GMS 6504 CORE EXAM 2026 TEST QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS SCORED A+
✔✔MH2 Domain - ✔✔Smad-receptor interaction
Smad homodimerization
Smad-Smad4 interaction
Interaction with DNA-binding proteins
Activation of transcription
✔✔TGF-Bs - ✔✔Smads 2,3,7
Up-regulate p15, p21
Down-regulate c-Myc
✔✔BMPs - ✔✔Smads 1,5,6
Up-regulate p15, p21
Down-regulate c-Myc
✔✔Tumor Suppressor Reason 1 - ✔✔Elements of the TGFB pathway should be
inactivated in cancers
✔✔Tumor Suppressor Reason 2 - ✔✔TGFB should up-regulate genes that inhibit cell
proliferation (p15, p21) and down-regulate genes that stimulate cell proliferation (E2F1,
c-Myc)
✔✔Tumor Suppressor Reason 3 - ✔✔Inhibiting TGFB signaling genetically should
induce tumor formation and stimulating TGFB signaling genetically should inhibit tumor
formation
✔✔Mutations Affecting TGFB Signaling Pathway in Human Cancer - ✔✔TBRII-
inactivated in colon cancers
TBRI- inactivated in lymphomas, gastric, and breast cancers
DCP4- inactivated in colon, gastric, and pancreatic cancers
Smad2- inactivated in colon cancer, leukemia, and lymphoma
✔✔Is TGFB a tumor suppressor or tumor promoter? - ✔✔both
✔✔Suppression of tumor formation - ✔✔Inhibition of cell proliferation
Promotes apoptosis
Stabilization of genome
✔✔Enhancement of tumor progression - ✔✔-Refractory to growth inhibition
-Increased TGF-ß production
-Decreased immunesurveillance
-Increased ECM production
-Angiogenesis
, -Decreased cell-cell adhesion
-Increased motility
-Transdifferentiation (EMT)
-Increased COX-2 expression
✔✔TGFB pathway - ✔✔-TGFB ligand
-Dimerization of receptors and activation of serine/threonine kinase activity
-Receptor phosphorylation of downstream substrates
-Smad oligomerization and nuclear translocation
-Regulation of gene transcription
-Cell cycle arrest or altered cell morphology, EMT
✔✔G-protein coupled receptors - ✔✔Responsive to a wide variety of physiological
stimuli
Most-widely used drug targets
✔✔GPCR Examples - ✔✔Muscarininc AchRs
Histamine
Serotonin
Dopamine
Opioid
Rhodopsin
✔✔GPCR Families - ✔✔Rhodopsin (A)
Secretin (B)
Metabotropic glutamate (C)
Adhesion of GPCRs
Fungal pheromone
cAMP receptors
Frizzled/Smoothened
✔✔Family A GPCR - ✔✔Largest
Small N-terminus
Cysteines for disulfide bonds
Proline residues
Palmitoylaiton site in C-tail
Conserved DRY motif in IC2 loop
✔✔Family A Examples - ✔✔Biogenic amines
CCK
Bradykinin
FSH
Melatonin
✔✔Family B GPCR - ✔✔30 receptors for a variety of peptide hormones
ANSWERS SCORED A+
✔✔MH2 Domain - ✔✔Smad-receptor interaction
Smad homodimerization
Smad-Smad4 interaction
Interaction with DNA-binding proteins
Activation of transcription
✔✔TGF-Bs - ✔✔Smads 2,3,7
Up-regulate p15, p21
Down-regulate c-Myc
✔✔BMPs - ✔✔Smads 1,5,6
Up-regulate p15, p21
Down-regulate c-Myc
✔✔Tumor Suppressor Reason 1 - ✔✔Elements of the TGFB pathway should be
inactivated in cancers
✔✔Tumor Suppressor Reason 2 - ✔✔TGFB should up-regulate genes that inhibit cell
proliferation (p15, p21) and down-regulate genes that stimulate cell proliferation (E2F1,
c-Myc)
✔✔Tumor Suppressor Reason 3 - ✔✔Inhibiting TGFB signaling genetically should
induce tumor formation and stimulating TGFB signaling genetically should inhibit tumor
formation
✔✔Mutations Affecting TGFB Signaling Pathway in Human Cancer - ✔✔TBRII-
inactivated in colon cancers
TBRI- inactivated in lymphomas, gastric, and breast cancers
DCP4- inactivated in colon, gastric, and pancreatic cancers
Smad2- inactivated in colon cancer, leukemia, and lymphoma
✔✔Is TGFB a tumor suppressor or tumor promoter? - ✔✔both
✔✔Suppression of tumor formation - ✔✔Inhibition of cell proliferation
Promotes apoptosis
Stabilization of genome
✔✔Enhancement of tumor progression - ✔✔-Refractory to growth inhibition
-Increased TGF-ß production
-Decreased immunesurveillance
-Increased ECM production
-Angiogenesis
, -Decreased cell-cell adhesion
-Increased motility
-Transdifferentiation (EMT)
-Increased COX-2 expression
✔✔TGFB pathway - ✔✔-TGFB ligand
-Dimerization of receptors and activation of serine/threonine kinase activity
-Receptor phosphorylation of downstream substrates
-Smad oligomerization and nuclear translocation
-Regulation of gene transcription
-Cell cycle arrest or altered cell morphology, EMT
✔✔G-protein coupled receptors - ✔✔Responsive to a wide variety of physiological
stimuli
Most-widely used drug targets
✔✔GPCR Examples - ✔✔Muscarininc AchRs
Histamine
Serotonin
Dopamine
Opioid
Rhodopsin
✔✔GPCR Families - ✔✔Rhodopsin (A)
Secretin (B)
Metabotropic glutamate (C)
Adhesion of GPCRs
Fungal pheromone
cAMP receptors
Frizzled/Smoothened
✔✔Family A GPCR - ✔✔Largest
Small N-terminus
Cysteines for disulfide bonds
Proline residues
Palmitoylaiton site in C-tail
Conserved DRY motif in IC2 loop
✔✔Family A Examples - ✔✔Biogenic amines
CCK
Bradykinin
FSH
Melatonin
✔✔Family B GPCR - ✔✔30 receptors for a variety of peptide hormones
