Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 3, 2026

Quantification of Colonic Stem Cell Mutations
Published on: September 25, 2015
DSMNC: a database of somatic mutations in normal cells.
Xuexia Miao1, Xi Li1,2, Lifei Wang1,2
1Key Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
Somatic mutations, or single nucleotide variations (SNVs), accumulate in normal cells during cell division. The new DSMNC database catalogs these mutations in individual cells, aiding the study of their characteristics in normal tissues.
Area of Science:
- Genomics
- Molecular Biology
- Bioinformatics
Background:
- Somatic mutations arise during DNA replication in normal cells, creating a unique genetic history for each cell lineage.
- Investigating these mutations is challenging due to their low frequency within heterogeneous cell populations.
- Advancements in single-cell genomics now enable the detection of somatic mutations in individual normal cells.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish a comprehensive database of somatic single nucleotide variations (SNVs) in normal cells.
- To provide a resource for analyzing the accumulation and patterns of somatic mutations in individual cells.
- To facilitate a deeper understanding of somatic mutation characteristics in various normal tissues.
Main Methods:
- Development of the Database of Somatic Mutations in Normal Cells (DSMNC).
- Collection and curation of somatic SNVs from single-cell genomics data.
- Implementation of a user-friendly interface for searching and browsing SNV data and annotations.
Main Results:
- The DSMNC database contains approximately 0.8 million SNVs from around 600 single normal cells (579 human, 39 mouse).
- The database offers comprehensive catalogues of somatic SNVs in single cells from diverse normal tissues.
- User-friendly browsing and searching capabilities for SNVs and their associated annotation information are provided.
Conclusions:
- DSMNC serves as a valuable and timely resource for somatic mutations in individual normal cells.
- The database enables the analysis of somatic mutation burdens and signatures across different normal cell types.
- DSMNC is expected to significantly advance the understanding of somatic mutation characteristics in normal cellular contexts.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Cancers Originate from Somatic Mutations in a Single Cell
Mutations
Mutations
Chromosomal Alterations Are Large-Scale Mutations
While point mutations are changes in a single nucleotide in...
Somatic to iPS Cell Reprogramming
Viral Mutations
Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift

