Cancer and Viruses

M

Mickmeister

Registered Senior Member
I am curious as to what the difference is between cancer and viruses? My knowledge on biology is very limited, but it seems to me that both have a lot in common. Cancer is nothing more than a cell that malfunctions and a virus is similar in that it receives a snippet of code that causes it to then malfunction. So if they both have a lot in common, then I assume that if one was cured, then the other would be also, or am I incorrect and they both are very dissimilar?
 
John Connellan said:
A big difference is that cancer is a collection of cells. Viruses aren't cells.

True, I didn't word it right at first. What I meant was that after the viral code binds with the DNA inside a cell, doesn't the cell act much like a cancerous cell?
Click to expand...

The cell lyses (breaks apart) after a virus copies itself in a cell's genetic code. The code is a little different - as it doesn't quite become an oncogene except in the cases described above. Cancer cells have the ability to divide at a rate at least fast enough to sustain their population from the immune system, whereas cells infected by viruses only serve to replicate the virus itself.
 
"Half of all cancers involve alterations in the p53 protein; its tumor suppressor function is poorly understood. It has two functions: one a nuclear role as a transcription factor, and the other a cytoplasmic role in cell cycle and division regulation and apoptosis. The Warburg effect is the preferential use of glycolyisis for energy to sustain cancer growth. p53 has been shown to regulate the shift from the respiratory to the glycolytic pathway. Synthesis of Cytochrome c Oxidase 2 (SCO2) has been recognized as the downstream mediator of this effect. SCO2 is critical for regulating the cytochrome c oxidase complex within the mitochondria, and p53 can disrupt the SCO2 gene. P53 regulation of SCO2 and mitochondrial respiration may provide a possible explanation for the Warburg effect. Mutations in both types of genes are required for cancer to occur." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer
 
Oncolytic virus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oncolytic_virus

"The common cold generally involves a *runny nose, nasal congestion, and sneezing. You may also have a sore throat, cough, headache, or other symptoms. Over 200 viruses can cause a cold."

Instead of direct effect of virus, can some virus infection related biochemical imbalance be a responsible cause?
 
Can a virus create a biochemical imbalance? Yes, indirectly. Need examples.
Can a biochemical imbalance cause cancer? Yes, for example, smoking.
 
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