Breakpoints in Cancer Gene Pairs and Chromosomal Fragile Sites
Author Information
Author(s): Burrow Allison A, Williams Laura E, Pierce Levi CT, Wang Yuh-Hwa
Primary Institution: Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Hypothesis
Do breakpoints in gene pairs involved in cancer-specific recurrent translocations correlate with human chromosomal fragile sites?
Conclusion
Over half of the breakpoints in gene pairs involved in cancer-specific translocations are located at fragile sites, suggesting a role for these sites in cancer development.
Supporting Evidence
- 52% of translocation breakpoints in gene pairs are located at fragile sites.
- 65% of these breakpoints are at common fragile sites.
- Translocation-prone genes exhibit characteristics of fragile DNA.
Takeaway
This study found that many cancer-related gene breakpoints are in fragile areas of our DNA, which might help explain how some cancers develop.
Methodology
The study analyzed 444 unique gene pairs involved in cancer-specific translocations and mapped their breakpoints to known fragile sites.
Limitations
The study focused only on translocations and deletions leading to fusion transcripts, excluding other types of rearrangements.
Statistical Information
P-Value
<0.001
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website