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Lineage Heterogeneity and Plasticity in Lung Cancer

Our previous studies found lung cancer cells harboring amplification of lineage oncogenes are specifically dependent on their expression for survival. The need for lineage amplified genes in a subset of cancers suggests unique vulnerabilities in cancer cells that may be poised on the brink of survival. However, these amplifications represent only a minor subset of the two major subtypes of lung cancers. Therefore, this study focuses on the lineage factors that are essential during the development and control cell identity in adult cells, in the remaining subsets of lung cancers. Through genome-wide profiling of a histone marks, we identified ‘super-enhancers' (SE) on lineage-defining transcription factor genes. Subsequent hierarchical clustering of lung cancer samples identified SEs specific to subsets of lung cancers. We aim to understand the significance of factors defining the lineage state of the newly defined subsets of lung cancers.