1
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Kim SW, Kim N, Choi YJ, Lee ST, Choi JR, Shin S. Real-World Clinical Utility of Targeted RNA Sequencing in Leukemia Diagnosis and Management. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:2467. [PMID: 39001529 PMCID: PMC11240350 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16132467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2024] [Revised: 07/02/2024] [Accepted: 07/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Gene fusions are key drivers in acute leukemia, impacting diagnosis and treatment decisions. We analyzed 264 leukemia patients using targeted RNA sequencing with conventional karyotyping and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Leukemic fusions were detected in 127 patients (48.1%). The new guidelines introduced additional diagnostic criteria, expanding the spectrum of gene fusions. We discovered three novel fusions (RUNX1::DOPEY2, RUNX1::MACROD2, and ZCCHC7::LRP1B). We analyzed recurrent breakpoints for the KMT2A and NUP98 rearrangements. Targeted RNA sequencing showed consistent results with RT-PCR in all tested samples. However, when compared to conventional karyotyping, we observed an 83.3% concordance rate, with 29 cases found only in targeted RNA sequencing, 7 cases with discordant results, and 5 cases found only in conventional karyotyping. For the five cases where known leukemic gene rearrangements were suspected only in conventional karyotyping, we conducted additional messenger RNA sequencing in four cases and proved no pathogenic gene rearrangements. Targeted RNA sequencing proved advantageous for the rapid and accurate interpretation of gene rearrangements. The concurrent use of multiple methods was essential for a comprehensive evaluation. Comprehensive molecular analysis enhances our understanding of leukemia's genetic basis, aiding diagnosis and classification. Advanced molecular techniques improve clinical decision-making, offering potential benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seo Wan Kim
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea (J.R.C.)
| | - Namsoo Kim
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea (J.R.C.)
| | - Yu Jeong Choi
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea (J.R.C.)
| | - Seung-Tae Lee
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea (J.R.C.)
- Dxome Co., Ltd., Seongnam-si 13558, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong Rak Choi
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea (J.R.C.)
- Dxome Co., Ltd., Seongnam-si 13558, Republic of Korea
| | - Saeam Shin
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea (J.R.C.)
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2
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Zilla ML, Korentzelos D, Lebamoff J, Burgess MA, Naous R, John I. ALX4::NCOA2 rearranged round and spindle cell sarcoma. Histopathology 2024; 85:201-204. [PMID: 38566331 DOI: 10.1111/his.15189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Megan L Zilla
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Dimitrios Korentzelos
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Jacob Lebamoff
- Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Melissa A Burgess
- Department of Medical Oncology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Rana Naous
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Ivy John
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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3
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Ahmed J, Torrado C, Chelariu A, Kim SH, Ahnert JR. Fusion Challenges in Solid Tumors: Shaping the Landscape of Cancer Care in Precision Medicine. JCO Precis Oncol 2024; 8:e2400038. [PMID: 38986029 DOI: 10.1200/po.24.00038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2024] [Revised: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Targeting actionable fusions has emerged as a promising approach to cancer treatment. Next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based techniques have unveiled the landscape of actionable fusions in cancer. However, these approaches remain insufficient to provide optimal treatment options for patients with cancer. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the actionability and clinical development of targeted agents aimed at driver fusions. It also highlights the challenges associated with fusion testing, including the evaluation of patients with cancer who could potentially benefit from testing and devising an effective strategy. The implementation of DNA NGS for all tumor types, combined with RNA sequencing, has the potential to maximize detection while considering cost effectiveness. Herein, we also present a fusion testing strategy aimed at improving outcomes in patients with cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jibran Ahmed
- Developmental Therapeutics Clinic, Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Carlos Torrado
- Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Anca Chelariu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- German Cancer Research Center, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Munich, Germany
| | - Sun-Hee Kim
- Precision Oncology Decision Support, Khalifa Institute for Personalized Cancer Therapy, University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Jordi Rodon Ahnert
- Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
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4
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Yu L, Liu J, Jia J, Yang J, Tong R, Zhang X, Zhang Y, Yin S, Li J, Sun D. Fusion Genes Landscape of Lung Cancer Patients From Inner Mongolia, China. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 2024; 63:e23258. [PMID: 39011998 DOI: 10.1002/gcc.23258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2024] [Revised: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally. Gene fusion, a key driver of tumorigenesis, has led to the identification of numerous driver gene fusions for lung cancer diagnosis and treatment. However, previous studies focused on Western populations, leaving the possibility of unrecognized lung cancer-associated gene fusions specific to Inner Mongolia due to its unique genetic background and dietary habits. To address this, we conducted DNA sequencing analysis on tumor and adjacent nontumor tissues from 1200 individuals with lung cancer in Inner Mongolia. Our analysis established a comprehensive fusion gene landscape specific to lung cancer in Inner Mongolia, shedding light on potential region-specific molecular mechanisms underlying the disease. Compared to Western cohorts, we observed a higher occurrence of ALK and RET fusions in Inner Mongolian patients. Additionally, we discovered eight novel fusion genes in three patients: SLC34A2-EPHB1, CCT6P3-GSTP1, BARHL2-APC, HRAS-MELK, FAM134B-ERBB2, ABCB1-GIPC1, GPR98-ALK, and FAM134B-SALL1. These previously unreported fusion genes suggest potential regional specificity. Furthermore, we characterized the fusion genes' structures based on breakpoints and described their impact on major functional gene domains. Importantly, the identified novel fusion genes exhibited significant clinical and pathological relevance. Notably, patients with SLC34A2-EPHB1, CCT6P3-GSTP1, and BARHL2-APC fusions showed sensitivity to the combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Patients with HRAS-MELK, FAM134B-ERBB2, and ABCB1-GIPC1 fusions showed sensitivity to chemotherapy. In summary, our study provides novel insights into the frequency, distribution, and characteristics of specific fusion genes, offering valuable guidance for the development of effective clinical treatments, particularly in Inner Mongolia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lan Yu
- Clinical Medical Research Center, Inner Mongolian People's Hospital, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Gene Regulation of the Metabolic Disease, Inner Mongolian People's Hospital, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
- Inner Mongolia Academy of Medical Sciences, Inner Mongolian People's Hospital, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
| | - Jinyang Liu
- Department of Sciences, Geneis Beijing Co. Ltd., Beijing, China
- Department of Data Mining, Qingdao Geneis Institute of Big Data Mining and Precision Medicine, Qingdao, China
| | - Jianchao Jia
- Clinical Medical Research Center, Inner Mongolian People's Hospital, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Gene Regulation of the Metabolic Disease, Inner Mongolian People's Hospital, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
- Inner Mongolia Academy of Medical Sciences, Inner Mongolian People's Hospital, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
| | - Jie Yang
- Clinical Medical Research Center, Inner Mongolian People's Hospital, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Gene Regulation of the Metabolic Disease, Inner Mongolian People's Hospital, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
- Inner Mongolia Academy of Medical Sciences, Inner Mongolian People's Hospital, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
| | - Ruiying Tong
- Clinical Medical Research Center, Inner Mongolian People's Hospital, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Gene Regulation of the Metabolic Disease, Inner Mongolian People's Hospital, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
- Inner Mongolia Academy of Medical Sciences, Inner Mongolian People's Hospital, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
| | - Xiao Zhang
- Clinical Medical Research Center, Inner Mongolian People's Hospital, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Gene Regulation of the Metabolic Disease, Inner Mongolian People's Hospital, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
- Inner Mongolia Academy of Medical Sciences, Inner Mongolian People's Hospital, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
| | - Yun Zhang
- Department of Sciences, Geneis Beijing Co. Ltd., Beijing, China
- Department of Data Mining, Qingdao Geneis Institute of Big Data Mining and Precision Medicine, Qingdao, China
| | - Songtao Yin
- Department of Medical Imaging, Inner Mongolian People's Hospital, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
| | - Junlin Li
- Department of Medical Imaging, Inner Mongolian People's Hospital, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
| | - Dejun Sun
- Inner Mongolia Academy of Medical Sciences, Inner Mongolian People's Hospital, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
- Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Inner Mongolian People's Hospital, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
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5
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Masago K, Kuroda H, Sasaki E, Fujita Y, Fujita S, Horio Y, Endo M, Ishihara H, Hanai N, Matsushita H. Novel gene fusions in human oropharyngeal carcinoma. Cancer Genet 2024; 286-287:29-34. [PMID: 38971117 DOI: 10.1016/j.cancergen.2024.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2024] [Revised: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 06/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024]
Abstract
Few reports have analyzed the fusion genes involved in carcinogenesis in the oropharynx, where the incidence of human papillomavirus-associated tumors is relatively low. The aim of this study was to identify novel driver fusion genes in patients with oropharyngeal cancer. The study enrolled fifty-seven patients who were diagnosed with oropharyngeal carcinoma. RNA sequencing data from fresh-frozen specimens were used to identify candidate fusion genes via the JAFFA, arriba, and STAR-Fusion pipelines. Candidate fusion genes were confirmed by direct sequencing. The expression level of a candidate fusion gene was compared to that of tumors without fusion genes. Finally, filtering was performed for driver genes using the annoFuse pipeline. In addition, the VIRTUS pipeline was used to analyze the presence of human papillomavirus in the tumors. We identified 5 (8.8 %) novel potential driver in-frame fusion genes, MKNK2::MOB3A, ICMT::RPS6KA3, ATP1B3::GRK7, CSNK2A1::KIF16B, and FGFR3::MAEA, and 1 (1.8 %) known in-frame fusion gene, FGFR3::TACC3, in 57 patients with pharyngeal carcinoma. Our results suggest that sporadic fusion genes may contribute to tumorigenesis in oropharyngeal carcinomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katsuhiro Masago
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Diagnostics, Aichi Cancer Center, Nagoya, Japan; Division of Translational Oncoimmunology, Aichi Cancer Research Institute, Nagoya, Japan.
| | - Hiroaki Kuroda
- Department of Respiratory Surgery, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, Nagoya, Japan; Division of Translational Oncoimmunology, Aichi Cancer Research Institute, Nagoya, Japan; Department of Thoracic Surgery, Teikyo University Mizonokuchi Hospital, Kawasaki, Japan
| | - Eiichi Sasaki
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Diagnostics, Aichi Cancer Center, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Yasuko Fujita
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Diagnostics, Aichi Cancer Center, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Shiro Fujita
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Kobe Central Hospital, Kobe, Japan
| | - Yoshitsugu Horio
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, Nagoya, Japan; Division of Translational Oncoimmunology, Aichi Cancer Research Institute, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Motoyoshi Endo
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan
| | - Hiromasa Ishihara
- Division of Translational Oncoimmunology, Aichi Cancer Research Institute, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Nobuhiro Hanai
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Hirokazu Matsushita
- Division of Translational Oncoimmunology, Aichi Cancer Research Institute, Nagoya, Japan
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6
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Delfin L, Doff JJ, Gagan J, Flack A, Krane JF, Jo VY, Torell AG, Palsgrove D, Bishop JA. Pure Apocrine Intraductal Carcinoma of Salivary Glands: Reassessment of Molecular Underpinnings and Behavior. Head Neck Pathol 2024; 18:58. [PMID: 38935197 PMCID: PMC11211294 DOI: 10.1007/s12105-024-01653-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Intraductal carcinoma (IDC) of the salivary glands is a confounding entity, our understanding of which continues to evolve. At least four forms have been elucidated based on histomorphology, immunophenotype, and molecular profile: (1) intercalated duct-like, S100/SOX10+ with frequent NCOA4::RET fusions; (2) oncocytic, S100/SOX10+ with TRIM33::RET, NCOA4::RET, and BRAF V600E; (3) apocrine, AR+ with PI3 kinase pathway mutations; and (4) mixed/hybrid intercalated duct-like/apocrine, with S100/SOX10+ and AR+ areas and frequent TRIM27::RET. The revelation that myoepithelial cells harbor the same fusion as luminal cells suggested that fusion-positive cases are not in situ carcinomas as previously believed. To this point, purely apocrine IDC with entirely intraductal growth has not been found to harbor fusions, but very few cases have been tested. METHODS IDCs with pure apocrine morphology, entirely intraductal growth, and no precursor lesion (pleomorphic adenoma or sclerosing polycystic adenoma) were retrieved from the authors' archives. Several immunostains (S100, SOX10, GCDFP-15, AR, p40/SMA) and targeted next generation sequencing (NGS) panel including 1425 cancer-related genes were performed. RESULTS Seven entirely IDC with pure apocrine type were collected. The cases arose in the parotid glands (mean, 1.9 cm) of 5 men and 2 women ranging from 51 to 84 years (mean, 69.7 years). Histologically, tumors consisted of rounded to angulated ductal cysts lined by epithelial cells with abundant finely granular eosinophilic cytoplasm and large nuclei with prominent nucleoli. Pleomorphism was mild to moderate, the mitotic rate was low, and necrosis was absent. Conventionally invasive foci or areas of intercalated duct-like morphology were not identified. In all cases, luminal cells were diffusely positive for AR and GCDFP-15 while negative for S100/SOX10, and the ducts were completely surrounded by myoepithelial cells highlighted by p40 and SMA. Molecular analysis was successful in 6 cases. Three harbored fusions: one with NCOA4::RET, another with STRN::ALK and one with both CDKN2A::CNTRL and TANC1::YY1AP1. The three fusion-negative cases all harbored HRAS mutations; additional mutations (PIK3CA, SPEN, ATM) were found in 2 of 3 cases. All patients were treated by surgery alone. Six of them are currently free of disease (follow up 12-190 months), but the case harboring NCOA4::RET developed lymph nodes metastasis in the form of a fusion-positive invasive salivary duct carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS Purely apocrine IDC is a heterogeneous disease. A subset seems to be genetically similar to salivary duct carcinoma and may indeed represent carcinoma in situ. The other group harbors fusions, similar to other forms of IDC. Moreover, the occurrence of lymph node metastasis discredits the idea that any fusion-positive IDC with a complete myoepithelial cell layer has no metastatic potential. With the wide use of RET-and ALK-based targeted therapies, our findings further underscore the importance of fusion analysis for IDC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luvy Delfin
- Department of Pathology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, MC 9073, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX, 75390-9073, USA
| | - Jan Johannes Doff
- Department of Pathology and Medical Biology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Jeffrey Gagan
- Laboratory of Pathology, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Allen Flack
- Pathology Associates of North Texas, Wichita Falls, TX, USA
| | - Jeffrey F Krane
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Vickie Y Jo
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Doreen Palsgrove
- Department of Pathology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, MC 9073, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX, 75390-9073, USA
| | - Justin A Bishop
- Department of Pathology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, MC 9073, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX, 75390-9073, USA.
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7
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Sato T, Yoshida K, Toki T, Kanezaki R, Terui K, Saiki R, Ojima M, Ochi Y, Mizuno S, Yoshihara M, Uechi T, Kenmochi N, Tanaka S, Matsubayashi J, Kisai K, Kudo K, Yuzawa K, Takahashi Y, Tanaka T, Yamamoto Y, Kobayashi A, Kamio T, Sasaki S, Shiraishi Y, Chiba K, Tanaka H, Muramatsu H, Hama A, Hasegawa D, Sato A, Koh K, Karakawa S, Kobayashi M, Hara J, Taneyama Y, Imai C, Hasegawa D, Fujita N, Yoshitomi M, Iwamoto S, Yamato G, Saida S, Kiyokawa N, Deguchi T, Ito M, Matsuo H, Adachi S, Hayashi Y, Taga T, Saito AM, Horibe K, Watanabe K, Tomizawa D, Miyano S, Takahashi S, Ogawa S, Ito E. Landscape of driver mutations and their clinical effects on Down syndrome-related myeloid neoplasms. Blood 2024; 143:2627-2643. [PMID: 38513239 DOI: 10.1182/blood.2023022247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT Transient abnormal myelopoiesis (TAM) is a common complication in newborns with Down syndrome (DS). It commonly progresses to myeloid leukemia (ML-DS) after spontaneous regression. In contrast to the favorable prognosis of primary ML-DS, patients with refractory/relapsed ML-DS have poor outcomes. However, the molecular basis for refractoriness and relapse and the full spectrum of driver mutations in ML-DS remain largely unknown. We conducted a genomic profiling study of 143 TAM, 204 ML-DS, and 34 non-DS acute megakaryoblastic leukemia cases, including 39 ML-DS cases analyzed by exome sequencing. Sixteen novel mutational targets were identified in ML-DS samples. Of these, inactivations of IRX1 (16.2%) and ZBTB7A (13.2%) were commonly implicated in the upregulation of the MYC pathway and were potential targets for ML-DS treatment with bromodomain-containing protein 4 inhibitors. Partial tandem duplications of RUNX1 on chromosome 21 were also found, specifically in ML-DS samples (13.7%), presenting its essential role in DS leukemia progression. Finally, in 177 patients with ML-DS treated following the same ML-DS protocol (the Japanese Pediatric Leukemia and Lymphoma Study Group acute myeloid leukemia -D05/D11), CDKN2A, TP53, ZBTB7A, and JAK2 alterations were associated with a poor prognosis. Patients with CDKN2A deletions (n = 7) or TP53 mutations (n = 4) had substantially lower 3-year event-free survival (28.6% vs 90.5%; P < .001; 25.0% vs 89.5%; P < .001) than those without these mutations. These findings considerably change the mutational landscape of ML-DS, provide new insights into the mechanisms of progression from TAM to ML-DS, and help identify new therapeutic targets and strategies for ML-DS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomohiko Sato
- Department of Pediatrics, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan
| | - Kenichi Yoshida
- Department of Pathology and Tumor Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Division of Cancer Evolution, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tsutomu Toki
- Department of Pediatrics, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan
| | - Rika Kanezaki
- Department of Pediatrics, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan
| | - Kiminori Terui
- Department of Pediatrics, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan
| | - Ryunosuke Saiki
- Department of Pathology and Tumor Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Masami Ojima
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Yotaro Ochi
- Department of Pathology and Tumor Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Seiya Mizuno
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center and Trans-border Medical Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Masaharu Yoshihara
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center and Trans-border Medical Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
- School of Integrative and Global Majors, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Tamayo Uechi
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan
| | - Naoya Kenmochi
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan
| | - Shiro Tanaka
- Department of Clinical Biostatistics, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Jun Matsubayashi
- Center for Clinical Research and Advanced Medicine, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Japan
| | - Kenta Kisai
- Department of Clinical Biostatistics, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Ko Kudo
- Department of Pediatrics, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan
| | - Kentaro Yuzawa
- Department of Pediatrics, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan
| | - Yuka Takahashi
- Department of Pediatrics, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan
| | - Tatsuhiko Tanaka
- Department of Pediatrics, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan
| | - Yohei Yamamoto
- Department of Pediatrics, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan
| | - Akie Kobayashi
- Department of Pediatrics, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan
| | - Takuya Kamio
- Department of Pediatrics, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan
| | - Shinya Sasaki
- Department of Pediatrics, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan
| | - Yuichi Shiraishi
- Division of Genome Analysis Platform Development, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kenichi Chiba
- Division of Genome Analysis Platform Development, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroko Tanaka
- M and D Data Science Center, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hideki Muramatsu
- Department of Pediatrics, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Asahito Hama
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Children's Medical Center, Japanese Red Cross Aichi Medical Center Nagoya First Hospital, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Daisuke Hasegawa
- Department of Pediatrics, St. Luke's International Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Atsushi Sato
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Miyagi Children's Hospital, Sendai, Japan
| | - Katsuyoshi Koh
- Department of Hematology/Oncology, Saitama Children's Medical Center, Saitama, Japan
| | - Shuhei Karakawa
- Department of Pediatrics, Hiroshima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Masao Kobayashi
- Department of Pediatrics, Hiroshima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Junichi Hara
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Osaka City General Hospital, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yuichi Taneyama
- Department of Hematology/Oncology, Chiba Children's Hospital, Chiba, Japan
| | - Chihaya Imai
- Department of Pediatrics, Niigata University Graduate School Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan
| | - Daiichiro Hasegawa
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Hyogo Prefectural Kobe Children's Hospital, Kobe, Japan
| | - Naoto Fujita
- Department of Pediatrics, Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital and Atomic-bomb Survivors Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Masahiro Yoshitomi
- Department of Pediatrics, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Shotaro Iwamoto
- Department of Pediatrics, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Japan
| | - Genki Yamato
- Department of pediatrics, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi City, Japan
| | - Satoshi Saida
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Nobutaka Kiyokawa
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Research, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takao Deguchi
- Department of Pediatrics, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Japan
- Children's Cancer Center, National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masafumi Ito
- Department of Pathology, Japanese Red Cross Aichi Medical Center Nagoya First Hospital, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Hidemasa Matsuo
- Department of Human Health Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Souichi Adachi
- Department of Human Health Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Yasuhide Hayashi
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Gunma Children's Medical Center, Gunma, Japan
- Institute of Physiology and Medicine, Jobu University, Takasaki, Japan
| | - Takashi Taga
- Department of Pediatrics, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Japan
| | - Akiko M Saito
- Clinical Research Center, National Hospital Organization Nagoya Medical Center, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Keizo Horibe
- Clinical Research Center, National Hospital Organization Nagoya Medical Center, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Kenichiro Watanabe
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Shizuoka Children's Hospital, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Daisuke Tomizawa
- Division of Leukemia and Lymphoma, Children's Cancer Center, National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Satoru Miyano
- M and D Data Science Center, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Satoru Takahashi
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Seishi Ogawa
- Department of Pathology and Tumor Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Department of Medicine, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Etsuro Ito
- Department of Pediatrics, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan
- Department of Community Medicine, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan
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8
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Patel P, Chen A, Sharma N, Zhang Y, Quan VL, Olivares S, Gerami P. PRKC Fusion Melanocytic Tumors, a Subgroup of Melanocytic Tumors More Closely Aligned to Blue Nevi Than to PRKAR1A-inactivated Pigmented Epithelioid Melanocytomas. Am J Surg Pathol 2024:00000478-990000000-00365. [PMID: 38864210 DOI: 10.1097/pas.0000000000002262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
Tumors morphologically classified as pigmented epithelioid melanocytomas (PEMs) are genomically diverse, with the 2 most common genomic subtypes being PRKC fusions or PRKAR1A inactivating mutations. PRKC fusions activate the Gαq/11 pathway similar to blue nevi. Conversely, inactivating mutations in PRKAR1A activate the Gαs pathway. We hypothesize that PRKC fusions have greater genomic overlap with blue nevi compared with PRKAR1A-inactivated PEMs. We characterized the clinical and morphologic features of 21 PRKC and PRKACB fusion melanocytic tumors and compared this to PRKAR1A mutated PEMs. To test our hypothesis regarding greater genomic overlap between PRKC fusions and blue nevi relative to PRKAR1A mutated PEMs, we performed a principal component analysis (PCA) using mRNA expression data. Lastly, we performed a meta-analysis focusing on the outcome data of PRKC fusions. PRKC fusions occur at a younger median age than PRKAR1A mutated PEMs (16 vs. 27). Histologically, PRKC fusions have solid aggregates of epithelioid melanocytes not typical of PRKAR1A mutated PEMs. The PCA plot showed no overlap between the PRKC fusion group and the PRKAR1A-mutated PEMs. There was a significant overlap between PRKC fusions and blue nevi. A meta-analysis of PRKC fusion cases in the literature suggests melanoma is uncommon, but the loss of BAP-1 nuclear expression may be associated with an adverse prognosis as in tumors from the blue nevus family. PRKC fusion melanocytic tumors have greater genomic overlap with blue nevi compared with PRKAR1A mutated PEMs. We recommend categorizing benign PRKC fusion melanocytic tumors as blue fusion nevi/tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pragi Patel
- Department of Dermatology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
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9
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Peng X, Yang Y, Hou R, Zhang L, Shen C, Yang X, Luo Z, Yin Z, Cao Y. MTCH2 in Metabolic Diseases, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Cancers, Embryonic Development and Reproduction. Drug Des Devel Ther 2024; 18:2203-2213. [PMID: 38882047 PMCID: PMC11180440 DOI: 10.2147/dddt.s460448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Mitochondrial carrier homolog 2 (MTCH2) is a member of the solute carrier 25 family, located on the outer mitochondrial membrane. MTCH2 was first identified in 2000. The development in MTCH2 research is rapidly increasing. The most well-known role of MTCH2 is linking to the pro-apoptosis BID to facilitate mitochondrial apoptosis. Genetic variants in MTCH2 have been investigated for their association with metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases, however, no intervention or therapeutic suggestions were provided. Recent studies revealed the physiological and pathological function of MTCH2 in metabolic diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, cancers, embryonic development and reproduction via regulating mitochondrial apoptosis, metabolic shift between glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation, mitochondrial fusion/fission, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, etc. This review endeavors to assess a total of 131 published articles to summarise the structure and physiological/pathological role of MTCH2, which has not previously been conducted. This review concludes that MTCH2 plays a crucial role in metabolic diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, cancers, embryonic development and reproduction, and the predominant molecular mechanism is regulation of mitochondrial function. This review gives a comprehensive state of current knowledgement on MTCH2, which will promote the therapeutic research of MTCH2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoqing Peng
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People’s Republic of China
- Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, Hefei, Anhui, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People’s Republic of China
- The Key National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Study on Abnormal Gametes and Reproductive Tract (Anhui Medical University), Hefei, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yuanyuan Yang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People’s Republic of China
- The Key National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Study on Abnormal Gametes and Reproductive Tract (Anhui Medical University), Hefei, People’s Republic of China
| | - Ruirui Hou
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People’s Republic of China
| | - Longbiao Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People’s Republic of China
| | - Can Shen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiaoyan Yang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhigang Luo
- Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zongzhi Yin
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People’s Republic of China
- The Key National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Study on Abnormal Gametes and Reproductive Tract (Anhui Medical University), Hefei, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yunxia Cao
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People’s Republic of China
- The Key National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Study on Abnormal Gametes and Reproductive Tract (Anhui Medical University), Hefei, People’s Republic of China
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10
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Bui M, Baek S, Bentahar RS, Melters DP, Dalal Y. Native and tagged CENP-A histones are functionally inequivalent. Epigenetics Chromatin 2024; 17:19. [PMID: 38825690 PMCID: PMC11145777 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-024-00543-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Over the past several decades, the use of biochemical and fluorescent tags has elucidated mechanistic and cytological processes that would otherwise be impossible. The challenging nature of certain nuclear proteins includes low abundancy, poor antibody recognition, and transient dynamics. One approach to get around those issues is the addition of a peptide or larger protein tag to the target protein to improve enrichment, purification, and visualization. However, many of these studies were done under the assumption that tagged proteins can fully recapitulate native protein function. RESULTS We report that when C-terminally TAP-tagged CENP-A histone variant is introduced, it undergoes altered kinetochore protein binding, differs in post-translational modifications (PTMs), utilizes histone chaperones that differ from that of native CENP-A, and can partially displace native CENP-A in human cells. Additionally, these tagged CENP-A-containing nucleosomes have reduced centromeric incorporation at early G1 phase and poorly associates with linker histone H1.5 compared to native CENP-A nucleosomes. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest expressing tagged versions of histone variant CENP-A may result in unexpected utilization of non-native pathways, thereby altering the biological function of the histone variant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minh Bui
- Center for Cancer Research, Laboratory of Receptor Biology and Gene Expression, National Cancer Institute, 41 Medlars Drive, Bldg 41/Rm B1300, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
| | - Songjoon Baek
- Center for Cancer Research, Laboratory of Receptor Biology and Gene Expression, National Cancer Institute, 41 Medlars Drive, Bldg 41/Rm B1300, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Reda S Bentahar
- Center for Cancer Research, Laboratory of Receptor Biology and Gene Expression, National Cancer Institute, 41 Medlars Drive, Bldg 41/Rm B1300, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Daniël P Melters
- Center for Cancer Research, Laboratory of Receptor Biology and Gene Expression, National Cancer Institute, 41 Medlars Drive, Bldg 41/Rm B1300, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Yamini Dalal
- Center for Cancer Research, Laboratory of Receptor Biology and Gene Expression, National Cancer Institute, 41 Medlars Drive, Bldg 41/Rm B1300, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
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11
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Segovia D, Tepes PS. p160 nuclear receptor coactivator family members and their role in rare fusion‑driven neoplasms (Review). Oncol Lett 2024; 27:210. [PMID: 38572059 PMCID: PMC10988192 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2024.14343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Gene fusions with translocations involving nuclear receptor coactivators (NCoAs) are relatively common among fusion-driven malignancies. NCoAs are essential mediators of environmental cues and can modulate the transcription of downstream target genes upon binding to activated nuclear receptors. Therefore, fusion proteins containing NCoAs can become strong oncogenic drivers, affecting the cell transcriptional profile. These tumors show a strong dependency on the fusion oncogene; therefore, the direct pharmacological targeting of the fusion protein becomes an attractive strategy for therapy. Currently, different combinations of chemotherapy regimens are used to treat a variety of NCoA-fusion-driven tumors, but given the frequent tumor reoccurrence, more efficient treatment strategies are needed. Specific approaches directed towards inhibition or silencing of the fusion gene need to be developed while minimizing the interference with the original genes. This review highlights the relevant literature describing the normal function and structure of NCoAs and their oncogenic activity in NCoA-gene fusion-driven cancers, and explores potential strategies that could be effective in targeting these fusions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danilo Segovia
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA
- Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Polona Safaric Tepes
- Robert S. Boas Center for Genomics and Human Genetics, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY 11030, USA
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12
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Brooks TG, Lahens NF, Mrčela A, Grant GR. Challenges and best practices in omics benchmarking. Nat Rev Genet 2024; 25:326-339. [PMID: 38216661 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-023-00679-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2024]
Abstract
Technological advances enabling massively parallel measurement of biological features - such as microarrays, high-throughput sequencing and mass spectrometry - have ushered in the omics era, now in its third decade. The resulting complex landscape of analytical methods has naturally fostered the growth of an omics benchmarking industry. Benchmarking refers to the process of objectively comparing and evaluating the performance of different computational or analytical techniques when processing and analysing large-scale biological data sets, such as transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics. With thousands of omics benchmarking studies published over the past 25 years, the field has matured to the point where the foundations of benchmarking have been established and well described. However, generating meaningful benchmarking data and properly evaluating performance in this complex domain remains challenging. In this Review, we highlight some common oversights and pitfalls in omics benchmarking. We also establish a methodology to bring the issues that can be addressed into focus and to be transparent about those that cannot: this takes the form of a spreadsheet template of guidelines for comprehensive reporting, intended to accompany publications. In addition, a survey of recent developments in benchmarking is provided as well as specific guidance for commonly encountered difficulties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas G Brooks
- Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Nicholas F Lahens
- Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Antonijo Mrčela
- Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Gregory R Grant
- Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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13
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Wu Y, Guo J, Li W, Xiu X, Thirunavukarasu D, Wang Y, Wang K, Chen W, Yu Zhang D, Yang X, Fan C, Song P. Enhanced Detection of Novel Low-Frequency Gene Fusions via High-Yield Ligation and Multiplexed Enrichment Sequencing. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202316484. [PMID: 38494435 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202316484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Panel-based methods are commonly employed for the analysis of novel gene fusions in precision diagnostics and new drug development in cancer. However, these methods are constrained by limitations in ligation yield and the enrichment of novel gene fusions with low variant allele frequencies. In this study, we conducted a pioneering investigation into the stability of double-stranded adapter DNA, resulting in improved ligation yield and enhanced conversion efficiency. Additionally, we implemented blocker displacement amplification, achieving a remarkable 7-fold enrichment of novel gene fusions. Leveraging the pre-enrichment achieved with this approach, we successfully applied it to Nanopore sequencing, enabling ultra-fast analysis of novel gene fusions within one hour with high sensitivity. This method offers a robust and remarkably sensitive mean of analyzing novel gene fusions, promising the discovery of pivotal biomarkers that can significantly improve cancer diagnostics and the development of new therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Wu
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Zhangjiang Institute for Advanced Study and National Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Jinxiao Guo
- Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital Affiliated to, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200233, China
| | - Wenjun Li
- NuProbe USA, Inc., 2575 West Bellfort Avenue, Ste. 200 Houston, TX 77054, USA
| | - Xuehao Xiu
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Zhangjiang Institute for Advanced Study and National Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | | | - Yudong Wang
- Department of Gynecologic Oncology, The International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030, China
| | - Kai Wang
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang, 322000, China
| | - Weiyu Chen
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang, 322000, China
| | - David Yu Zhang
- NuProbe USA, Inc., 2575 West Bellfort Avenue, Ste. 200 Houston, TX 77054, USA
| | - Xiurong Yang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Zhangjiang Institute for Advanced Study and National Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Chunhai Fan
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Zhangjiang Institute for Advanced Study and National Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Ping Song
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Zhangjiang Institute for Advanced Study and National Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
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14
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Passaro A, Al Bakir M, Hamilton EG, Diehn M, André F, Roy-Chowdhuri S, Mountzios G, Wistuba II, Swanton C, Peters S. Cancer biomarkers: Emerging trends and clinical implications for personalized treatment. Cell 2024; 187:1617-1635. [PMID: 38552610 PMCID: PMC7616034 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.02.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
The integration of cancer biomarkers into oncology has revolutionized cancer treatment, yielding remarkable advancements in cancer therapeutics and the prognosis of cancer patients. The development of personalized medicine represents a turning point and a new paradigm in cancer management, as biomarkers enable oncologists to tailor treatments based on the unique molecular profile of each patient's tumor. In this review, we discuss the scientific milestones of cancer biomarkers and explore future possibilities to improve the management of patients with solid tumors. This progress is primarily attributed to the biological characterization of cancers, advancements in testing methodologies, elucidation of the immune microenvironment, and the ability to profile circulating tumor fractions. Integrating these insights promises to continually advance the precision oncology field, fostering better patient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Passaro
- Division of Thoracic Oncology, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Maise Al Bakir
- Cancer Evolution and Genome Instability Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK; Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, University College London Cancer Institute, London, UK
| | - Emily G Hamilton
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Maximilian Diehn
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Fabrice André
- Gustave-Roussy Cancer Center, Paris Saclay University, Villejuif, France
| | - Sinchita Roy-Chowdhuri
- Department of Anatomic Pathology and Translational Molecular Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Giannis Mountzios
- Fourth Department of Medical Oncology and Clinical Trials Unit, Henry Dunant Hospital Center, Athens, Greece
| | - Ignacio I Wistuba
- Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Charles Swanton
- Cancer Evolution and Genome Instability Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK; Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, University College London Cancer Institute, London, UK; Department of Oncology, University College London Hospitals, London, UK
| | - Solange Peters
- Department of Oncology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland.
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15
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Diaz-Perez JA, Kerr DA. Gene of the month: DDIT3. J Clin Pathol 2024; 77:211-216. [PMID: 38053287 DOI: 10.1136/jcp-2023-208963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
DNA damage-inducible transcript 3 (DDIT3) gene, mapped to the human chromosome 12q13.3, encodes a protein that belongs to the CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein family of transcription factors. DDIT3 is involved in the proliferative control that responds to endoplasmic reticulum stress in normal conditions, dimerising other transcription factors with basic leucine zipper (bZIP) structural motifs. DDIT3 plays a significant role during cell differentiation, especially adipogenesis, arresting the maturation of adipoblasts. In disease, FUS/EWSR1::DDIT3 fusion is the pathogenic event that drives the development of myxoid liposarcoma. The amplification of DDIT3 in other adipocytic neoplasms mediates the presence of adipoblast-like elements. Another fusion, GLI1::DDIT3, has rarely been documented in other tumours. This paper reviews the structure and function of DDIT3, its role in disease-particularly cancer-and its use and pitfalls in diagnostic testing, including immunohistochemistry as a tissue-based marker.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julio A Diaz-Perez
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Darcy A Kerr
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
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16
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Dharavath B, Butle A, Chaudhary A, Pal A, Desai S, Chowdhury A, Thorat R, Upadhyay P, Nair S, Dutt A. Recurrent UBE3C-LRP5 translocations in head and neck cancer with therapeutic implications. NPJ Precis Oncol 2024; 8:63. [PMID: 38438481 PMCID: PMC10912599 DOI: 10.1038/s41698-024-00555-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Head and neck cancer is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The identification of genetic alterations in head and neck cancer may improve diagnosis and treatment outcomes. In this study, we report the identification and functional characterization of UBE3C-LRP5 translocation in head and neck cancer. Our whole transcriptome sequencing and RT-PCR analysis of 151 head and neck cancer tumor samples identified the LRP5-UBE3C and UBE3C-LRP5 fusion transcripts in 5.3% of patients of Indian origin (n = 151), and UBE3C-LRP5 fusion transcripts in 1.2% of TCGA-HNSC patients (n = 502). Further, whole genome sequencing identified the breakpoint of UBE3C-LRP5 translocation. We demonstrate that UBE3C-LRP5 fusion is activating in vitro and in vivo, and promotes the proliferation, migration, and invasion of head and neck cancer cells. In contrast, depletion of UBE3C-LRP5 fusion suppresses the clonogenic, migratory, and invasive potential of the cells. The UBE3C-LRP5 fusion activates the Wnt/β-catenin signaling by promoting nuclear accumulation of β-catenin, leading to upregulation of Wnt/β-catenin target genes, MYC, CCND1, TCF4, and LEF1. Consistently, treatment with the FDA-approved drug, pyrvinium pamoate, significantly reduced the transforming ability of cells expressing the fusion protein and improved survival in mice bearing tumors of fusion-overexpressing cells. Interestingly, fusion-expressing cells upon knockdown of CTNNB1, or LEF1 show reduced proliferation, clonogenic abilities, and reduced sensitivity to pyrvinium pamoate. Overall, our study suggests that the UBE3C-LRP5 fusion is a promising therapeutic target for head and neck cancer and that pyrvinium pamoate may be a potential drug candidate for treating head and neck cancer harboring this translocation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhasker Dharavath
- Integrated Cancer Genomics Laboratory, Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research, and Education in Cancer, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, 410210, India
- Homi Bhabha National Institute, Training School Complex, Anushakti Nagar, Mumbai, Maharashtra, 400094, India
| | - Ashwin Butle
- Integrated Cancer Genomics Laboratory, Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research, and Education in Cancer, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, 410210, India
- Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Nagpur, Maharashtra, 441108, India
| | - Akshita Chaudhary
- Integrated Cancer Genomics Laboratory, Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research, and Education in Cancer, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, 410210, India
| | - Ankita Pal
- Integrated Cancer Genomics Laboratory, Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research, and Education in Cancer, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, 410210, India
| | - Sanket Desai
- Integrated Cancer Genomics Laboratory, Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research, and Education in Cancer, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, 410210, India
| | - Aniket Chowdhury
- Integrated Cancer Genomics Laboratory, Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research, and Education in Cancer, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, 410210, India
- Homi Bhabha National Institute, Training School Complex, Anushakti Nagar, Mumbai, Maharashtra, 400094, India
| | - Rahul Thorat
- Laboratory Animal Facility, Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, 410210, India
| | - Pawan Upadhyay
- Integrated Cancer Genomics Laboratory, Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research, and Education in Cancer, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, 410210, India
| | - Sudhir Nair
- Homi Bhabha National Institute, Training School Complex, Anushakti Nagar, Mumbai, Maharashtra, 400094, India
- Division of Head and Neck Oncology, Department of Surgical Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Tata Memorial Centre, Parel, Mumbai, 400012, India
| | - Amit Dutt
- Integrated Cancer Genomics Laboratory, Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research, and Education in Cancer, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, 410210, India.
- Homi Bhabha National Institute, Training School Complex, Anushakti Nagar, Mumbai, Maharashtra, 400094, India.
- Department of Genetics, University of Delhi South Campus, New Delhi, 110021, India.
