A unique MSH2 exon 8 deletion accounts for a major portion of all mismatch repair gene mutations in Lynch syndrome families of Sardinian origin

A survey of the clinicopathological and molecular characteristics of patients with suspected Lynch syndrome in Latin America

BACKGROUND

Genetic counselling and testing for Lynch syndrome (LS) have recently been introduced in several Latin America countries. We aimed to characterize the clinical, molecular and mismatch repair (MMR) variants spectrum of patients with suspected LS in Latin America.

METHODS

Eleven LS hereditary cancer registries and 34 published LS databases were used to identify unrelated families that fulfilled the Amsterdam II (AMSII) criteria and/or the Bethesda guidelines or suggestive of a dominant colorectal (CRC) inheritance syndrome.

RESULTS

We performed a thorough investigation of 15 countries and identified 6 countries where germline genetic testing for LS is available and 3 countries where tumor testing is used in the LS diagnosis. The spectrum of pathogenic MMR variants included MLH1 up to 54%, MSH2 up to 43%, MSH6 up to 10%, PMS2 up to 3% and EPCAM up to 0.8%. The Latin America MMR spectrum is broad with a total of 220 different variants which 80% were private and 20% were recurrent. Frequent regions included exons 11 of MLH1 (15%), exon 3 and 7 of MSH2 (17 and 15%, respectively), exon 4 of MSH6 (65%), exons 11 and 13 of PMS2 (31% and 23%, respectively). Sixteen international founder variants in MLH1, MSH2 and MSH6 were identified and 41 (19%) variants have not previously been reported, thus representing novel genetic variants in the MMR genes. The AMSII criteria was the most used clinical criteria to identify pathogenic MMR carriers although microsatellite instability, immunohistochemistry and family history are still the primary methods in several countries where no genetic testing for LS is available yet.

CONCLUSION

The Latin America LS pathogenic MMR variants spectrum included new variants, frequently altered genetic regions and potential founder effects, emphasizing the relevance implementing Lynch syndrome genetic testing and counseling in all of Latin America countries.

A founder MLH1 mutation in Lynch syndrome families from Piedmont, Italy, is associated with an increased risk of pancreatic tumours and diverse immunohistochemical patterns

The MLH1 c.2252_2253delAA mutation was found in 11 unrelated families from a restricted area south-west of Turin among 140 families with mutations in the mismatch repair genes. The mutation is located in the highly conserved C-terminal region, responsible for dimerization with the PMS2 protein. Twenty-five tumour tissues from 61 individuals with the c.2252_2253delAA mutation were tested for microsatellite instability (MSI) and protein expression. We compared the clinical features of these families versus the rest of our cohort and screened for a founder effect. All but one tumours showed the MSI-high mutator phenotype. Normal, focal and lack of MLH1 staining were observed in 16, 36 and 48 % of tumours, respectively. PMS2 expression was always lost. The mutation co-segregated with Lynch syndrome-related cancers in all informative families. All families but one fulfilled Amsterdam criteria, a frequency higher than in other MLH1 mutants. This was even more evident for AC II (72.7 vs. 57.5 %). Moreover, all families had at least one colon cancer diagnosed before 50 years and one case with multiple Lynch syndrome-related tumours. Interestingly, a statistically significant (p = 0.0057) higher frequency of pancreatic tumours was observed compared to families with other MLH1 mutations: 8.2 % of affected individuals versus 1.6 %. Haplotype analysis demonstrated a common ancestral origin of the mutation, which originated about 1,550 years ago. The mutation is currently classified as having an uncertain clinical significance. Clinical features, tissue analysis and co-segregation with disease strongly support the hypothesis that the MLH1 c.2252_2253delAA mutation has a pathogenic effect.

Mismatch repair genes founder mutations and cancer susceptibility in Lynch syndrome

Founder mutations in specific populations are common in several Mendelian disorders. They are shared by apparently unrelated families that inherited them from a common ancestor that existed hundreds to thousands of years ago. They have been proven to impact in molecular diagnostics strategies in specific populations, where they can be assessed as the first screening step and, if positive, avoid further expensive gene scanning. In Lynch syndrome (LS), a dominantly inherited colorectal cancer disease, more than 50 founder pathogenic mutations have been described so far in the mismatch repair (MMR) genes (MLH1, MSH2, MSH6 and PMS2). We here provide a comprehensive summary of the founder mutations found in the MMR genes and an overview of their main characteristics. At a time when high-throughput strategies are being introduced in the molecular diagnostics of cancer, genetic testing for founder mutations can complement next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies to most efficiently identify MMR gene mutations in any given population. Additionally, special attention is paid to MMR founder mutations with interesting anthropological significance.

Genetic predisposition to colorectal cancer: Where we stand and future perspectives

The development of colorectal cancer (CRC) can be influenced by genetic factors in both familial cases and sporadic cases. Familial CRC has been associated with genetic changes in high-, moderate- and low-penetrance susceptibility genes. However, despite the availability of current gene-identification techniques, the genetic causes of a considerable proportion of hereditary cases remain unknown. Genome-wide association studies of CRC have identified a number of common low-penetrance alleles associated with a slightly increased or decreased risk of CRC. The accumulation of low-risk variants may partly explain the familial risk of CRC, and some of these variants may modify the risk of cancer in patients with mutations in high-penetrance genes. Understanding the predisposition to develop CRC will require investigators to address the following challenges: the identification of genes that cause uncharacterized hereditary cases of CRC such as familial CRC type X and serrated polyposis; the classification of variants of unknown significance in known CRC-predisposing genes; and the identification of additional cancer risk modifiers that can be used to perform risk assessments for individual mutation carriers. We performed a comprehensive review of the genetically characterized and uncharacterized hereditary CRC syndromes and of low- and moderate-penetrance loci and variants identified through genome-wide association studies and candidate-gene approaches. Current challenges and future perspectives in the field of CRC predisposition are also discussed.

Multiple-integrations of HPV16 genome and altered transcription of viral oncogenes and cellular genes are associated with the development of cervical cancer

The constitutive expression of the high-risk HPV E6 and E7 viral oncogenes is the major cause of cervical cancer. To comprehensively explore the composition of HPV16 early transcripts and their genomic annotation, cervical squamous epithelial tissues from 40 HPV16-infected patients were collected for analysis of papillomavirus oncogene transcripts (APOT). We observed different transcription patterns of HPV16 oncogenes in progression of cervical lesions to cervical cancer and identified one novel transcript. Multiple-integration events in the tissues of cervical carcinoma (CxCa) are significantly more often than those of low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL) and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL). Moreover, most cellular genes within or near these integration sites are cancer-associated genes. Taken together, this study suggests that the multiple-integrations of HPV genome during persistent viral infection, which thereby alters the expression patterns of viral oncogenes and integration-related cellular genes, play a crucial role in progression of cervical lesions to cervix cancer.