New source of mutations in cancer discovered
Wednesday, February 10, 2016 - 10:47
in Biology & Nature
Recently, a new mutation signature found in cancer cells was suspected to have been created by a family of enzymes found in human cells called the APOBEC3 family, report scientists. Mutations are the replacement of DNA bases known as Adenine (A), Cytosine (C), Guanine (G) and Thymine (T) with other bases. When mutations such as C to T or G to A are found within a specific DNA sequence, this is known as a mutation signature. These mutation signatures are like spelling mistakes that carry signs of the agents that caused the mutations. Ultraviolet light, tobacco smoke and other cancer-causing agents leave behind such signatures in the DNA of tumors.