The browser you are using is not supported by this website. All versions of Internet Explorer are no longer supported, either by us or Microsoft (read more here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/windows/end-of-ie-support).

Please use a modern browser to fully experience our website, such as the newest versions of Edge, Chrome, Firefox or Safari etc.

Åke Borg

Åke Borg

Principal investigator

Åke Borg

Signatures of mutational processes in human cancer

Author

  • Ludmil B. Alexandrov
  • Serena Nik-Zainal
  • David C. Wedge
  • Samuel A. J. R. Aparicio
  • Sam Behjati
  • Andrew V. Biankin
  • Graham R. Bignell
  • Niccolo Bolli
  • Åke Borg
  • Anne-Lise Borresen-Dale
  • Sandrine Boyault
  • Birgit Burkhardt
  • Adam P. Butler
  • Carlos Caldas
  • Helen R. Davies
  • Christine Desmedt
  • Roland Eils
  • Jorunn Erla Eyfjord
  • John A. Foekens
  • Mel Greaves
  • Fumie Hosoda
  • Barbara Hutter
  • Tomislav Ilicic
  • Sandrine Imbeaud
  • Marcin Imielinsk
  • Natalie Jaeger
  • David T. W. Jones
  • David Jones
  • Stian Knappskog
  • Marcel Kool
  • Sunil R. Lakhani
  • Carlos Lopez-Otin
  • Sancha Martin
  • Nikhil C. Munshi
  • Hiromi Nakamura
  • Paul A. Northcott
  • Marina Pajic
  • Elli Papaemmanuil
  • Angelo Paradiso
  • John V. Pearson
  • Xose S. Puente
  • Keiran Raine
  • Manasa Ramakrishna
  • Andrea L. Richardson
  • Julia Richter
  • Philip Rosenstiel
  • Matthias Schlesner
  • Ton N. Schumacher
  • Paul N. Span
  • Jon W. Teague
  • Yasushi Totoki
  • Andrew N. J. Tutt
  • Rafael Valdes-Mas
  • Marit M. van Buuren
  • Laura van 't Veer
  • Anne Vincent-Salomon
  • Nicola Waddell
  • Lucy R. Yates
  • Jessica Zucman-Rossi
  • P. Andrew Futreal
  • Ultan McDermott
  • Peter Lichter
  • Matthew Meyerson
  • Sean M. Grimmond
  • Reiner Siebert
  • Elias Campo
  • Tatsuhiro Shibata
  • Stefan M. Pfister
  • Peter J. Campbell
  • Michael R. Stratton

Summary, in English

All cancers are caused by somatic mutations; however, understanding of the biological processes generating these mutations is limited. The catalogue of somatic mutations from a cancer genome bears the signatures of the mutational processes that have been operative. Here we analysed 4,938,362 mutations from 7,042 cancers and extracted more than 20 distinct mutational signatures. Some are present in many cancer types, notably a signature attributed to the APOBEC family of cytidine deaminases, whereas others are confined to a single cancer class. Certain signatures are associated with age of the patient at cancer diagnosis, known mutagenic exposures or defects in DNA maintenance, but many are of cryptic origin. In addition to these genome-wide mutational signatures, hypermutation localized to small genomic regions, 'kataegis', is found in many cancer types. The results reveal the diversity of mutational processes underlying the development of cancer, with potential implications for understanding of cancer aetiology, prevention and therapy.

Department/s

  • Breastcancer-genetics
  • BioCARE: Biomarkers in Cancer Medicine improving Health Care, Education and Innovation

Publishing year

2013

Language

English

Pages

415-421

Publication/Series

Nature

Volume

500

Issue

7463

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Nature Publishing Group

Topic

  • Cancer and Oncology

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0028-0836