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Gao X, He K, Zeng Z, Yin Y, Huang J, Liu X, Xiang X, Li J. Integrative analysis of the role of the DPH gene family in hepatocellular carcinoma and expression validation. Transl Cancer Res 2024; 13:4062-4084. [PMID: 39262488 PMCID: PMC11385253 DOI: 10.21037/tcr-24-147] [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: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 09/13/2024]
Abstract
Background The diphthamide (DPH) gene family is a group of genes that encode a set of enzymes that specifically modify eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2). Although previous studies have shown a link between the DPH genes (DPHs) and carcinogenesis, it is still unknown how the DPHs affect hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to describe the expression, clinical significance, and potential mechanisms of DPHs in HCC. Methods Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx), and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases were utilized to research the expression of DPHs in HCC. The relationship between the expression of DPHs and the clinicopathological characteristics of HCC patients was investigated using TCGA data, and their diagnostic value was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and their prognostic value was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier curves and univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Potential reasons for the upregulation of DPH2 and DPH3 (DPH2,3) expression in HCC were analyzed using multiple databases. Additionally, this study also explored the potential biological functions of DPH2,3 in HCC via gene sets enrichment analysis (GSEA). Correlation analysis of DPH2,3 expression with immune-related genes and immune checkpoints was performed using Spearman's correlation analysis, and single-sample GSEA was used to assess the distribution of tumor-infiltrating immune cell types. Results DPH1,7 expression was downregulated in tumor tissues while DPH2,3,5,6 expression was upregulated and showed a similar expression pattern in HCC. The results of the ROC analysis suggested that DPHs had valuable diagnostic properties in HCC. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that DPH2,3,7 had prognostic predictive value in HCC. Furthermore, univariate and multivariate Cox regression suggested that DPH2,3 was an independent predictive factor for HCC. GSEA analysis revealed that DPH2,3 might be tightly associated with Pathways in cancer, cell cycles, Fc gamma R mediated phagocytosis, etc. Additionally, DPH2,3 expression and numerous immune-related genes showed a positive connection, including chemokines receptor genes, immunosuppressive genes, chemokines genes, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes, and immunostimulatory genes. Further analysis of the association between 24 immune infiltrating cells and DPH2,3 revealed the greatest negative correlation between natural killer (NK) cells and Th17 cells, but the greatest positive correlation with Th2 cells. Conclusions DPHs significantly influence the development and progression of HCC. DPH2,3 has significant diagnostic and prognostic potential and may be a promising target for immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojin Gao
- Institute of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic-Intestinal Disease, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, China
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Academician (Expert) Workstation, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, China
| | - Kun He
- Institute of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic-Intestinal Disease, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, China
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Academician (Expert) Workstation, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, China
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Jintang Second People's Hospital, Chengdu, China
| | - Zhongxiang Zeng
- Institute of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic-Intestinal Disease, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, China
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Academician (Expert) Workstation, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, China
| | - Yaolin Yin
- Institute of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic-Intestinal Disease, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, China
| | - Jie Huang
- Institute of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic-Intestinal Disease, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, China
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Academician (Expert) Workstation, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, China
| | - Xingliang Liu
- Institute of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic-Intestinal Disease, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, China
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Academician (Expert) Workstation, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, China
| | - Xiaocong Xiang
- Institute of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic-Intestinal Disease, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, China
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Academician (Expert) Workstation, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, China
| | - Jingdong Li
- Institute of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic-Intestinal Disease, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, China
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Academician (Expert) Workstation, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, China
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Montgomery A, Tsiatsianis GC, Mouratidis I, Chan CSY, Athanasiou M, Papanastasiou AD, Kantere V, Syrigos N, Vathiotis I, Syrigos K, Yee NS, Georgakopoulos-Soares I. Utilizing nullomers in cell-free RNA for early cancer detection. Cancer Gene Ther 2024; 31:861-870. [PMID: 38351138 PMCID: PMC11192629 DOI: 10.1038/s41417-024-00741-3] [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: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 06/23/2024]
Abstract
Early detection of cancer can significantly improve patient outcomes; however, sensitive and highly specific biomarkers for cancer detection are currently missing. Nullomers are the shortest sequences that are absent from the human genome but can emerge due to somatic mutations in cancer. We examine over 10,000 whole exome sequencing matched tumor-normal samples to characterize nullomer emergence across exonic regions of the genome. We also identify nullomer emerging mutational hotspots within tumor genes. Finally, we provide evidence for the identification of nullomers in cell-free RNA from peripheral blood samples, enabling detection of multiple tumor types. We show multiple tumor classification models with an AUC greater than 0.9, including a hepatocellular carcinoma classifier with an AUC greater than 0.99.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin Montgomery
- Institute for Personalized Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Georgios Christos Tsiatsianis
- Institute for Personalized Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Ioannis Mouratidis
- Institute for Personalized Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Candace S Y Chan
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Maria Athanasiou
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | | | - Verena Kantere
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Nikos Syrigos
- Third Department of Internal Medicine, Sotiria Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, Athens, Greece
| | - Ioannis Vathiotis
- Third Department of Internal Medicine, Sotiria Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, Athens, Greece
| | - Konstantinos Syrigos
- Third Department of Internal Medicine, Sotiria Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, Athens, Greece
| | - Nelson S Yee
- Next Generation Therapies Program, Penn State Cancer Institute; Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Ilias Georgakopoulos-Soares
- Institute for Personalized Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA.
