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Tumors with microsatellite instability: many mutations, targets and paradoxes

Oncogene volume 22, pages 2223–2225 (2003)Cite this article

Tumors of the microsatellite mutator phenotype (MMP) accumulate hundreds of thousands of somatic clonal mutations, preferentially in simple repeats or microsatellites (Ionov et al., 1993). Among this multitude of irrelevant mutations in ‘junk’ DNA, quite a few also hit genomic coding regions with potential impact on phenotype. The issue is then how to sort out cause from consequence and mutations that contribute from mutations that are inconsequential to tumorigenesis.

In this issue of Oncogene, Woerner and colleagues make a good effort in this direction, based on a meta-analysis of the mutations in genes with simple repeats reported so far in the literature. The list is extensive and includes more than 100 genes in colon cancer, and near 50 in gastric and endometrial cancers, which are the three human cancers with the highest incidence of microsatellite instability (MSI). The work is based on more than 60 publications during the past few years, which is a good barometer for the interest in this area.

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  1. The Burnham Institute, La Jolla Cancer Research Center, 11099 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, 92037, CA, USA

    Manuel Perucho

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Perucho, M. Tumors with microsatellite instability: many mutations, targets and paradoxes. Oncogene 22, 2223–2225 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.onc.1206580

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