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Xie C, Lu D. Evolution and diversity of the hepatitis B virus genome: Clinical implications. Virology 2024; 598:110197. [PMID: 39098184 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2024.110197] [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: 05/23/2024] [Revised: 07/14/2024] [Accepted: 07/30/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024]
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a significant global health burden. The genetic variation of HBV is complex. HBV can be divided into nine genotypes, which show significant differences in geographical distribution, clinical manifestations, transmission routes and treatment response. In recent years, substantial progress has been made through various research methods in understanding the development, pathogenesis, and antiviral treatment response of clinical disease associated with HBV genetic variants. This progress provides important theoretical support for a deeper understanding of the natural history of HBV infection, virus detection, drug treatment, vaccine development, mother-to-child transmission, and surveillance management. This review summarizes the mechanisms of HBV diversity, discusses methods used to detect viral diversity in current studies, and the impact of viral genome variation during infection on the development of clinical disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengzuo Xie
- Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Daiqiang Lu
- Institute of Molecular and Medical Virology, Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Viral Pathogenesis & Infection Prevention and Control, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510632, China.
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2
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Tan KT, Slevin MK, Leibowitz ML, Garrity-Janger M, Shan J, Li H, Meyerson M. Neotelomeres and telomere-spanning chromosomal arm fusions in cancer genomes revealed by long-read sequencing. CELL GENOMICS 2024; 4:100588. [PMID: 38917803 PMCID: PMC11293586 DOI: 10.1016/j.xgen.2024.100588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024]
Abstract
Alterations in the structure and location of telomeres are pivotal in cancer genome evolution. Here, we applied both long-read and short-read genome sequencing to assess telomere repeat-containing structures in cancers and cancer cell lines. Using long-read genome sequences that span telomeric repeats, we defined four types of telomere repeat variations in cancer cells: neotelomeres where telomere addition heals chromosome breaks, chromosomal arm fusions spanning telomere repeats, fusions of neotelomeres, and peri-centromeric fusions with adjoined telomere and centromere repeats. These results provide a framework for the systematic study of telomeric repeats in cancer genomes, which could serve as a model for understanding the somatic evolution of other repetitive genomic elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kar-Tong Tan
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | | | - Mitchell L Leibowitz
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Max Garrity-Janger
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Jidong Shan
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Heng Li
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
| | - Matthew Meyerson
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
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3
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Liu J, Liu S, Li D, Li H, Zhang F. Prevalence and Associations of Co-occurrence of NFE2L2 Mutations and Chromosome 3q26 Amplification in Lung Cancer. Glob Med Genet 2024; 11:150-158. [PMID: 38628662 PMCID: PMC11018393 DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1786004] [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] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Background NFE2L2 (nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor-2) encodes a basic leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factor and exhibits variations in various tumor types, including lung cancer. In this study, we comprehensively investigated the impact of simultaneous mutations on the survival of NFE2L2 -mutant lung cancer patients within specific subgroups. Methods A cohort of 1,103 lung cancer patients was analyzed using hybridization capture-based next-generation sequencing. Results The NFE2L2 gene had alterations in 3.0% (33/1,103) of lung cancer samples, including 1.5% (15/992) in adenocarcinoma and 16.2% (18/111) in squamous cell carcinoma. Thirty-four variations were found, mainly in exons 2 (27/34). New variations in exon 2 (p.D21H, p.V36_E45del, p.F37_E45del, p.R42P, p.E67Q, and p.L76_E78delinsQ) were identified. Some patients had copy number amplifications. Co-occurrence with TP53 (84.8%), CDKN2A (33.3%), KMT2B (33.3%), LRP1B (33.3%), and PIK3CA (27.3%) mutations was common. Variations of NFE2L2 displayed the tightest co-occurrence with IRF2 , TERC , ATR , ZMAT3 , and SOX2 ( p < 0.001). In The Cancer Genome Atlas Pulmonary Squamous Carcinoma project, patients with NFE2L2 variations and 3q26 amplification had longer median survival (63.59 vs. 32.04 months, p = 0.0459) and better overall survival. Conclusions NFE2L2 mutations display notable heterogeneity in lung cancer. The coexistence of NFE2L2 mutations and 3q26 amplification warrants in-depth exploration of their potential clinical implications and treatment approaches for affected patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinfeng Liu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Sijie Liu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Beijing Aerospace General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Dan Li
- Department of General Surgery, Jingxing County Hospital of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Hongbin Li
- Department of Oncology, Rongcheng County People's Hospital, Baoding, China
| | - Fan Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
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4
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Mutetwa T, Liu Y, Silvera R, Evans M, Yurich M, Tripodi J, Leonard I, Houldsworth J, Gümüş Z, Bowcock AM, Sigel K, Gaisa M, Polak P. Host Nuclear Genome Copy Number Variations Identify High-Risk Anal Precancers in People Living With HIV. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2024; 96:190-195. [PMID: 38630441 PMCID: PMC11108747 DOI: 10.1097/qai.0000000000003409] [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: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND People living with HIV (PLWH) have substantially increased incidence of anal precancer and cancer. There are very little data regarding genomic disturbances in anal precancers among PLWH. In this study, specific chromosomal variants were identified in anal squamous intraepithelial lesions. METHODS Overall, 63 anal biopsy specimens (27 low-grade intraepithelial lesions [LSIL] and 36 high-grade intraepithelial lesions [HSIL]) were collected from PLWH obtained as part of anal cancer screening in our NYC-based health system. Data on patient demographics, anal cytological, and high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) diagnoses were collected. Specimens were tested for a panel of chromosomal alterations associated with HPV-induced oncogenesis using fluorescence in situ hybridization, and analyses compared the associations of these alterations with clinical characteristics. RESULTS Gains of 3q26, 5p15, 20q13, and cen7 were detected in 42%, 31%, 31%, and 19% of HSIL compared with 7%, 0%, 4%, and 0% of LSIL, respectively. If at least 1 abnormality was observed, 89% had a 3q26 gain. In lesions with 5p15 gains, 20q13 gains co-occurred in 91% of cases, while cen7 gain only co-occurred with the other 3 alterations. The sensitivity and specificity of any alteration to predict HSIL were 47% (95% CI: 30%-65%) and 93% (95% CI: 76%-99%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS Genomic alterations seen in HPV-associated cancers may help distinguish anal LSIL from HSIL. 3q26 amplification may be an early component of anal carcinogenesis, preceding 5p16, 20q13, and/or chr7. IMPACT Insights into potential genomic biomarkers for discriminating high-risk anal precancers are shared.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tinaye Mutetwa
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yuxin Liu
- Department of Pathology, Molecular and Cell Based Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Richard Silvera
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michelle Evans
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michael Yurich
- Department of Pathology, Molecular and Cell Based Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Joseph Tripodi
- Department of Pathology, Molecular and Cell Based Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Issa Leonard
- Department of Pathology, Molecular and Cell Based Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jane Houldsworth
- Department of Pathology, Molecular and Cell Based Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Zeynep Gümüş
- Department of Genetics and Genomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Anne M. Bowcock
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Keith Sigel
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michael Gaisa
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Paz Polak
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
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Kumar N, Sethi G. Telomerase and hallmarks of cancer: An intricate interplay governing cancer cell evolution. Cancer Lett 2023; 578:216459. [PMID: 37863351 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2023.216459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
Transformed cells must acquire specific characteristics to be malignant. Weinberg and Hanahan characterize these characteristics as cancer hallmarks. Though these features are independently driven, substantial signaling crosstalk in transformed cells efficiently promotes these feature acquisitions. Telomerase is an enzyme complex that maintains telomere length. However, its main component, Telomere reverse transcriptase (TERT), has been found to interact with various signaling molecules like cMYC, NF-kB, BRG1 and cooperate in transcription and metabolic reprogramming, acting as a strong proponent of malignant features such as cell death resistance, sustained proliferation, angiogenesis activation, and metastasis, among others. It allows cells to avoid replicative senescence and achieve endless replicative potential. This review summarizes both the canonical and noncanonical functions of TERT and discusses how they promote cancer hallmarks. Understanding the role of Telomerase in promoting cancer hallmarks provides vital insight into the underlying mechanism of cancer genesis and progression and telomerase intervention as a possible therapeutic target for cancer treatment. More investigation into the precise molecular mechanisms of telomerase-mediated impacts on cancer hallmarks will contribute to developing more focused and customized cancer treatment methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naveen Kumar
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), Singapore, 138673, Singapore
| | - Gautam Sethi
- Department of Pharmacology and NUS Centre for Cancer Research, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117600, Singapore.
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Tan KT, Slevin MK, Leibowitz ML, Garrity-Janger M, Li H, Meyerson M. Neotelomeres and Telomere-Spanning Chromosomal Arm Fusions in Cancer Genomes Revealed by Long-Read Sequencing. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.30.569101. [PMID: 38077026 PMCID: PMC10705422 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.30.569101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Alterations in the structure and location of telomeres are key events in cancer genome evolution. However, previous genomic approaches, unable to span long telomeric repeat arrays, could not characterize the nature of these alterations. Here, we applied both long-read and short-read genome sequencing to assess telomere repeat-containing structures in cancers and cancer cell lines. Using long-read genome sequences that span telomeric repeat arrays, we defined four types of telomere repeat variations in cancer cells: neotelomeres where telomere addition heals chromosome breaks, chromosomal arm fusions spanning telomere repeats, fusions of neotelomeres, and peri-centromeric fusions with adjoined telomere and centromere repeats. Analysis of lung adenocarcinoma genome sequences identified somatic neotelomere and telomere-spanning fusion alterations. These results provide a framework for systematic study of telomeric repeat arrays in cancer genomes, that could serve as a model for understanding the somatic evolution of other repetitive genomic elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kar-Tong Tan
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Cancer Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Michael K. Slevin
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Center for Cancer Genomics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Mitchell L. Leibowitz
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Cancer Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Max Garrity-Janger
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Cancer Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Heng Li
- Department of Data Sciences, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Matthew Meyerson
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Cancer Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Center for Cancer Genomics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Lead contact
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Kouroukli AG, Rajaram N, Bashtrykov P, Kretzmer H, Siebert R, Jeltsch A, Bens S. Targeting oncogenic TERT promoter variants by allele-specific epigenome editing. Clin Epigenetics 2023; 15:183. [PMID: 37993930 PMCID: PMC10666398 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-023-01599-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Activation of dominant oncogenes by small or structural genomic alterations is a common driver mechanism in many cancers. Silencing of such dominantly activated oncogenic alleles, thus, is a promising strategy to treat cancer. Recently, allele-specific epigenome editing (ASEE) has been described as a means to reduce transcription of genes in an allele-specific manner. In cancer, specificity to an oncogenic allele can be reached by either targeting directly a pathogenic single-nucleotide variant or a polymorphic single-nucleotide variant linked to the oncogenic allele. To investigate the potential of ASEE in cancer, we here explored this approach by targeting variants at the TERT promoter region. The TERT promoter region has been described as one of the most frequently mutated non-coding cancer drivers. RESULTS Sequencing of the TERT promoter in cancer cell lines showed 53% (41/77) to contain at least one heterozygous sequence variant allowing allele distinction. We chose the hepatoblastoma cell line Hep-G2 and the lung cancer cell line A-549 for this proof-of-principle study, as they contained two different kinds of variants, namely the activating mutation C228T in the TERT core promoter and the common SNP rs2853669 in the THOR region, respectively. These variants were targeted in an allele-specific manner using sgRNA-guided dCas9-DNMT3A-3L complexes. In both cell lines, we successfully introduced DNA methylation specifically to the on-target allele of the TERT promoter with limited background methylation on the off-target allele or an off-target locus (VEGFA), respectively. We observed a maximum CpG methylation gain of 39% and 76% on the target allele when targeting the activating mutation and the common SNP, respectively. The epigenome editing translated into reduced TERT RNA expression in Hep-G2. CONCLUSIONS We applied an ASEE-mediated approach to silence TERT allele specifically. Our results show that the concept of dominant oncogene inactivation by allele-specific epigenome editing can be successfully translated into cancer models. This new strategy may have important advantages in comparison with existing therapeutic approaches, e.g., targeting telomerase, especially with regard to reducing adverse side effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra G Kouroukli
- Institute of Human Genetics, Ulm University and Ulm University Medical Center, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Nivethika Rajaram
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry, University of Stuttgart, Allmandring 31, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Pavel Bashtrykov
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry, University of Stuttgart, Allmandring 31, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Helene Kretzmer
- Computational Genomics, Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Reiner Siebert
- Institute of Human Genetics, Ulm University and Ulm University Medical Center, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Albert Jeltsch
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry, University of Stuttgart, Allmandring 31, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Susanne Bens
- Institute of Human Genetics, Ulm University and Ulm University Medical Center, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany.
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Tora R, Welch J, Sun J, Agarwal SK, Bell DA, Merino M, Weinstein LS, Simonds WF, Jha S. Phenotypic Profiling and Molecular Mechanisms in Hyperparathyroidism-jaw Tumor Syndrome. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2023; 108:3165-3177. [PMID: 37339334 PMCID: PMC10655532 DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgad368] [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: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/22/2023]
Abstract
CONTEXT Hyperparathyroidism-jaw tumor (HPT-JT) syndrome is a heritable form of primary hyperparathyroidism caused by germline inactivating mutations in CDC73 encoding parafibromin and is associated with an increased risk of parathyroid cancer. There is little evidence to guide the management of patients with the disease. OBJECTIVE (1) Characterize the natural history of HPT-JT, (2) correlate genotype and histology of parathyroid tumors with parafibromin immunostaining, (3) understand molecular changes downstream to CDC73 loss. DESIGN Retrospective study of patients with HPT-JT syndrome (genetically confirmed or affected first-degree relatives). Independent review of uterine tumor from 2 patients and staining for parafibromin on parathyroid tumors from 19 patients (13 adenomas, 6 carcinomas) was performed. RNA-sequencing was performed in 21 parathyroid samples (8 HPT-JT-related adenomas, 6 HPT-JT-related carcinomas, and 7 sporadic carcinomas with wild-type CDC73). RESULTS We identified 68 patients from 29 kindreds with HPT-JT with median age at last follow-up of 39 [interquartile range, 29-53] years. A total of 55/68 (81%) developed primary hyperparathyroidism; 17/55 (31%) had parathyroid carcinoma. Twelve of 32 (38%) females developed uterine tumors. Of the 11 patients who had surgical resection for uterine tumors, 12/24 (50%) tumors were rare mixed epithelial mesenchymal polypoid lesions. Four of 68 patients (6%) developed solid kidney tumors; 3/4 had a CDC73 variant at p.M1 residue. Parafibromin staining of parathyroid tumors did not correlate with tumor histology or genotype. RNA-sequencing showed a significant association of HPT-JT-related parathyroid tumors with transmembrane receptor protein tyrosine kinase signaling pathway, mesodermal commitment pathway, and cell-cell adhesion. CONCLUSIONS Multiple, recurrent atypical adenomyomatous uterine polyps appear to be enriched in women with HPT-JT and appear characteristic of the disease. Patients with CDC73 variants at p.M1 residue appear predisposed to kidney tumors. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER NCT04969926.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rana Tora
- Metabolic Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - James Welch
- Metabolic Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Jian Sun
- NIAID Collaborative Bioinformatics Resource (NCBR), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Sunita K Agarwal
- Metabolic Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Debra A Bell
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Maria Merino
- Laboratory of Pathology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Lee S Weinstein
- Metabolic Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - William F Simonds
- Metabolic Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Smita Jha
- Metabolic Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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Gold NM, Okeke MN, He Y. Involvement of Inheritance in Determining Telomere Length beyond Environmental and Lifestyle Factors. Aging Dis 2023:AD.2023.1023. [PMID: 37962459 DOI: 10.14336/ad.2023.1023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
All linear chromosomal ends have specific DNA-protein complexes called telomeres. Telomeres serve as a "molecular clock" to estimate the potential length of cell replication. Shortening of telomere length (TL) is associated with cellular senescence, aging, and various age-related diseases in humans. Here we reviewed the structure, function, and regulation of telomeres and the age-related diseases associated with telomere attrition. Among the various determinants of TL, we highlight the connection between TL and heredity to provide a new overview of genetic determinants for TL. Studies across multiple species have shown that maternal and paternal TL influence the TL of their offspring, and this may affect life span and their susceptibility to age-related diseases. Hence, we reviewed the linkage between TL and parental influences and the proposed mechanisms involved. More in-depth studies on the genetic mechanism for TL attrition are needed due to the potential application of this knowledge in human medicine to prevent premature frailty at its earliest stage, as well as promote health and longevity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naheemat Modupeola Gold
- Key Laboratory of Healthy Aging Research of Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, Yunnan, China
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic, Evolution and Animal Models, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, Yunnan, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Michael Ngozi Okeke
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Center for Nanomedical Technology Research, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yonghan He
- Key Laboratory of Healthy Aging Research of Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, Yunnan, China
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic, Evolution and Animal Models, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, Yunnan, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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10
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Brik A, Wichert K, Weber DG, Szafranski K, Rozynek P, Meier S, Ko YD, Büttner R, Gerwert K, Behrens T, Brüning T, Johnen G. Assessment of MYC and TERT copy number variations in lung cancer using digital PCR. BMC Res Notes 2023; 16:279. [PMID: 37858127 PMCID: PMC10585721 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-023-06566-x] [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: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Lung cancer is the second most frequent cancer type and the most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Alteration of gene copy numbers are associated with lung cancer and the determination of copy number variations (CNV) is appropriate for the discrimination between tumor and non-tumor tissue in lung cancer. As telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and v-myc avian myelocytomatosis viral oncogene homolog (MYC) play a role in lung cancer the aims of this study were the verification of our recent results analyzing MYC CNV in tumor and non-tumor tissue of lung cancer patients using an independent study group and the assessment of TERT CNV as an additional marker. RESULTS TERT and MYC status was analyzed using digital PCR (dPCR) in tumor and adjacent non-tumor tissue samples of 114 lung cancer patients. The difference between tumor and non-tumor samples were statistically significant (p < 0.0001) for TERT and MYC. Using a predefined specificity of 99% a sensitivity of 41% and 51% was observed for TERT and MYC, respectively. For the combination of TERT and MYC the overall sensitivity increased to 60% at 99% specificity. We demonstrated that a combination of markers increases the performance in comparison to individual markers. Additionally, the determination of CNV using dPCR might be an appropriate tool in precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Brik
- Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance - Institute of the Ruhr University Bochum (IPA), Bochum, Germany.
| | - Katharina Wichert
- Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance - Institute of the Ruhr University Bochum (IPA), Bochum, Germany
| | - Daniel G Weber
- Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance - Institute of the Ruhr University Bochum (IPA), Bochum, Germany
| | - Katja Szafranski
- Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance - Institute of the Ruhr University Bochum (IPA), Bochum, Germany
| | - Peter Rozynek
- Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance - Institute of the Ruhr University Bochum (IPA), Bochum, Germany
| | - Swetlana Meier
- Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance - Institute of the Ruhr University Bochum (IPA), Bochum, Germany
| | - Yon-Dschun Ko
- Department of Internal Medicine, Johanniter-Kliniken Bonn GmbH, Bonn, Germany
| | - Reinhard Büttner
- Institute of Pathology, Medical Faculty and Center for Molecular Medicine (CMMC), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Klaus Gerwert
- Center for Protein Diagnostics (PRODI), Department of Biophysics, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Thomas Behrens
- Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance - Institute of the Ruhr University Bochum (IPA), Bochum, Germany
| | - Thomas Brüning
- Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance - Institute of the Ruhr University Bochum (IPA), Bochum, Germany
| | - Georg Johnen
- Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance - Institute of the Ruhr University Bochum (IPA), Bochum, Germany
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11
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Kheimar A, Trapp-Fragnet L, Conradie AM, Bertzbach LD, You Y, Sabsabi MA, Kaufer BB. Viral and cellular telomerase RNAs possess host-specific anti-apoptotic functions. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0188723. [PMID: 37754662 PMCID: PMC10581129 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01887-23] [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: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Human telomerase RNA (hTR) is overexpressed in many cancers and protects T cells from apoptosis in a telomerase-independent manner. The most prevalent cancer in the animal kingdom is caused by the highly oncogenic herpesvirus Marek's disease virus (MDV). MDV encodes a viral telomerase RNA (vTR) that plays a crucial role in MDV-induced tumorigenesis and shares all four conserved functional domains with hTR. In this study, we assessed whether hTR drives tumor formation in this natural model of herpesvirus-induced tumorigenesis. Therefore, we replaced vTR with hTR in the genome of a highly oncogenic MDV. Furthermore, we investigated the anti-apoptotic activity of vTR, hTR, and their counterpart in the chicken [chicken telomerase RNA (cTR)]. hTR was efficiently expressed and did not alter replication of the recombinant virus. Despite its conserved structure, hTR did not complement the loss of vTR in virus-induced tumorigenesis. Strikingly, hTR did not inhibit apoptosis in chicken cells, but efficiently inhibited apoptosis in human cells. Inverse host restriction has been observed for vTR and cTR in human cells. Our data revealed that vTR, cTR, and hTR possess conserved but host-specific anti-apoptotic functions that likely contribute to MDV-induced tumorigenesis. IMPORTANCE hTR is overexpressed in many cancers and used as a cancer biomarker. However, the contribution of hTR to tumorigenesis remains elusive. In this study, we assessed the tumor-promoting properties of hTR using a natural virus/host model of herpesvirus-induced tumorigenesis. This avian herpesvirus encodes a telomerase RNA subunit (vTR) that plays a crucial role in viral tumorigenesis and shares all conserved functional domains with hTR. Our data revealed that vTR and cellular TRs of humans and chickens possess host-specific anti-apoptotic functions. This provides important translational insights into therapeutic strategies, as inhibition of apoptosis is crucial for tumorigenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed Kheimar
- Institute of Virology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Poultry Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Sohag University, Sohag, Egypt
| | - Laetitia Trapp-Fragnet
- INRAE, UMR1282 Infectiologie et Santé Publique, Equipe Biologie des Virus Aviaires INRAE, Nouzilly, France
| | | | - Luca D. Bertzbach
- Institute of Virology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Viral Transformation, Leibniz Institute of Virology (LIV), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Yu You
- Institute of Virology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Benedikt B. Kaufer
- Institute of Virology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Veterinary Centre for Resistance Research (TZR), Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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12
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Ali JH, Walter M. Combining old and new concepts in targeting telomerase for cancer therapy: transient, immediate, complete and combinatory attack (TICCA). Cancer Cell Int 2023; 23:197. [PMID: 37679807 PMCID: PMC10483736 DOI: 10.1186/s12935-023-03041-2] [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: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomerase can overcome replicative senescence by elongation of telomeres but is also a specific element in most cancer cells. It is expressed more vastly than any other tumor marker. Telomerase as a tumor target inducing replicative immortality can be overcome by only one other mechanism: alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT). This limits the probability to develop resistance to treatments. Moreover, telomerase inhibition offers some degree of specificity with a low risk of toxicity in normal cells. Nevertheless, only one telomerase antagonist reached late preclinical studies. The underlying causes, the pitfalls of telomerase-based therapies, and future chances based on recent technical advancements are summarized in this review. Based on new findings and approaches, we propose a concept how long-term survival in telomerase-based cancer therapies can be significantly improved: the TICCA (Transient Immediate Complete and Combinatory Attack) strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaber Haj Ali
- Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Universitätsmedizin Rostock, Ernst-Heydemann-Straße 6, 18057, Rostock, Germany
| | - Michael Walter
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Universitätsmedizin Rostock, Ernst-Heydemann-Straße 6, 18057, Rostock, Germany.
