Cited by 1,100Cancer Genomics and DiagnosticsEpigenetics and DNA MethylationCarcinogens and Genotoxicity Assessment

Mutational signatures associated with tobacco smoking in human cancer

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Alexandrov, Ludmil B., Ju, Young Seok, Haase, Kerstin, Van Loo, Peter, Martincorena, Iñigo, Nik-Zainal, Serena, Totoki, Yasushi, Fujimoto, Akihiro +6 more·2016·Science

Published version of a preprint

Abstract

Tobacco smoking increases the risk of at least 17 classes of human cancer. We analyzed somatic mutations and DNA methylation in 5243 cancers of types for which tobacco smoking confers an elevated risk. Smoking is associated with increased mutation burdens of multiple distinct mutational signatures, which contribute to different extents in different cancers. One of these signatures, mainly found in cancers derived from tissues directly exposed to tobacco smoke, is attributable to misreplication of DNA damage caused by tobacco carcinogens. Others likely reflect indirect activation of DNA editing by APOBEC cytidine deaminases and of an endogenous clocklike mutational process. Smoking is associated with limited differences in methylation. The results are consistent with the proposition that smoking increases cancer risk by increasing the somatic mutation load, although direct evidence for this mechanism is lacking in some smoking-related cancer types.

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  1. [47]Barnett V Lewis T Wiley series in probability and mathematical statistics Applied probability and statistics Outliers in statistical data ed. 3rd Wiley Chichester; New York 1994 xvii 584

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Authors
Alexandrov, L. B., Ju, Y. S., Haase, K., Van Loo, P., Martincorena, I., Nik-Zainal, S., Totoki, Y., Fujimoto, A., Nakagawa, H., Shibata, T., Campbell, P. J., Vineis, P., Phillips, D. H., & Stratton, M. R.
Affiliations
  • Los Alamos National Laboratory (US)
  • Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KR)
  • The Francis Crick Institute (GB)
  • The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK.
  • Cancer Genome Project, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton CB10 1SA, Cambridgeshire, UK.
  • National Cancer Center Research Institute (JP)
  • Kyoto University (JP)
  • RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (JP)
  • Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo (JP)
  • University of Cambridge (GB)
  • Public Health England (GB)
  • King's College London (GB)
  • Wellcome Sanger Institute (GB)
Corresponding author
  • Alexandrov, Ludmil B.
  • Stratton, Michael R.
Venue
Science
Published
2016-11-04
Volume
354
Issue
6312
Pages
618-622
ISSN
  • 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
  • 1095-9203
OpenAlex
W2547187744
Cited by
1,100
References
54
Citations by year
2026: 70 · 2025: 89 · 2024: 103 · 2023: 121 · 2022: 115 · 2021: 148 · 2020: 149 · 2019: 117 · 2018: 95 · 2017: 90 · 2016: 3
FWCI
42.36
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Science (publishedVersion)
  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Lirias (submittedVersion)
  • OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information) (submittedVersion)
  • Spiral (Imperial College London) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Wellcome Trust Intermediate Fellowship (WT100183MA)
  • Wellcome Trust Senior Clinical Research Fellowship (WT088340MA)
  • U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (DE-AC52-06NA25396)
  • Francis Crick Institute
  • UK MRC (FC001202)
  • Cancer Research UK (FC001202, C313/A14329)
  • Wellcome Trust (98051, FC001202, 101126/Z/13/Z, 101126/B/13/Z)
  • National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)
  • EXPOSOMICS (308610-FP7)
  • Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (15ck0106094h0002)
  • National Cancer Center Research and Development Funds (26-A-5)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cancer Research › Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Epigenetics and DNA Methylation
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cancer Research › Carcinogens and Genotoxicity Assessment
Keywords
smoking, mutational signatures, somatic mutations, DNA methylation, tobacco-related cancer, APOBEC cytidine deaminases, tobacco carcinogens, mutational burden, cancer risk
MeSH terms
APOBEC Deaminases, Carcinogens, DNA Damage, Humans, Mutation, Neoplasms, Risk, Smoking, Tobacco Products, Nicotiana, CpG Islands, DNA Methylation, Exome

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