Michor Franziska, Iwasa Yoh, Lengauer Christoph, Nowak Martin A
Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
Semin Cancer Biol. 2005 Dec;15(6):484-93. doi: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2005.06.005.
Colorectal cancer results from an accumulation of mutations in tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes. An additional defining characteristic of colorectal cancer is its genetic instability. Two main types of genetic instability have been identified. Microsatellite instability leads to an increased point mutation rate, whereas chromosomal instability refers to an enhanced rate of accumulating gross chromosomal aberrations. All colon cancer cell lines are genetically unstable. An interesting question is whether genetic instability arises early in tumorigenesis. An early emergence of genetic instability could drive most of the somatic evolution of cancer. Here, we review mathematical models of colorectal tumorigenesis and discuss the role of genetic instability.
结直肠癌源于肿瘤抑制基因和癌基因中突变的积累。结直肠癌的另一个决定性特征是其基因不稳定性。已确定两种主要类型的基因不稳定性。微卫星不稳定性导致点突变率增加，而染色体不稳定性是指累积染色体大片段畸变的速率增强。所有结肠癌细胞系均存在基因不稳定。一个有趣的问题是基因不稳定性是否在肿瘤发生早期就已出现。基因不稳定性的早期出现可能推动癌症的大部分体细胞进化。在此，我们综述了结直肠癌发生的数学模型，并讨论了基因不稳定性的作用。