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13
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Mbeje M, Kandhavelu J, Penny C, Kgoebane-Maseko M, Dlamini Z, Marima R. In Silico Bioinformatics Analysis on the Role of Long Non-Coding RNAs as Drivers and Gatekeepers of Androgen-Independent Prostate Cancer Using LNCaP and PC-3 Cells. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2023; 45:7257-7274. [PMID: 37754243 PMCID: PMC10528188 DOI: 10.3390/cimb45090459] [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: 08/02/2023] [Revised: 08/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Prostate cancer (PCa) is the leading cancer in men globally. The association between PCa and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) has been reported. Aberrantly expressed lncRNAs have been documented in each of the cancer "hallmarks". Androgen signaling plays an important role in PCa progression. This study aimed to profile the aberrantly expressed lncRNAs in androgen-dependent (LNCaP) PCa compared to androgen-independent (PC-3) PCa cells. This was achieved by using a 384-well plate of PCa lncRNA gene panel. Differential expression of ±2 up or downregulation was determined using the CFX Maestro software v2.1. LncSEA and DIANA-miRPath were used to identify the enriched pathways. Telomerase RNA component (TERC) lncRNA was illustrated to participate in various tumourigenic classes by in silico bioinformatics analysis and was thus selected for validation using RT-qPCR. Further bioinformatics analysis revealed the involvement of differentially expressed lncRNAs in oncogenic pathways. Some lncRNAs undergo hypermethylation, others are encapsulated by exosomes, while others interact with several microRNAs (miRNAs), favouring tumourigenic pathways. Notably, TERC lncRNA was shown to interact with tumour-suppressor miRNAs hsa-miR-4429 and hsa-miR-320b. This interaction in turn activates TGF-β-signaling and ECM-receptor interaction pathways, favouring the progression of PCa. Understanding lncRNAs as competitive endogenous RNA molecules and their interactions with miRNAs may aid in the identification of novel prognostic PCa biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mandisa Mbeje
- SAMRC Precision Oncology Research Unit (PORU), DSI/NRF SARChI Chair in Precision Oncology and Cancer Prevention (POCP), Pan African Cancer Research Institute (PACRI), University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0028, South Africa; (M.M.); (M.K.-M.)
- Department of Medical Oncology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Steve Biko Academic Hospital, University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0028, South Africa
| | - Jeyalakshmi Kandhavelu
- Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20057, USA;
| | - Clement Penny
- Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Clinical Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown 2193, South Africa;
| | - Mmamoletla Kgoebane-Maseko
- SAMRC Precision Oncology Research Unit (PORU), DSI/NRF SARChI Chair in Precision Oncology and Cancer Prevention (POCP), Pan African Cancer Research Institute (PACRI), University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0028, South Africa; (M.M.); (M.K.-M.)
- Department of Anatomical Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0028, South Africa
| | - Zodwa Dlamini
- SAMRC Precision Oncology Research Unit (PORU), DSI/NRF SARChI Chair in Precision Oncology and Cancer Prevention (POCP), Pan African Cancer Research Institute (PACRI), University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0028, South Africa; (M.M.); (M.K.-M.)
| | - Rahaba Marima
- SAMRC Precision Oncology Research Unit (PORU), DSI/NRF SARChI Chair in Precision Oncology and Cancer Prevention (POCP), Pan African Cancer Research Institute (PACRI), University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0028, South Africa; (M.M.); (M.K.-M.)
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14
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Lin F, Huang J, Zhu W, Jiang T, Guo J, Xia W, Chen M, Guo L, Deng W, Lin H. Prognostic value and immune landscapes of TERT promoter methylation in triple negative breast cancer. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1218987. [PMID: 37575241 PMCID: PMC10416624 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1218987] [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: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Treatment options for patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remain limited to mainstay therapies owing to a lack of efficacious therapeutic targets. Accordingly, there is an urgent need to discover and identify novel molecular targets for the treatment and diagnosis of this disease. In this study, we analyzed the correlation of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) methylation status with TERT expression, prognosis, and immune infiltration in TNBC and identified the role of TERT methylation in the regulation TNBC prognosis and immunotherapy. Methods Data relating to the transcriptome, clinicopathological characteristics and methylation of TNBC patients were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. TERT expression levels and differential methylation sites (DMSs) were detected. The correlations between TERT expression and DMSs were calculated. Kaplan-Meier curves was plotted to analyze the relationship between the survival of TNBC patients and the DMSs. The correlations of DMSs and TERT expression with several immunological characteristics of immune microenvironment (immune cell infiltration, immunomodulators, immune-related biological pathways, and immune checkpoints) were assessed. The results were validated using 40 TNBC patients from Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (SYSUCC). Results Six DMSs were identified. Among them, four sites (cg11625005, cg07380026, cg17166338, and cg26006951) were within the TERT promoter, in which two sites (cg07380026 and cg26006951) were significantly related to the prognosis of patients with TNBC. Further validation using 40 TNBC samples from SYSUCC showed that the high methylation of the cg26006951 CpG site was associated with poor survival prognosis (P=0.0022). TERT expression was significantly correlated with pathological N stage and clinical stage, and cg07380026 were significantly associated with pathological T and N stages in the TCGA cohort. Moreover, the methylation site cg26006951, cg07380026 and TERT expression were significantly correlated with immune cell infiltration, common immunomodulators, and the level of the immune checkpoint receptor lymphocyte activation gene 3 (LAG-3) in TNBC patients. Conclusion TERT promotertypermethylation plays an important role in TERT expression regulation and tumor microenvironment in TNBC. It is associated with overall survival and LAG-3 expression. TERT promoter hypermethylation may be a potential molecular biomarker for predicting response to the TERT inhibitors and immune checkpoint inhibitors in TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Ling Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wuguo Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Huanxin Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
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15
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Sun S, Liu K, Xue C, Hu Y, Yu H, Qi G, Chen J, Li X, Zhao X, Gong Z. Genome-Wide Effects on Gene Expression Between Parental and Filial Generations of Trisomy 11 and 12 of Rice. RICE (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2023; 16:17. [PMID: 36964817 PMCID: PMC10039966 DOI: 10.1186/s12284-023-00632-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Aneuploid refers to the gene dosage imbalance due to copy number alterations. Aneuploidy is generally harmful to the growth, development and reproduction of organisms according to the numerous research. However, it has rarely been reported on whether aneuploid have a relevant pattern of genome expression between the parental and its offspring generations. In this study, mRNA sequencing analysis was performed on rice (Oryza sativa L.) primary trisomes 11 and 12, same primary trisomes and normal individuals in their filial generation. We systematically summarized the changes in gene expression patterns that occur on cis genes and on trans genes between parental and filial generations. In T11 and T12, the ratio of cis-gene expression showed intermediate type in parents and dosage compensation in filial generations, which maybe due to more genes being downregulated. The trans genes were also affected by aneuploidy and manifested as cis-related. The strains with normal chromosomes in filial generations, there are still aneuploid-sensitive genes differentially expressed in their genomes, indicating that the effect of aneuploidy is far-reaching and could not be easily eliminated. Meanwhile, among these differentially expressed genes, genes with low-expression level were more likely to be upregulated, while genes with medium- and high-expression level were easy to be downregulated. For the different types of rice aneuploid, upregulated genes were mainly associated with genomic imbalance while downregulated genes were mainly influenced by the specific added chromosome. In conclusion, our results provide new insights into the genetic characterization and evolution of biological aneuploidy genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shang Sun
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding/Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics of the Ministry of Education/Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Agricultural College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Kai Liu
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Chao Xue
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Yingying Hu
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Hengxiu Yu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding/Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics of the Ministry of Education/Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Agricultural College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Guoxiao Qi
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding/Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics of the Ministry of Education/Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Agricultural College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Jijin Chen
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding/Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics of the Ministry of Education/Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Agricultural College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Xiya Li
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Xinru Zhao
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Zhiyun Gong
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding/Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics of the Ministry of Education/Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Agricultural College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China.
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China.
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16
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da Mota THA, Camargo R, Biojone ER, Guimarães AFR, Pittella-Silva F, de Oliveira DM. The Relevance of Telomerase and Telomere-Associated Proteins in B-Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:genes14030691. [PMID: 36980962 PMCID: PMC10048576 DOI: 10.3390/genes14030691] [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: 02/10/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomeres and telomerase are closely linked to uncontrolled cellular proliferation, immortalization and carcinogenesis. Telomerase has been largely studied in the context of cancer, including leukemias. Deregulation of human telomerase gene hTERT is a well-established step in leukemia development. B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) recovery rates exceed 90% in children; however, the relapse rate is around 20% among treated patients, and 10% of these are still incurable. This review highlights the biological and clinical relevance of telomerase for B-ALL and the implications of its canonical and non-canonical action on signaling pathways in the context of disease and treatment. The physiological role of telomerase in lymphocytes makes the study of its biomarker potential a great challenge. Nevertheless, many works have demonstrated that high telomerase activity or hTERT expression, as well as short telomeres, correlate with poor prognosis in B-ALL. Telomerase and related proteins have been proven to be promising pharmacological targets. Likewise, combined therapy with telomerase inhibitors may turn out to be an alternative strategy for B-ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tales Henrique Andrade da Mota
- Laboratory of Molecular Pathology of Cancer, University of Brasilia, Brasilia 70910-900, Brazil
- Laboratory of Molecular Analysis, Faculty of Ceilândia, University of Brasilia, Brasilia 72220-275, Brazil
- Correspondence:
| | - Ricardo Camargo
- Brasília Children’s Hospital José Alencar, Brasilia 70684-831, Brazil
| | | | - Ana Flávia Reis Guimarães
- Laboratory of Molecular Analysis, Faculty of Ceilândia, University of Brasilia, Brasilia 72220-275, Brazil
| | - Fabio Pittella-Silva
- Laboratory of Molecular Pathology of Cancer, University of Brasilia, Brasilia 70910-900, Brazil
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17
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Yeh TJ, Luo CW, Du JS, Huang CT, Wang MH, Chuang TM, Gau YC, Cho SF, Liu YC, Hsiao HH, Chen LT, Pan MR, Wang HC, Moi SH. Deciphering the Functions of Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase in Head and Neck Cancer. Biomedicines 2023; 11:691. [PMID: 36979671 PMCID: PMC10044978 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11030691] [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: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Head and neck cancers (HNCs) are among the ten leading malignancies worldwide. Despite significant progress in all therapeutic modalities, predictive biomarkers, and targeted therapies for HNCs are limited and the survival rate is unsatisfactory. The importance of telomere maintenance via telomerase reactivation in carcinogenesis has been demonstrated in recent decades. Several mechanisms could activate telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), the most common of which is promoter alternation. Two major hotspot TERT promoter mutations (C228T and C250T) have been reported in different malignancies such as melanoma, genitourinary cancers, CNS tumors, hepatocellular carcinoma, thyroid cancers, sarcomas, and HNCs. The frequencies of TERT promoter mutations vary widely across tumors and is quite high in HNCs (11.9-64.7%). These mutations have been reported to be more enriched in oral cavity SCCs and HPV-negative tumors. The association between TERT promoter mutations and poor survival has also been demonstrated. Till now, several therapeutic strategies targeting telomerase have been developed although only a few drugs have been used in clinical trials. Here, we briefly review and summarize our current understanding and evidence of TERT promoter mutations in HNC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsung-Jang Yeh
- Division of Hematology & Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Center for Cancer Research, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Wen Luo
- Department of Surgery, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Department of Cosmetic Science and Institute of Cosmetic Science, Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Science, Tainan 717, Taiwan
| | - Jeng-Shiun Du
- Division of Hematology & Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Center for Cancer Research, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Chien-Tzu Huang
- Division of Hematology & Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Min-Hung Wang
- Division of Hematology & Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Tzer-Ming Chuang
- Division of Hematology & Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Center for Cancer Research, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Yuh-Ching Gau
- Division of Hematology & Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Center for Cancer Research, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Feng Cho
- Division of Hematology & Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Center for Cancer Research, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Chang Liu
- Division of Hematology & Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Hui-Hua Hsiao
- Division of Hematology & Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Li-Tzong Chen
- Center for Cancer Research, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Center for Cancer Research, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- National Institute of Cancer Research, National Health Research Institutes, Tainan 704, Taiwan
| | - Mei-Ren Pan
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Drug Development and Value Creation Research Center, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Hui-Ching Wang
- Division of Hematology & Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Center for Cancer Research, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Sin-Hua Moi
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
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18
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Momeni-Boroujeni A, Yousefi E, Gupta S, Benayed R, Berger MF, Ladanyi M, Monroe R, Kim J, Jungbluth A, Weigelt B, Park KJ. Evaluation of TERT mRNA expression using RNAscope®: A potential histopathologic diagnostic and prognostic tool. Pathol Res Pract 2022; 233:153892. [DOI: 10.1016/j.prp.2022.153892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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19
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Ahuno ST, Doebley AL, Ahearn TU, Yarney J, Titiloye N, Hamel N, Adjei E, Clegg-Lamptey JN, Edusei L, Awuah B, Song X, Vanderpuye V, Abubakar M, Duggan M, Stover DG, Nyarko K, Bartlett JMS, Aitpillah F, Ansong D, Gardner KL, Boateng FA, Bowcock AM, Caldas C, Foulkes WD, Wiafe S, Wiafe-Addai B, Garcia-Closas M, Kwarteng A, Ha G, Figueroa JD, Polak P. Circulating tumor DNA is readily detectable among Ghanaian breast cancer patients supporting non-invasive cancer genomic studies in Africa. NPJ Precis Oncol 2021; 5:83. [PMID: 34535742 PMCID: PMC8448727 DOI: 10.1038/s41698-021-00219-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) sequencing studies could provide novel insights into the molecular pathology of cancer in sub-Saharan Africa. In 15 patient plasma samples collected at the time of diagnosis as part of the Ghana Breast Health Study and unselected for tumor grade and subtype, ctDNA was detected in a majority of patients based on whole- genome sequencing at high (30×) and low (0.1×) depths. Breast cancer driver copy number alterations were observed in the majority of patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Terkper Ahuno
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, New York, USA
| | - Anna-Lisa Doebley
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Thomas U Ahearn
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | | | - Nancy Hamel
- Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | | | | | | | | | - Xiaoyu Song
- Department of Population Health Science and Policy, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, New York, USA
- Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, New York, USA
| | | | - Mustapha Abubakar
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Maire Duggan
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Daniel G Stover
- Stefanie Spielman Comprehensive Breast Cancer, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- Division of Medical Oncology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | | | - John M S Bartlett
- Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Francis Aitpillah
- Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana
- School of Medicine & Dentistry, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Daniel Ansong
- Department of Child Health, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Kevin L Gardner
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | | | - Anne M Bowcock
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, New York, USA
- Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, New York, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, New York, USA
- Department of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, New York, USA
| | | | - William D Foulkes
- Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Lady Davis Institute and Segal Cancer Centre, Jewish General Hospital, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Program in Cancer Genetics, Departments of Oncology and Human Genetics, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Seth Wiafe
- School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Alexander Kwarteng
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
- Kumasi Center for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Gavin Ha
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Jonine D Figueroa
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA.
