On October 2, the world renowned academic journal Science published a research article titled “Macroscopic somatic clonal expansion in morphologically normal human urothelium”. The article is the collaborative work of Xu Tao and Du Yiqing team from Urology Department of Peking University People’s Hospital with Bai Fan team from PKU. The research systematically investigates the somatic mutation events and accumulation, clonal expansions and evolutional pattern in morphologically normal human urothelium (MNU).

　　In this study, using a combination of laser-capture microdissection and exome sequencing, the researchers conducted an in-depth study of 126 tumors from 120 patients with urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC) and 161 MNU samples. They depicted a comprehensive mutational landscape of human normal urothelium, which provides very important knowledge for a further understanding of UCC and the early turmorigenesis of other cancers. In particular, the massive mutation accumulation and clonal expansions in MNU observed in the study will trigger in-depth thinking about the relations between tumor phenotype and genetic mutation.

　　Written by: Lang Lang

　　Edited by: Liu Xin

　　Source: PKU People’s Hospital