Distinct Mechanisms of Nuclease-Directed DNA-Structure-Induced Genetic Instability in Cancer Genomes

Sequences with the capacity to adopt alternative DNA structures have been implicated in cancer etiology; however, the mechanisms are unclear. For example, H-DNA-forming sequences within oncogenes have been shown to stimulate genetic instability in mammals. Here, we report that H-DNA-forming sequences are enriched at translocation breakpoints in human cancer genomes, further implicating them in cancer etiology. H-DNA-induced mutations were...