Submitted by Rit2Strong t3_105jhch in askscience
Sinemetu9 t1_j3dy6pe wrote
Reply to comment by CrateDane in How does DNA encode 3d space/information? by Rit2Strong
What can reprogram them?
YandyTheGnome t1_j3dzips wrote
Usually it's damage to the pathway that activates this cell suicide. The body signals for it to die off but it doesn't respond to the signal. This can happen in numerous different ways, as evidenced by the multitude of types of cancers.
Edit: as an example, damage from ultraviolet light causes many cells to die off, in the form of sunburn and the blistering that follows. Some cells get mutated but don't die, and can become skin cancer.
CrateDane t1_j3dzd0g wrote
Mutations. Those can be caused by many things, most often either DNA damage from the cell's own metabolic byproducts or mistakes made when growing/dividing cells replicate their DNA.
[deleted] t1_j3lp6ve wrote
[removed]
Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments