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Pardo-Cea MA, Farré X, Esteve A, Palade J, Espín R, Mateo F, Alsop E, Alorda M, Blay N, Baiges A, Shabbir A, Comellas F, Gómez A, Arnan M, Teulé A, Salinas M, Berrocal L, Brunet J, Rofes P, Lázaro C, Conesa M, Rojas JJ, Velten L, Fendler W, Smyczynska U, Chowdhury D, Zeng Y, He HH, Li R, Van Keuren-Jensen K, de Cid R, Pujana MA. Biological basis of extensive pleiotropy between blood traits and cancer risk. Genome Med 2024; 16:21. [PMID: 38308367 PMCID: PMC10837955 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-024-01294-8] [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: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The immune system has a central role in preventing carcinogenesis. Alteration of systemic immune cell levels may increase cancer risk. However, the extent to which common genetic variation influences blood traits and cancer risk remains largely undetermined. Here, we identify pleiotropic variants and predict their underlying molecular and cellular alterations. METHODS Multivariate Cox regression was used to evaluate associations between blood traits and cancer diagnosis in cases in the UK Biobank. Shared genetic variants were identified from the summary statistics of the genome-wide association studies of 27 blood traits and 27 cancer types and subtypes, applying the conditional/conjunctional false-discovery rate approach. Analysis of genomic positions, expression quantitative trait loci, enhancers, regulatory marks, functionally defined gene sets, and bulk- and single-cell expression profiles predicted the biological impact of pleiotropic variants. Plasma small RNAs were sequenced to assess association with cancer diagnosis. RESULTS The study identified 4093 common genetic variants, involving 1248 gene loci, that contributed to blood-cancer pleiotropism. Genomic hotspots of pleiotropism include chromosomal regions 5p15-TERT and 6p21-HLA. Genes whose products are involved in regulating telomere length are found to be enriched in pleiotropic variants. Pleiotropic gene candidates are frequently linked to transcriptional programs that regulate hematopoiesis and define progenitor cell states of immune system development. Perturbation of the myeloid lineage is indicated by pleiotropic associations with defined master regulators and cell alterations. Eosinophil count is inversely associated with cancer risk. A high frequency of pleiotropic associations is also centered on the regulation of small noncoding Y-RNAs. Predicted pleiotropic Y-RNAs show specific regulatory marks and are overabundant in the normal tissue and blood of cancer patients. Analysis of plasma small RNAs in women who developed breast cancer indicates there is an overabundance of Y-RNA preceding neoplasm diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS This study reveals extensive pleiotropism between blood traits and cancer risk. Pleiotropism is linked to factors and processes involved in hematopoietic development and immune system function, including components of the major histocompatibility complexes, and regulators of telomere length and myeloid lineage. Deregulation of Y-RNAs is also associated with pleiotropism. Overexpression of these elements might indicate increased cancer risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Angel Pardo-Cea
- ProCURE, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Oncobell, Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet del Llobregat, 08908, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Xavier Farré
- Genomes for Life - GCAT Lab Group, Institut Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP), Badalona, 08916, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Anna Esteve
- Badalona Applied Research Group in Oncology (B-ARGO), Catalan Institute of Oncology, Institut Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP), Badalona, 08916, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Joanna Palade
- Cancer and Cell Biology, Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), Arizona, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, USA
| | - Roderic Espín
- ProCURE, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Oncobell, Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet del Llobregat, 08908, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Francesca Mateo
- ProCURE, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Oncobell, Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet del Llobregat, 08908, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Eric Alsop
- Cancer and Cell Biology, Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), Arizona, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, USA
| | - Marc Alorda
- ProCURE, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Oncobell, Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet del Llobregat, 08908, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Natalia Blay
- Genomes for Life - GCAT Lab Group, Institut Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP), Badalona, 08916, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Alexandra Baiges
- ProCURE, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Oncobell, Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet del Llobregat, 08908, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Arzoo Shabbir
- ProCURE, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Oncobell, Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet del Llobregat, 08908, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Francesc Comellas
- Department of Mathematics, Technical University of Catalonia, Castelldefels, 08860, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Antonio Gómez
- Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Sciences and Technology (FCT), University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC), Vic, 08500, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Montserrat Arnan
- Department of Hematology, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Oncobell, Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet del Llobregat, 08908, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Alex Teulé
- Hereditary Cancer Program, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Oncobell, Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet del Llobregat, 08908, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Monica Salinas
- Hereditary Cancer Program, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Oncobell, Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet del Llobregat, 08908, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Laura Berrocal
- OncoGir, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI), 17190, Salt, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Joan Brunet
- Hereditary Cancer Program, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Oncobell, Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet del Llobregat, 08908, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- OncoGir, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI), 17190, Salt, Catalonia, Spain
- Biomedical Research Network Centre in Cancer (CIBERONC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28222, Madrid, Spain
| | - Paula Rofes
- Hereditary Cancer Program, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Oncobell, Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet del Llobregat, 08908, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Biomedical Research Network Centre in Cancer (CIBERONC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28222, Madrid, Spain
| | - Conxi Lázaro
- Hereditary Cancer Program, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Oncobell, Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet del Llobregat, 08908, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Biomedical Research Network Centre in Cancer (CIBERONC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28222, Madrid, Spain
| | - Miquel Conesa
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapies, University of Barcelona (UB), Oncobell, Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet del Llobregat, 08908, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Juan Jose Rojas
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapies, University of Barcelona (UB), Oncobell, Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet del Llobregat, 08908, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Lars Velten
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), 08003, Barcelona, Spain
- University Pompeu Fabra (UPF), 08002, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Wojciech Fendler
- Department of Biostatistics and Translational Medicine, Medical University of Lodz, 92-215, Lodz, Poland
| | - Urszula Smyczynska
- Department of Biostatistics and Translational Medicine, Medical University of Lodz, 92-215, Lodz, Poland
| | - Dipanjan Chowdhury
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Center for BRCA and Related Genes, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Yong Zeng
- Princess Margaret Cancer Center, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, M5G 2C4, Canada
| | - Housheng Hansen He
- Princess Margaret Cancer Center, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, M5G 2C4, Canada
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5G 1L7, Canada
| | - Rong Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, 20052, USA
| | - Kendall Van Keuren-Jensen
- Cancer and Cell Biology, Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), Arizona, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, USA.