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Qiu Y, Qin A, Zhao R, Ding J, Jia WWG, Singh M, Murad Y, Tan Q, Kichenadasse G. Oncolytic virotherapy stimulates anti‑tumor immune response and demonstrates activity in advanced sarcoma: Report of two cases. Oncol Lett 2024; 27:244. [PMID: 38638849 PMCID: PMC11024735 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2024.14377] [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: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Sarcoma is derived from mesenchymal neoplasms and has numerous subtypes, accounting for 1% of all adult malignancies and 15% of childhood malignancies. The prognosis of metastatic or recurrent sarcoma remains poor. The current study presents two cases of sarcoma enrolled in a phase I dose escalation trial for solid tumor, who had previously failed all standard therapies. These patients were treated with VG161, an immune-stimulating herpes simplex virus type 1 oncolytic virus with payloads of IL-12, IL-15 and IL-15 receptor α unit, and a programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)/PD-1 ligand 1 blocking peptide. Both cases demonstrated stable disease as the best response, accompanied by a noteworthy prolongation of progression-free survival (11.8 months for chondrosarcoma and 11.9 months for soft tissue sarcoma, respectively) at a dose of 2.5×108 PFU/cycle. In addition, the treatment led to the activation of anti-cancer immunity, as evident from cytokine, lymphocyte subset and related pathway analyses of peripheral blood and/or tumor biopsy samples. These promising results suggest that VG161 monotherapy holds promise as an effective treatment for sarcoma and warrants further investigation through clinical trials. The two reported patients were part of a phase I clinical trial conducted and registered on the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry in Australia (registration no. ACTRN12620000244909; registration date, 26 February, 2020).
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeting Qiu
- Shanghai Virogin Biotech Ltd., Shanghai 200240, P.R. China
| | - Aijun Qin
- Shanghai Virogin Biotech Ltd., Shanghai 200240, P.R. China
| | - Ronghua Zhao
- Shanghai Virogin Biotech Ltd., Shanghai 200240, P.R. China
- Virogin Biotech Canada Ltd., Richmond, BC V6V 3A4, Canada
- China National Biotec Group (CNBG) - Virogin Biotech (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Shanghai 200240, P.R. China
| | - Jun Ding
- Shanghai Virogin Biotech Ltd., Shanghai 200240, P.R. China
- Virogin Biotech Canada Ltd., Richmond, BC V6V 3A4, Canada
| | - William Wei-Guo Jia
- Shanghai Virogin Biotech Ltd., Shanghai 200240, P.R. China
- Virogin Biotech Canada Ltd., Richmond, BC V6V 3A4, Canada
- China National Biotec Group (CNBG) - Virogin Biotech (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Shanghai 200240, P.R. China
| | - Manu Singh
- Virogin Biotech Canada Ltd., Richmond, BC V6V 3A4, Canada
| | - Yanal Murad
- Virogin Biotech Canada Ltd., Richmond, BC V6V 3A4, Canada
| | - Qian Tan
- Shanghai Virogin Biotech Ltd., Shanghai 200240, P.R. China
| | - Ganessan Kichenadasse
- Department of Medical Oncology, Southern Oncology Clinical Research Unit, Flinders Private Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia 5042, Australia
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Sánchez-Marín D, Silva-Cázares MB, Porras-Reyes FI, García-Román R, Campos-Parra AD. Breaking paradigms: Long non-coding RNAs forming gene fusions with potential implications in cancer. Genes Dis 2024; 11:101136. [PMID: 38292185 PMCID: PMC10825296 DOI: 10.1016/j.gendis.2023.101136] [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: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are non-coding RNAs longer than 200 nucleotides with dynamic regulatory functions. They interact with a wide range of molecules such as DNA, RNA, and proteins to modulate diverse cellular functions through several mechanisms and, if deregulated, they can lead to cancer development and progression. Recently, it has been described that lncRNAs are susceptible to form gene fusions with mRNAs or other lncRNAs, breaking the paradigm of gene fusions consisting mainly of protein-coding genes. However, their biological significance in the tumor phenotype is still uncertain. Therefore, their recent identification opens a new line of research to study their biological role in tumorigenesis, and their potential as biomarkers with clinical relevance or as therapeutic targets. The present study aimed to review the lncRNA fusions identified so far and to know which of them have been associated with a potential function. We address the current challenges to deepen their study as well as the reasons why they represent a future therapeutic window in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Sánchez-Marín
- Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, C.P. 04360, México
| | - Macrina Beatriz Silva-Cázares
- Unidad Académica Multidisciplinaria Región Altiplano, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí (UASLP), Carretera a Cedral Km 5+600, Ejido San José de la Trojes, Matehuala, San Luis Potosí, C.P. 78760, México
| | - Fany Iris Porras-Reyes
- Servicio de Anatomía Patológica, Instituto Nacional de Cancerología (INCan), Niño Jesús, Tlalpan, Ciudad de México, C.P. 14080, México
| | - Rebeca García-Román
- Instituto de Salud Pública, Universidad Veracruzana (UV), Av. Dr Luis, Dr. Castelazo Ayala s/n, Col. Industrial Ánimas, Xalapa, Veracruz, C.P. 91190, México
| | - Alma D. Campos-Parra
- Instituto de Salud Pública, Universidad Veracruzana (UV), Av. Dr Luis, Dr. Castelazo Ayala s/n, Col. Industrial Ánimas, Xalapa, Veracruz, C.P. 91190, México
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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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Chen M, Li S, Jiang L. Clinicopathological molecular characterizations of sinonasal NUT carcinoma: a report of two cases and a literature review. Front Oncol 2024; 13:1296862. [PMID: 38239638 PMCID: PMC10794637 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1296862] [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: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Nuclear protein in testis (NUT) carcinoma (NC) is a rare, aggressive tumor with a typical NUTM1 gene rearrangement. Methods Herein, we report a series of 2 cases of sinonasal NC: one in a 16-year-old woman and one in a 37-year-old man. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining for NUT (C52B1), fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and next generation sequencing (NGS) sequencing were performed to investigate the morphological and genetic features of sinonasal NC. Results The two cases presented similar pathological features and IHC markers, and typical morphological changes, including undifferentiated cells and abrupt keratinization, were observed, with numerous mitotic figures and widespread tumor necrosis. Diffuse expression of NUT, CK, p63, and p40 was noted, while the tumors were negative for synaptophysin, chromogranin A, S-100, EBV-ISH, and PD-L1. Both tumors harbored a NUTM1 rearrangement. Subsequent sequencing revealed a rare BRD3::NUTM1 fusion and a classic BRD4::NUTM1 fusion. In addition, MCL1 copy number gain (2.1), low tumor mutation burden and stable microsatellites, were also confirmed. Case 1 received surgery and chemoradiotherapy but died 13 months after local recurrence and subsequent lung and bone metastasis. Case 2 underwent chemoradiotherapy and unfortunately died from the disease 6 months later. A review of all previously reported cases of sinonasal NCs (n=55) revealed that these tumors occur more frequently in female pediatric patients (n=11, male: female =3:8), whereas this sex difference is not observed in adult patients (n=44, male: female =23:21). The median survival times of pediatric and adult patients were 17 and 13.8 months, respectively. Conclusion Sinonasal NC presents typical undifferentiated or poorly differentiated cells, abrupt keratinization features and heterogeneous genotypes, including BRD4::NUTM1 and BRD3::NUTM1 fusions, with low tumor mutation burden and stable microsatellites.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Lili Jiang
- Department of Pathology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
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Ohki K, Kiyokawa N, Watanabe S, Iwafuchi H, Nakazawa A, Ishiwata K, Ogata-Kawata H, Nakabayashi K, Okamura K, Tanaka F, Fukano R, Hata K, Mori T, Moriya Saito A, Hayashi Y, Taga T, Sekimizu M, Kobayashi R. Characteristics of genetic alterations of peripheral T-cell lymphoma in childhood including identification of novel fusion genes: the Japan Children's Cancer Group (JCCG). Br J Haematol 2021; 194:718-729. [PMID: 34258755 DOI: 10.1111/bjh.17639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Revised: 05/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) is a group of heterogeneous non-Hodgkin lymphomas showing a mature T-cell or natural killer cell phenotype, but its molecular abnormalities in paediatric patients remain unclear. By employing next-generation sequencing and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification of tumour samples from 26 patients, we identified somatic alterations in paediatric PTCL including Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-negative (EBV- ) and EBV-positive (EBV+ ) patients. As recurrent mutational targets for PTCL, we identified several previously unreported genes, including TNS1, ZFHX3, LRP2, NCOA2 and HOXA1, as well as genes previously reported in adult patients, e.g. TET2, CDKN2A, STAT3 and TP53. However, for other reported mutations, VAV1-related abnormalities were absent and mutations of NRAS, GATA3 and JAK3 showed a low frequency in our cohort. Concerning the association of EBV infection, two novel fusion genes: STAG2-AFF2 and ITPR2-FSTL4, and deletion and alteration of CDKN2A/2B, LMO1 and HOXA1 were identified in EBV- PTCL, but not in EBV+ PTCL. Conversely, alterations of PCDHGA4, ADAR, CUL9 and TP53 were identified only in EBV+ PTCL. Our observations suggest a clear difference in the molecular mechanism of onset between paediatric and adult PTCL and a difference in the characteristics of genetic alterations between EBV- and EBV+ paediatric PTCL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kentaro Ohki
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Research, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Nobutaka Kiyokawa
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Research, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Satoru Watanabe
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Research, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hideto Iwafuchi
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Research, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Pathology, Shizuoka Children's Hospital, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Astuko Nakazawa
- Department of Clinical Research, Saitama Children's Medical Center, Saitama, Japan
| | - Keisuke Ishiwata
- Department of Maternal-Fetal Biology, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroko Ogata-Kawata
- Department of Maternal-Fetal Biology, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazuhiko Nakabayashi
- Department of Maternal-Fetal Biology, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kohji Okamura
- Department of Systems BioMedicine, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Fumiko Tanaka
- Department of Pediatrics, Saiseikai Yokohamashi Nanbu Hospital, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Reiji Fukano
- Department of Pediatrics, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Yamaguchi, Japan
| | - Kenichiro Hata
- Department of Maternal-Fetal Biology, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Mori
- Department of Pediatrics, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Akiko Moriya Saito
- Clinical Research Center, National Hospital Organization Nagoya Medical Center, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Yasuhide Hayashi
- Institute of Physiology and Medicine, Jobu University, Takasaki, Japan
| | - Takashi Taga
- Department of Pediatrics, Shiga University of Medical Science, Shiga, Japan
| | - Masahiro Sekimizu
- Department of Pediatrics, National Hospital Organization Nagoya Medical Center, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Ryoji Kobayashi
- Department of Hematology/Oncology for Children and Adolescents, Sapporo Hokuyu Hospital, Hokkaido, Japan
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Panicker S, Venkatabalasubramanian S, Pathak S, Ramalingam S. The impact of fusion genes on cancer stem cells and drug resistance. Mol Cell Biochem 2021; 476:3771-3783. [PMID: 34095988 DOI: 10.1007/s11010-021-04203-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
With ever increasing evidences on the role of fusion genes as the oncogenic protagonists in myriad cancers, it's time to explore if fusion genes can be the next generational drug targets in meeting the current demands of higher drug efficacy. Eliminating cancer stem cells (CSC) has become the current focus; however, we have reached a standstill in drug development owing to the lack of effective strategies to eradicate CSC. We believe that fusion genes could be the novel targets to overcome this limitation. The intriguing feature of fusion genes is that it dominantly impacts every aspect of CSC including self-renewal, differentiation, lineage commitment, tumorigenicity and stemness. Given the clinical success of fusion gene-based drugs in hematological cancers, our attempt to target fusion genes in eradicating CSC can be rewarding. As fusion genes are expressed explicitly in cancer cells, eradicating CSC by targeting fusion genes provides yet an another advantage of negligible patient side effects since normal cells remain unaffected by the drug. We hereby delineate the latest evidences on how fusion genes regulate CSC and drug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saurav Panicker
- Department of Genetic Engineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Kanchipuram, 603203, Tamil Nadu, India
| | | | - Surajit Pathak
- Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chettinad Academy of Research and Education, Kelambakkam, Chennai, 603103, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Satish Ramalingam
- Department of Genetic Engineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Kanchipuram, 603203, Tamil Nadu, India.
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