Research progress on the mechanism of gene amplification mediated by palindromes in tumor genome

Abstract

Gene amplification is a common chromosomal aberration which is often the result of tumor genome instability,and plays a crucial role in the process of activating oncogenes and leading to cancers.As gene amplification often is evident in advanced stages of cancer,its clinical importance in diagnosis and treatment has been popularly recognized.However,the underlying mechanisms governing gene amplification are still not fully understood.Herein,we reviewed one of the well-defined gene amplification mechanisms:DNA double-strand breaks-triggered,palindromes or short DNA inverted repeatsmediated gene amplification model,which was established and validated in a variety of research organisms including T.thermophila,fission yeast,budding yeast and rodent cells.Based on the recent published reports,we put forward a new model for the palindromes mediated gene amplification mechanism,that is de novo synthesis of small palindromic sequences (usually several hundred base pairs in length or shorter) at the DNA breakpoints in a template-free manner is the key determinant for gene amplification in certain tumor genomes.Elucidating the potential mechanism and involved enzymes for the regulation and creation of novel palindromic sequences should shed more light onto the palindromes mediated gene amplification and the resulting chromosomal instability. Key words: Gene amplification ; Genome instability ; Palindromes ; DNA double strand break and repair ;