Transcriptomic analysis reveals a tissue-specific loss of identity during ageing and cancer.

Dos Santos, Gabriel Arantes, Chatsirisupachai, Kasit, Avelar, Roberto A and de Magalhães, João Pedro ORCID: 0000-0002-6363-2465 (2023) Transcriptomic analysis reveals a tissue-specific loss of identity during ageing and cancer. BMC genomics, 24 (1). 644-.

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12864-023-09756-w

Abstract

<h4>Introduction</h4>Understanding changes in cell identity in cancer and ageing is of great importance. In this work, we analyzed how gene expression changes in human tissues are associated with tissue specificity during cancer and ageing using transcriptome data from TCGA and GTEx.<h4>Results</h4>We found significant downregulation of tissue-specific genes during ageing in 40% of the tissues analyzed, which suggests loss of tissue identity with age. For most cancer types, we have noted a consistent pattern of downregulation in genes that are specific to the tissue from which the tumor originated. Moreover, we observed in cancer an activation of genes not usually expressed in the tissue of origin as well as an upregulation of genes specific to other tissues. These patterns in cancer were associated with patient survival. The age of the patient, however, did not influence these patterns.<h4>Conclusion</h4>We identified loss of cellular identity in 40% of the tissues analysed during human ageing, and a clear pattern in cancer, where during tumorigenesis cells express genes specific to other organs while suppressing the expression of genes from their original tissue. The loss of cellular identity observed in cancer is associated with prognosis and is not influenced by age, suggesting that it is a crucial stage in carcinogenesis.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Humans, Neoplasms, Gene Expression Profiling, Aging, Transcriptome, Carcinogenesis
Divisions:	Faculty of Health and Life Sciences Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Life Courses and Medical Sciences
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	21 Dec 2023 16:46
Last Modified:	21 Dec 2023 16:46
DOI:	10.1186/s12864-023-09756-w
Open Access URL:	https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-023-09756-w
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3177617