Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40258059›Full record

ArticlePLoS computational biology2025

Revealing cancer driver genes through integrative transcriptomic and epigenomic analyses with Moonlight.

Mona Nourbakhsh, Yuanning Zheng, Humaira Noor, Hongjin Chen, Subhayan Akhuli, Matteo Tiberti, Olivier Gevaert, Elena Papaleo

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PLoS computational biology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Mona NourbakhshCancer Systems Biology, Section for Bioinformatics, Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark.
Yuanning ZhengDepartment of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford Center for Biomedical Informatics Research, Palo Alto, California, United States of America.
Humaira NoorDepartment of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford Center for Biomedical Informatics Research, Palo Alto, California, United States of America.ORCID 0000-0001-8887-8122
Hongjin ChenCancer Systems Biology, Section for Bioinformatics, Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark.
Subhayan AkhuliCancer Systems Biology, Section for Bioinformatics, Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark.
Matteo TibertiCancer Structural Biology, Danish Cancer Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Olivier GevaertDepartment of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford Center for Biomedical Informatics Research, Palo Alto, California, United States of America.ORCID 0000-0002-9965-5466
Elena PapaleoCancer Systems Biology, Section for Bioinformatics, Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-7376-5894

Funding

Multi-scale modeling of glioma for the prediction of treatment response, treatment monitoring and treatment allocationR01CA260271 · NCI · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · PI GEVAERT, OLIVIER · 2021 to 2025
$3.1M
NCI NIH HHS R01 CA260271Novo-Nordisk Fonden Bioscience and Basic Biomedicine
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cancer involves dynamic changes caused by (epi)genetic alterations such as mutations or abnormal DNA methylation patterns which occur in cancer driver genes. These driver genes are divided into oncogenes and tumor suppressors depending on their function and mechanism of action. Discovering driver genes in different cancer (sub)types is important not only for increasing current understanding of carcinogenesis but also from prognostic and therapeutic perspectives. We have previously developed a framework called Moonlight which uses a systems biology multi-omics approach for prediction of driver genes. Here, we present an important development in Moonlight2 by incorporating a DNA methylation layer which provides epigenetic evidence for deregulated expression profiles of driver genes. To this end, we present a novel functionality called Gene Methylation Analysis (GMA) which investigates abnormal DNA methylation patterns to predict driver genes. This is achieved by integrating the tool EpiMix which is designed to detect such aberrant DNA methylation patterns in a cohort of patients and further couples these patterns with gene expression changes. To showcase GMA, we applied it to three cancer (sub)types (basal-like breast cancer, lung adenocarcinoma, and thyroid carcinoma) where we discovered 33, 190, and 263 epigenetically driven genes, respectively. A subset of these driver genes had prognostic effects with expression levels significantly affecting survival of the patients. Moreover, a subset of the driver genes demonstrated therapeutic potential as drug targets. This study provides a framework for exploring the driving forces behind cancer and provides novel insights into the landscape of three cancer sub(types) by integrating gene expression and methylation data.

Indexed as

EpigenomicsNeoplasmsTranscriptomeBreast NeoplasmsComputational BiologyDNA MethylationEpigenesis, GeneticFemaleGene Expression ProfilingGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansLung NeoplasmsOncogenesPrognosis

Identifiers

PMID40258059
PMCPMC12058160

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.