Genomic instability: Crossing pathways at the origin of structural and numerical chromosome changes

摘要: Genomic instability leads to a wide spectrum of genetic changes, including single nucleotide mutations, structural chromosome alterations, and numerical changes. The accepted view on how these events are generated predicts that separate cellular mechanisms explain the occurrence types variation. Recently, new findings have shed light complexity leading aberrations, their intertwining pathways, dynamic evolution, in somatic as well germ cells. In this review, we present critical analysis recent discoveries area, with aim contribute deeper knowledge molecular networks adverse outcomes humans following exposure environmental factors. review illustrates several technological advances, DNA sequencing methods, bioinformatics, live-cell imaging approaches, contributed produce renewed concept causing genomic instability. Special attention is also given specific pathways mammalian Remarkably, same scenario emerged from some pioneering studies published 1980s 1990s, when evolution polyploidy, chromosomal effects spindle poisons, fate micronuclei, were intuitively proposed share pathways. Thus, an old working hypothesis has eventually found proper validation. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 56:563–580, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.