| First Author | Heyn H | Year | 2016 |
| Journal | PLoS Genet | Volume | 12 |
| Issue | 3 | Pages | e1005826 |
| PubMed ID | 26938653 | Mgi Jnum | J:232338 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5776634 | Doi | 10.1371/journal.pgen.1005826 |
| Citation | Heyn H (2016) Quantitative Trait Loci Identify Functional Noncoding Variation in Cancer. PLoS Genet 12(3):e1005826 |
| abstractText | The interpretation of noncoding alterations in cancer genomes presents an unresolved problem in cancer studies. While the impact of somatic variations in protein-coding regions is widely accepted, noncoding aberrations are mostly considered as passenger events. However, with the advance of genome-wide profiling strategies, alterations outside the coding context entered the focus, and multiple examples highlight the role of gene deregulation as cancer-driving events. This review describes the implication of noncoding alterations in oncogenesis and provides a theoretical framework for the identification of causal somatic variants using quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis. Assuming that functional noncoding alterations affect quantifiable regulatory processes, somatic QTL studies constitute a valuable strategy to pinpoint cancer gene deregulation. Eventually, the comprehensive identification and interpretation of coding and noncoding alterations will guide our future understanding of cancer biology. |
