title: Short inverted repeats initiate gene amplification through the formation of a large DNA palindrome in mammalian cells.
abstract: Gene amplification is a common form of genomic instability in a wide variety of organisms and is often associated with tumor progression in mammals. One striking feature of many amplified genes is their organization as large inverted duplications (palindromes). Here, we describe a molecular mechanism for palindrome formation in mammalian cells that is also conserved in protists. We introduced a short (79 or 229 bp) inverted repeat into the genome of Chinese hamster ovary cells and showed that it promoted the formation of a large DNA palindrome after an adjacent DNA double-strand break. This finding suggests that short inverted repeats in the mammalian genome can have a critical role in the initiation of gene amplification. This specific mechanism may provide a novel target for cancer therapies.
authors.affiliation: Division of Basic Sciences and Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109-1024, USA.
authors.forename: Hisashi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Tapscott
authors.forename: Barbara J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Trask
authors.forename: Meng-Chao
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Yao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D016466:CHO Cells; D006224:Cricetinae; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics*; D005784:Gene Amplification; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D013762:Tetrahydrofolate Dehydrogenase / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004247:DNA; D013762:Tetrahydrofolate Dehydrogenase