Normal cells: Regulated cell division, controlled growth | Cancerous cells: Unregulated cell division, ability to metastasize.

Growth Promoter Genes: When ON = unlimited growth | Tumor Suppressor Genes: When OFF = ignore checkpoint stop signs.

Quality control stops during cell division that prevent errors and uncontrolled cell growth.

A resting phase the cell enters when it doesn't meet the requirements of the G1 checkpoint.

Cyclin-dependent kinase; a protein always present in the cytoplasm that regulates the cell cycle when bound to cyclin.

A protein whose levels fluctuate during the cell cycle, binding to Cdk to trigger mitosis.

A protein that detects DNA damage, stops cell division, triggers DNA repair, or initiates apoptosis if damage is irreparable.

The ability of cancerous cells to spread to other parts of the body.

Programmed cell death; a normal and controlled process that removes damaged or mutated cells.

The G2 checkpoint pauses the cell cycle for repairs to prevent mutations.

DNA damage goes undetected, cell division continues with damaged DNA, potentially leading to cancer.

Damaged or mutated cells are not removed, potentially leading to cancer or developmental issues.

The cell may divide without sufficient resources or being large enough, potentially leading to errors in replication and division.

The cell divides with misaligned chromosomes, leading to aneuploidy and potentially cell death or mutations.