Chromatin marks shape mutation landscape at early stage of cancer progression

Abstract

Cancer: Chromatin marks underlie mutations for early cancer progression Environmental insults that change how DNA is packaged could lead to mutations responsible for the earliest stages of cancer. Hwajin Lee and colleagues at Seoul National University analyzed whole-genome sequencing data from precancerous tissues (B-cell and esophagus) and the matching cancer types (B-cell leukemia and esophageal cancer) from 173 individuals. They cross checked the mutational profiles against the epigenetic features that shape how DNA is wound into chromosomes, and found that these chromatin marks serve a central role in driving the overall mutation landscape. The authors suggest that gastric acid reflux, which is known to cause a precancerous condition known as Barrett’s esophagus, could be shifting the esophageal cells to become more stomach-like, and the resulting change in chromatin features might be triggering major mutation accumulations that affect subsequent cancer progression.