What might happen to a cell whose DNA is destroyed? Changed?

Question

The question is self-explanatory...

Answer 1

If a cell's DNA is damaged, many will simply undergo apoptosis, in which the cell self destructs. some mutations are harmless or only affect a section of dna that is unused by the cell. others may cause abnormalities in the cell, some of which can lead to the cell becoming cancerous. it all depends on the severity and location of the damage/mutation.

Answer 2

If a cell's DNA is destroyed, the cell will ultimately die because it is unable to make new proteins. Cells don't usually die immediately, because the existing proteins in the cell will continue to work for a while, but as these proteins are gradually degraded or broken down, there will be no newly-synthesized proteins to take their place. Red blood cells can survive for 3 months without DNA, and in laboratory experiments, irradiated fibroblasts (the radiation destroys the DNA) can suvive a couple of weeks.

If a cell's DNA is changed (as in mutations) the cell will also usually die. There are many proteins in the cell that specifically detect changes in the cell's DNA, and either fix the changes or initiate cell suicide (apoptosis). However, if the genes encoding these change-fixing proteins are also "changed" themselves, the change will remain unfixed. If a lot of changes accumulate, the cell will become less and less like its surrounding cells.

If one of those changes occured in a gene that regulates cell cycle, the cell cycle might become unregulated, and the cell will divide faster and faster. So, you end up with a bunch of changed cells, which is a "tumor". If further changes occur that allows the changed cells to divide even faster, spread to other parts of the body, and evade the immune system, then they become malignant cancer cells.

Answer 3

If the DNA is destroyed, the cell can no longer function.

If the DNA changes, then future cells will be mutated. This happens all the time. This might be good (ex: resistance genes) or it might be bad (ex: cancer genes).

Answer 4

Mutation if the DNA is destroyed which can be death or cancer. DNA destroyed the cell will die due to lack of control of cellular functions.