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17
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Xu SM, Cheng Y, Fisher H, Janitz M. Recent advances in the investigation of fusion RNAs and their role in molecular pathology of cancer. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2024; 168:106529. [PMID: 38246262 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocel.2024.106529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Gene fusions have had a significant role in the development of various types of cancer, oftentimes involved in oncogenic activities through dysregulation of gene expression or signalling pathways. Some cancer-associated chromosomal translocations can undergo backsplicing, resulting in fusion-circular RNAs, a more stable isoform immune to RNase degradation. This stability makes fusion circular RNAs a promising diagnostic biomarker for cancer. While the detection of linear fusion RNAs and their function in certain cancers have been described in literature, fusion circular RNAs lag behind due to their low abundance in cancer cells. This review highlights current literature on the role of linear and circular fusion transcripts in cancer, tools currently available for detecting of these chimeric RNAs and their function and how they play a role in tumorigenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Si-Mei Xu
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Yuning Cheng
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Harry Fisher
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Michael Janitz
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
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18
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Semenuk LJ, Kartolo BA, Feilotter HE, Lee SM, Savage CA, Boag AH, Digby GC, Mates M. Implementing Next-Generation Sequencing Process Changes to Increase Capacity and Improve Timeliness of Molecular Biomarker Profiling for Lung Cancer Patients. J Appl Lab Med 2024; 9:284-294. [PMID: 38102066 DOI: 10.1093/jalm/jfad105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Faced with expansion of molecular tumor biomarker profiling, the molecular genetics laboratory at Kingston Health Science Centre experienced significant pressures to maintain the provincially mandated 2-week turnaround time (TAT) for lung cancer (LC) patients. We used quality improvement methodology to identify opportunities for improved efficiencies and report the impact of the initiative. METHODS We set a target of reducing average TAT from accessioning to clinical molecular lab report for LC patients. Process measures included percentage of cases reaching TAT within target and number of cases. We developed a value stream map and used lean methodology to identify baseline inefficiencies. Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles were implemented to streamline, standardize, and automate laboratory workflows. Statistical process control (SPC) charts assessed for significance by special cause variation. RESULTS A total of 257 LC cases were included (39 baseline January-May 2021; 218 post-expansion of testing June 2021). The average time for baseline TAT was 12.8 days, peaking at 23.4 days after expansion of testing, and improved to 13.9 days following improvement interventions, demonstrating statistical significance by special cause variation (nonrandom variation) on SPC charts. CONCLUSIONS The implementation of standardized manual and automated laboratory processes improved timeliness of biomarker reporting despite the increasing volume of testing at our center.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura J Semenuk
- Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Kingston Health Sciences Centre, Kingston, ON, Canada
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | | | - Harriet E Feilotter
- Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Kingston Health Sciences Centre, Kingston, ON, Canada
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Shawna M Lee
- Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Kingston Health Sciences Centre, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Colleen A Savage
- Department of Oncology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Alexander H Boag
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Geneviève C Digby
- Department of Medicine, Division of Respirology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Mihaela Mates
- Department of Oncology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
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19
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Qin Q, Popic V, Yu H, White E, Khorgade A, Shin A, Wienand K, Dondi A, Beerenwinkel N, Vazquez F, Al’Khafaji AM, Haas BJ. CTAT-LR-fusion: accurate fusion transcript identification from long and short read isoform sequencing at bulk or single cell resolution. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.24.581862. [PMID: 38464114 PMCID: PMC10925146 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.24.581862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Gene fusions are found as cancer drivers in diverse adult and pediatric cancers. Accurate detection of fusion transcripts is essential in cancer clinical diagnostics, prognostics, and for guiding therapeutic development. Most currently available methods for fusion transcript detection are compatible with Illumina RNA-seq involving highly accurate short read sequences. Recent advances in long read isoform sequencing enable the detection of fusion transcripts at unprecedented resolution in bulk and single cell samples. Here we developed a new computational tool CTAT-LR-fusion to detect fusion transcripts from long read RNA-seq with or without companion short reads, with applications to bulk or single cell transcriptomes. We demonstrate that CTAT-LR-fusion exceeds fusion detection accuracy of alternative methods as benchmarked with simulated and real long read RNA-seq. Using short and long read RNA-seq, we further apply CTAT-LR-fusion to bulk transcriptomes of nine tumor cell lines, and to tumor single cells derived from a melanoma sample and three metastatic high grade serous ovarian carcinoma samples. In both bulk and in single cell RNA-seq, long isoform reads yielded higher sensitivity for fusion detection than short reads with notable exceptions. By combining short and long reads in CTAT-LR-fusion, we are able to further maximize detection of fusion splicing isoforms and fusion-expressing tumor cells. CTAT-LR-fusion is available at https://github.com/TrinityCTAT/CTAT-LR-fusion/wiki.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Qin
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142 USA
| | - Victoria Popic
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142 USA
| | - Houlin Yu
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142 USA
| | - Emily White
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142 USA
| | - Akanksha Khorgade
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142 USA
| | - Asa Shin
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142 USA
| | - Kirsty Wienand
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142 USA
| | - Arthur Dondi
- ETH Zurich, Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, Schanzenstrasse 44, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
- SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Schanzenstrasse 44, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Niko Beerenwinkel
- ETH Zurich, Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, Schanzenstrasse 44, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
- SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Schanzenstrasse 44, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Francisca Vazquez
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142 USA
| | - Aziz M. Al’Khafaji
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142 USA
| | - Brian J. Haas
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142 USA
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20
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Zhou BW, Wu QQ, Mauki DH, Wang X, Zhang SR, Yin TT, Chen FL, Li C, Liu YH, Wang GD, Zhang YP. Germline gene fusions across species reveal the chromosomal instability regions and cancer susceptibility. iScience 2023; 26:108431. [PMID: 38205119 PMCID: PMC10777377 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 06/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The canine transmissible venereal tumor (CTVT) is a clonal cell-mediated cancer with a long evolutionary history and extensive karyotype rearrangements in its genome. However, little is known about its genetic similarity to human tumors. Here, using multi-omics data we identified 11 germline gene fusions (GGFs) in CTVT, which showed higher genetic susceptibility than others. Additionally, we illustrate a mechanism of a complex gene fusion of three gene segments (HSD17B4-DMXL1-TNFAIP8) that we refer to "greedy fusion". Our findings also provided evidence that expressions of GGFs are downregulated during the tumor regressive phase, which is associated with DNA methylation level. This study presents a comprehensive landscape of gene fusions (GFs) in CTVT, which offers a valuable genetic resource for exploring potential genetic mechanisms underlying the development of cancers in both dogs and humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo-Wen Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution & Yunnan Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Domestic Animals, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650204, China
| | - Qing-Qin Wu
- School of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan 650500, China
| | - David H. Mauki
- Institute of Neurological Disease, National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Translational Medicine, State Key Lab of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Xuan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution & Yunnan Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Domestic Animals, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650204, China
| | - Shu-Run Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution & Yunnan Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Domestic Animals, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
| | - Ting-Ting Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution & Yunnan Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Domestic Animals, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
| | - Fang-Liang Chen
- Kunming Police Dog Base of the Ministry of Public Security, Kunming, Yunnan 650204, China
| | - Chao Li
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resource, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan 650500, China
| | - Yan-Hu Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution & Yunnan Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Domestic Animals, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
| | - Guo-Dong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution & Yunnan Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Domestic Animals, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650204, China
| | - Ya-Ping Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution & Yunnan Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Domestic Animals, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650204, China
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21
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Shah OS, Chen F, Wedn A, Kashiparekh A, Knapick B, Chen J, Savariau L, Clifford B, Hooda J, Christgen M, Xavier J, Oesterreich S, Lee AV. Multi-omic characterization of ILC and ILC-like cell lines as part of ILC cell line encyclopedia (ICLE) defines new models to study potential biomarkers and explore therapeutic opportunities. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.26.559548. [PMID: 37808708 PMCID: PMC10557671 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.26.559548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC), the most common histological "special type", accounts for ∼10-15% of all BC diagnoses, is characterized by unique features such as E-cadherin loss/deficiency, lower grade, hormone receptor positivity, larger diffuse tumors, and specific metastatic patterns. Despite ILC being acknowledged as a disease with distinct biology that necessitates specialized and precision medicine treatments, the further exploration of its molecular alterations with the goal of discovering new treatments has been hindered due to the scarcity of well-characterized cell line models for studying this disease. To address this, we generated the ILC Cell Line Encyclopedia (ICLE), providing a comprehensive multi-omic characterization of ILC and ILC-like cell lines. Using consensus multi-omic subtyping, we confirmed luminal status of previously established ILC cell lines and uncovered additional ILC/ILC-like cell lines with luminal features for modeling ILC disease. Furthermore, most of these luminal ILC/ILC-like cell lines also showed RNA and copy number similarity to ILC patient tumors. Similarly, ILC/ILC-like cell lines also retained molecular alterations in key ILC genes at similar frequency to both primary and metastatic ILC tumors. Importantly, ILC/ILC-like cell lines recapitulated the CDH1 alteration landscape of ILC patient tumors including enrichment of truncating mutations in and biallelic inactivation of CDH1 gene. Using whole-genome optical mapping, we uncovered novel genomic-rearrangements including novel structural variations in CDH1 and functional gene fusions and characterized breast cancer specific patterns of chromothripsis in chromosomes 8, 11 and 17. In addition, we systematically analyzed aberrant DNAm events and integrative analysis with RNA expression revealed epigenetic activation of TFAP2B - an emerging biomarker of lobular disease that is preferentially expressed in lobular disease. Finally, towards the goal of identifying novel druggable vulnerabilities in ILC, we analyzed publicly available RNAi loss of function breast cancer cell line datasets and revealed numerous putative vulnerabilities cytoskeletal components, focal adhesion and PI3K/AKT pathway in ILC/ILC-like vs NST cell lines. In summary, we addressed the lack of suitable models to study E-cadherin deficient breast cancers by first collecting both established and putative ILC models, then characterizing them comprehensively to show their molecular similarity to patient tumors along with uncovering their novel multi-omic features as well as highlighting putative novel druggable vulnerabilities. Not only we expand the array of suitable E-cadherin deficient cell lines available for modelling human-ILC disease but also employ them for studying epigenetic activation of a putative lobular biomarker as well as identifying potential druggable vulnerabilities for this disease towards enabling precision medicine research for human-ILC.
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22
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Mindiola Romero AE, Tafe LJ, Green DC, Deharvengt SJ, Winnick KN, Tsongalis GJ, Baker ML, Linos K, Levy JJ, Kerr DA. Utility of Retrospective Molecular Analysis in Diagnostically Challenging Mesenchymal Neoplasms. Int J Surg Pathol 2023; 31:1473-1484. [PMID: 36911994 DOI: 10.1177/10668969231157783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/14/2023]
Abstract
Introduction: Molecular analysis plays a growing role in the diagnosis of mesenchymal neoplasms. The aim of this study was to retrospectively apply broad, multiplex molecular assays (a solid tumor targeted next-generation sequencing [NGS]) assay and single nucleotide polymorphism [SNP] microarray) to selected tumors, exploring the current utility and limitations. Methods: We searched our database (2010-2020) for diagnostically challenging mesenchymal neoplasms. After histologic review of available slides, tissue blocks were selected for NGS, SNP microarray, or both. DNA and RNA were extracted using the AllPrep DNA/RNA FFPE Kit Protocol on the QIAcube instrument. The NGS platform used was the TruSight Tumor 170 (TST-170). For SNP array, copy number variant (CNV) analysis was performed using the OncoScanTM CNV Plus Assay. Results: DNA/RNA was successfully extracted from 50% of tumors (n = 10/20). Specimens not successfully extracted included 6 core biopsies, 3 incisional biopsies, and 1 resection; 4 were decalcified (3 hydrochloric acid, 1 ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid). Higher tumor proportion and number of tumor cells were parameters positively associated with sufficient DNA/RNA extraction whereas necrosis and decalcification were negatively associated with sufficient extraction. Molecular testing helped reach a definitive diagnosis in 50% of tumors (n = 5/10). Conclusions: Although the overall utility of this approach is limited, these molecular panels can be helpful in detecting a specific "driver" alteration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andres E Mindiola Romero
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA
- Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Laura J Tafe
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA
- Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Donald C Green
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - Sophie J Deharvengt
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - Kimberly N Winnick
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - Gregory J Tsongalis
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA
- Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Michael L Baker
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA
- Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Konstantinos Linos
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA
- Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Joshua J Levy
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA
- Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Darcy A Kerr
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA
- Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
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23
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Komatsu S, Ohno H, Saito H. Target-dependent RNA polymerase as universal platform for gene expression control in response to intracellular molecules. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7256. [PMID: 37978180 PMCID: PMC10656481 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42802-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Controlling gene expression in response to specific molecules is an essential technique for regulating cellular functions. However, current platforms with transcription and translation regulators have a limited number of detectable molecules to induce gene expression. Here to address these issues, we present a Target-dependent RNA polymerase (TdRNAP) that can induce RNA transcription in response to the intracellular target specifically recognized by single antibody. By substituting the fused antibody, we demonstrate that TdRNAPs respond to a wide variety of molecules, including peptides, proteins, RNA, and small molecules, and produce desired transcripts in human cells. Furthermore, we show that multiple TdRNAPs can construct orthogonal and multilayer genetic circuits. Finally, we apply TdRNAP to achieve cell-specific genome editing that is autonomously triggered by detecting the target gene product. TdRNAP can expand the molecular variety for controlling gene expression and provide the genetic toolbox for bioengineering and future therapeutic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shodai Komatsu
- Department of Life Science Frontiers, Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan
- Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
| | - Hirohisa Ohno
- Department of Life Science Frontiers, Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan
| | - Hirohide Saito
- Department of Life Science Frontiers, Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan.
- Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan.
