Genetic germline variations influence the expression of cancer cell genes
Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine’s Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center and Human Genome Sequencing Center investigated the extent to which forms of genetic variation called germline or inherited structural variation influence gene expression in human cancers. The findings, published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine, show that specific germline structural variations represent potential candidates for cancer genetic testing, including those involving genes with therapeutic targeting implications.
“Structural variation is one type of genomic variation and can be beneficial, neutral or, if it affects functionally relevant regions of the genome, can seriously affect gene function and contribute to disease, including cancer,” said corresponding author Dr. Chad Creighton, professor of medicine and co-director of cancer bioinformatics at the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor.