A set of proteins involved in the body’s natural defenses produces a large number of mutations in human DNA, according to a study led by researchers at the National Institutes of Health.
The study’s authors examined approximately one million mutations in 2,680 cancer samples, and found that, in some tumors, nearly 70% of mutations in a given specimen resulted from mutagenesis.
The mutation pattern, which appeared in clusters and individual mutations, could affect many cancer-associated genes.
The findings suggest that these naturally produced mutations are just as powerful as known cancer-causing agents in producing tumors.
Read more at NIH/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences