Omnis Cellula E Cellula
Rudolf Virchow (1821-1902)

Virchow's dictum has withstood the test of time. The cell is the basic unit of biology and of disease.

THE CELL

The structure and function of the cell is determined by a complex, frequently redundant, network of interacting molecular pathways. These molecular pathways regulate how the cell responds to its environment, reproduces and differentiates.

DISEASE

(Cellular Pathology)

Disruption (dysregulation) of these molecular pathways leads to malfunction of the cell and disease for the organism. Mutations are a major source of disruption. Mutation in a single molecule may have broad impact on the organism, such as in cystic fibrosis. More complex diseases are associated with malfunctions in multiple pathways.

CANCER

(Role of Pathways)

Cancer is a complex disease that afflicts the organism when a cell and its progeny achieve autonomy from its normal environmental restraints. Autonomy requires the coordinated dysregulation of more than one molecular pathway. The dysregulation of these pathways is caused by a gain of function (oncogene) or loss of function (tumor suppressor) in one or more molecules in the pathway. The gain or loss is caused by mutations in key member-molecules in the pathway. Other genes may modify the impact of the mutation by complementation or by other mechanisms.

(The Genes)

The immediate effect of the mutation of a "key" molecule is currently best understood on the basis of the molecular pathway. Hence, the following organizational table links the oncogene, tumor suppressor and modifier to molecular pathways.

(Organization)

The additional molecular events in the complex network of pathways that require "coordination" with a given mutation in a given pathway to achieve cellular autonomy are not currently understood. However, the powerful profiling tools promise to reveal these events.

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