Mutations close in on gene regulation

摘要

Acute myeloid leukaemia exhibits variable genetics, presentation and clinical outcome. Writing in the New England Journal of Medicine, Ley and colleagues1 from the Cancer Genome Atlas Research Network present the first comprehensive genome-wide analysis of DNA sequences, transcribed messenger RNA and microRNA molecules, and DNA modification by methylation, in 200 cases of adult acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). The data, which are publicly available, provide unprecedented insight into the molecular genetics of this cancer and its influence on treatment responses. Although the challenge of integrating and functionally verifying these data remains, the findings are expected to help to explain the biology of AML, and could lead to the development of therapeutic strategies.