Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Copy number alterations unmasked as enhancer hijackers

  • News & Views
  • Published:

From Nature Genetics

View current issue Submit your manuscript

Our understanding of how DNA copy number changes contribute to disease, including cancer, has to a large degree been focused on the changes in gene dosage that they generate and has neglected the effects of the DNA rearrangements that lead to their formation. A new study reports an innovative analytical framework for copy number alterations that are oncogenic primarily owing to the genomic rearrangements that underlie them.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1: Oncogenic rearrangement topologies that rely on changes in relative placement of genes near regulatory elements rather than simple changes in gene dosage.

References

  1. Zack, T.I. et al. Nat. Genet. 45, 1134–1140 (2013).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Weischenfeldt, J. et al. Nat. Genet. 49, 65–74 (2017).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Wong, A.J. et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89, 2965–2969 (1992).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Ong, C.-T. & Corces, V.G. Nat. Rev. Genet. 12, 283–293 (2011).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Hnisz, D., Day, D.S. & Young, R.A. Cell 167, 1188–1200 (2016).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Northcott, P.A. et al. Nature 511, 428–434 (2014).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Battey, J. et al. Cell 34, 779–787 (1983).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Bandopadhayay, P. et al. Nat. Genet. 48, 273–282 (2016).

  9. Tomlins, S.A. et al. Science 310, 644–648 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Gröschel, S. et al. Cell 157, 369–381 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Zhang, X. et al. Nat. Genet. 48, 176–182 (2016).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Hnisz, D. et al. Science 351, 1454–1458 (2016).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Cancer Genome Atlas Network. Nature 487, 330–337 (2012).

  14. Stephens, P.J. et al. Cell 144, 27–40 (2011).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Baca, S.C. et al. Cell 153, 666–677 (2013).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rameen Beroukhim, Xiaoyang Zhang and Matthew Meyerson are at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,

    Rameen Beroukhim, Xiaoyang Zhang & Matthew Meyerson

Authors
  1. Rameen Beroukhim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Xiaoyang Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Matthew Meyerson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Matthew Meyerson.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

R.B. receives research support from and is a consultant for Novartis. M.M. receives research support from Bayer and is a founding advisor of Foundation Medicine, for which he was previously a consultant and in which he previously held equity.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Beroukhim, R., Zhang, X. & Meyerson, M. Copy number alterations unmasked as enhancer hijackers. Nat Genet 49, 5–6 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/ng.3754

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ng.3754

  • Springer Nature America, Inc.

We’re sorry, something doesn't seem to be working properly.

Please try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, please contact support so we can address the problem.

Search

Navigation