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24
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Singh H, Keller RB, Kapner KS, Dilly J, Raghavan S, Yuan C, Cohen EF, Tolstorukov M, Andrews E, Brais LK, Da Silva A, Perez K, Rubinson DA, Surana R, Giannakis M, Ng K, Clancy TE, Yurgelun MB, Schletchter B, Clark JW, Shapiro GI, Rosenthal MH, Hornick JL, Nardi V, Li YY, Gupta H, Cherniack AD, Meyerson M, Cleary JM, Nowak JA, Wolpin BM, Aguirre AJ. Oncogenic Drivers and Therapeutic Vulnerabilities in KRAS Wild-Type Pancreatic Cancer. Clin Cancer Res 2023; 29:4627-4643. [PMID: 37463056 PMCID: PMC10795103 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-22-3930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Approximately 8% to 10% of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDAC) do not harbor mutations in KRAS. Understanding the unique molecular and clinical features of this subset of pancreatic cancer is important to guide patient stratification for clinical trials of molecularly targeted agents. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN We analyzed a single-institution cohort of 795 exocrine pancreatic cancer cases (including 785 PDAC cases) with a targeted multigene sequencing panel and identified 73 patients (9.2%) with KRAS wild-type (WT) pancreatic cancer. RESULTS Overall, 43.8% (32/73) of KRAS WT cases had evidence of an alternative driver of the MAPK pathway, including BRAF mutations and in-frame deletions and receptor tyrosine kinase fusions. Conversely, 56.2% of cases did not harbor a clear MAPK driver alteration, but 29.3% of these MAPK-negative KRAS WT cases (12/41) demonstrated activating alterations in other oncogenic drivers, such as GNAS, MYC, PIK3CA, and CTNNB1. We demonstrate potent efficacy of pan-RAF and MEK inhibition in patient-derived organoid models carrying BRAF in-frame deletions. Moreover, we demonstrate durable clinical benefit of targeted therapy in a patient harboring a KRAS WT tumor with a ROS1 fusion. Clinically, patients with KRAS WT tumors were significantly younger in age of onset (median age: 62.6 vs. 65.7 years; P = 0.037). SMAD4 mutations were associated with a particularly poor prognosis in KRAS WT cases. CONCLUSIONS This study defines the genomic underpinnings of KRAS WT pancreatic cancer and highlights potential therapeutic avenues for future investigation in molecularly directed clinical trials. See related commentary by Kato et al., p. 4527.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harshabad Singh
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Rachel B. Keller
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
| | - Kevin S. Kapner
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
| | - Julien Dilly
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
- Biological and biomedical sciences program, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA
| | - Srivatsan Raghavan
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA
| | - Chen Yuan
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
| | - Elizabeth F. Cohen
- Department of Informatics and Analytics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
| | - Michael Tolstorukov
- Department of Informatics and Analytics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
| | - Elizabeth Andrews
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
| | - Lauren K. Brais
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
| | - Annacarolina Da Silva
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
- Department of Pathology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY
| | - Kimberly Perez
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Douglas A. Rubinson
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Rishi Surana
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Marios Giannakis
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Kimmie Ng
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Thomas E. Clancy
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
- Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Matthew B. Yurgelun
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Benjamin Schletchter
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Jeffrey W. Clark
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA
| | - Geoffrey I. Shapiro
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Michael H. Rosenthal
- Department of Radiology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Jason L. Hornick
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Valentina Nardi
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Yvonne Y. Li
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA
| | - Hersh Gupta
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA
| | - Andrew D. Cherniack
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA
| | - Matthew Meyerson
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA
| | - James M. Cleary
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Jonathan A. Nowak
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Brian M. Wolpin
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Andrew J. Aguirre
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA
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25
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Vargas J, Pantouris G. Analysis of CD74 Occurrence in Oncogenic Fusion Proteins. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:15981. [PMID: 37958963 PMCID: PMC10650716 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242115981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
CD74 is a type II cell surface receptor found to be highly expressed in several hematological and solid cancers, due to its ability to activate pathways associated with tumor cell survival and proliferation. Over the past 16 years, CD74 has emerged as a commonly detected fusion partner in multiple oncogenic fusion proteins. Studies have found CD74 fusion proteins in a range of cancers, including lung adenocarcinoma, inflammatory breast cancer, and pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia. To date, there are five known CD74 fusion proteins, CD74-ROS1, CD74-NTRK1, CD74-NRG1, CD74-NRG2α, and CD74-PDGFRB, with a total of 16 different variants, each with unique genetic signatures. Importantly, the occurrence of CD74 in the formation of fusion proteins has not been well explored despite the fact that ROS1 and NRG1 families utilize CD74 as the primary partner for the formation of oncogenic fusions. Fusion proteins known to be oncogenic drivers, including those of CD74, are typically detected and targeted after standard chemotherapeutic plans fail and the disease relapses. The analysis reported herein provides insights into the early intervention of CD74 fusions and highlights the need for improved routine assessment methods so that targeted therapies can be applied while they are most effective.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Georgios Pantouris
- Department of Chemistry, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA 95211, USA;
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26
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Sridhar A, More AS, Jadhav AR, Patil K, Mavlankar A, Dixit VM, Bapat SA. Pattern recognition in the landscape of seemingly random chimeric transcripts. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2023; 21:5153-5164. [PMID: 37920814 PMCID: PMC10618115 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2023.10.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The molecular and functional diversity generated by chimeric transcripts (CTs) that are derived from two genes is indicated to contribute to tumor cell survival. Several gaps yet exist. The present research is a systematic study of the spectrum of CTs identified in RNA sequencing datasets of 160 ovarian cancer samples in the The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) (https://portal.gdc.cancer.gov). Structural annotation revealed complexities emerging from chromosomal localization of partner genes, differential splicing and inclusion of regulatory, untranslated regions. Identification of phenotype-specific associations further resolved a dynamically modulated mesenchymal signature during transformation. On an evolutionary background, protein-coding CTs were indicated to be highly conserved, while non-coding CTs may have evolved more recently. We also realized that the current premise postulating structural alterations or neighbouring gene readthrough generating CTs is not valid in instances wherein the parental genes are genomically distanced. In addressing this lacuna, we identified the essentiality of specific spatiotemporal arrangements mediated gene proximities in 3D space for the generation of CTs. All these features together suggest non-random mechanisms towards increasing the molecular diversity in a cell through chimera formation either in parallel or with cross-talks with the indigenous regulatory network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aksheetha Sridhar
- Open Health Systems Laboratory, 9601 Medical Centre Drive, Rockville, MD 20850, US
| | - Ankita S. More
- National Centre for Cell Science, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411 007, Maharashtra, India
| | - Amruta R. Jadhav
- National Centre for Cell Science, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411 007, Maharashtra, India
| | - Komal Patil
- National Centre for Cell Science, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411 007, Maharashtra, India
| | - Anuj Mavlankar
- National Centre for Cell Science, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411 007, Maharashtra, India
| | - Vaishnavi M. Dixit
- National Centre for Cell Science, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411 007, Maharashtra, India
| | - Sharmila A. Bapat
- Open Health Systems Laboratory, 9601 Medical Centre Drive, Rockville, MD 20850, US
- National Centre for Cell Science, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411 007, Maharashtra, India
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27
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Wu G, Yoshida N, Liu J, Zhang X, Xiong Y, Heavican-Foral TB, Mandato E, Liu H, Nelson GM, Yang L, Chen R, Donovan KA, Jones MK, Roshal M, Zhang Y, Xu R, Nirmal AJ, Jain S, Leahy C, Jones KL, Stevenson KE, Galasso N, Ganesan N, Chang T, Wu WC, Louissaint A, Debaize L, Yoon H, Cin PD, Chan WC, Sui SJH, Ng SY, Feldman AL, Horwitz SM, Adelman K, Fischer ES, Chen CW, Weinstock DM, Brown M. TP63 fusions drive multicomplex enhancer rewiring, lymphomagenesis, and EZH2 dependence. Sci Transl Med 2023; 15:eadi7244. [PMID: 37729434 PMCID: PMC11014717 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adi7244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
Gene fusions involving tumor protein p63 gene (TP63) occur in multiple T and B cell lymphomas and portend a dismal prognosis for patients. The function and mechanisms of TP63 fusions remain unclear, and there is no target therapy for patients with lymphoma harboring TP63 fusions. Here, we show that TP63 fusions act as bona fide oncogenes and are essential for fusion-positive lymphomas. Transgenic mice expressing TBL1XR1::TP63, the most common TP63 fusion, develop diverse lymphomas that recapitulate multiple human T and B cell lymphomas. Here, we identify that TP63 fusions coordinate the recruitment of two epigenetic modifying complexes, the nuclear receptor corepressor (NCoR)-histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) by the N-terminal TP63 fusion partner and the lysine methyltransferase 2D (KMT2D) by the C-terminal TP63 component, which are both required for fusion-dependent survival. TBL1XR1::TP63 localization at enhancers drives a unique cell state that involves up-regulation of MYC and the polycomb repressor complex 2 (PRC2) components EED and EZH2. Inhibiting EZH2 with the therapeutic agent valemetostat is highly effective at treating transgenic lymphoma murine models, xenografts, and patient-derived xenografts harboring TP63 fusions. One patient with TP63-rearranged lymphoma showed a rapid response to valemetostat treatment. In summary, TP63 fusions link partner components that, together, coordinate multiple epigenetic complexes, resulting in therapeutic vulnerability to EZH2 inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gongwei Wu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics, Dana-Farber
Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Noriaki Yoshida
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Current address: Merck Research Laboratories, Boston, MA
02215, USA
| | - Jihe Liu
- Harvard Chan Bioinformatics Core, Harvard T.H. Chan School
of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Xiaoyang Zhang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University, Cambridge,
MA 02142, USA
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Huntsman Cancer
Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Yuan Xiong
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute,
Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular
Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Tayla B. Heavican-Foral
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Elisa Mandato
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Huiyun Liu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Geoffrey M. Nelson
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular
Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical
School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Lu Yang
- Department of Systems Biology, City of Hope Comprehensive
Cancer Center, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
| | - Renee Chen
- Department of Systems Biology, City of Hope Comprehensive
Cancer Center, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
| | - Katherine A. Donovan
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute,
Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular
Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Marcus K. Jones
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Mikhail Roshal
- Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer
Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Yanming Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer
Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Ran Xu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Ajit J. Nirmal
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Salvia Jain
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA
02114, USA
| | - Catharine Leahy
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Kristen L. Jones
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Kristen E. Stevenson
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Natasha Galasso
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer
Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Nivetha Ganesan
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer
Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Tiffany Chang
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer
Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Wen-Chao Wu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Abner Louissaint
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital,
Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Lydie Debaize
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Hojong Yoon
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute,
Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular
Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Paola Dal Cin
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s
Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Wing C. Chan
- Department of Pathology, City of Hope Medical Center,
Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Shannan J. Ho Sui
- Harvard Chan Bioinformatics Core, Harvard T.H. Chan School
of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Samuel Y. Ng
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Division of Hematopathology, Mayo Clinic College of
Medicine, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Andrew L. Feldman
- Current address: Department of Clinical Studies,
Radiation Effects Research Foundation, Hiroshima, 7320815, Japan
| | - Steven M. Horwitz
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer
Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Karen Adelman
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University, Cambridge,
MA 02142, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular
Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Eric S. Fischer
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute,
Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular
Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Chun-Wei Chen
- Department of Systems Biology, City of Hope Comprehensive
Cancer Center, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
| | - David M. Weinstock
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University, Cambridge,
MA 02142, USA
- Current address: Merck Research Laboratories, Boston, MA
02215, USA
| | - Myles Brown
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics, Dana-Farber
Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
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Hiranuma K, Asami Y, Kato MK, Murakami N, Shimada Y, Matsuda M, Yazaki S, Fujii E, Sudo K, Kuno I, Komatsu M, Hamamoto R, Makinoshima H, Matsumoto K, Ishikawa M, Kohno T, Terao Y, Itakura A, Yoshida H, Shiraishi K, Kato T. Rare FGFR fusion genes in cervical cancer and transcriptome-based subgrouping of patients with a poor prognosis. Cancer Med 2023; 12:17835-17848. [PMID: 37537783 PMCID: PMC10524028 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.6415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 06/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although cervical cancer is often characterized as preventable, its incidence continues to increase in low- and middle-income countries, underscoring the need to develop novel therapeutics for this disease.This study assessed the distribution of fusion genes across cancer types and used an RNA-based classification to divide cervical cancer patients with a poor prognosis into subgroups. MATERIAL AND METHODS RNA sequencing of 116 patients with cervical cancer was conducted. Fusion genes were extracted using StarFusion program. To identify a high-risk group for recurrence, 65 patients who received postoperative adjuvant therapy were subjected to non-negative matrix factorization to identify differentially expressed genes between recurrent and nonrecurrent groups. RESULTS We identified three cases with FGFR3-TACC3 and one with GOPC-ROS1 fusion genes as potential targets. A search of publicly available data from cBioPortal (21,789 cases) and the Center for Cancer Genomics and Advanced Therapeutics (32,608 cases) showed that the FGFR3 fusion is present in 1.5% and 0.6% of patients with cervical cancer, respectively. The frequency of the FGFR3 fusion gene was higher in cervical cancer than in other cancers, regardless of ethnicity. Non-negative matrix factorization identified that the patients were classified into four Basis groups. Pathway enrichment analysis identified more extracellular matrix kinetics dysregulation in Basis 3 and more immune system dysregulation in Basis 4 than in the good prognosis group. CIBERSORT analysis showed that the fraction of M1 macrophages was lower in the poor prognosis group than in the good prognosis group. CONCLUSIONS The distribution of FGFR fusion genes in patients with cervical cancer was determined by RNA-based analysis and used to classify patients into clinically relevant subgroups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kengo Hiranuma
- Division of Genome BiologyNational Cancer Center Research InstituteTokyoJapan
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyJuntendo University Faculty of MedicineTokyoJapan
| | - Yuka Asami
- Division of Genome BiologyNational Cancer Center Research InstituteTokyoJapan
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyShowa University School of MedicineTokyoJapan
| | - Mayumi Kobayashi Kato
- Division of Genome BiologyNational Cancer Center Research InstituteTokyoJapan
- Department of GynecologyNational Cancer Center HospitalTokyoJapan
| | - Naoya Murakami
- Department of Radiation OncologyNational Cancer Center HospitalTokyoJapan
| | - Yoko Shimada
- Division of Genome BiologyNational Cancer Center Research InstituteTokyoJapan
| | - Maiko Matsuda
- Division of Genome BiologyNational Cancer Center Research InstituteTokyoJapan
| | - Shu Yazaki
- Division of Genome BiologyNational Cancer Center Research InstituteTokyoJapan
- Department of Medical OncologyNational Cancer Center HospitalTokyoJapan
| | - Erisa Fujii
- Division of Genome BiologyNational Cancer Center Research InstituteTokyoJapan
- Department of GynecologyNational Cancer Center HospitalTokyoJapan
| | - Kazuki Sudo
- Department of Medical OncologyNational Cancer Center HospitalTokyoJapan
| | - Ikumi Kuno
- Department of GynecologyNational Cancer Center HospitalTokyoJapan
| | - Masaaki Komatsu
- Division of Medical AI Research and DevelopmentNational Cancer Center Research InstituteTokyoJapan
- Cancer Translational Research TeamRIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence ProjectTokyoJapan
| | - Ryuji Hamamoto
- Division of Medical AI Research and DevelopmentNational Cancer Center Research InstituteTokyoJapan
- Cancer Translational Research TeamRIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence ProjectTokyoJapan
| | | | - Koji Matsumoto
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyShowa University School of MedicineTokyoJapan
| | - Mitsuya Ishikawa
- Department of GynecologyNational Cancer Center HospitalTokyoJapan
| | - Takashi Kohno
- Division of Genome BiologyNational Cancer Center Research InstituteTokyoJapan
| | - Yasuhisa Terao
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyJuntendo University Faculty of MedicineTokyoJapan
| | - Atsuo Itakura
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyJuntendo University Faculty of MedicineTokyoJapan
| | - Hiroshi Yoshida
- Department of Diagnostic PathologyNational Cancer Center HospitalTokyoJapan
| | - Kouya Shiraishi
- Division of Genome BiologyNational Cancer Center Research InstituteTokyoJapan
- Department of Clinical GenomicsNational Cancer Center Research InstituteTokyoJapan
| | - Tomoyasu Kato
- Department of GynecologyNational Cancer Center HospitalTokyoJapan
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29
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Ilnytskyy Y, Petersen L, McIntyre JB, Konno M, D'Silva A, Dean M, Elegbede A, Golubov A, Kovalchuk O, Kovalchuk I, Bebb G. Genome-wide Detection of Chimeric Transcripts in Early-stage Non-small Cell Lung Cancer. Cancer Genomics Proteomics 2023; 20:417-432. [PMID: 37643782 PMCID: PMC10464939 DOI: 10.21873/cgp.20394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIM Lung cancer remains the main culprit in cancer-related mortality worldwide. Transcript fusions play a critical role in the initiation and progression of multiple cancers. Treatment approaches based on specific targeting of discovered driver events, such as mutations in EGFR, and fusions in NTRK, ROS1, and ALK genes led to profound improvements in clinical outcomes. The formation of chimeric proteins due to genomic rearrangements or at the post-transcriptional level is widespread and plays a critical role in tumor initiation and progression. Yet, the fusion landscape of lung cancer remains underexplored. MATERIALS AND METHODS We used the JAFFA pipeline to discover transcript fusions in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The set of detected fusions was further analyzed to identify recurrent events, genes with multiple partners and fusions with high predicted oncogenic potential. Finally, we used a generalized linear model (GLM) to establish statistical associations between fusion occurrences and clinicopathological variables. RNA sequencing was used to discover and characterize transcript fusions in 270 NSCLC samples selected from the Glans-Look specimen repository. The samples were obtained during the early stages of disease prior to the initiation of chemo- or radiotherapy. RESULTS We identified a set of 792 fusions where 751 were novel, and 33 were recurrent. Four of the 33 recurrent fusions were significantly associated with clinicopathological variables. Several of the fusion partners were represented by well-established oncogenes ERBB4, BRAF, FGFR2, and MET. CONCLUSION The data presented in this study allow researchers to identify, select, and validate promising candidates for targeted clinical interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Mie Konno
- Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Gwyn Bebb
- University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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30
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Brownmiller T, Caplen NJ. The HNRNPF/H RNA binding proteins and disease. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. RNA 2023; 14:e1788. [PMID: 37042074 PMCID: PMC10523889 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/13/2023]
Abstract
The members of the HNRNPF/H family of heterogeneous nuclear RNA proteins-HNRNPF, HNRNPH1, HNRNPH2, HNRNPH3, and GRSF1, are critical regulators of RNA maturation. Documented functions of these proteins include regulating splicing, particularly alternative splicing, 5' capping and 3' polyadenylation of RNAs, and RNA export. The assignment of these proteins to the HNRNPF/H protein family members relates to differences in the amino acid composition of their RNA recognition motifs, which differ from those of other RNA binding proteins (RBPs). HNRNPF/H proteins typically bind RNA sequences enriched with guanine (G) residues, including sequences that, in the presence of a cation, have the potential to form higher-order G-quadruplex structures. The need to further investigate members of the HNRNPF/H family of RBPs has intensified with the recent descriptions of their involvement in several disease states, including the pediatric tumor Ewing sarcoma and the hematological malignancy mantle cell lymphoma; newly described groups of developmental syndromes; and neuronal-related disorders, including addictive behavior. Here, to foster the study of the HNRNPF/H family of RBPs, we discuss features of the genes encoding these proteins, their structures and functions, and emerging contributions to disease. This article is categorized under: RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease RNA Processing > Splicing Regulation/Alternative Splicing RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein-RNA Interactions: Functional Implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tayvia Brownmiller
- Functional Genetics Section, Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, DHHS, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Natasha J Caplen
- Functional Genetics Section, Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, DHHS, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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31
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Benhamida JK, Harmsen HJ, Ma D, William CM, Li BK, Villafania L, Sukhadia P, Mullaney KA, Dewan MC, Vakiani E, Karajannis MA, Snuderl M, Zagzag D, Ladanyi M, Rosenblum MK, Bale TA. Recurrent TRAK1::RAF1 Fusions in pediatric low-grade gliomas. Brain Pathol 2023; 33:e13185. [PMID: 37399073 PMCID: PMC10467040 DOI: 10.1111/bpa.13185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Fusions involving CRAF (RAF1) are infrequent oncogenic drivers in pediatric low-grade gliomas, rarely identified in tumors bearing features of pilocytic astrocytoma, and involving a limited number of known fusion partners. We describe recurrent TRAK1::RAF1 fusions, previously unreported in brain tumors, in three pediatric patients with low-grade glial-glioneuronal tumors. We present the associated clinical, histopathologic and molecular features. Patients were all female, aged 8 years, 15 months, and 10 months at diagnosis. All tumors were located in the cerebral hemispheres and predominantly cortical, with leptomeningeal involvement in 2/3 patients. Similar to previously described activating RAF1 fusions, the breakpoints in RAF1 all occurred 5' of the kinase domain, while the breakpoints in the 3' partner preserved the N-terminal kinesin-interacting domain and coiled-coil motifs of TRAK1. Two of the three cases demonstrated methylation profiles (v12.5) compatible with desmoplastic infantile ganglioglioma (DIG)/desmoplastic infantile astrocytoma (DIA) and have remained clinically stable and without disease progression/recurrence after resection. The remaining tumor was non-classifiable; with focal recurrence 14 months after initial resection; the patient remains symptom free and without further recurrence/progression (5 months post re-resection and 19 months from initial diagnosis). Our report expands the landscape of oncogenic RAF1 fusions in pediatric gliomas, which will help to further refine tumor classification and guide management of patients with these alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamal K. Benhamida
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Hannah J. Harmsen
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and ImmunologyVanderbilt University Medical CenterNashvilleTennesseeUSA
| | - Deqin Ma
- Department of PathologyUniversity of Iowa Hospitals and ClinicsIowa CityIowaUSA
| | | | - Bryan K. Li
- Department of PediatricsMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNew YorkNew YorkUSA
- Present address:
Division of Pediatric Hematology/OncologyIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Liliana Villafania
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Purvil Sukhadia
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Kerry A. Mullaney
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Michael C. Dewan
- Department of Neurological SurgeryVanderbilt University Medical Center
| | - Efsevia Vakiani
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | | | - Matija Snuderl
- Department of PathologyNYU Langone HealthNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - David Zagzag
- Department of PathologyNYU Langone HealthNew YorkNew YorkUSA
- Department of NeurosurgeryNYU Langone HealthNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Marc Ladanyi
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNew YorkNew YorkUSA
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis ProgramMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Marc K. Rosenblum
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Tejus A. Bale
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNew YorkNew YorkUSA
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32
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Haas BJ, Dobin A, Ghandi M, Van Arsdale A, Tickle T, Robinson JT, Gillani R, Kasif S, Regev A. Targeted in silico characterization of fusion transcripts in tumor and normal tissues via FusionInspector. CELL REPORTS METHODS 2023; 3:100467. [PMID: 37323575 PMCID: PMC10261907 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmeth.2023.100467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Here, we present FusionInspector for in silico characterization and interpretation of candidate fusion transcripts from RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and exploration of their sequence and expression characteristics. We applied FusionInspector to thousands of tumor and normal transcriptomes and identified statistical and experimental features enriched among biologically impactful fusions. Through clustering and machine learning, we identified large collections of fusions potentially relevant to tumor and normal biological processes. We show that biologically relevant fusions are enriched for relatively high expression of the fusion transcript, imbalanced fusion allelic ratios, and canonical splicing patterns, and are deficient in sequence microhomologies between partner genes. We demonstrate that FusionInspector accurately validates fusion transcripts in silico and helps characterize numerous understudied fusions in tumor and normal tissue samples. FusionInspector is freely available as open source for screening, characterization, and visualization of candidate fusions via RNA-seq, and facilitates transparent explanation and interpretation of machine-learning predictions and their experimental sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian J. Haas
- Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Graduate Program in Bioinformatics, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | | | | | - Anne Van Arsdale
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Women’s Health, Albert Einstein Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Timothy Tickle
- Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - James T. Robinson
- School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Riaz Gillani
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Cancer Program, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Simon Kasif
- Graduate Program in Bioinformatics, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Aviv Regev
- Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
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33
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Ivanov AV, Alecsa MS, Popescu R, Starcea MI, Mocanu AM, Rusu C, Miron IC. Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Emerging Therapies-From Pathway to Target. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24054661. [PMID: 36902091 PMCID: PMC10003692 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24054661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the past 40 years, the 5-years-overall survival rate of pediatric cancer reached 75-80%, and for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), exceeded 90%. Leukemia continues to be a major cause of mortality and morbidity for specific patient populations, including infants, adolescents, and patients with high-risk genetic abnormalities. The future of leukemia treatment needs to count better on molecular therapies as well as immune and cellular therapy. Advances in the scientific interface have led naturally to advances in the treatment of childhood cancer. These discoveries have involved the recognition of the importance of chromosomal abnormalities, the amplification of the oncogenes, the aberration of tumor suppressor genes, as well as the dysregulation of cellular signaling and cell cycle control. Lately, novel therapies that have already proven efficient on relapsed/refractory ALL in adults are being evaluated in clinical trials for young patients. Tirosine kinase inhibitors are, by now, part of the standardized treatment of Ph+ALL pediatric patients, and Blinatumomab, with promising results in clinical trials, received both FDA and EMA approval for use in children. Moreover, other targeted therapies such as aurora-kinase inhibitors, MEK-inhibitors, and proteasome-inhibitors are involved in clinical trials that include pediatric patients. This is an overview of the novel leukemia therapies that have been developed starting from the molecular discoveries and those that have been applied in pediatric populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anca Viorica Ivanov
- Pediatrics Department, Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 16 Universitatii Street, 700115 Iasi, Romania
| | - Mirabela Smaranda Alecsa
- Pediatrics Department, Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 16 Universitatii Street, 700115 Iasi, Romania
- Correspondence: (M.S.A.); (R.P.)
| | - Roxana Popescu
- Medical Genetics Department, Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 16 Universitatii Street, 700115 Iasi, Romania
- Correspondence: (M.S.A.); (R.P.)
| | - Magdalena Iuliana Starcea
- Pediatrics Department, Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 16 Universitatii Street, 700115 Iasi, Romania
| | - Adriana Maria Mocanu
- Pediatrics Department, Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 16 Universitatii Street, 700115 Iasi, Romania
| | - Cristina Rusu
- Medical Genetics Department, Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 16 Universitatii Street, 700115 Iasi, Romania
| | - Ingrith Crenguta Miron
- Pediatrics Department, Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 16 Universitatii Street, 700115 Iasi, Romania
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34
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Kim S, Jeong YK, Cho CS, Lee S, Sohn CH, Kim JH, Jeong Y, Jo DH, Bae S, Lee H. Enhancement of Gene Editing and Base Editing with Therapeutic Ribonucleoproteins through In Vivo Delivery Based on Absorptive Silica Nanoconstruct. Adv Healthc Mater 2023; 12:e2201825. [PMID: 36326169 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202201825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Key to the widespread and secure application of genome editing tools is the safe and effective delivery of multiple components of ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) into single cells, which remains a biological barrier to their clinical application. To overcome this issue, a robust RNP delivery platform based on a biocompatible sponge-like silica nanoconstruct (SN) for storing and directly delivering therapeutic RNPs, including Cas9 nuclease RNP (Cas9-RNP) and base editor RNP (BE-RNP) is designed. Compared with commercialized material such as lipid-based methods, up to 50-fold gene deletion and 10-fold base substitution efficiency is obtained with a low off-target efficiency by targeting various cells and genes. In particular, gene correction is successfully induced by SN-based delivery through intravenous injection in an in vivo solid-tumor model and through subretinal injection in mouse eye. Moreover, because of its low toxicity and high biodegradability, SN has negligible effect on cellular function of organs. As the engineered SN can overcome practical challenges associated with therapeutic RNP application, it is strongly expected this platform to be a modular RNPs delivery system, facilitating in vivo gene deletion and editing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seongchan Kim
- Biomaterials Research Center, Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), 02792, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - You Kyeong Jeong
- Medical Research Center of Genomic Medicine Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 03080, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Chang Sik Cho
- Fight Against Angiogenesis-Related Blindness (FARB) Laboratory, Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, 03080, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - SeokHoon Lee
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 03080, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Chang Ho Sohn
- Center for Nanomedicine, Institute for Basic Science, Graduate Program in Nanobiomedical Engineering, Advanced Science Institute, Yonsei University, 03722, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeong Hun Kim
- Fight Against Angiogenesis-Related Blindness (FARB) Laboratory, Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, 03080, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Department of Ophthalmology and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 03080, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Youngdo Jeong
- Biomaterials Research Center, Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), 02792, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong Hyun Jo
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 03080, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sangsu Bae
- Medical Research Center of Genomic Medicine Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 03080, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 03080, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyojin Lee
- Biomaterials Research Center, Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), 02792, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Division of Bio-Medical Science & Technology, KIST School - Korea University of Science and Technology (UST), 02792, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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35
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Badran A, Steele C, Alquaydheb H, Ba Theeb A, Bawazir A, Elshenawy MA, Atallah JP. The Use of Crizotinib in Sclerosing Epithelioid Fibrosarcoma with ALK Mutation: A Case Report. Case Rep Oncol 2023; 16:746-752. [PMID: 37900840 PMCID: PMC10601707 DOI: 10.1159/000532099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma is an ultra-rare and aggressive high-grade fibrosarcoma that was originally described in 1995. More than 100 cases are documented worldwide, with the most extensive case series reporting a high rate of recurrence and metastasis. ALK mutations are commonly seen in soft-tissue sarcomas; however, this is the first known case of an ALK V757M mutation. Here, we present a case using crizotinib in treating an ALK-positive sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma refractory to all traditional treatment options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed Badran
- Department of Medical Oncology, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Clara Steele
- School of Medicine, Brookfield Health Sciences Complex, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Hisham Alquaydheb
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmed Ba Theeb
- Faculty of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Mahmoud A. Elshenawy
- Department of Medical Oncology, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Clinical Oncology and Nuclear Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shebin El Kom, Egypt
| | - Jean Paul Atallah
- Department of Medical Oncology, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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36
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Benini S, Gamberi G, Cocchi S, Magagnoli G, Fortunato AR, Sciulli E, Righi A, Gambarotti M. The Efficacy of Molecular Analysis in the Diagnosis of Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcoma: A 15-Year Mono-Institutional Study. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 24:ijms24010632. [PMID: 36614077 PMCID: PMC9820733 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24010632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Revised: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The histological diagnosis of sarcoma can be difficult as it sometimes requires the combination of morphological and immunophenotypic analyses with molecular tests. A total of 2705 tissue samples of sarcoma consecutively collected from 2006 until 2020 that had undergone molecular analysis were assessed to evaluate their diagnostic utility compared with histological assessments. A total of 3051 molecular analyses were performed, including 1484 gene fusions tested by c/qRT-PCR, 992 gene rearrangements analysed by FISH, 433 analyses of the gene status of MDM2, 126 mutational analyses and 16 NGS analysis. Of the samples analysed, 68% were from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue and 32% were from frozen tissue. C/qRT-PCR and FISH analyses were conclusive on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue in 74% and 76% of samples, respectively, but the combination of the two methods gave us conclusive results in 96% and 89% of frozen and formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues, respectively. We demonstrate the utility of c/qRT-PCR and FISH for sarcoma diagnosis and that each has advantages in specific contexts. We conclude that it is possible to accurately predict the sarcoma subtype using a panel of different subtype-specific FISH probes and c/qRT-PCR assays, thereby greatly facilitating the differential diagnosis of these tumours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefania Benini
- Department of Pathology, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Gabriella Gamberi
- Department of Pathology, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Stefania Cocchi
- Department of Pathology, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Giovanna Magagnoli
- Department of Pathology, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | | | - Enrica Sciulli
- Department of Pathology, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Alberto Righi
- Department of Pathology, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-051-636-6665
| | - Marco Gambarotti
- Department of Pathology, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
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37
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Sorokin M, Rabushko E, Rozenberg JM, Mohammad T, Seryakov A, Sekacheva M, Buzdin A. Clinically relevant fusion oncogenes: detection and practical implications. Ther Adv Med Oncol 2022; 14:17588359221144108. [PMID: 36601633 PMCID: PMC9806411 DOI: 10.1177/17588359221144108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Mechanistically, chimeric genes result from DNA rearrangements and include parts of preexisting normal genes combined at the genomic junction site. Some rearranged genes encode pathological proteins with altered molecular functions. Those which can aberrantly promote carcinogenesis are called fusion oncogenes. Their formation is not a rare event in human cancers, and many of them were documented in numerous study reports and in specific databases. They may have various molecular peculiarities like increased stability of an oncogenic part, self-activation of tyrosine kinase receptor moiety, and altered transcriptional regulation activities. Currently, tens of low molecular mass inhibitors are approved in cancers as the drugs targeting receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) oncogenic fusion proteins, that is, including ALK, ABL, EGFR, FGFR1-3, NTRK1-3, MET, RET, ROS1 moieties. Therein, the presence of the respective RTK fusion in the cancer genome is the diagnostic biomarker for drug prescription. However, identification of such fusion oncogenes is challenging as the breakpoint may arise in multiple sites within the gene, and the exact fusion partner is generally unknown. There is no gold standard method for RTK fusion detection, and many alternative experimental techniques are employed nowadays to solve this issue. Among them, RNA-seq-based methods offer an advantage of unbiased high-throughput analysis of only transcribed RTK fusion genes, and of simultaneous finding both fusion partners in a single RNA-seq read. Here we focus on current knowledge of biology and clinical aspects of RTK fusion genes, related databases, and laboratory detection methods.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Elizaveta Rabushko
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology,
Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, Russia,I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical
University, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Tharaa Mohammad
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology,
Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, Russia
| | | | - Marina Sekacheva
- I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical
University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Anton Buzdin
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology,
Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, Russia,I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical
University, Moscow, Russia,Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic
Chemistry, Moscow, Russia,PathoBiology Group, European Organization for
Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), Brussels, Belgium
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38
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Maximizing Small Biopsy Patient Samples: Unified RNA-Seq Platform Assessment of over 120,000 Patient Biopsies. J Pers Med 2022; 13:jpm13010024. [PMID: 36675685 PMCID: PMC9866839 DOI: 10.3390/jpm13010024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Revised: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite its wide-ranging benefits, whole-transcriptome or RNA exome profiling is challenging to implement in a clinical diagnostic setting. The Unified Assay is a comprehensive workflow wherein exome-enriched RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) assays are performed on clinical samples and analyzed by a series of advanced machine learning-based classifiers. Gene expression signatures and rare and/or novel genomic events, including fusions, mitochondrial variants, and loss of heterozygosity were assessed using RNA-Seq data generated from 120,313 clinical samples across three clinical indications (thyroid cancer, lung cancer, and interstitial lung disease). Since its implementation, the data derived from the Unified Assay have allowed significantly more patients to avoid unnecessary diagnostic surgery and have played an important role in guiding follow-up decisions regarding treatment. Collectively, data from the Unified Assay show the utility of RNA-Seq and RNA expression signatures in the clinical laboratory, and their importance to the future of precision medicine.