- CRUK Edinburgh Centre, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
| | - Paz Polak
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, New York, USA.
- Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, New York, USA.
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, New York, USA.
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20
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Hu K, Ghandi M, Huang FW. Integrated evaluation of telomerase activation and telomere maintenance across cancer cell lines. eLife 2021; 10:e66198. [PMID: 34486523 PMCID: PMC8530513 DOI: 10.7554/elife.66198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In cancer, telomere maintenance is critical for the development of replicative immortality. Using genome sequences from the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia and Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer Project, we calculated telomere content across 1299 cancer cell lines. We find that telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) expression correlates with telomere content in lung, central nervous system, and leukemia cell lines. Using CRISPR/Cas9 screening data, we show that lower telomeric content is associated with dependency of CST telomere maintenance genes. Increased dependencies of shelterin members are associated with wild-type TP53 status. Investigating the epigenetic regulation of TERT, we find widespread allele-specific expression in promoter-wildtype contexts. TERT promoter-mutant cell lines exhibit hypomethylation at PRC2-repressed regions, suggesting a cooperative global epigenetic state in the reactivation of telomerase. By incorporating telomere content with genomic features across comprehensively characterized cell lines, we provide further insights into the role of telomere regulation in cancer immortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Hu
- Broad Institute of MIT and HarvardCambridgeUnited States
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine; Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute; Institute for Human Genetics; University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer CenterSan FranciscoUnited States
| | - Mahmoud Ghandi
- Broad Institute of MIT and HarvardCambridgeUnited States
| | - Franklin W Huang
- Broad Institute of MIT and HarvardCambridgeUnited States
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine; Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute; Institute for Human Genetics; University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer CenterSan FranciscoUnited States
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21
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Kato K, Kawaguchi A, Nagata K. Template activating factor-I epigenetically regulates the TERT transcription in human cancer cells. Sci Rep 2021; 11:17726. [PMID: 34489496 PMCID: PMC8421516 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-97009-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomere, the terminus of linear chromosome in eukaryotes, is composed of specific repeat DNA which is mainly synthesized by a protein complex called telomerase. The maintenance of telomere DNA is important for unlimited proliferative capacity of cancer cells. The telomerase activity is controlled by the expression level of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), a catalytic unit of telomerase, in some species including human. Therefore, to reveal the regulatory mechanisms of the transcription of TERT gene is important for understanding the tumor development. We found that template activating factor-I (TAF-I), a multifunctional nuclear protein, is involved in the transcriptional activation of TERT for the maintenance of telomere DNA in HeLa cells. TAF-I maintains the histone H3 modifications involved in transcriptional activation and hypomethylated cytosines in CpG dinucleotides around the transcription start site (TSS) in the TERT gene locus. Collectively, TAF-I is involved in the maintenance of telomere DNA through the regulation of TERT transcription, then consequently the occurrence and/or recurrence of cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kohsuke Kato
- Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, 305-8575, Japan.
| | - Atsushi Kawaguchi
- Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, 305-8575, Japan.,Transborder Medical Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.,Microbiology Research Center for Sustainability, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Kyosuke Nagata
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.
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22
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Arakawa F, Miyoshi H, Yoshida N, Nakashima K, Watatani Y, Furuta T, Yamada K, Moritsubo M, Takeuchi M, Yanagida E, Shimasaki Y, Kohno K, Kataoka K, Ohshima K. Expression of telomerase reverse transcriptase in peripheral T-cell lymphoma. Cancer Med 2021; 10:6786-6794. [PMID: 34477310 PMCID: PMC8495278 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.4200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2021] [Revised: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 07/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomere length is maintained by the activation of telomerase, which causes continuous cell division and proliferation in many carcinomas. A catalytic reverse transcriptase protein (TERT) encoded by the TERT gene plays a critical role in the activation of telomerase. We performed a molecular and pathological analysis of the TERT against three different peripheral T‐cell lymphoma (PTCL) subtypes: PTCL, not otherwise specified (PTCL‐NOS), angioimmunoblastic T‐cell lymphoma (AITL), and adult T‐cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL). Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated TERT expression in 31% of AITL, 11% of PTCL‐NOS, and 5% of ATLL. Among them, AITL frequently showed high TERT expression with statistical significance. TERT promoter mutation analysis and genomic copy number evaluation were performed. TERT promoter mutation was observed in two cases of PTCL‐NOS (2/40) and not in other PTCLs. Genome copy number amplification was detected in 33% of PTCL‐NOS, 33% of AITL, and 50% of ATLL cases. We evaluated the relationship between the analyzed TERT genomic abnormalities and protein expression; however, no apparent relationship was observed. Furthermore, immunostaining showed TERT expression in the PTCL cytoplasm, suggesting the existence of mechanisms other than the maintenance of telomere length. Statistical analysis of the effect of TERT expression on the prognosis in PTCL cases revealed that TERT expression tended to have a poor prognosis in PTCL‐NOS. Since TERT expression was not an independent factor in multivariate analysis, further research will be needed to clarify the poor prognosis of PTCL‐NOS in TERT expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumiko Arakawa
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Kurume University, Kurume, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Miyoshi
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Kurume University, Kurume, Japan
| | - Noriaki Yoshida
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Kurume University, Kurume, Japan.,Department of Clinical Studies, Radiation Effects Research Foundation Hiroshima Laboratory, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Kazutaka Nakashima
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Kurume University, Kurume, Japan
| | - Yosaku Watatani
- Departments of Hematology and Rheumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Kindai University Hospital, Osaka, Japan
| | - Takuya Furuta
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Kurume University, Kurume, Japan
| | - Kyohei Yamada
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Kurume University, Kurume, Japan
| | - Mayuko Moritsubo
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Kurume University, Kurume, Japan
| | - Mai Takeuchi
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Kurume University, Kurume, Japan
| | - Eriko Yanagida
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Kurume University, Kurume, Japan
| | - Yasumasa Shimasaki
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Kurume University, Kurume, Japan
| | - Kei Kohno
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Kurume University, Kurume, Japan
| | - Keisuke Kataoka
- Division of Hematology Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Koichi Ohshima
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Kurume University, Kurume, Japan
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23
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Glenfield C, Innan H. Gene Duplication and Gene Fusion Are Important Drivers of Tumourigenesis during Cancer Evolution. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:1376. [PMID: 34573358 PMCID: PMC8466788 DOI: 10.3390/genes12091376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Revised: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Chromosomal rearrangement and genome instability are common features of cancer cells in human. Consequently, gene duplication and gene fusion events are frequently observed in human malignancies and many of the products of these events are pathogenic, representing significant drivers of tumourigenesis and cancer evolution. In certain subsets of cancers duplicated and fused genes appear to be essential for initiation of tumour formation, and some even have the capability of transforming normal cells, highlighting the importance of understanding the events that result in their formation. The mechanisms that drive gene duplication and fusion are unregulated in cancer and they facilitate rapid evolution by selective forces akin to Darwinian survival of the fittest on a cellular level. In this review, we examine current knowledge of the landscape and prevalence of gene duplication and gene fusion in human cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hideki Innan
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems, SOKENDAI, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Shonan Village, Hayama, Kanagawar 240-0193, Japan;
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24
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Chebly A, Ropio J, Peloponese JM, Poglio S, Prochazkova-Carlotti M, Cherrier F, Ferrer J, Idrissi Y, Segal-Bendirdjian E, Chouery E, Farra C, Pham-Ledard A, Beylot-Barry M, Philippe Merlio J, Tomb R, Chevret E. Exploring hTERT promoter methylation in cutaneous T-cell lymphomas. Mol Oncol 2021; 16:1931-1946. [PMID: 33715271 PMCID: PMC9067155 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.12946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2020] [Revised: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Cutaneous T‐cell lymphomas (CTCLs) are telomerase‐positive tumors expressing hTERT, although neither gene rearrangement/amplification nor promoter hotspot mutations could explain the hTERT re‐expression. As the hTERT promoter is rich in CpG, we investigated the contribution of epigenetic mechanisms in its re‐expression. We analyzed hTERT promoter methylation status in CTCL cells compared with healthy cells. Gene‐specific methylation analyses revealed a common methylation pattern exclusively in tumor cells. This methylation pattern encompassed a hypermethylated distal region from −650 to −150 bp and a hypomethylated proximal region from −150 to +150 bp. Interestingly, the hypermethylated region matches with the recently named TERT hypermethylated oncogenic region (THOR). THOR has been associated with telomerase reactivation in many cancers, but it has so far not been reported in cutaneous lymphomas. Additionally, we assessed the effect of THOR on two histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi), romidepsin and vorinostat, both approved for CTCL treatment and a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor (DNMTi) 5‐azacytidine, unapproved for CTCL. Contrary to our expectations, the findings reported herein revealed that THOR methylation is relatively stable under these epigenetic drugs' pressure, whereas these drugs reduced the hTERT gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alain Chebly
- Univ. Bordeaux, INSERM, BaRITOn, U1053, F-33000, Bordeaux, France.,Saint Joseph University, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Genetics Unit (UGM), Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Joana Ropio
- Univ. Bordeaux, INSERM, BaRITOn, U1053, F-33000, Bordeaux, France.,Porto University, Institute of Biomedical Sciences of Abel Salazar, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology (Ipatimup), Cancer Biology group, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal
| | - Jean-Marie Peloponese
- University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRIM-UMR 9004, Research Institute in Infectiology of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Sandrine Poglio
- Univ. Bordeaux, INSERM, BaRITOn, U1053, F-33000, Bordeaux, France
| | | | | | - Jacky Ferrer
- Univ. Bordeaux, INSERM, BaRITOn, U1053, F-33000, Bordeaux, France
| | - Yamina Idrissi
- Univ. Bordeaux, INSERM, BaRITOn, U1053, F-33000, Bordeaux, France
| | - Evelyne Segal-Bendirdjian
- INSERM, UMR-S 1124, Team: Cellular Homeostasis Cancer and Therapies, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Eliane Chouery
- Saint Joseph University, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Genetics Unit (UGM), Beirut, Lebanon.,Department of Human Genetics, Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine, Lebanese American University, Byblos, Lebanon
| | - Chantal Farra
