NIH R01 · 2025
Mobile element mutagenesis as a driver of human cancers
Project Summary. Human LINE-1 (L1) elements are autonomous retrotransposons that continue to produce new “offspring” L1 insertions in human genomes. Until recently, L1 elements were thought to be mobilized primarily in the germline and then silenced in somatic cells throughout adulthood. However, several recent reports have shown that L1 elements are active in at least some adult somatic tissues, including the brain and epithelial somatic tumors. These observations have led to the suggestion that L1 might play a role in initiating human cancers by mutating specific tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes in somatic cells. In the three aims of this proposal, we will further explore this…
From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.