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39
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Brett JO, Ritterhouse LL, Newman ET, Irwin KE, Dawson M, Ryan LY, Spring LM, Rivera MN, Lennerz JK, Dias-Santagata D, Ellisen LW, Bardia A, Wander SA. Clinical Implications and Treatment Strategies for ESR1 Fusions in Hormone Receptor-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Case Series. Oncologist 2022; 28:172-179. [PMID: 36493359 PMCID: PMC9907034 DOI: 10.1093/oncolo/oyac248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer (HR+ MBC), endocrine resistance is commonly due to genetic alterations of ESR1, the gene encoding estrogen receptor alpha (ERα). While ESR1 point mutations (ESR1-MUT) cause acquired resistance to aromatase inhibition (AI) through constitutive activation, far less is known about the molecular functions and clinical consequences of ESR1 fusions (ESR1-FUS). This case series discusses 4 patients with HR+ MBC with ESR1-FUS in the context of the existing ESR1-FUS literature. We consider therapeutic strategies and raise the hypothesis that CDK4/6 inhibition (CDK4/6i) may be effective against ESR1-FUS with functional ligand-binding domain swaps. These cases highlight the importance of screening for ESR1-FUS in patients with HR+ MBC while continuing investigation of precision treatments for these genomic rearrangements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie O Brett
- Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lauren L Ritterhouse
- Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Pathology, Center for Integrated Diagnostics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Erik T Newman
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kelly E Irwin
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Megan Dawson
- Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,University of Michigan Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Lianne Y Ryan
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Laura M Spring
- Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Miguel N Rivera
- Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Pathology, Center for Integrated Diagnostics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jochen K Lennerz
- Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Pathology, Center for Integrated Diagnostics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Dora Dias-Santagata
- Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Pathology, Center for Integrated Diagnostics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Leif W Ellisen
- Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Aditya Bardia
- Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Seth A Wander
- Corresponding author: Seth A. Wander, MD, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA. Tel: +1 617 726 6500; E-mail:
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40
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Cyrta J, Rosiene J, Bareja R, Kudman S, Al Zoughbi W, Motanagh S, Wilkes DC, Eng K, Zhang T, Sticca E, Mathew S, Rubin MA, Sboner A, Elemento O, Rubin BP, Imielinski M, Mosquera JM. Whole-genome characterization of myoepithelial carcinomas of the soft tissue. Cold Spring Harb Mol Case Stud 2022; 8:mcs.a006227. [PMID: 36577525 PMCID: PMC9808553 DOI: 10.1101/mcs.a006227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Myoepithelial carcinomas (MECs) of soft tissue are rare and aggressive tumors affecting young adults and children, but their molecular landscape has not been comprehensively explored through genome sequencing. Here, we present the whole-exome sequencing (WES), whole-genome sequencing (WGS), and RNA sequencing findings of two MECs. Patients 1 and 2 (P1, P2), both male, were diagnosed at 27 and 37 yr of age, respectively, with shoulder (P1) and inguinal (P2) soft tissue tumors. Both patients developed metastatic disease, and P2 died of disease. P1 tumor showed a rhabdoid cytomorphology and a complete loss of INI1 (SMARCB1) expression, associated with a homozygous SMARCB1 deletion. The tumor from P2 showed a clear cell/small cell morphology, retained INI1 expression and strong S100 positivity. By WES and WGS, tumors from both patients displayed low tumor mutation burdens, and no targetable alterations in cancer genes were detected. P2's tumor harbored an EWSR1::KLF15 rearrangement, whereas the tumor from P1 showed a novel ASCC2::GGNBP2 fusion. WGS evidenced a complex genomic event involving mainly Chromosomes 17 and 22 in the tumor from P1, which was consistent with chromoplexy. These findings are consistent with previous reports of EWSR1 rearrangements (50% of cases) in MECs and provide a genetic basis for the loss of SMARCB1 protein expression observed through immunohistochemistry in 10% of 40% of MEC cases. The lack of additional driver mutations in these tumors supports the hypothesis that these alterations are the key molecular events in MEC evolution. Furthermore, the presence of complex structural variant patterns, invisible to WES, highlights the novel biological insights that can be gained through the application of WGS to rare cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Cyrta
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10021, USA;,Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine and New York Presbyterian, New York, New York 10021, USA
| | - Joel Rosiene
- Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine and New York Presbyterian, New York, New York 10021, USA;,SUNY Downstate College of Medicine, Brooklyn, New York 11203, USA
| | - Rohan Bareja
- Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine and New York Presbyterian, New York, New York 10021, USA;,Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10021, USA
| | - Sarah Kudman
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10021, USA;,Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine and New York Presbyterian, New York, New York 10021, USA
| | - Wael Al Zoughbi
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10021, USA;,Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine and New York Presbyterian, New York, New York 10021, USA
| | - Samaneh Motanagh
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10021, USA;,Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine and New York Presbyterian, New York, New York 10021, USA
| | - David C. Wilkes
- Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine and New York Presbyterian, New York, New York 10021, USA
| | - Kenneth Eng
- Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine and New York Presbyterian, New York, New York 10021, USA;,Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10021, USA
| | - Tuo Zhang
- Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine and New York Presbyterian, New York, New York 10021, USA;,Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10021, USA
| | - Evan Sticca
- Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine and New York Presbyterian, New York, New York 10021, USA;,Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10021, USA
| | - Susan Mathew
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10021, USA
| | - Mark A. Rubin
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10021, USA;,Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine and New York Presbyterian, New York, New York 10021, USA
| | - Andrea Sboner
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10021, USA;,Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine and New York Presbyterian, New York, New York 10021, USA;,Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10021, USA
| | - Olivier Elemento
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10021, USA;,Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine and New York Presbyterian, New York, New York 10021, USA;,Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10021, USA
| | - Brian P. Rubin
- Department of Pathology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio 44195, USA
| | - Marcin Imielinski
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10021, USA;,Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine and New York Presbyterian, New York, New York 10021, USA;,New York Genome Center, New York, New York 10013, USA
| | - Juan Miguel Mosquera
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10021, USA;,Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine and New York Presbyterian, New York, New York 10021, USA;,New York Genome Center, New York, New York 10013, USA
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41
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Fisher CL, Dillon R, Anguita E, Morris-Rosendahl DJ, Awan AR. A Novel Bead-Capture Nanopore Sequencing Method for Large Structural Rearrangement Detection in Cancer. J Mol Diagn 2022; 24:1264-1278. [PMID: 36243290 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmoldx.2022.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 08/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Rapid, cost-effective genomic stratification of structural rearrangements in cancer is often of vital importance when determining treatment; however, existing diagnostic cytogenetic and molecular testing fails to deliver the required speed when deployed at scale. Next-generation sequencing-based methods are widely used, but these can lack sensitivity and require batching of samples to be cost-effective, with long turnaround times. Here we present a novel method for rearrangement detection from genomic DNA based on third-generation long-read sequencing that overcomes these time and cost issues. The utility of this approach for the genomic stratification of patients with acute myeloid leukemia is shown based on detection of four of the most prevalent structural rearrangements. The method not only determines the precise genomic breakpoint for each expected rearrangement but also discovers and validates novel translocations in one-third of the tested samples, 80% of which involve known oncogenes. This method may prove to be a powerful tool for the diagnosis, genomic stratification, and characterization of cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe L Fisher
- Genomics Innovation Unit, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Richard Dillon
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics King's College London, London, United Kingdom; Department of Haematology, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Eduardo Anguita
- Hematology Department, IML, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria San Carlos, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, Spain; Department of Medicine, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Deborah J Morris-Rosendahl
- Clinical Genetics and Genomics Laboratory, Royal Brompton Hospital, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom; Molecular Genetics, NHLI, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ali R Awan
- Genomics Innovation Unit, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom; Comprehensive Cancer Centre, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
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42
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Moran JMT, Le LP, Nardi V, Golas J, Farahani AA, Signorelli S, Onozato ML, Foreman RK, Duncan LM, Lawrence DP, Lennerz JK, Dias-Santagata D, Hoang MP. Identification of fusions with potential clinical significance in melanoma. Mod Pathol 2022; 35:1837-1847. [PMID: 35871080 DOI: 10.1038/s41379-022-01138-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Though uncommon in melanoma, gene fusions may have therapeutic implications. Next generation sequencing-based clinical assays, designed to detect relevant gene fusions, mutations, and copy number changes, were performed on 750 melanomas (375 primary and 375 metastases) at our institution from 2014-2021. These included 599 (80%) cutaneous, 38 (5%) acral, 11 (1.5%) anorectal, 23 (3%) sinonasal, 27 (3.6%) eye (uveal/ conjunctiva), 11 (1.5%) genital (vulva/penile), and 41 (5.5%) melanomas of unknown primary. Sixteen fusions (2%) were detected in samples from 16 patients: 12/599 (2%) cutaneous, 2/38 (5%) acral, 1/9 (11%) vulva, 1/23(4.3%) sinonasal; and 12/16 (75%) fusions were potentially targetable. We identified two novel rearrangements: NAGS::MAST2 and NOTCH1::GNB1; and two fusions that have been reported in other malignancies but not in melanoma: CANT1::ETV4 (prostate cancer) and CCDC6::RET (thyroid cancer). Additional fusions, previously reported in melanoma, included: EML4::ALK, MLPH::ALK, AGAP3::BRAF, AGK::BRAF, CDH3::BRAF, CCT8::BRAF, DIP2B::BRAF, EFNB1::RAF1, LRCH3::RAF1, MAP4::RAF1, RUFY1::RAF1, and ADCY2::TERT. Fusion positive melanomas harbored recurrent alterations in TERT and CDKN2A, among others. Gene fusions were exceedingly rare (0.2%) in BRAF/RAS/NF1-mutant tumors and were detected in 5.6% of triple wild-type melanomas. Interestingly, gene rearrangements were significantly enriched within the subset of triple wild-type melanomas that harbor TERT promoter mutations (18% versus 2%, p < 0.0001). Thirteen (81%) patients were treated with immunotherapy for metastatic disease or in the adjuvant setting. Six of 12 (50%) patients with potentially actionable fusions progressed on immunotherapy, and 3/6 (50%) were treated with targeted agents (ALK and MEK inhibitors), 2 off-label and 1 as part of a clinical trial. One patient with an AGAP3::BRAF fusion positive melanoma experienced a 30-month long response to trametinib. We show that, detecting fusions, especially in triple wild-type melanomas with TERT promoter mutations, may have a clinically significant impact in patients with advanced disease who have failed front-line immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakob M T Moran
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Long P Le
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Valentina Nardi
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Josephine Golas
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alexander A Farahani
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sylvia Signorelli
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Maristela L Onozato
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ruth K Foreman
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lyn M Duncan
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Donald P Lawrence
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jochen K Lennerz
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Dora Dias-Santagata
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Mai P Hoang
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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PANAGOPOULOS IOANNIS, HEIM SVERRE. Neoplasia-associated Chromosome Translocations Resulting in Gene Truncation. Cancer Genomics Proteomics 2022; 19:647-672. [PMID: 36316036 PMCID: PMC9620447 DOI: 10.21873/cgp.20349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Revised: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Chromosomal translocations in cancer as well as benign neoplasias typically lead to the formation of fusion genes. Such genes may encode chimeric proteins when two protein-coding regions fuse in-frame, or they may result in deregulation of genes via promoter swapping or translocation of the gene into the vicinity of a highly active regulatory element. A less studied consequence of chromosomal translocations is the fusion of two breakpoint genes resulting in an out-of-frame chimera. The breaks then occur in one or both protein-coding regions forming a stop codon in the chimeric transcript shortly after the fusion point. Though the latter genetic events and mechanisms at first awoke little research interest, careful investigations have established them as neither rare nor inconsequential. In the present work, we review and discuss the truncation of genes in neoplastic cells resulting from chromosomal rearrangements, especially from seemingly balanced translocations.