- Saint Joseph University, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Genetics Unit (UGM), Beirut, Lebanon.,Hotel Dieu de France Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, Genetics Department, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Anne Pham-Ledard
- Univ. Bordeaux, INSERM, BaRITOn, U1053, F-33000, Bordeaux, France.,Bordeaux University Hospital Center, Dermatology Department, F-33000, Bordeaux, France
| | - Marie Beylot-Barry
- Univ. Bordeaux, INSERM, BaRITOn, U1053, F-33000, Bordeaux, France.,Bordeaux University Hospital Center, Dermatology Department, F-33000, Bordeaux, France
| | - Jean Philippe Merlio
- Univ. Bordeaux, INSERM, BaRITOn, U1053, F-33000, Bordeaux, France.,Bordeaux University Hospital Center, Tumor Bank and Tumor Biology Laboratory, F-33600, Pessac, France
| | - Roland Tomb
- Saint Joseph University, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Genetics Unit (UGM), Beirut, Lebanon.,Saint Joseph University, Faculty of Medicine, Dermatology Department, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Edith Chevret
- Univ. Bordeaux, INSERM, BaRITOn, U1053, F-33000, Bordeaux, France
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25
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Akincilar SC, Chan CHT, Ng QF, Fidan K, Tergaonkar V. Non-canonical roles of canonical telomere binding proteins in cancers. Cell Mol Life Sci 2021; 78:4235-4257. [PMID: 33599797 PMCID: PMC8164586 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-021-03783-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Revised: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Reactivation of telomerase is a major hallmark observed in 90% of all cancers. Yet paradoxically, enhanced telomerase activity does not correlate with telomere length and cancers often possess short telomeres; suggestive of supplementary non-canonical roles that telomerase might play in the development of cancer. Moreover, studies have shown that aberrant expression of shelterin proteins coupled with their release from shortening telomeres can further promote cancer by mechanisms independent of their telomeric role. While targeting telomerase activity appears to be an attractive therapeutic option, this approach has failed in clinical trials due to undesirable cytotoxic effects on stem cells. To circumvent this concern, an alternative strategy could be to target the molecules involved in the non-canonical functions of telomeric proteins. In this review, we will focus on emerging evidence that has demonstrated the non-canonical roles of telomeric proteins and their impact on tumorigenesis. Furthermore, we aim to address current knowledge gaps in telomeric protein functions and propose future research approaches that can be undertaken to achieve this.
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Affiliation(s)
- Semih Can Akincilar
- Division of Cancer Genetics and Therapeutics, Laboratory of NFκB Signaling, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), Proteos, 61, Biopolis Drive, Singapore, 138673, Singapore
| | - Claire Hian Tzer Chan
- Division of Cancer Genetics and Therapeutics, Laboratory of NFκB Signaling, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), Proteos, 61, Biopolis Drive, Singapore, 138673, Singapore
| | - Qin Feng Ng
- Division of Cancer Genetics and Therapeutics, Laboratory of NFκB Signaling, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), Proteos, 61, Biopolis Drive, Singapore, 138673, Singapore
| | - Kerem Fidan
- Division of Cancer Genetics and Therapeutics, Laboratory of NFκB Signaling, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), Proteos, 61, Biopolis Drive, Singapore, 138673, Singapore
| | - Vinay Tergaonkar
- Division of Cancer Genetics and Therapeutics, Laboratory of NFκB Signaling, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), Proteos, 61, Biopolis Drive, Singapore, 138673, Singapore.
- Department of Pathology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117593, Singapore.
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26
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Xing M, Ooi WF, Tan J, Qamra A, Lee PH, Li Z, Xu C, Padmanabhan N, Lim JQ, Guo YA, Yao X, Amit M, Ng LM, Sheng T, Wang J, Huang KK, Anene-Nzelu CG, Ho SWT, Ray M, Ma L, Fazzi G, Lim KJ, Wijaya GC, Zhang S, Nandi T, Yan T, Chang MM, Das K, Isa ZFA, Wu J, Poon PSY, Lam YN, Lin JS, Tay ST, Lee MH, Tan ALK, Ong X, White K, Rozen SG, Beer M, Foo RSY, Grabsch HI, Skanderup AJ, Li S, Teh BT, Tan P. Genomic and epigenomic EBF1 alterations modulate TERT expression in gastric cancer. J Clin Invest 2021; 130:3005-3020. [PMID: 32364535 DOI: 10.1172/jci126726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2018] [Accepted: 02/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcriptional reactivation of telomerase catalytic subunit (TERT) is a frequent hallmark of cancer, occurring in 90% of human malignancies. However, specific mechanisms driving TERT reactivation remain obscure for many tumor types and in particular gastric cancer (GC), a leading cause of global cancer mortality. Here, through comprehensive genomic and epigenomic analysis of primary GCs and GC cell lines, we identified the transcription factor early B cell factor 1 (EBF1) as a TERT transcriptional repressor and inactivation of EBF1 function as a major cause of TERT upregulation. Abolishment of EBF1 function occurs through 3 distinct (epi)genomic mechanisms. First, EBF1 is epigenetically silenced via DNA methyltransferase, polycomb-repressive complex 2 (PRC2), and histone deacetylase activity in GCs. Second, recurrent, somatic, and heterozygous EBF1 DNA-binding domain mutations result in the production of dominant-negative EBF1 isoforms. Third, more rarely, genomic deletions and rearrangements proximal to the TERT promoter remobilize or abolish EBF1-binding sites, derepressing TERT and leading to high TERT expression. EBF1 is also functionally required for various malignant phenotypes in vitro and in vivo, highlighting its importance for GC development. These results indicate that multimodal genomic and epigenomic alterations underpin TERT reactivation in GC, converging on transcriptional repressors such as EBF1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manjie Xing
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.,Cancer Therapeutics and Stratified Oncology, Genome Institute of Singapore, Singapore.,NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Wen Fong Ooi
- Cancer Therapeutics and Stratified Oncology, Genome Institute of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jing Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China.,Laboratory of Cancer Epigenome, Department of Medical Sciences, National Cancer Centre, Singapore
| | - Aditi Qamra
- Cancer Therapeutics and Stratified Oncology, Genome Institute of Singapore, Singapore.,NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Po-Hsien Lee
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Zhimei Li
- Laboratory of Cancer Epigenome, Department of Medical Sciences, National Cancer Centre, Singapore
| | - Chang Xu
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.,Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Nisha Padmanabhan
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Jing Quan Lim
- Lymphoma Genomic Translational Research Laboratory, Cellular and Molecular Research, National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yu Amanda Guo
- Computational and Systems Biology, Agency for Science Technology and Research, Genome Institute of Singapore
| | - Xiaosai Yao
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Singapore
| | - Mandoli Amit
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Ley Moy Ng
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Taotao Sheng
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.,Department of Biochemistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jing Wang
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Kie Kyon Huang
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Chukwuemeka George Anene-Nzelu
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, National University Health System, Singapore.,Human Genetics, Genome Institute of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Shamaine Wei Ting Ho
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.,Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Mohana Ray
- Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Lijia Ma
- Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Gregorio Fazzi
- Department of Pathology, GROW School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Kevin Junliang Lim
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Giovani Claresta Wijaya
- Laboratory of Cancer Epigenome, Department of Medical Sciences, National Cancer Centre, Singapore
| | - Shenli Zhang
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Tannistha Nandi
- Cancer Therapeutics and Stratified Oncology, Genome Institute of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Tingdong Yan
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Mei Mei Chang
- Computational and Systems Biology, Agency for Science Technology and Research, Genome Institute of Singapore
| | - Kakoli Das
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Zul Fazreen Adam Isa
- Cancer Therapeutics and Stratified Oncology, Genome Institute of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jeanie Wu
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Polly Suk Yean Poon
- Cancer Therapeutics and Stratified Oncology, Genome Institute of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yue Ning Lam
- Cancer Therapeutics and Stratified Oncology, Genome Institute of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Joyce Suling Lin
- Cancer Therapeutics and Stratified Oncology, Genome Institute of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Su Ting Tay
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Ming Hui Lee
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Angie Lay Keng Tan
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Xuewen Ong
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Kevin White
- Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.,Tempus Labs, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Steven George Rozen
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.,SingHealth/Duke-NUS Institute of Precision Medicine, National Heart Centre Singapore, Singapore
| | - Michael Beer
- McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medicine, and.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Roger Sik Yin Foo
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, National University Health System, Singapore.,Human Genetics, Genome Institute of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Heike Irmgard Grabsch
- Department of Pathology, GROW School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, Netherlands.,Pathology and Data Analyticis, Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St. James's, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Anders Jacobsen Skanderup
- Computational and Systems Biology, Agency for Science Technology and Research, Genome Institute of Singapore
| | - Shang Li
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.,Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Bin Tean Teh
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.,Laboratory of Cancer Epigenome, Department of Medical Sciences, National Cancer Centre, Singapore.,Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore.,Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Singapore.,SingHealth/Duke-NUS Institute of Precision Medicine, National Heart Centre Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Patrick Tan
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.,Cancer Therapeutics and Stratified Oncology, Genome Institute of Singapore, Singapore.,Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore.,SingHealth/Duke-NUS Institute of Precision Medicine, National Heart Centre Singapore, Singapore.,Cellular and Molecular Research, National Cancer Centre, Singapore.,Singapore Gastric Cancer Consortium, Singapore.,Biomedical Research Council, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore
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27
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Yahya EB, Alqadhi AM. Recent trends in cancer therapy: A review on the current state of gene delivery. Life Sci 2021; 269:119087. [PMID: 33476633 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2021.119087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Revised: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cancer treatment has been always considered one of the most critical and vital themes of clinical issues. Many approaches have been developed, depending on the type and the stage of tumor. Gene therapy has the potential to revolutionize different cancer therapy. With the advent of recent bioinformatics technologies and genetic science, it become possible to identify, diagnose and determine the potential treatment using the technology of gene delivery. Several approaches have been developed and experimented in vitro and vivo for cancer therapy including: naked nucleic acids based therapy, targeting micro RNAs, oncolytic virotherapy, suicide gene based therapy, targeting telomerase, cell mediated gene therapy, and CRISPR/Cas9 based therapy. In this review, we present a straightforward introduction to cancer biology and occurrence, highlighting different viral and non-viral gene delivery systems for gene therapy and critically discussed the current and various strategies for cancer gene therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esam Bashir Yahya
- School of Industrial Technology, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800, Malaysia.
