Representation of mutant clones in normal eyelid skinWELLCOME TRUST SANGER INSTITUTE, INIGO MATINCORENA
Normal skin, which is often exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light throughout a person’s life, contains many potential disease-causing mutations clustered within a narrow range of at least six cancer-associated genes, according to an analysis published today (May 21) in Science. Researchers from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in the U.K. and their colleagues examined samples of cancer-free eyelid skin, finding hundreds of clonal populations—which arise from these cells in normal tissue—peppered throughout.
“What is remarkable is the number of clones in a small skin sample that have cancer-linked mutations,” said Kenneth Tsai, who studies skin cancer development at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, but was not involved in the work.
The study provides an initial glimpse of the mutational burden accumulated in ...
