Cancer cells acquire genetic changes that allow them to grow and proliferate unchecked. Researchers at the Dana-Faber Cancer Institute and colleagues have now found another difference between cancer cells and normal cells. The team analyzed public datasets comprising thousands of cancer DNA samples. Their results showed that X chromosome (chrX) inactivation (XCI), the process by which one of the two X chromosomes in female (XX) cells is inactivated, can also occur in male cancers. High expression of XIST—the gene responsible for shutting down gene expression on the X chromosome—was found in about 4% of the male cancer samples analyzed. The researchers suggest that future research may ultimately point to new therapeutic targets.
