New factors that cause instability in cancer

Andrés Aguilera

Centro Andaluz de Biología Molecular y Medicina Regenerativa (CABIMER), Universidad de Sevilla, Spain

Genome instability, that is, alterations in the transmission of genetic information from one cell to another during cell reproduction, plays an eminent role in cancer origin. Generally speaking, cells are highly efficient at transmitting their DNA from one generation to the next; however, when there are failures in DNA repair, replication and DNA-to-RNA transcription, this can cause the information transmitted from one cell to the next to change dramatically at an abnormally high rate, with the accumulation of mutations and chromosomal rearrangements that can eventually affect the cellular gene expression programme, increasing the likelihood of affecting tumour suppressor genes or genes involved in metastasis.

In the project, the researchers will study the role played by RNA metabolism in chromosomal rearrangements at both genomic and molecular level, as these generate a high propensity for cancer. The aim is to identify the mechanisms of interaction between RNA metabolism and DNA repair functions that compromise genome integrity.

R-loop-mediated genome instability factors in cancer

€500,000