Aneuploidy, defined as a state in which the chromosome number is not a multiple of the haploid complement, is caused by defects in a wide spectrum of cellular mechanisms that control faithful chromosome segregation, including the mitotic spindle, centromere and kinetochore, chromosome structure and cohesion of sister chromatids. Aneuploidy is associated with severe detrimental effects in eukaryotic cells from yeast to higher eukaryotes, where most chromosomal gains and losses cause embryonic lethality. Remarkably, aneuploidy severely impacts cell physiology due to the transcriptomic and proteomic imbalances caused by the unbalanced karyotypes, which ultimately lead to a variety of cellular stresses, such as replication stress that triggers further genomic instability. Despite the detrimental consequences of aneuploidy for fitness in normal cells, it constitutes a hallmark in cancer, thus creating a paradox as its contribution to tumorigenesis.

The study of the cellular mechanisms involved in the faithfulness of chromosome segregation, the impact of chromosome missegregation and the resulting aneuploidy on cell physiology, and the contribution of aneuploidy in cancer are areas of intense research. Several breakthrough discoveries have recently emerged providing evidence that chromosome missegregation and aneuploidy are associated with DNA replication and repair, chromosome instability, supernumerary centrosomes, cellular senescence, innate immune response, and resistance to chemotherapy in oncological patients. It has been well established that aneuploidy can affect the initiation and progression of cancer often showing specific patterns of genomic gains and losses based on the tissue of origin, and can act both as a tumor-suppressor or tumor-initiator depending on the cellular and physiological context. The goal of this Research Topic is to assemble original research articles and updated reviews from the different scientific areas converging on this exciting field to foster our knowledge on the causes and consequences of aneuploidy in cancer.

Areas of interest for this Research Topic may include, but are not limited to:

• Cellular mechanisms controlling faithful chromosome segregation.
• New models to study chromosome segregation and aneuploidy.
• Cellular and physiological consequences of aneuploidy and polyploidy.
• Impact of aneuploidy and chromosome instability on cancer.
• Aneuploidy and chromosome instability as prognostic biomarkers in cancer.

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Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology

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