Endogenous DNA Damage as a Source of Genomic Instability in Cancer
Genome instability, defined as higher than normal rates of mutation, is a double edged sword. As a source of genetic diversity and natural selection, mutations are beneficial for evolution. On the other hand, genomic instability can have catastrophic consequences for age related diseases such as cancer. Mutations arise either from inactivation of DNA repair pathways or in a repair competent background due to genotoxic stress from celluar processes such as transcription and replication that overwhelm high fidelity DNA repair. Here, we review recent studies that shed light on endogenous sources of mutation and epigenomic features that promote genomic instability during cancer evolution.
Cell