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28
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Kamal S, Junaid M, Ejaz A, Bibi I, Akash MSH, Rehman K. The secrets of telomerase: Retrospective analysis and future prospects. Life Sci 2020; 257:118115. [PMID: 32698073 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2020.118115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Revised: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Telomerase plays a significant role to maintain and regulate the telomere length, cellular immortality and senescence by the addition of guanine-rich repetitive sequences. Chronic inflammation or oxidative stress-induced infection downregulates TERT gene modifying telomerase activity thus contributing to the early steps of gastric carcinogenesis process. Furthermore, telomere-telomerase system performs fundamental role in the pathogenesis and progression of diabetes mellitus as well as in its vascular intricacy. The cessation of cell proliferation in cultured cells by inhibiting the telomerase activity of transformed cells renders the rationale for culling of telomerase as a target therapy for the treatment of metabolic disorders and various types of cancers. In this article, we have briefly described the role of immune system and malignant cells in the expression of telomerase with critical analysis on the gaps and potential for future studies. The key findings regarding the secrets of the telomerase summarized in this article will help in future treatment modalities for the prevention of various types of cancers and metabolic disorders notably diabetes mellitus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shagufta Kamal
- Department of Biochemistry, Government College University Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Junaid
- Department of Biochemistry, Government College University Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Arslan Ejaz
- Department of Biochemistry, Government College University Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Ismat Bibi
- Department of Chemistry, Islamia University, Bahawalpur, Pakistan
| | | | - Kanwal Rehman
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
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Design, synthesis and SARs of novel telomerase inhibitors based on BIBR1532. Bioorg Chem 2020; 102:104077. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2020.104077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2020] [Revised: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Guterres AN, Villanueva J. Targeting telomerase for cancer therapy. Oncogene 2020; 39:5811-5824. [PMID: 32733068 PMCID: PMC7678952 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-020-01405-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Revised: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Telomere maintenance via telomerase reactivation is a nearly universal hallmark of cancer cells which enables replicative immortality. In contrast, telomerase activity is silenced in most adult somatic cells. Thus, telomerase represents an attractive target for highly selective cancer therapeutics. However, development of telomerase inhibitors has been challenging and thus far there are no clinically approved strategies exploiting this cancer target. The discovery of prevalent mutations in the TERT promoter region in many cancers and recent advances in telomerase biology has led to a renewed interest in targeting this enzyme. Here we discuss recent efforts targeting telomerase, including immunotherapies and direct telomerase inhibitors, as well as emerging approaches such as targeting TERT gene expression driven by TERT promoter mutations. We also address some of the challenges to telomerase-directed therapies including potential therapeutic resistance and considerations for future therapeutic applications and translation into the clinical setting. Although much work remains to be done, effective strategies targeting telomerase will have a transformative impact for cancer therapy and the prospect of clinically effective drugs is boosted by recent advances in structural models of human telomerase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam N Guterres
- Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Jessie Villanueva
- Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Melanoma Research Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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31
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Zhao K, Liu A, Xia Y. Insights into Hepatitis B Virus DNA Integration-55 Years after Virus Discovery. Innovation (N Y) 2020; 1:100034. [PMID: 34557710 PMCID: PMC8454683 DOI: 10.1016/j.xinn.2020.100034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV), which was discovered in 1965, is a threat to global public health. HBV infects human hepatocytes and leads to acute and chronic liver diseases, and there is no cure. In cells infected by HBV, viral DNA can be integrated into the cellular genome. HBV DNA integration is a complicated process during the HBV life cycle. Although HBV integration normally results in replication-incompetent transcripts, it can still act as a template for viral protein expression. Of note, it is a primary driver of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Recently, with the development of detection methods and research models, the molecular biology and the pathogenicity of HBV DNA integration have been better revealed. Here, we review the advances in the research of HBV DNA integration, including molecular mechanisms, detection methods, research models, the effects on host and viral gene expression, the role of HBV integrations in the pathogenesis of HCC, and potential treatment strategies. Finally, we discuss possible future research prospects of HBV DNA integration. HBV DNA integration is associated with hepatocarcinogenesis via multiple mechanisms HBV double-stranded linear DNA (dslDNA) is the dominant substrate for integration into the host genome The insertion sites of HBV DNA integration occur throughout the whole host genome using the NHEJ or MMEJ DNA repair pathway HBV DNA integration should be used as a clinical indicator for disease monitoring and treatment of patients with HBV infection
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An Integrated Genomic Strategy to Identify CHRNB4 as a Diagnostic/Prognostic Biomarker for Targeted Therapy in Head and Neck Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12051324. [PMID: 32455963 PMCID: PMC7281299 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12051324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Although many studies have shown the association between smoking and the increased incidence and adverse prognosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), the mechanisms and pharmaceutical targets involved remain unclear. Here, we integrated gene expression signatures, genetic alterations, and survival analyses to identify prognostic indicators and therapeutic targets for smoking HNSCC patients, and we discovered that the FDA-approved drug varenicline inhibits the target for cancer cell migration/invasion. We first identified 18 smoking-related and prognostic genes for HNSCC by using RNA-Seq and clinical follow-up data. One of these genes, CHRNB4 (neuronal acetylcholine receptor subunit beta-4), increased the risk of death by approximately threefold in CHRNB4-high expression smokers compared to CHRNB4-low expression smokers (log rank, p = 0.00042; hazard ratio, 2.82; 95% CI, 1.55–5.14), former smokers, and non-smokers. Furthermore, we examined the functional enrichment of co-regulated genes of CHRNB4 and its 246 frequently occurring copy number alterations (CNAs). We found that these genes were involved in promoting angiogenesis, resisting cell death, and sustaining proliferation, and contributed to much worse outcomes for CHRNB4-high patients. Finally, we performed CHRNB4 gene editing and drug inhibition assays, and the results validate these observations. In summary, our study suggests that CHRNB4 is a prognostic indicator for smoking HNSCC patients and provides a potential new therapeutic drug to prevent recurrence or distant metastasis.
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Yang JH, Wu MZ, Wang XB, Wang S, Qiu XS, Wang EH, Wu GP. HPV16 E6/E7 upregulate hTERC mRNA and gene amplification levels by relieving the effect of LKB1 on Sp1 phosphorylation in lung cancer cells. Ther Adv Med Oncol 2020; 12:1758835920917562. [PMID: 32499837 PMCID: PMC7243384 DOI: 10.1177/1758835920917562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2019] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: There is an immediate need for research on the mechanism underlying
telomerase activation and overexpression. Materials & Methods: A total of 174 patients with lung cancer (n = 106) and
benign lung disease (n = 68) were recruited for the current
study. The mRNA expression levels of E6, E7, LKB1, Sp1, and hTERC in
brushing cells were detected by quantitative reverse transcriptase
polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and hTERC amplification was also
detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). To investigate the
potential mechanism, bidirectional genetic manipulation was performed in
well-established lung cancer cell lines. Results: Our results indicated that the mRNA expression levels of E6, E7, Sp1, and
hTERC and the amplification level of hTERC were significantly increased in
the malignant group compared with those of the benign group
(p < 0.01). Conversely, the mRNA expression level of
LKB1 was significantly decreased in the malignant group
(p < 0.01). The correlation between E6, E7, Sp1, and
hTERC expression was positive but was negative with LKB1
(p < 0.01). Our results also showed that HPV16 E6/E7
downregulated the expression of LKB1 at both the protein and mRNA levels.
The loss of LKB1 upregulated Sp1 expression, and also promoted Sp1 activity.
Sp1 further upregulated hTERC at the mRNA and gene amplification levels.
Thus, we proposed a HPV–LKB1–Sp1–hTERC axis of E6/E7 upregulation of hTERC
expression. Conclusion: We demonstrated for the first time that E6 and E7 promoted hTERC mRNA
expression and the amplification of hTERC by relieving the effect of LKB1 on
the phosphorylation of Sp1. Sp1 further activated hTERC by directly binding
to the promoter regions of hTERC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing-Hua Yang
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital and College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Ming-Zhe Wu
- Department of Gynecology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Xu-Bo Wang
- Department of Pathology, Xuzhou City Hospital of TCM, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Xuzhou, China
| | - Shiyu Wang
- Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, Scranton, PA, USA
| | - Xue-Shan Qiu
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital and College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - En-Hua Wang
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital and College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Guang-Ping Wu
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital and College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, No.155 Nanjing Bei Street, Shenyang 110001, China
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Rossi M, Gorospe M. Noncoding RNAs Controlling Telomere Homeostasis in Senescence and Aging. Trends Mol Med 2020; 26:422-433. [PMID: 32277935 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2020.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2019] [Revised: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Aging is a universal and time-dependent biological decline associated with progressive deterioration of cells, tissues, and organs. Age-related decay can eventually lead to pathology such as cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and diabetes. A prominent molecular process underlying aging is the progressive shortening of telomeres, the structures that protect the ends of chromosomes, eventually triggering cellular senescence. Noncoding (nc)RNAs are emerging as major regulators of telomere length homeostasis. In this review, we describe the impact of ncRNAs on telomere function and discuss their implications in senescence and age-related diseases. We discuss emerging therapeutic strategies targeting telomere-regulatory ncRNAs in aging pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Rossi
- Laboratory of Genetics and Genomics, National Institute on Aging Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, USA
| | - Myriam Gorospe
- Laboratory of Genetics and Genomics, National Institute on Aging Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, USA.
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Srinivas N, Rachakonda S, Kumar R. Telomeres and Telomere Length: A General Overview. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:E558. [PMID: 32121056 PMCID: PMC7139734 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12030558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Revised: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomeres are highly conserved tandem nucleotide repeats that include proximal double-stranded and distal single-stranded regions that in complex with shelterin proteins afford protection at chromosomal ends to maintain genomic integrity. Due to the inherent limitations of DNA replication and telomerase suppression in most somatic cells, telomeres undergo age-dependent incremental attrition. Short or dysfunctional telomeres are recognized as DNA double-stranded breaks, triggering cells to undergo replicative senescence. Telomere shortening, therefore, acts as a counting mechanism that drives replicative senescence by limiting the mitotic potential of cells. Telomere length, a complex hereditary trait, is associated with aging and age-related diseases. Epidemiological data, in general, support an association with varying magnitudes between constitutive telomere length and several disorders, including cancers. Telomere attrition is also influenced by oxidative damage and replicative stress caused by genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. Several single nucleotide polymorphisms at different loci, identified through genome-wide association studies, influence inter-individual variation in telomere length. In addition to genetic factors, environmental factors also influence telomere length during growth and development. Telomeres hold potential as biomarkers that reflect the genetic predisposition together with the impact of environmental conditions and as targets for anti-cancer therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Rajiv Kumar
- Division of Functional Genome Analysis, German Cancer Research Center, Im Neunheimer Feld 580, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (N.S.); (S.R.)
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36
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DNA methylation of the TERT promoter and its impact on human cancer. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2020; 60:17-24. [PMID: 32114294 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2020.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Revised: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 02/02/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Telomere maintenance is a hallmark of human cancer that enables replicative immortality. Most cancer cells acquire telomere maintenance by telomerase activation through expression of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), a rate-limiting component of the telomerase holoenzyme. Although multiple cancer-specific genetic alterations such as gain of TERT copy number and recurrent TERT promoter mutations (TPM) have been identified, the majority of cancers still express TERT via unknown mechanisms. In the last decade, DNA methylation of the TERT promoter emerged as a putative epigenetic regulatory mechanism of telomerase activation in cancer. Here, we comparatively discuss studies that investigated the DNA methylation landscape of the TERT promoter. We further review the biological and clinical impacts of TERT promoter hypermethylation in cancer and provide insight into future applications of this phenomenon.
