GSE38397
Comparative oncogenomic analysis of copy number alterations in human and zebrafish tumors enables cancer driver discovery
The identification of cancer drivers is a major goal of current cancer research. Finding driver genes within large chromosomal events is especially challenging because such alterations encompass many genes. Previously, we demonstrated that zebrafish malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are highly aneuploid, much like human tumors. In this study, we examined 147 zebrafish MPNSTs by massively parallel sequencing and identified both large and focal copy number alterations (CNAs). Given the low degree of conserved synteny between fish and mammals, we reasoned that comparative analyses of CNAs from fish versus human MPNSTs would enable elimination of a large proportion of passenger mutations, especially on large CNAs. Accordingly, we found less than one third of the human CNA genes were co-gained or co-lost in zebrafish, dramatically narrowing the list of candidate cancer drivers for both focal and large CNAs. We conclude that zebrafish-human comparative analysis represents a powerful, and broadly applicable, tool to enrich for evolutionarily conserved cancer drivers. --- This filing comprises data related to GEO entry GSE23666 ("Highly Aneuploid Zebrafish Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors have Genetic Alterations Similar to Human Cancers"), representing a followup study. Overall design: 147 pairs of zebrafish (Danio rerio) tumor (MPNST) and normal tail control samples