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Xuejun Zhang, Jun Wang and colleagues report the application of exome sequencing to a large collection of psoriasis cases and controls. They identify seven common and low-frequency nonsynonymous variants within known psoriasis susceptibility genes that are associated with psoriasis risk.
Matthew Meyerson and colleagues report whole-exome and whole-genome sequencing of 55 small intestine neuroendocrine tumors. They identify recurrent somatic mutations in CDKN1B, implicating cell cycle dysregulation in the pathogenesis of these tumors.
Laura Wood, Kenneth Kinzler, Nickolas Papadopoulos, Aldo Scarpa and colleagues report exome sequencing of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas. They identify recurrent somatic mutations in BAP1, ARID1A and PBRM1.
Arul Chinnaiyan and colleagues report the results of prospective clinical sequencing of 11 estrogen receptor–positive metastatic breast cancers. They identify ESR1 mutations affecting the ligand-binding domain in six hormone-resistant metastatic breast cancers and show that the mutant estrogen receptors are constitutively active and continue to be responsive to anti-estrogen therapies in vitro.
Bin Tean Teh, Patrick Tan, Steven Rozen, Irinel Popescu and colleagues report exome sequencing of cholangiocarcinomas, including cases caused by liver fluke (Opisthorchis viverrini) infection and cases caused by non–O. viverrini etiologies. They identify recurrent somatic mutations in BAP1 and ARID1A and demonstrate different mutation patterns in liver fluke infection–related and non-infection-related cancers.
Sarat Chandarlapaty and colleagues report the identification of mutations in the ESR1 gene affecting the ligand-binding domain of the encoded estrogen receptor in 20% of metastatic hormone-resistant breast cancers. They determine that the mutant receptor has a hormone-independent active state that likely promotes resistance to estrogen-depriving therapies.
Genes encoding subunits of the SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complex constitute, collectively, one of the most frequently mutated targets in cancer. Although mutations in SWI/SNF genes are uncommon in prostate cancer, a new study shows that SChLAP1, a long noncoding RNA frequently expressed in aggressive prostate tumors, drives cancer by directly disrupting SNF5, a core subunit of the SWI/SNF complex.
Although federated cooperation is politically desirable, uniform data quality and standards are essential and should not be reinvented from scratch. The International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) will do well to start with the data standards of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Pediatric Cancer Genome Consortium if it is to succeed in genomic analysis across cancer types.
A new study shows that a specific mutation in SCN11A, which encodes the Nav1.9 voltage-gated sodium channel, underlies a human disorder characterized by insensitivity to pain. This finding provides fresh insights into human pain perception and suggests a new avenue for the development of analgesic drugs.
The significance of epigenomic aberrations in cancer development has been underscored by the discovery of mutations in key chromatin modifiers, most notably in hematological malignancies. A new study of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) demonstrates the usefulness of mapping global epigenetic signatures and applying these data in a framework to identify and characterize underlying somatic genetic alterations in human cancers.
Adrienne Flanagan and colleagues identify distinct driver mutations in H3F3A and H3F3B in chondroblastoma and giant cell tumor of bone. The mutations occur in over 90% of tumors and exhibit a high degree of tumor type specificity.