Human chromosomes stained blue and ribosomal DNA in greenTAMARA POTAPOVA (WITH PERMISSION)Ribosomal DNA (rDNA) is highly repetitive, making it tough for scientists to analyze. But a new study, published today (June 22) in PLOS Genetics, reveals that the genomes of cancer cells in both humans and mice have fewer copies of rDNA genes than their normal counterparts. Yet despite this loss, mice show more ribosomal RNA and protein synthesis.
“This is the first comprehensive, in-depth analysis of ribosomal DNA copy number in human cancers,” says Mikael Linström, a cancer biologist at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden who did not participate in the work. “In all labs that are working with ribosome biogenesis and rDNA genes, the question is always: what’s the role of the mysterious rDNA?”
Coauthor Jennifer Gerton, a yeast biologist at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City, Missouri, says that the inspiration to look at rDNA in cancer genomes came from work in yeast and human cells that has shown highly variable copy numbers in rDNA genes. She was curious to see how that variability fared in the context of cancer.
Gerton and colleagues analyzed whole genome sequencing data ...