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37
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McKelvey BA, Umbricht CB, Zeiger MA. Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase (TERT) Regulation in Thyroid Cancer: A Review. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2020; 11:485. [PMID: 32849278 PMCID: PMC7412884 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2020.00485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) is the catalytic subunit of the enzyme telomerase and is essential for telomerase activity. Upregulation of TERT expression and resulting telomerase activity occurs in the large majority of malignancies, including thyroid cancer. This upregulation results in continued cellular proliferation and avoidance of cellular senescence and cell death. In this review we will briefly introduce TERT and telomerase activity as it pertains to thyroid cancer and, highlight the effects of TERT on cancer cells. We will also explore in detail the different TERT regulatory strategies and how TERT is reactivated in thyroid cancer cells, specifically. These regulatory mechanisms include both activating single base pair TERT promoter mutations and epigenetic changes at the promoter, including changes in CpG methylation and histone modifications that affect chromatin structure. Further, regulation includes the allele-specific regulation of the TERT promoter in thyroid cancer cells harboring the TERT promoter mutation. These entail allele-specific transcriptional activator binding, DNA methylation, histone modifications, and mono-allelic expression of TERT. Lastly, TERT copy number alterations and alternative splicing are also implicated. Both amplifications of the TERT locus and increased full-length transcripts and decreased inactive and dominant negative isoforms result in active telomerase. Finally, the clinical significance of TERT in thyroid cancer is also reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany A. McKelvey
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Christopher B. Umbricht
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Martha A. Zeiger
- Surgical Oncology Program, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
- *Correspondence: Martha A. Zeiger
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38
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Panebianco F, Nikitski AV, Nikiforova MN, Nikiforov YE. Spectrum of TERT promoter mutations and mechanisms of activation in thyroid cancer. Cancer Med 2019; 8:5831-5839. [PMID: 31408918 PMCID: PMC6792496 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.2467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2019] [Revised: 07/22/2019] [Accepted: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Reactivation of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) is an important event in cancer. Two hotspot mutations in the TERT promoter region, c.-124C > T (C228T) and c.-146C > T (C250T), occur in various cancer types including thyroid cancer. They generate de novo binding sites for E-twenty-six (ETS) transcription factors causing increased TERT transcription. The aim of this study was to search for novel TERT promoter mutations and additional mechanisms of TERT activation in thyroid cancer. METHODS We studied 198 papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs), 34 follicular thyroid carcinomas (FTCs), 40 Hürthle cell carcinomas (HCCs), 14 poorly differentiated/anaplastic thyroid carcinomas (PDTC/ATC), and 15 medullary thyroid carcinomas (MTCs) for mutations in an -424 bp to +64 bp region of TERT. The luciferase reporter assay was used to functionally characterize the identified alterations. Copy number variations (CNVs) in the TERT region were analyzed using TaqMan copy number assay and validated with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). RESULTS We detected the hotspot c.-124C > T and c.-146C > T mutations in 7% PTC, 18% FTC, 25% HCC, and 86% PDTC/ATC. One PTC carried a c.-124C > A mutation. Furthermore, we identified two novel mutations resulting in the formation of de novo ETS-binding motifs: c.-332C > T in one MTC and c.-104_-83dup in one PTC. These genetic alterations, as well as other detected mutations, led to a significant increase in TERT promoter activity when assayed using luciferase reporter system. In addition, 5% of thyroid tumors were found to have ≥3 copies of TERT. CONCLUSIONS This study confirms the increased prevalence of TERT promoter mutations and CNV in advanced thyroid cancers and describes novel functional alterations in the TERT gene promoter, including a point mutation and small duplication. These mutations, as well as TERT copy number alterations, may represent an additional mechanism of TERT activation in thyroid cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Panebianco
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineUniversity of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvania
| | - Alyaksandr V. Nikitski
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineUniversity of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvania
| | - Marina N. Nikiforova
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineUniversity of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvania
| | - Yuri E. Nikiforov
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineUniversity of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvania
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39
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Rowland TJ, Dumbović G, Hass EP, Rinn JL, Cech TR. Single-cell imaging reveals unexpected heterogeneity of telomerase reverse transcriptase expression across human cancer cell lines. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:18488-18497. [PMID: 31451652 PMCID: PMC6744858 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1908275116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomerase is pathologically reactivated in most human cancers, where it maintains chromosomal telomeres and allows immortalization. Because telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) is usually the limiting component for telomerase activation, numerous studies have measured TERT mRNA levels in populations of cells or in tissues. In comparison, little is known about TERT expression at the single-cell and single-molecule level. To address this, we analyzed TERT expression across 10 human cancer lines using single-molecule RNA fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and made several unexpected findings. First, there was substantial cell-to-cell variation in number of transcription sites and ratio of transcription sites to gene copies. Second, previous classification of lines as having monoallelic or biallelic TERT expression was found to be inadequate for capturing the TERT gene expression patterns. Finally, spliced TERT mRNA had primarily nuclear localization in cancer cells and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), in stark contrast to the expectation that spliced mRNA should be predominantly cytoplasmic. These data reveal unappreciated heterogeneity, complexity, and unconventionality in TERT expression across human cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teisha J Rowland
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80303
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80303
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80303
| | - Gabrijela Dumbović
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80303
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80303
| | - Evan P Hass
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80303
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80303
| | - John L Rinn
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80303
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80303
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80303
| | - Thomas R Cech
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80303;
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80303
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80303
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40
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Correlation of hTERT Expression with Cervical Cytological Abnormalities and Human Papillomavirus Infection. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 38:143-151. [PMID: 29668478 DOI: 10.2478/prilozi-2018-0015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase (TERT) is the main catalytic sub-unit of telomerase, a reverse transcriptase enzyme. Telomerase expression is regulated at many levels, with numerous studies suggesting that up-regulation of human TERT gene (hTERT) at transcriptional level results in immortal cell phenotype associated with cancer. The aim of this study is to determine the correlation between hTERT expression and different cervical precursor lesions, as well as with cervical cancer in patients with confirmed Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. The study included molecular analyzes on cervical samples from 214 women and matched Papanicolaou (Pap) test results. HPV detection and genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and genotyping. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was performed using TaqMan probes and were calculated relative to the reference gene. Results showed significantly increased hTERT mRNA expression levels in high-grade and low-grade lesions compared to normal control samples (p<0.01) associated with 6.31 fold higher risk for developing ASC-US and 9.20 for LSIL. Strong correlation between HPV infection and hTERT expression in the high-grade lesions and cervical cancer was also observed. hTERT relative expression values showed 98% specificity and 100 % sensitivity as indicator of cervical lesions particularly for the ACS-H, HSIL and cervical cancer. In conclusion, hTERT expression correlate with the cytological grade of the cervical lesions and HPV infection and has a potential to be used as a diagnostic and prognostic marker.
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Ameri Z, Ghiasi S, Farsinejad A, Hassanshahi G, Ehsan M, Fatemi A. Telomerase inhibitor MST-312 induces apoptosis of multiple myeloma cells and down-regulation of anti-apoptotic, proliferative and inflammatory genes. Life Sci 2019; 228:66-71. [PMID: 31029779 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2019.04.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Revised: 04/17/2019] [Accepted: 04/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
AIMS The telomerase-based therapy of cancer has received a great deal of attention due to the fact that it is expressed in almost all of the cancer cells while it is inactivated in most of the normal somatic cells. Current investigation was aimed to examine the effects of namely telomerase inhibitor, the MST-312, as a chemically modified derivative of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), on human multiple myeloma cell line U-266. MAIN METHODS U-266 cells were cultured and then treated by MST-312. The viability of cultured cells was measured by both trypan blue staining and MTT assay techniques. To examine the apoptosis, annexin-V/7-AAD staining using flow cytometry method was employed. To analysis the expression of Bax, Bcl-2, c-Myc, hTERT, IL-6 and TNF-α genes, the quantitative real-time PCR was employed. KEY FINDINGS We observed the short-term dose-dependent cytotoxic and apoptotic effect of MST-312 against U-266 myeloma cells. Gene expression analysis indicated that the MST-312-based apoptosis was associated with up-regulation of pro-apoptotic gene (Bax) as well as down-regulation of anti-apoptotic (Bcl-2), proliferative (c-Myc, hTERT) and inflammatory (IL-6, TNF-α) genes. SIGNIFICANCE These findings suggest that telomerase-based therapy using MST-312 may represent a novel promising strategy for treatment of multiple myeloma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Ameri
- Department of Hematology and Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Allied Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Saeedeh Ghiasi
- Department of Hematology and Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Allied Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Alireza Farsinejad
- Department of Hematology and Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Allied Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Gholamhossein Hassanshahi
- Department of Hematology and Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Allied Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran; Molecular Medicine Research Center, Research Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran
| | - Mohsen Ehsan
- Department of Hematology and Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Allied Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Ahmad Fatemi
- Department of Hematology and Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Allied Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
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Chaturvedi VK, Singh A, Dubey SK, Hetta HF, John J, Singh M. Molecular mechanistic insight of hepatitis B virus mediated hepatocellular carcinoma. Microb Pathog 2019; 128:184-194. [DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2019.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2018] [Revised: 12/30/2018] [Accepted: 01/02/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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43
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Ji W, Lou W, Hong Z, Qiu L, Di W. Genomic amplification of HPV, h-TERC and c-MYC in liquid-based cytological specimens for screening of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cancer. Oncol Lett 2018; 17:2099-2106. [PMID: 30675277 PMCID: PMC6341815 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2018.9825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2018] [Accepted: 09/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Cervical cancer is one of the most prevalent female cancer types in developing countries. ThinPrep cytological test (TCT) and human papillomavirus (HPV) detection are canonical screening methods for cervical cancer currently. However, there are limitations to these techniques. The aim of the present study was to identify efficient and practical methods for the screening of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and carcinoma. Residual PreservCyt specimens were obtained from 1,000 women who were admitted between August 2013 and December 2015. TCT, human telomerase RNA component (h-TERC) fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), MYC-specific FISH and surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-HPV genotyping were performed, followed by histopathology for those patients with positive results in any of the four tests. As a result, 106, 64, 56 and 112 patients were positive in the TCT, h-TERC, c-MYC and SPR-HPV tests, respectively, resulting in 213 being scheduled for histopathology; inflammation was identified in 159 patients, CIN I in 31, CIN II in 14, CIN III in seven and invasive cervical cancer in two patients. Using histopathology as the gold standard, TCT exhibited the highest sensitivity (87.04%), while h-TERC analysis had the highest specificity (81.76%). Parallel tests demonstrated that the Youden's index of TCT + h-TERC was the highest (0.49), while the serial analysis reported that TCT + HPV had the highest Youden's index (0.53) compared with any of the biomarkers alone (TCT, 0.50; HPV, 0.29; h-TERC, 0.47). In conclusion, dual positive TCT and HPV may be an efficient approach for basic screening of cervical lesions. h-TERC amplification may serve as an auxiliary test to improve the specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenting Ji
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, P.R. China.,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gynecologic Oncology, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, P.R. China
| | - Weihua Lou
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, P.R. China.,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gynecologic Oncology, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, P.R. China
| | - Zubei Hong
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, P.R. China.,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gynecologic Oncology, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, P.R. China
| | - Lihua Qiu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, P.R. China.,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gynecologic Oncology, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, P.R. China
| | - Wen Di
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, P.R. China.,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gynecologic Oncology, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, P.R. China
