Page 202 - The Miracle in the Cell Membrane

The Miracle in the Cell Membrane

The absence of rec og ni tion pro teins plays an impor -
tant role in the for ma tion of can cer. By means of the rec -
og ni tion pro teins, con nec tions nor mal ly devel op among
cells that reg u late cel lu lar growth. Cancer cells, how e ver,
evade these pre cau tions to form tumors or metas ta size,
spread ing can cer cells through out the body. Cancer cells
can also pro duce rec og ni tion pro teins seen in other types
of cell, and use these false pro teins to assist their metas -
ta sis.
Very few rec og ni tion pro teins are pecu liar to can cer
cells, so the immune sys tem does not iden ti fy them as
cells need ing to be destroyed. Cancer research ers' basic
aim is to iden ti fy the rec og ni tion pro teins pecu liar to can -
cer cells and to increase their num ber, so that the immune
sys tem can iden ti fy the tumor as for eign and destroy it.
Knowing the struc ture of can cer cells' rec og ni tion pro -
teins could also make pos si ble spe cial drugs for these
pro teins and spe cif ic can cer cells.

Exchange of Information among Cells in
the Immune System

In the event of an inju ry to tis sue, immune sys tem
reac tions begin. Defense cells known as macro pha ges
iden ti fy the loca tion and coun ter at tack the invad ing
microbes as quick ly as pos si ble. This makes it pos si ble for
the body to with stand the count less dan gers it is exposed
to every day.
A T cell iden ti fies a loca tion, ana ly zes the sit u a tion
pos ing a threat and takes nec es sa ry pre cau tions by send -

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