Somatic mutations in early metazoan genes disrupt regulatory links between unicellular and multicellular genes in cancer.

ABSTRACT: Extensive transcriptional alterations are observed in cancer, many of which activate core biological processes established in unicellular organisms or suppress differentiation pathways formed in metazoans. Through rigorous, integrative analysis of genomics data from a range of solid tumors, we show many transcriptional changes in tumors are tied to mutations disrupting regulatory interactions between unicellular and multicellular genes within human gene regulatory networks (GRNs). Recurrent point mutations were enriched in regulator genes linking unicellular and multicellular subnetworks, while copy-number alterations affected downstream target genes in distinctly unicellular and multicellular regions of the GRN. Our results depict drivers of tumourigenesis as genes that created key regula

SUBMITTER: Trigos AS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6402835 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature