A new, effective and high-yield approach for identifying liver tumor suppressors

Despite recent advances in research in hepatocarcinogenesis, we still lack a comprehensive view of the major pathways involved in liver carcinogenesis. Current concepts suggest that a limited number of molecular alterations involving oncogene activation and tumor suppressor inhibition are responsible for initiation of cancer. A recent publication by Zender et al. utilizes a combination of high-resolution comparative genomic hybridization, short hairpin RNA inhibition of target genes at the locations of focal genomic deletions, and a primed cell mosaic mouse model to identify novel tumor suppressors in hepatocellular carcinoma. This exciting new model promises to provide additional insights into the mechanisms of carcinogenesis.