Clinical significance of APOB inactivation in hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract

Cancer: Spotlighting hidden cancer-causing genes Mutation of a gene with no clear role in tumor development triggers a cascade of reactions that can cause liver cancer. Recent genome-wide analyses searching for genes connected to development of hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of liver cancer, have turned up some unexpected genes, such as the fat metabolism gene apolipoprotein A (APOB). To discover how APOB is related to liver tumor development, Sun Young Yim at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA, and coworkers compared whole-genome profiles from human cancer patients with those of mice, in which cancer-related genetic patterns are better characterized. They found that mutation of APOB was associated with switching on of cancer-promoting genes, and switching off of genes that suppress tumor growth. These results reveal a behind-the-scenes regulator of cancer development.