| | - Rafael de Cid
- Genomes for Life - GCAT Lab Group, Institut Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP), Badalona, 08916, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
| | - Miquel Angel Pujana
- ProCURE, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Oncobell, Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet del Llobregat, 08908, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
- Biomedical Research Network Centre in Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28222, Madrid, Spain.
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Zhou S, Van Bortle K. The Pol III transcriptome: Basic features, recurrent patterns, and emerging roles in cancer. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. RNA 2023; 14:e1782. [PMID: 36754845 PMCID: PMC10498592 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Abstract
The RNA polymerase III (Pol III) transcriptome is universally comprised of short, highly structured noncoding RNA (ncRNA). Through RNA-protein interactions, the Pol III transcriptome actuates functional activities ranging from nuclear gene regulation (7SK), splicing (U6, U6atac), and RNA maturation and stability (RMRP, RPPH1, Y RNA), to cytoplasmic protein targeting (7SL) and translation (tRNA, 5S rRNA). In higher eukaryotes, the Pol III transcriptome has expanded to include additional, recently evolved ncRNA species that effectively broaden the footprint of Pol III transcription to additional cellular activities. Newly evolved ncRNAs function as riboregulators of autophagy (vault), immune signaling cascades (nc886), and translation (Alu, BC200, snaR). Notably, upregulation of Pol III transcription is frequently observed in cancer, and multiple ncRNA species are linked to both cancer progression and poor survival outcomes among cancer patients. In this review, we outline the basic features and functions of the Pol III transcriptome, and the evidence for dysregulation and dysfunction for each ncRNA in cancer. When taken together, recurrent patterns emerge, ranging from shared functional motifs that include molecular scaffolding and protein sequestration, overlapping protein interactions, and immunostimulatory activities, to the biogenesis of analogous small RNA fragments and noncanonical miRNAs, augmenting the function of the Pol III transcriptome and further broadening its role in cancer. This article is categorized under: RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease RNA Processing > Processing of Small RNAs RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein-RNA Interactions: Functional Implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sihang Zhou
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Kevin Van Bortle
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Cancer Center at Illinois, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
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Jeandard D, Smirnova A, Fasemore AM, Coudray L, Entelis N, Förstner K, Tarassov I, Smirnov A. CoLoC-seq probes the global topology of organelle transcriptomes. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 51:e16. [PMID: 36537202 PMCID: PMC9943681 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac1183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Proper RNA localisation is essential for physiological gene expression. Various kinds of genome-wide approaches permit to comprehensively profile subcellular transcriptomes. Among them, cell fractionation methods, that couple RNase treatment of isolated organelles to the sequencing of protected transcripts, remain most widely used, mainly because they do not require genetic modification of the studied system and can be easily implemented in any cells or tissues, including in non-model species. However, they suffer from numerous false-positives since incompletely digested contaminant RNAs can still be captured and erroneously identified as resident transcripts. Here we introduce Controlled Level of Contamination coupled to deep sequencing (CoLoC-seq) as a new subcellular transcriptomics approach that efficiently bypasses this caveat. CoLoC-seq leverages classical enzymatic kinetics and tracks the depletion dynamics of transcripts in a gradient of an exogenously added RNase, with or without organellar membranes. By means of straightforward mathematical modelling, CoLoC-seq infers the localisation topology of RNAs and robustly distinguishes between genuinely resident, luminal transcripts and merely abundant surface-attached contaminants. Our generic approach performed well on human mitochondria and is in principle applicable to other membrane-bounded organelles, including plastids, compartments of the vacuolar system, extracellular vesicles, and viral particles.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Léna Coudray
- UMR7156 – Génétique Moléculaire, Génomique, Microbiologie (GMGM), University of Strasbourg, CNRS, Strasbourg, F-67000, France
| | - Nina Entelis
- UMR7156 – Génétique Moléculaire, Génomique, Microbiologie (GMGM), University of Strasbourg, CNRS, Strasbourg, F-67000, France
| | - Konrad U Förstner
- ZB MED – Information Centre for Life Sciences, Cologne, D-50931, Germany,TH Köln – University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Information Science and Communication Studies, Institute of Information Science, Cologne, D-50678, Germany
| | - Ivan Tarassov
- UMR7156 – Génétique Moléculaire, Génomique, Microbiologie (GMGM), University of Strasbourg, CNRS, Strasbourg, F-67000, France
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