Cellular Darwinism: Regulatory networks, stochasticity, and selection in cancer development. (October 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Noble, Denis
• Is Part Of: Progress in biophysics and molecular biology. Volume 165(2021)
• Page Start: 66
• Page End: 71
• Publication Date: 2021-10
• Subjects: Cancer evolution -- Harnessing of chance -- Harnessing of stochasticity -- Hypermutation in evolution -- Tissue heterogeneity -- Central dogma; Biophysics -- Periodicals; Biochemistry -- Periodicals; Biophysics -- Periodicals; Molecular Biology -- Periodicals; Biophysique -- Périodiques; Biochimie -- Périodiques; 571.4
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2021.06.007
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0079-6107

Abstract

Abstract: There are strong parallels between the evolutionary origin of species within populations of organisms and new concepts for the origin of cancers within cell populations in the tissues of the body. The analogy is that cancers can be regarded as a new somatic species developing within the host organism. In both cases, understanding the processes involved requires a multi-scale analysis, including higher-level control of genetic and epigenetic changes. A key to developing successful therapeutic strategies will be to identify the processes that control heterogeneity in tissues. These include processes outside the currently dominant theory of evolution, i.e. the Modern Synthesis. Specifically, organisms can partially direct both genetic and epigenetic changes through the harnessing of chance. The loci and rates of mutation and of genome reorganisation are forms of targeted functional reorganisation of genomes. They are more likely to result in functional reorganisations compared to the slow accumulation of point mutations.