Longevity & AgingCancer Cells Use Built-In DNA Anchors to Hijack Cell Division and Spread Oncogenes
Scientists at Stanford identified a new class of human genomic elements called retention elements that help extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) — circular, oncogene-carrying DNA fragments common in aggressive cancers — hitch rides on chromosomes during cell division. Using a novel genome-scale screen called Retain-seq, they found thousands of CpG-rich gene promoters that tether ecDNA to mitotic chromosomes, ensuring it passes to daughter cells rather than being lost. These elements are co-amplified with oncogenes on ecDNA in human cancers and are focally hypomethylated. Critically, artificially methylating these elements abolished their retention activity and caused ecDNA loss, pointing toward a potential therapeutic vulnerability in ecDNA-driven cancers.
