Cell-of-origin chromatin organization shapes the mutational landscape of cancer

An analysis of cell-type-specific epigenomic features reveals a relationship between epigenomic and mutational profiles; chromatin characteristics can explain a large proportion of mutational variance in cancer genomes and the mutational distribution can identify the probable cell type from which a given cancer originated from. Genomic studies have shown that different cancer types vary substantially in the local density and types of somatic mutations. This has been explained not only by differences in DNA sequence but also by other features including epigenetic organization. Shamil Sunyaev and colleague now compare mutation densities to detailed epigenetic profiles of different cell types and tissues. They…

• NI
  National Institutes of Health

  Awards: U54 CA143874, MH101244, U54 HG007010, R01 MH101244