to an increase in organ size? - ansIncrease in stress
What are the two processes via which an organ can increase in size? -
ansHyperplasia (increase in number of cells) and hypertrophy (increase
in size of cells)
What are three processes/events that occur in hypertrophy? - ansGene
activation, protein synthesis, production of organelles
Where do the new cells in hyperplasia come from? - ansStem cells
What tissues cannot undergo hyperplasia, only hypertrophy? -
ansPermanent tissue, i.e. skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, nerve tissue
What is the only type of muscle that can undergo hyperplasia? -
ansSmooth muscle (i.e. uterus)
How do cardiac myocytes respond to hypertension? - ansHypertrophy,
not hyperplasia
Picture shows left ventricular hypertrophy
Hyperplasia that occurs due to underlying pathologic process -
ansPathologic hyperplasia
Pathologic hyperplasia pathway - ansHyperplasia --> dysplasia -->
cancer
What is one exception to the rule that pathologic hyperplasia can lead to
cancer? - ansBenign prostatic hyperplasia does not increase the risk for
cancer
What leads to atrophy? - ansDecrease in stress --> decrease in organ size
What are the two processes that cause atrophy? - ansA decrease in the
size of cells (via ubiquitin-proteosome degradation of the cytoskeleton
and autophagy of cellular components) and a decrease in the number of
cells (via apoptosis)
Where are the three places stem cells are found? - ansBone marrow,
skin, base of intestinal crypts
, Pathoma Chapter 1 Exam Study Guide
Latest Updated 2024/2025
What is Ubiquitin? - ansProtein put on intermediate filaments of the
cytoskeleton to mark them for degradation in ubiquitin-proteosome
degradiation (decrease cell size)
What does a Proteasome do? - ansDestroys ubiquitin-tagged proteins,
often intermediate filaments
What does ubiquitin tag in atrophy? (to reduce cell size) -
ansIntermediate filaments
What destroys ubiquitin tagged proteins? - ansProteosomes
Autophagy - ansCell consumes its own components in vacuoles, which
fuse with lysozomes, whose hydrolytic enzymes breakdown the cellular
components in the vacuoles
What are the two processes in atrophy that can decrease cell size -
ansUbiquitin-proteosome degradation (to decrease cytoskeleton) and
autophagy (to decrease organelles)
What promotes metaplasia? - ansA change in stress on a cell --> change
in cell type (metaplasia)
What is Epithelium? - ansCells that line body surfaces
What type of cells are most commonly involved in metaplasia? -
ansChange of one type of surface epithelium to another (i.e. squamous,
columnar, urethelial/transitional)
Barrett's Esophagus - ansNon-keratinized squamous epithelium of the
esophagus becomes non-ciliated, mucin producing columnar cells
(normal cell in stomach)
This is done to better handle the stress of acid reflux in the esophagus
Is metaplasia reversible? - ansYes, in theory, with the removal of the
driving stressor
Ex/ treatment of GERD may reverse Barrett esophagus
How does metaplasia occur? - ansVia reprogramming of stem cells,
which then produces a new cell type
Metaplasia to cancer pathway - ansMetaplasia --> dysplasia --> cancer
Latest Updated 2024/2025
What leads to an increase in organ size? - ansIncrease in stress
What are the two processes via which an organ can increase in size? -
ansHyperplasia (increase in number of cells) and hypertrophy (increase
in size of cells)
What are three processes/events that occur in hypertrophy? - ansGene
activation, protein synthesis, production of organelles
Where do the new cells in hyperplasia come from? - ansStem cells
What tissues cannot undergo hyperplasia, only hypertrophy? -
ansPermanent tissue, i.e. skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, nerve tissue
What is the only type of muscle that can undergo hyperplasia? -
ansSmooth muscle (i.e. uterus)
How do cardiac myocytes respond to hypertension? - ansHypertrophy,
not hyperplasia
Picture shows left ventricular hypertrophy
Hyperplasia that occurs due to underlying pathologic process -
ansPathologic hyperplasia
Pathologic hyperplasia pathway - ansHyperplasia --> dysplasia -->
cancer
What is one exception to the rule that pathologic hyperplasia can lead to
cancer? - ansBenign prostatic hyperplasia does not increase the risk for
cancer
What leads to atrophy? - ansDecrease in stress --> decrease in organ size
What are the two processes that cause atrophy? - ansA decrease in the
size of cells (via ubiquitin-proteosome degradation of the cytoskeleton
and autophagy of cellular components) and a decrease in the number of
cells (via apoptosis)
Where are the three places stem cells are found? - ansBone marrow,
skin, base of intestinal crypts
, Pathoma Chapter 1 Exam Study Guide
Latest Updated 2024/2025
What is Ubiquitin? - ansProtein put on intermediate filaments of the
cytoskeleton to mark them for degradation in ubiquitin-proteosome
degradiation (decrease cell size)
What does a Proteasome do? - ansDestroys ubiquitin-tagged proteins,
often intermediate filaments
What does ubiquitin tag in atrophy? (to reduce cell size) -
ansIntermediate filaments
What destroys ubiquitin tagged proteins? - ansProteosomes
Autophagy - ansCell consumes its own components in vacuoles, which
fuse with lysozomes, whose hydrolytic enzymes breakdown the cellular
components in the vacuoles
What are the two processes in atrophy that can decrease cell size -
ansUbiquitin-proteosome degradation (to decrease cytoskeleton) and
autophagy (to decrease organelles)
What promotes metaplasia? - ansA change in stress on a cell --> change
in cell type (metaplasia)
What is Epithelium? - ansCells that line body surfaces
What type of cells are most commonly involved in metaplasia? -
ansChange of one type of surface epithelium to another (i.e. squamous,
columnar, urethelial/transitional)
Barrett's Esophagus - ansNon-keratinized squamous epithelium of the
esophagus becomes non-ciliated, mucin producing columnar cells
(normal cell in stomach)
This is done to better handle the stress of acid reflux in the esophagus
Is metaplasia reversible? - ansYes, in theory, with the removal of the
driving stressor
Ex/ treatment of GERD may reverse Barrett esophagus
How does metaplasia occur? - ansVia reprogramming of stem cells,
which then produces a new cell type
Metaplasia to cancer pathway - ansMetaplasia --> dysplasia --> cancer
