â¢ AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE (noun). The noun AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE has 1 sense: 1. any of a large group of diseases characterized by abnormal functioning of the immune system that causes your immune system to produce antibodies against your own tissues.
The initiation of cell transformation is generally associated with genetic alterations in normal cells that lead to the loss of intercellular-and/or extracellular-matrix- (ECM-) mediated cell adhesion.ancer afflicts an organ or a tissue by inducing abnormal and uncontrolled division of cells that either constitute it or migrate to it. At the cellular level, this is caused by genetic alterations in networks that regulate cell division and cell death.
A gene mutation can affect the cell in many ways. Some mutations stop a protein from being made at all. Others may change the protein that is made so that it no longer works the way it should or it may not even work at all. Some mutations may cause a gene to be turned on, and make more of the protein than usual.Some mutations don't have a noticeable effect, but others may lead to a disease. For example, a certain mutation in the gene for hemoglobin causes the disease sickle cell anemia.Cells become cancer cells largely because of mutations in their genes. Often many mutations are needed before a cell becomes a cancer cell.he mutations may affect different genes that control cell growth and division. Some of these genes are called tumor suppressor genes. Mutations may also cause some normal genes to become cancer-causing genes known as oncogenes (oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes are discussed in more detail later).