Colon cancer associated genes exhibit signatures of positive selection at functionally significant positions.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Cancer, much like most human disease, is routinely studied by utilizing model organisms. Of these model organisms, mice are often dominant. However, our assumptions of functional equivalence fail to consider the opportunity for divergence conferred by ~180 Million Years (MY) of independent evolution between these species. For a given set of human disease related genes, it is therefore important to determine if functional equivalency has been retained between species. In this study we test the hypothesis that cancer associated genes have different patterns of substitution akin to adaptive evolution in different mammal lineages.

Results

Our analysis of the current literature and colon cancer databases identified 22 genes exhibiting colon cancer associated germline m

SUBMITTER: Morgan CC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3563467 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature