Aneuploidy has been long associated with genetic instability and tumorigenesis. Dewhurst and colleagues examined the evolution and consequences of chromosomal aberrations in long-term culture of a diploid colon cancer progenitor cell line over time. Rare cells that survive genome doubling, tetraploids, have a greater tolerance for further chromosomal abnormalities. Furthermore, tetraploidy was found to be associated with a low probability of disease-free survival.
References
Dewhurst, S. M. et al. Tolerance of whole-genome doubling propagates chromosomal instability and accelerates cancer genome evolution. Cancer Discov. http://dx.doi.org/10.1158/2159-8290.CD-13-0285 (2014)
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Lokody, I. Tetraploidy tolerance promotes cancer evolution. Nat Rev Genet 15, 147 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg3694
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg3694