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Affiliation(s)
- IOANNIS PANAGOPOULOS
- Section for Cancer Cytogenetics, Institute for Cancer Genetics and Informatics, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - SVERRE HEIM
- Section for Cancer Cytogenetics, Institute for Cancer Genetics and Informatics, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway,Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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44
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Sanders C, Lau JF, Dietrich D, Strieth S, Brossart P, Kristiansen G. Nectin-4 is widely expressed in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Oncotarget 2022; 13:1166-1173. [PMID: 36268557 PMCID: PMC9584426 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.28299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose: Nectin-4 has been successfully established as a target molecule in locally advanced and metastatic bladder cancer. An antibody-drug conjugate (enfortumab-vedotin) directed against nectin-4 has shown marked tumor remission rates in this tumor type, which is known for high expression rates of nectin-4. As head and neck cancer and urothelial carcinomas share morphological and molecular similarities, we aimed to evaluate Nectin-4 expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Material and Methods: A previously described and clinically characterized cohort of HNSCC (n = 159) was analyzed by immunohistochemistry for Nectin-4 expression. The expression data was correlated to clinico-pathological parameters including patient outcome. Results: Nectin-4 was found in 86.2% of HNSCC, with medium/high expression seen in 32.7% of cases. Non smokers and p16 positive HNSCC showed a higher expression of Nectin-4 (p < 0.005). There was no correlation of Nectin-4 with grading or tumor stage. Nectin-4 positive tumors showed a significant better survival (log rank p = 0.006). Conclusions: Similar to urothelial carcinoma, Nectin-4 is found in the majority of HNSCC, which clearly warrants further studies to clarify if HNSCC also respond to targeted therapy with enfortumab-vedotin. Moreover, expression of Nectin-4 is associated with HPV infection and may serve as a prognostic marker in HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Sanders
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Bonn (UKB), Bonn, Germany
| | - Jan-Frederic Lau
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Bonn (UKB), Bonn, Germany
| | - Dimo Dietrich
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Medical Center Bonn (UKB), Bonn, Germany
| | - Sebastian Strieth
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Medical Center Bonn (UKB), Bonn, Germany
| | - Peter Brossart
- Department of Haemato-oncology, University Hospital Bonn (UKB), Bonn, Germany
| | - Glen Kristiansen
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Bonn (UKB), Bonn, Germany
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45
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Analysis of Clinical Characteristics and Risk Factors of Postoperative Recurrence and Malignant Transformation of Low-Grade Glioma. JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY 2022; 2022:4948943. [PMID: 36090892 PMCID: PMC9452933 DOI: 10.1155/2022/4948943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
This research was developed to explore the clinical characteristics and related risk factors of postoperative recurrence and malignant transformation of low-grade glioma (LGG). The subjects were rolled into observation group (19 cases) and control group (51 cases) according to recurrence and malignant transformation during the follow-up period. The clinical data of the two groups were compared, and the risk factors of recurrence and malignant transformation were analyzed with the time of recurrence and malignant transformation as independent variables. The experimental results showed that the proportion of patients aged over 45 years in the observation group (63.16%) was higher than that in the control group (50.98%). The proportion of preoperative functional status score (KPS) ≥80 in the observation group (68.42%) was lower than that in the control group (78.43%). The proportion of patients with tumor over 5 cm in the control group (27.45%) was lower than that in the observation group (52.63%), and the proportion of total resection of tumor in the control group (47.06%) was higher than that in the observation group (21.05%). Furthermore, the multivariate analysis showed that preoperative KPS score, preoperative duration of disease, resection scope, postoperative treatment, oncotesticular antigen (OY-TES-1) mRNA, P53, mouse double microbody amplification gene (MDM2), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) were independent risk factors (all P < 0.05). In summary, patients with postoperative recurrence and malignant transformation had poorer physical condition and higher degree of malignancy before surgery. Preoperative KPS score, duration of disease, surgical resection scope, postoperative treatment, OY-TES-1 mRNA, P53, MDM2, VEGF, and EGFR were the risk factors.
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46
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FGFR3-TACCs3 Fusions and Their Clinical Relevance in Human Glioblastoma. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23158675. [PMID: 35955806 PMCID: PMC9369421 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23158675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Oncogenic fusion genes have emerged as successful targets in several malignancies, such as chronic myeloid leukemia and lung cancer. Fusion of the fibroblast growth receptor 3 and the transforming acidic coiled coil containing protein—FGFR3-TACC3 fusion—is prevalent in 3–4% of human glioblastoma. The fusion protein leads to the constitutively activated kinase signaling of FGFR3 and thereby promotes cell proliferation and tumor progression. The subgroup of FGFR3-TACC3 fusion-positive glioblastomas presents with recurrent clinical and histomolecular characteristics, defining a distinctive subtype of IDH-wildtype glioblastoma. This review aims to provide an overview of the available literature on FGFR3-TACC3 fusions in glioblastoma and possible implications for actual clinical practice.
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Experimentally Deduced Criteria for Detection of Clinically Relevant Fusion 3′ Oncogenes from FFPE Bulk RNA Sequencing Data. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10081866. [PMID: 36009413 PMCID: PMC9405289 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10081866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Revised: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Drugs targeting receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) oncogenic fusion proteins demonstrate impressive anti-cancer activities. The fusion presence in the cancer is the respective drug prescription biomarker, but their identification is challenging as both the breakpoint and the exact fusion partners are unknown. RNAseq offers the advantage of finding both fusion parts by screening sequencing reads. Paraffin (FFPE) tissue blocks are the most common way of storing cancer biomaterials in biobanks. However, finding RTK fusions in FFPE samples is challenging as RNA fragments are short and their artifact ligation may appear in sequencing libraries. Here, we annotated RNAseq reads of 764 experimental FFPE solid cancer samples, 96 leukemia samples, and 2 cell lines, and identified 36 putative clinically relevant RTK fusions with junctions corresponding to exon borders of the fusion partners. Where possible, putative fusions were validated by RT-PCR (confirmed for 10/25 fusions tested). For the confirmed 3′RTK fusions, we observed the following distinguishing features. Both moieties were in-frame, and the tyrosine kinase domain was preserved. RTK exon coverage by RNAseq reads upstream of the junction site were lower than downstream. Finally, most of the true fusions were present by more than one RNAseq read. This provides the basis for automatic annotation of 3′RTK fusions using FFPE RNAseq profiles.
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PPP1R7 Is a Novel Translocation Partner of CBFB via t(2;16)(q37;q22) in Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13081367. [PMID: 36011278 PMCID: PMC9407081 DOI: 10.3390/genes13081367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
In a subset of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cases, the core binding factor beta subunit gene (CBFB) was rearranged via inv(16)(p13.1q22) or t(16;16)(p13.1;q22), in which the smooth muscle myosin heavy chain 11 gene (MYH11) was the partner (CBFB::MYH11). Rare variants of CBFB rearrangement occurring via non-classic chromosomal aberrations have been reported, such as t(1;16), t(2;16), t(3;16), t(5;16), and t(16;19), but the partners of CBFB have not been characterized. We report a case of AML with a complex karyotype, including t(2;16)(q37;q22), in which the protein phosphatase 1 regulatory subunit 7 gene (PPP1R7) at chromosome 2q37 was rearranged with CBFB (CBFB::PPP1R7). This abnormality was inconspicuous by conventional karyotype and interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), thus leading to an initial interpretation of inv(16)(p13.1q22); however, metaphase FISH showed that the CBFB rearrangement involved chromosome 2. Using whole genome and Sanger sequencing, the breakpoints were identified as being located in intron 5 of CBFB and intron 7 of PPP1R7. A microhomology of CAG was found in the break and reconnection sites of CBFB and PPP1R7, thus supporting the formation of CBFB::PPP1R7 by microhomology-mediated end joining.
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Severgnini M, D’Angiò M, Bungaro S, Cazzaniga G, Cifola I, Fazio G. Conjoined Genes as Common Events in Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14143523. [PMID: 35884588 PMCID: PMC9315513 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14143523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most frequent childhood cancer. In recent years, broad application of NGS technologies enabled the discovery of novel genomically defined ALL. In this study, as a proof-of-principle, we applied RNA-seq technology to comprehensively profile the transcriptional landscape of a collection of 10 childhood BCP-ALL cases, and performed a deep bioinformatics analysis including several publicly available datasets, in order to characterize their full spectrum of transcriptional events. The paired-end RNA sequencing of our BCP-ALL pediatric cohort revealed a total of 9001 raw fusion events, which, after filtering, resulted in 245 candidate fusions. Overall, 235 out of 245 events were intra-chromosomal fusions, among which 229 involved two contiguous or overlapping genes, also known as conjoined genes (CGs). Among them, we identified a subset of 14 CGs (6.1%) exclusively expressed in leukemic cases but neither in solid cancers nor in normal samples. These events could be suggestive of a novel mechanism of transcriptional regulation in childhood leukemia and may represent novel potential leukemia-specific biomarkers. Abstract Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most frequent childhood cancer. For the last three decades, conventional cytogenetic and molecular approaches allowed the identification of genetic abnormalities having prognostic and therapeutic relevance. Although the current cure rate in pediatric B cell acute leukemia is approximately 90%, it remains one of the leading causes of mortality in childhood. Furthermore, in the contemporary protocols, chemotherapy intensity was raised to the maximal levels of tolerability, and further improvements in the outcome will depend on the characterization and reclassification of the disease, as well as on the development of new targeted drugs. The recent technological advances in genome-wide profiling techniques have allowed the exploration of the molecular heterogeneity of this disease, even though some potentially interesting biomarkers such as conjoined genes have not been deeply investigated yet. In the present study, we performed the transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) of 10 pediatric B cell precursor (BCP)-ALL cases with different risk (four standard- and six high-risk patients) enrolled in the Italian AIEOP-BFM ALL2000 protocol, in order to characterize the full spectrum of transcriptional events and to identify novel potential genetic mechanisms sustaining their different early response to therapy. Total RNA was extracted from primary leukemic blasts and RNA-seq was performed by Illumina technology. Bioinformatics analysis focused on fusion transcripts, originated from either inter- or intra-chromosomal structural rearrangements. Starting from a raw list of 9001 candidate events, by employing a custom-made bioinformatics pipeline, we obtained a short list of 245 candidate fusions. Among them, 10 events were compatible with chromosomal translocations. Strikingly, 235/245 events were intra-chromosomal fusions, 229 of which involved two contiguous or overlapping genes, resulting in the so-called conjoined genes (CGs). To explore the specificity of these events in leukemia, we performed an extensive bioinformatics meta-analysis and evaluated the presence of the fusions identified in our 10 BCP-ALL cohort in several other publicly available RNA-seq datasets, including leukemic, solid tumor and normal sample collections. Overall, 14/229 (6.1%) CGs were found to be exclusively expressed in leukemic cases, suggesting an association between CGs and leukemia. Moreover, CGs were found to be common events both in standard- and high-risk BCP-ALL patients and it might be suggestive of a novel potential transcriptional regulation mechanism active in leukemic cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Severgnini
- Istituto di Tecnologie Biomediche, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 20054 Milano, Italy; (M.S.); (I.C.)
| | - Mariella D’Angiò
- School of Medicine and Surgery, Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy;
- Tettamanti Research Center, University of Milan Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy;
| | - Silvia Bungaro
- Ospedale San Gerardo, Fondazione Monza e Brianza per il Bambino e la sua Mamma (MBBM), 20900 Monza, Italy;
| | - Giovanni Cazzaniga
- School of Medicine and Surgery, Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy;
- Tettamanti Research Center, University of Milan Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-039-233-3661
| | - Ingrid Cifola
- Istituto di Tecnologie Biomediche, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 20054 Milano, Italy; (M.S.); (I.C.)
| | - Grazia Fazio
- Tettamanti Research Center, University of Milan Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy;
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Epithelioid Rhabdomyosarcoma at the High Parietal Area of the Head: A Case Report. Medicina (B Aires) 2022; 58:medicina58070951. [PMID: 35888670 PMCID: PMC9317532 DOI: 10.3390/medicina58070951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Epithelioid rhabdomyosarcoma is a rare condition, which may be clinically misinterpreted as melanoma due to its morphological appearance. Careful morphological and immunohistochemical analysis play an important role in its diagnosis. This case report describes the clinicopathological features of an epithelioid RMS diagnosed at the high parietal area of the head. A 71-year-old male patient presented a red-brown pigmented ulcerative nodule in the high parietal region of the head. Previous biopsy and computer tomography imaging revealed a malignant melanoma in stage I (pT2, sN0, Mx). After tumor operation, histological and immunohistochemical analysis of the tumor were conducted. Histological analysis showed an erosive lesion with a monomorphic cell population containing small cells with prominent nucleoli. A positivity was confirmed for CD10, Vimentin, and Desmin. MyoD1 was detected, as well as a fluctuating signal for p53. Molecular analysis revealed a negativity for Sox-10, and a weak positivity for CK8/18 by absence of p40. Based on the morphological and immunohistochemical findings, the tumor was diagnosed as epithelioid RMS.
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