Integrating the Study of Polyploidy Across Organisms, Tissues, and Disease

Abstract

Polyploidy is a cellular state containing more than two complete chromosome sets. It has largely been studied as a discrete phenomenon in either organismal, tissue, or disease contexts. Increasingly, however, investigation of polyploidy across disciplines is coalescing around common principles. For example, the recent Polyploidy Across the Tree of Life meeting considered the contribution of polyploidy both in organismal evolution over millions of years and in tumorigenesis across much shorter timescales. Here, we build on this newfound integration with a unified discussion of polyploidy in organisms, cells, and disease. We highlight how common polyploidy is at multiple biological scales, thus eliminating the outdated mindset of its specialization. Additionally, we discuss rules that are likely common to all instances of polyploidy. With increasing appreciation that polyploidy is pervasive in nature and displays fascinating commonalities across diverse contexts, inquiry related to this important topic is rapidly becoming unified.