Hansemann’s anaplastic theory of cancer after 135 years

Summary: The term “anaplasia” was coined in 1890 to describe chromosomal changes common to primordial cancer cells, but ever since the mechanisms whereby a cell becomes anaplastic has been the subject of much speculation. Recent results based on genomic and epigenomic profiles of cancer patient samp...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Steven Henikoff, Kami Ahmad
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-05-01
Series:Frontiers in Epigenetics and Epigenomics
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/freae.2025.1607433/full
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Summary:Summary: The term “anaplasia” was coined in 1890 to describe chromosomal changes common to primordial cancer cells, but ever since the mechanisms whereby a cell becomes anaplastic has been the subject of much speculation. Recent results based on genomic and epigenomic profiles of cancer patient samples provide a glimpse into early events that lead to aneuploidy, the original defining feature of an anaplastic cell. We propose that the anaplastic cell is one in which RNA Polymerase II hypertranscribes S-phase-dependent histone genes, and the resulting histone excess facilitates DNA replication while competing for CENP-A, causing centromere breaks that initiate whole-arm aneuploidy.
ISSN:2813-706X