Damage-Net: A program for DNA repair meta-analysis identifies a network of novel repair genes that facilitate cancer evolution

Abstract

The advent of genome-wide methods for identifying novel components in biological processes including CRISPR screens and proteomic studies, has transformed the research landscape within the biological sciences. However, each study normally investigates a single aspect of a process without integration of other published datasets. Here, we present Damage-Net, a program with a curated database of published results from a broad range of studies investigating DNA repair, that facilitates simple and quick meta-analysis. Users can incorporate their own datasets for analysis, and query genes of interest in the database. Importantly, this program also allows users to examine the correlation of genes of interest with pan-cancer patient survival and mutational burden effects. Interrogating these datasets revealed a network of genes that associated with cancer progression in adrenocortical carcinoma via facilitating mutational burden, ultimately contributing substantially to adrenocortical carcinoma's poor prognosis. Download at www.damage-net.co.uk.

Keywords: Adrenocortical carcinoma; Damage-Net; Genomics; Mass spectrometry; Mutational burden; Proteomics; TCGA.