Candidate Cancer Gene Database: A Novel Resource for Cancer Research

Strategic Insights -

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have developed the Candidate Cancer Gene Database (CCGD), a manually curated database of identified candidate driver genes and transposon common insertion sites from published transposon-based screens in mice. The database, available at http://ccgd-starrlab.oit.umn.edu/, aims to improve access to findings and facilitate meta-analyses. By analyzing the database, researchers have shown that human cancer pathways are highly enriched, and that blood cancers have distinct pathways compared to solid cancers.

Key Takeaways:

  • The CCGD is a novel resource for scientists interested in identifying genetic drivers of cancer, containing a unified description of all identified candidate driver genes and the genomic location of transposon common insertion sites from published transposon-based screens.
  • The database was developed to improve access to findings and facilitate meta-analyses, as the information was previously scattered across multiple publications using different mouse genome builds and strength metrics.
  • The CCGD contains data from thousands of candidate driver genes identified through forward genetic screens, which is highly relevant to human cancer.
  • A modified gene set enrichment analysis using KEGG pathways revealed that human cancer pathways are highly enriched in the database.
  • Hierarchical clustering analysis identified pathways enriched in blood cancers compared to solid cancers.
  • The research was conducted by K.L. Abbott, E.T. Nyre, J. Abrahante, Y.Y. Ho, R. Isaksson Vogel, and T.K Starr at the University of Minnesota.
  • The research was published in the Nucleic Acids Symposium Series in 2015.

Statistics:

  • The CCGD contains data from thousands of candidate driver genes identified through forward genetic screens.
  • The database was developed to improve access to findings and facilitate meta-analyses, with a unified description of all identified candidate driver genes and the genomic location of transposon common insertion sites from published transposon-based screens.
  • The research used KEGG pathways for gene set enrichment analysis, showing that human cancer pathways are highly enriched in the database.
  • The study identified pathways enriched in blood cancers compared to solid cancers through hierarchical clustering analysis.

Sources:

  • Abbott, K.L., et al. "The Candidate Cancer Gene Database: a database of cancer driver genes from forward genetic screens in mice." Nucleic Acids Symposium Series, 2015; 43(Database i): D844-8. (Oxford University Press - www.oup.com/; Nucleic Acids Symposium Series - nass.oxfordjournals.org)
  • University of Minnesota. (dept. of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Women's Health)
  • NewsRx LLC. (www.newsrx.com)