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Cancer May Be Driven by DNA Outside of Chromosomes
Cancer May Be Driven by DNA Outside of Chromosomes
In the last decade, researchers have come to realize that tumors harbor bits of extrachromosomal DNA that can drive malignancy.
Cancer May Be Driven by DNA Outside of Chromosomes
Cancer May Be Driven by DNA Outside of Chromosomes

In the last decade, researchers have come to realize that tumors harbor bits of extrachromosomal DNA that can drive malignancy.

In the last decade, researchers have come to realize that tumors harbor bits of extrachromosomal DNA that can drive malignancy.

genetics & genomics, cell & molecular biology, cancer

Contributors
Asher Jones and Kerry Grens | Apr 1, 2021 | 3 min read
Meet some of the people featured in the April 2021 issue of The Scientist.
“Rogue” Protein Could Contribute to Humans’ High Cancer Rates
Asher Jones | Apr 1, 2021 | 2 min read
A mutant protein called Siglec-XII may promote carcinoma progression in humans, but inactivation of its gene seems to avoid the problem, according to a study.
Infographic: The Role of Extrachromosomal DNA in Cancer
Paul Mischel | Apr 1, 2021 | 2 min read
Researchers are uncovering how circular bits of DNA found in some cancer cells can help tumors evolve and kill.
Infographic: How Some X-Chromosome Genes Escape Inactivation
Amber Dance | Mar 1, 2020 | 2 min read
About one-quarter of the hundreds of genes on the inactivated X chromosome in XX cells manage to escape that silencing, at least some of the time.
Genes that Escape Silencing on the Second X Chromosome May Drive Disease
Amber Dance | Mar 1, 2020 | 10+ min read
When X-linked genes evade silencing on the “inactive” chromosome in XX cells, some protect women from diseases such as cancer, but others seem to promote conditions such as autoimmunity.
Cigall Kadoch Unravels Chromatin’s Role in Cancer
Chia-Yi Hou | Sep 1, 2019 | 3 min read
The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researcher is developing cancer therapeutics based on how the physical structure of DNA contributes to the disease.
exosome cancer liver hepatocellular carcinoma RNA cirrhosis
Exosomes from Blood Carry RNA Signatures of Liver Cancer
Emma Yasinski | Apr 2, 2019 | 2 min read
A small study finds that the tiny extracellular vesicles from patients with hepatocellular carcinoma have RNA content distinct from patients with cirrhosis only.
Image of the Day: New Kids on the Block
Sukanya Charuchandra | Jun 7, 2018 | 1 min read
Researchers discover that a layer of human breast tissue is not one but two distinct cell types.  
Henrietta Lacks’s Family Seeks Compensation
Kerry Grens | Feb 15, 2017 | 1 min read
Family members of Lacks, the donor behind the widely used HeLa cell line, are planning to sue Johns Hopkins University.
Some Human Cancers Exhibit Low-grade Inflammation
Alison F. Takemura | Oct 1, 2016 | 2 min read
NSAIDs reduce this "parainflammation," hinting at how they help lower cancer risk.
Mutations Not Tied to Metastasis
Kerry Grens | Feb 25, 2016 | 3 min read
Clinical cases link immune changes to a cancer’s spread through the body, but find no role for so-called “driver” mutations.
Setbacks and Great Leaps
Sue Armstrong | Apr 1, 2015 | 3 min read
The tale of p53, a widely studied tumor suppressor gene, illustrates the inventiveness of researchers who turn mishaps into discoveries.
Cancer Kismet
Jenny Rood | Apr 1, 2015 | 4 min read
Fate mapping allows researchers to follow cancer progression from its cell type of origin.
Resisting Cancer
George Klein | Apr 1, 2015 | 9 min read
If one out of three people develops cancer, that means two others don’t. Understanding why could lead to insights relevant to prevention and treatment.
Book Excerpt from p53
Sue Armstrong | Mar 31, 2015 | 4 min read
In Chapter 12, "Of Mice and Men," author Sue Armstrong recounts the point at which researchers moved from working with p53 in tissue culture to studying the gene in animal models.
Week in Review: April 7–11
Tracy Vence | Apr 11, 2014 | 3 min read
Stress and telomere length in children; osmotic channel protein identified; amoeba nibbles, then kills cells; amphetamine and mental disorder risk; news from AACR
Week in Review: January 27–31
Tracy Vence | Jan 31, 2014 | 3 min read
Stimulus-triggered pluripotency; antioxidants speed lung tumor growth; the importance of seminal vesicles; how a plant pathogen jumps hosts
Week in Review: December 2–6
Tracy Vence | Dec 6, 2013 | 3 min read
Oldest hominin DNA sequence; visualizing dyslexia; testing CRISPR; cancer and autoimmunity
Week in Review: November 18–22
Tracy Vence | Nov 22, 2013 | 4 min read
Chilly mice develop more tumors; gut bacteria aid cancer treatment; two Y chromosome genes sufficient for assisted reproduction; HIV’s “invisibility cloak”
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