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Functional genomics of cancer
1Genome Institute of Singapore, 1 Science Park Road #05-01, Science Park II, Singapore. gisliue@nus.edu.sg
Current Opinion in Genetics & Development
|August 12, 2008
Summary
Cancer genomics reveals that despite diverse genetic events, cancer cells converge on a few key pathways. Understanding gene expression networks is crucial for explaining cancer phenotypes and virulence.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Genomics
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Cancer genomics identifies mutations and rearrangements linked to cancer susceptibility and phenotype.
- Functional genomics analyzes comprehensive genetic alterations and dynamic network changes in cancer cells.
- The transcriptome is commonly analyzed, with increasing focus on the proteome.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the functional consequences of cancer genomic alterations.
- To focus on the transcriptome and perturbed gene expression in cancer.
- To highlight recent advancements in ultra-high-throughput sequencing and computational strategies.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent literature (past two years) on cancer genomics and functional genomics.
- Analysis of ultra-high-throughput sequencing data and computational discovery strategies.
- Focus on transcriptome and gene expression perturbations.
Main Results:
- Ultra-high-throughput sequencing and computational methods provide precise and comprehensive analyses.
- Despite diverse genetic and epigenetic events, cancer behavior converges on a finite number of pathways.
- Interconnectivity of regulatory mechanisms suggests additive effects of numerous aberrations.
Conclusions:
- Functional genomics, particularly transcriptome analysis, is key to understanding cancer phenotypes.
- Recent technological advancements have revolutionized the precision of cancer genomic analysis.
- The complexity of gene regulatory networks may necessitate a re-evaluation of driver vs. passenger mutation concepts in cancer virulence.
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