It has been long understood that mutation distribution is not completely random across genomic space and in time. Indeed, recent surprising discoveries identified multiple simultaneous mutations occurring in tiny regions within chromosomes while the rest of the genome remains relatively mutation-free. Mechanistic elucidation of these phenomena, called mutation showers, mutation clusters, or kataegis, in parallel with findings of abundant clustered mutagenesis in cancer genomes, is ongoing. So far, the combination of factors most important for clustered mutagenesis is the induction of DNA lesions within unusually long and persistent single-strand DNA intermediates. In addition to being a fascinating phenomenon, clustered mutagenesis also became an indispensable tool for identifying a previously unrecognized major source of mutation in cancer, APOBEC cytidine deaminases. Future research on clustered mutagenesis may shed light onto important mechanistic details of genome maintenance, with potentially profound implications for human health.

中文翻译：

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多突变簇：发病率和分子机制。

长期以来，人们了解突变分布在整个基因组空间和时间上不是完全随机的。确实，最近令人惊讶的发现确定了在染色体内微小区域中发生的多个同时突变，而基因组的其余部分则保持相对无突变。对这些现象的机械化研究（称为突变阵雨，突变簇或kataegis），与癌症基因组中大量簇状诱变的发现同时进行。到目前为止，对于簇状诱变最重要的因素组合是在异常长且持久的单链DNA中间体中诱导DNA损伤。除了是一种引人入胜的现象外，成簇诱变还成为鉴定以前无法识别的癌症突变的主要来源的必不可少的工具，APOBEC胞嘧啶脱氨酶。未来关于聚类诱变的研究可能会揭示基因组维护的重要机制细节，对人类健康具有潜在的深远影响。