Meta-analysis of expression of l(3)mbt tumor-associated germline genes supports the model that a soma-to-germline transition is a hallmark of human cancers.
Evidence is starting to emerge indicating that tumorigenesis in metazoans involves a soma-to-germline transition, which may contribute to the acquisition of neoplastic characteristics. Here, we have meta-analyzed gene expression profiles of the human orthologs of Drosophila melanogaster germline genes that are ectopically expressed in l(3)mbt brain tumors using gene expression datasets derived from a large cohort of human tumors. We find these germline genes, some of which drive oncogenesis in D. melanogaster, are similarly ectopically activated in a wide range of human cancers. Some of these genes normally have expression restricted to the germline, making them of particular clinical interest. Importantly, these analyses provide additional support to the emerging model that proposes a soma-to-germline transition is a general hallmark of a wide range of human tumors. This has implications for our understanding of human oncogenesis and the development of new therapeutic and biomarker targets with clinical potential.
North West Cancer Research Institute, Bangor University, Brambell Building, Bangor, Gwynedd, United Kingdom; Institute for Genomics and Bioinformatics, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria.
Julia
J
Feichtinger
Lee
L
Larcombe
Ramsay J
RJ
McFarlane
D000818:Animals; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone / Q000235:genetics*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics; D020224:Expressed Sequence Tags; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D059467:Transcriptome; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins
D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C120887:L3MBTL1 protein, human; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; C555103:l(3)mbt protein, Drosophila
cancer; cancer hallmarks; gene expression meta-analysis; meiosis; soma-to-germline transition