Wednesday, November 19, 2014

"Blind Spots" in DNA are Thought to House Cancer-Causing Genes




Researchers at the University of Manchester recently discovered over 400 areas in DNA called "blind spots" that are believed to hold cancer-causing genes. These researchers teamed up with two cancer genome sequencing databases, CCLE (the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia) and COSMIC (the Catalog of Somatic Mutations in Cancer) to study lab-grown cancer cells. They found that there was a 40% mismatch in the code sequence mostly in GC dense sections of DNA. The team specifically focused on the mutated PAK4 gene and found that focusing on GC dense "blind spots" can provide insight on new drivers of cancer. 

This is a great step in the right direction in terms of cancer research and also genetic research. Even if it turns out that cancer genes are not located in these "blind spots," it is also beneficial to know exactly what these "blind spots" hold.


1 comment:

  1. Interesting article! It is amazing that new discoveries like this are still being made. While the human genome seems to be understood relatively well, cancer still has many unanswered questions. It seems that this "blind spot" could hold the key to many of the things we do not know about cancer.

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