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Campos Segura AV, Velásquez Sotomayor MB, Gutiérrez Román AIF, Ortiz Rojas CA, Murillo Carrasco AG. Impact of mini-driver genes in the prognosis and tumor features of colorectal cancer samples: a novel perspective to support current biomarkers. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15410. [PMID: 37214090 PMCID: PMC10198153 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15410] [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: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths, and its development is associated with the gains and/or losses of genetic material, which leads to the emergence of main driver genes with higher mutational frequency. In addition, there are other genes with mutations that have weak tumor-promoting effects, known as mini-drivers, which could aggravate the development of oncogenesis when they occur together. The aim of our work was to use computer analysis to explore the survival impact, frequency, and incidence of mutations of possible mini-driver genes to be used for the prognosis of CRC. Methods We retrieved data from three sources of CRC samples using the cBioPortal platform and analyzed the mutational frequency to exclude genes with driver features and those mutated in less than 5% of the original cohort. We also observed that the mutational profile of these mini-driver candidates is associated with variations in the expression levels. The candidate genes obtained were subjected to Kaplan-Meier curve analysis, making a comparison between mutated and wild-type samples for each gene using a p-value threshold of 0.01. Results After gene filtering by mutational frequency, we obtained 159 genes of which 60 were associated with a high accumulation of total somatic mutations with Log2 (fold change) > 2 and p values < 10-5. In addition, these genes were enriched to oncogenic pathways such as epithelium-mesenchymal transition, hsa-miR-218-5p downregulation, and extracellular matrix organization. Our analysis identified five genes with possible implications as mini-drivers: DOCK3, FN1, PAPPA2, DNAH11, and FBN2. Furthermore, we evaluated a combined classification where CRC patients with at least one mutation in any of these genes were separated from the main cohort obtaining a p-value < 0.001 in the evaluation of CRC prognosis. Conclusion Our study suggests that the identification and incorporation of mini-driver genes in addition to known driver genes could enhance the accuracy of prognostic biomarkers for CRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Vladimir Campos Segura
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Research Laboratory. Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal, Lima, Peru
- Research Group in Biochemistry and Synthetic Biology (GIBBS-UNFV), Lima, Peru
- Research Group in Immunology and Cancer (IMMUCA), Lima, Peru
| | - Mariana Belén Velásquez Sotomayor
- Research Group in Immunology and Cancer (IMMUCA), Lima, Peru
- School of Human Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Cientifica del Sur, Lima, Peru
| | - Ana Isabel Flor Gutiérrez Román
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Research Laboratory. Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal, Lima, Peru
- Research Group in Biochemistry and Synthetic Biology (GIBBS-UNFV), Lima, Peru
| | - César Alexander Ortiz Rojas
- Research Group in Immunology and Cancer (IMMUCA), Lima, Peru
- Hematology Division, LIM31, Medical School, Universidade de São Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Alexis Germán Murillo Carrasco
- Research Group in Immunology and Cancer (IMMUCA), Lima, Peru
- Centro de Investigação Translacional em Oncologia (LIM24), Departamento de Radiologia e Oncologia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
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van Ginkel J, Tomlinson I, Soriano I. The Evolutionary Landscape of Colorectal Tumorigenesis: Recent Paradigms, Models, and Hypotheses. Gastroenterology 2023; 164:841-846. [PMID: 36702361 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2022.11.049] [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: 10/13/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Using colorectal cancer as a model, we review some of the insights into cancer evolution afforded by cancer sequencing. These include nonlinear and neutral evolution; polyclonality of driver mutations and parallel evolution in adenomas, although these are rare in carcinomas; the ability of mutational processes to shape evolution against the force of selection; the presence of rare driver genes that function in the same signaling pathways as the longstanding canonical drivers; and the existence of selective windows that constrain the functional effects of cancer driver mutations within limits. Many of these nascent evolutionary paradigms are potentially important for treating colorectal cancers as well as understanding their development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jurriaan van Ginkel
- Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, Institute of Genetics & Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Ian Tomlinson
- Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, Institute of Genetics & Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Ignacio Soriano
- Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, Institute of Genetics & Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
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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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Badr H, Blutrich R, Chan K, Tong J, Taylor P, Zhang W, Kafri R, Röst HL, Tsao MS, Moran MF. Proteomic characterization of a candidate polygenic driver of metabolism in non-small cell lung cancer. J Mol Biol 2022; 434:167636. [PMID: 35595168 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2022.167636] [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: 02/09/2022] [Revised: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Proteome analysis revealed signatures of co-expressed upregulated metabolism proteins highly conserved between primary and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patient-derived xenograft tumors (Li et al. 2014, Nat. Communications 5:5469). The C10 signature is encoded by seven genes (ADSS, ATP2A2, CTPS1, IMPDH2, PKM2, PTGES3, SGPL1) and DNA alterations in C10-encoding genes are associated with longer survival in a subset of NSCLC. To explore the C10 signature as an oncogenic driver and address potential mechanisms of action, C10 protein expression and protein-protein interactions were determined. In independent NSCLC cohorts, the coordinated expression of C10 proteins was significant and mutations in C10 genes were associated with better outcome. Affinity purification-mass spectrometry and in vivo proximity-based biotin identification defined a C10 interactome involving 667 proteins including candidate drug targets and clusters associated with glycolysis, calcium homeostasis, and nucleotide and sphingolipid metabolism. DNA alterations in genes encoding C10 interactome components were also found to be associated with better survival. These data support the notion that the coordinated upregulation of the C10 signature impinges metabolic processes that collectively function as an oncogenic driver in NSCLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heba Badr
- Program in Cell Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Ron Blutrich
- Program in Cell Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3E1, Canada
| | - Kaitlin Chan
- Program in Cell Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3E1, Canada
| | - Jiefei Tong
- Program in Cell Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Paul Taylor
- Program in Cell Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; SPARC BioCentre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Wen Zhang
- Program in Cell Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3E1, Canada
| | - Ran Kafri
- Program in Cell Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3E1, Canada
| | - Hannes L Röst
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3E1, Canada; Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3E1, Canada
| | - Ming-Sound Tsao
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2M9, Canada; Departments of Medical Biophysics and Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada
| | - Michael F Moran
- Program in Cell Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3E1, Canada; SPARC BioCentre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2M9, Canada.
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Memon D, Bi J, Miller CJ. In silico prediction of housekeeping long intergenic non-coding RNAs reveals HKlincR1 as an essential player in lung cancer cell survival. Sci Rep 2019; 9:7372. [PMID: 31089191 PMCID: PMC6517443 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-43758-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2019] [Accepted: 04/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Prioritising long intergenic noncoding RNAs (lincRNAs) for functional characterisation is a significant challenge. Here we applied computational approaches to discover lincRNAs expected to play a critical housekeeping (HK) role within the cell. Using the Illumina Human BodyMap RNA sequencing dataset as a starting point, we first identified lincRNAs ubiquitously expressed across a panel of human tissues. This list was then further refined by reference to conservation score, secondary structure and promoter DNA methylation status. Finally, we used tumour expression and copy number data to identify lincRNAs rarely downregulated or deleted in multiple tumour types. The resulting list of candidate essential lincRNAs was then subjected to co-expression analyses using independent data from ENCODE and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). This identified a substantial subset with a predicted role in DNA replication and cell cycle regulation. One of these, HKlincR1, was selected for further characterisation. Depletion of HKlincR1 affected cell growth in multiple lung cancer cell lines, and led to disruption of genes involved in cell growth and viability. In addition, HKlincR1 expression was correlated with overall survival in lung adenocarcinoma patients. Our in silico studies therefore reveal a set of housekeeping noncoding RNAs of interest both in terms of their role in normal homeostasis, and their relevance in tumour growth and maintenance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danish Memon
- RNA Biology Group, CRUK Manchester Institute, The University of Manchester, Alderley Park, Manchester, SK10 4TG, UK
- European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI)/Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, The University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jing Bi
- RNA Biology Group, CRUK Manchester Institute, The University of Manchester, Alderley Park, Manchester, SK10 4TG, UK
| | - Crispin J Miller
- RNA Biology Group, CRUK Manchester Institute, The University of Manchester, Alderley Park, Manchester, SK10 4TG, UK.
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