Breast cancer driver genes found by screening chromosome aberrations in vivo

Scientists reported July 8, 2026, in Nature that screening chromosome-arm alterations in mouse models of basal-like breast cancer identified 90 cancer driver genes. According to Al-Zahrani and colleagues, chromosome instability drives large-scale chromosomal imbalances known as aneuploidies. The team established a CRISPR knockout- and activation-linked assay called CRISPR-KOALA for genetic screens in immunocompetent mouse models of cancer. They compiled the ten most frequent human chromosome-arm-level alterations in basal-like breast cancer, a disease type driven These genes drive distinct signalling pathways including MAPK, HIPPO and WNT. Manipulating the identified cancer driver genes overcomes the need for copy-number alterations in Trp53-mutant basal-like breast cancer mouse models. The study identifies PLGRKT as a potent oncogene on chromosome 9p whose tumour-promoting activity is associated with highly stress-resistant mitochondria and an increased ability to detoxify reactive oxygen species. A Nature Research Briefing states that these instabilities harbour one or two prevalent genes that drive cancer and that