Phenotypic Heterogeneity in Tumor Progression, and Its Possible Role in the Onset of Cancer

Heterogeneity among isogenic cells/individuals has been known for at least 150 years. Even Mendel, working on pea plants, realized that not all tall plants were identical. However, Mendel was more interested in the discontinuous variation between genetically distinct individuals. The concept of envi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in genetics 2020-11, Vol.11, p.604528-604528
Main Authors: Deshmukh, Saniya, Saini, Supreet
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
cancer
gene regulation
Genetics
metabolism
phenotypic heterogeneity
signaling
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Summary:Heterogeneity among isogenic cells/individuals has been known for at least 150 years. Even Mendel, working on pea plants, realized that not all tall plants were identical. However, Mendel was more interested in the discontinuous variation between genetically distinct individuals. The concept of environment dictating distinct phenotypes among isogenic individuals has since been shown to impact the evolution of populations in numerous examples at different scales of life. In this review, we discuss how phenotypic heterogeneity and its evolutionary implications exist at all levels of life, from viruses to mammals. In particular, we discuss how a particular disease condition (cancer) is impacted by heterogeneity among isogenic cells, and propose a potential role that phenotypic heterogeneity might play toward the onset of the disease.
ISSN:1664-8021
1664-8021
DOI:10.3389/fgene.2020.604528