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DY: Fachverband Dynamik und Statistische Physik

DY 52: Statistical Physics of Biological Systems III (joint session BP/DY)

DY 52.11: Vortrag

Donnerstag, 12. März 2026, 17:45–18:00, BAR/SCHÖ

Binary karyotypes are universally selected for across cancers — •Lucija Tomašić¹, Shane A. Fiorenza¹, Hajime Okada², Thomas W. van Ravesteyn³, Uri Ben-David², Geert J.P.L. Kops³, and Nenad Pavin¹ — ¹Univ. of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia — ²Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel — ³Hubrecht Institute, Utrecht, the Netherlands

Aneuploidy, an abnormal chromosome number, is a defining feature of most cancers, yet its vast diversity has made it difficult to identify universal evolutionary rules. By analyzing over 90,000 patient-derived cancer karyotypes using a new visualization approach and mathematical modeling, we uncover a simple organizing principle. Across cancer types, and even in yeast, aneuploid genomes overwhelmingly assemble into "binary karyotypes" composed of only two chromosome copy numbers. Despite the enormous space of theoretically possible chromosome configurations, these states dominate patient data, comprising more than three-quarters of observed karyotypes. Our model shows that this pattern arises from a modest but consistent fitness advantage of binary karyotypes over more complex configurations. This principle also provides insight into how aneuploid cells withstand stress responses, as binary karyotypes exhibit lower rates of tumor suppressor gene inactivation. Together, our results identify binary karyotypes as a conserved evolutionary class of aneuploidy, governed by global organizational rules that may reveal shared vulnerabilities across cancers.

Keywords: Cancer; Karyotype evolution; Tumor; Genome; Chromosome