Discoveries of Extrachromosomal Circles of DNA in Normal and Tumor Cells

Teressa Paulsen, Pankaj Kumar, M. Murat Koseoglu, Anindya Dutta

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

128 Scopus citations

Abstract

While the vast majority of cellular DNA in eukaryotes is contained in long linear strands in chromosomes, we have long recognized some exceptions like mitochondrial DNA, plasmids in yeasts, and double minutes (DMs) in cancer cells where the DNA is present in extrachromosomal circles. In addition, specialized extrachromosomal circles of DNA (eccDNA) have been noted to arise from repetitive genomic sequences like telomeric DNA or rDNA. Recently eccDNA arising from unique (nonrepetitive) DNA have been discovered in normal and malignant cells, raising interesting questions about their biogenesis, function and clinical utility. Here, we review recent results and future directions of inquiry on these new forms of eccDNA.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)270-278
Number of pages9
JournalTrends in Genetics
Volume34
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2018
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Genetics

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