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44
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Cheng H, Yang X, Si H, Saleh AD, Xiao W, Coupar J, Gollin SM, Ferris RL, Issaeva N, Yarbrough WG, Prince ME, Carey TE, Van Waes C, Chen Z. Genomic and Transcriptomic Characterization Links Cell Lines with Aggressive Head and Neck Cancers. Cell Rep 2018; 25:1332-1345.e5. [PMID: 30380422 PMCID: PMC6280671 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2018] [Revised: 08/28/2018] [Accepted: 09/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell lines are important tools for biological and preclinical investigation, and establishing their relationship to genomic alterations in tumors could accelerate functional and therapeutic discoveries. We conducted integrated analyses of genomic and transcriptomic profiles of 15 human papillomavirus (HPV)-negative and 11 HPV-positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) lines to compare with 279 tumors from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We identified recurrent amplifications on chromosomes 3q22-29, 5p15, 11q13/22, and 8p11 that drive increased expression of more than 100 genes in cell lines and tumors. These alterations, together with loss or mutations of tumor suppressor genes, converge on important signaling pathways, recapitulating the genomic landscape of aggressive HNSCCs. Among these, concurrent 3q26.3 amplification and TP53 mutation in most HPV(-) cell lines reflect tumors with worse survival. Our findings elucidate and validate genomic alterations underpinning numerous discoveries made with HNSCC lines and provide valuable models for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Cheng
- Tumor Biology Section, Head and Neck Surgery Branch, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Xinping Yang
- Tumor Biology Section, Head and Neck Surgery Branch, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Han Si
- Translational Bioinformatics, MedImmune, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, USA
| | - Anthony D Saleh
- Tumor Biology Section, Head and Neck Surgery Branch, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Wenming Xiao
- Division of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, National Center for Toxicological Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, AR 72079, USA
| | - Jamie Coupar
- Tumor Biology Section, Head and Neck Surgery Branch, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Susanne M Gollin
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Robert L Ferris
- Division of Head and Neck Surgery, Departments of Otolaryngology, Radiation Oncology, and Immunology, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
| | - Natalia Issaeva
- Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology, Molecular Virology Research Program, Smilow Cancer Hospital, Yale Cancer Center, Yale University Medical School, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Wendell G Yarbrough
- Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology, Molecular Virology Research Program, Smilow Cancer Hospital, Yale Cancer Center, Yale University Medical School, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Mark E Prince
- Cancer Biology Program, Program in the Biomedical Sciences, Rackham Graduate School, and the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Thomas E Carey
- Cancer Biology Program, Program in the Biomedical Sciences, Rackham Graduate School, and the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Carter Van Waes
- Tumor Biology Section, Head and Neck Surgery Branch, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
| | - Zhong Chen
- Tumor Biology Section, Head and Neck Surgery Branch, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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45
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Kheimar A, Trimpert J, Groenke N, Kaufer BB. Overexpression of cellular telomerase RNA enhances virus-induced cancer formation. Oncogene 2018; 38:1778-1786. [PMID: 30846849 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-018-0544-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2018] [Revised: 08/28/2018] [Accepted: 09/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The telomerase RNA subunit (TR) is overexpressed in many tumors; however, the contribution of TR in cancer formation remains elusive. The most frequent clinically diagnosed cancer in the animal kingdom is caused by the highly oncogenic herpesvirus Marek's disease virus (MDV). MDV encodes a TR (vTR) that plays an important role in virus-induced tumorigenesis and shares 88% sequence identity with its cellular homologue. To determine if the cellular TR possesses pro-oncogenic activity, we replaced vTR with the cellular homologue in the virus genome. Insertion of cellular TR resulted in a strong overexpression in virus infected cells, while virus replication was not affected. Strikingly, cellular TR promoted tumor formation as efficient as vTR, while tumorigenesis was severely impaired in the absence of vTR. Our data provide the first evidence that overexpression of cellular TR can contribute to tumor formation in vivo using this natural virus-host model for herpesvirus-induced oncogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed Kheimar
- Institut für Virologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Robert von Ostertag-Straße 7-13, 14163, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Poultry Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Sohag University, 82424, Sohag, Egypt
| | - Jakob Trimpert
- Institut für Virologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Robert von Ostertag-Straße 7-13, 14163, Berlin, Germany
| | - Nicole Groenke
- Institut für Virologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Robert von Ostertag-Straße 7-13, 14163, Berlin, Germany
| | - Benedikt B Kaufer
- Institut für Virologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Robert von Ostertag-Straße 7-13, 14163, Berlin, Germany.
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46
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Paulsson JO, Mu N, Shabo I, Wang N, Zedenius J, Larsson C, Juhlin CC. TERT aberrancies: a screening tool for malignancy in follicular thyroid tumours. Endocr Relat Cancer 2018; 25:723-733. [PMID: 29692346 DOI: 10.1530/erc-18-0050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2018] [Accepted: 04/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter mutations have been linked to adverse clinical parameters in thyroid cancer, but TERT-expressing tumours are not always mutated. Little is known regarding other TERT-related genetic aberrations. To delineate the role of TERT gene aberrancies in follicular thyroid tumours, 95 follicular carcinomas (FTCs), 43 follicular adenomas (FTAs) and 33 follicular tumours of uncertain malignant potential (FT-UMPs) were collected. The tumours were assayed for TERT expression, TERT promoter mutations, TERT promoter hypermethylation and TERT gene copy number (CN) alterations and the results were compared to clinical parameters. Cases with mutation, detectable mRNA expression, CN gain or hypermethylation were classified as TERT aberrant, and these aberrancies were regularly found in FTC and FT-UMP but uncommonly found in FTA. In total, 59% FTCs and 63% FT-UMPs exhibited one or more of these TERT gene aberrancies. Moreover, 24 out of 28 FTCs (86%) with TERT expression displayed an evident TERT gene aberration, and statistics showed an increased risk for relapse in FTCs with TERT expression, CN gain or hypermethylation. We conclude that TERT expression in follicular thyroid tumours is coupled to promoter mutations, CN gain and increased promoter methylation. The molecular similarities regarding TERT aberrations between the FTC and FT-UMP groups indicate that a significant subset of FT-UMP cases may display future recurrences. TERT aberrancies are thus promising as future additional markers for determining malignant potential of follicular thyroid tumours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johan O Paulsson
- Department of Oncology-PathologyKarolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital CCK, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ninni Mu
- Department of Oncology-PathologyKarolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital CCK, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ivan Shabo
- Department of Molecular Medicine and SurgeryKarolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of BreastEndocrine Tumours and Sarcoma, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Na Wang
- Department of Oncology-PathologyKarolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital CCK, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jan Zedenius
- Department of Molecular Medicine and SurgeryKarolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of BreastEndocrine Tumours and Sarcoma, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Catharina Larsson
- Department of Oncology-PathologyKarolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital CCK, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - C Christofer Juhlin
- Department of Oncology-PathologyKarolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital CCK, Stockholm, Sweden
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47
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Svahn F, Paulsson JO, Stenman A, Fotouhi O, Mu N, Murtha TD, Korah R, Carling T, Bäckdahl M, Wang N, Juhlin CC, Larsson C. TERT promoter hypermethylation is associated with poor prognosis in adrenocortical carcinoma. Int J Mol Med 2018; 42:1675-1683. [PMID: 29956721 DOI: 10.3892/ijmm.2018.3735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2018] [Accepted: 05/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomere maintenance, most commonly achieved by telomerase activation through induction of the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene, is required for cell immortalization, a hallmark of cancer. Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is an endocrine tumor for which TERT promoter mutations and telomerase activation have been reported. The present study assessed alterations of the TERT gene locus and telomere length in relation to clinical characteristics in ACC. In total, 38 cases of ACC with known TERT promoter mutational status were included. TERT promoter methylation densities were assessed by pyrosequencing, and TERT copy numbers and telomere length were determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis, followed by comparison of the mRNA expression of TERT and clinical parameters. The ACC tissue samples showed increased TERT copy numbers, compared with normal adrenal tissue (NAT) samples (P=0.001). Mutually exclusive TERT copy number gains or promoter mutation were present in 70% of the ACC samples. The ACC tissues exhibited higher levels of CpG promoter methylation of all eight CpG sites investigated within the ‑578 to ‑541 bp (Region A), compared with the NATs (P=0.001). High methylation density at this region was associated with metastatic disease and/or relapse, poor survival rates and higher European Network for the Study of Adrenal Tumor stage (P<0.05). The mRNA expression of TERT was inversely correlated with methylation density at ‑162 to ‑100 bp (Region B). Correlation was observed between relative telomere length and the gene expression of TERT. It was concluded that epigenetic alterations of the TERT promoter are frequent and associated with advanced disease and poorer clinical outcome in ACC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fredrika Svahn
- Department of Oncology‑Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Cancer Center Karolinska, SE‑17176 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Johan O Paulsson
- Department of Oncology‑Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Cancer Center Karolinska, SE‑17176 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Adam Stenman
- Department of Oncology‑Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Cancer Center Karolinska, SE‑17176 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Omid Fotouhi
- Department of Oncology‑Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Cancer Center Karolinska, SE‑17176 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ninni Mu
- Department of Oncology‑Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Cancer Center Karolinska, SE‑17176 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Timothy D Murtha
- Department of Surgery, Yale School of Medicine, Yale Endocrine Neoplasia Laboratory, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Reju Korah
- Department of Surgery, Yale School of Medicine, Yale Endocrine Neoplasia Laboratory, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Tobias Carling
- Department of Surgery, Yale School of Medicine, Yale Endocrine Neoplasia Laboratory, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Martin Bäckdahl
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, SE‑17176 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Na Wang
- Department of Oncology‑Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Cancer Center Karolinska, SE‑17176 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - C Christofer Juhlin
- Department of Oncology‑Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Cancer Center Karolinska, SE‑17176 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Catharina Larsson
- Department of Oncology‑Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Cancer Center Karolinska, SE‑17176 Stockholm, Sweden
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48
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Farooq F, Zarrabi K, Sweeney K, Kim J, Bandovic J, Patel C, Choi M. Multiregion Comprehensive Genomic Profiling of a Gastric Mixed Neuroendocrine-Nonneuroendocrine Neoplasm with Trilineage Differentiation. J Gastric Cancer 2018; 18:200-207. [PMID: 29984070 PMCID: PMC6026709 DOI: 10.5230/jgc.2018.18.e16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2017] [Revised: 05/19/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Mixed neuroendocrine-nonneuroendocrine neoplasms (MiNENs) are a group of rare tumors previously known as mixed adenoneuroendocrine carcinomas (MANECs). The neuroendocrine component is high-grade and may consist of small-cell carcinoma or large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma. The nonneuroendocrine component may consist of adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma. We report a unique case of a MiNEN with trilineage differentiation: large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and adenocarcinoma. The reported patient presented with symptoms of an upper gastrointestinal bleed and was ultimately diagnosed with a MiNEN with trilineage differentiation. This is the first report of this exceedingly rare tumor type to include next-generation sequencing of the 3 separate tumor entities. In addition, we review the current literature and discuss the role of next-generation sequencing in classifying and treating MiNEN tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faheem Farooq
- Department of Medicine, Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Kevin Zarrabi
- Department of Medicine, Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Keith Sweeney
- Department of Pathology, Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Joseph Kim
- Department of Surgery, Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Jela Bandovic
- Department of Pathology, Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Chiraag Patel
- Department of Pathology, Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook, NY, USA.,Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Department of Pathology, Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Minsig Choi
- Department of Medicine, Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook, NY, USA.,Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook, NY, USA
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49
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Gaspar TB, Sá A, Lopes JM, Sobrinho-Simões M, Soares P, Vinagre J. Telomere Maintenance Mechanisms in Cancer. Genes (Basel) 2018; 9:E241. [PMID: 29751586 PMCID: PMC5977181 DOI: 10.3390/genes9050241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2018] [Revised: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 04/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumour cells can adopt telomere maintenance mechanisms (TMMs) to avoid telomere shortening, an inevitable process due to successive cell divisions. In most tumour cells, telomere length (TL) is maintained by reactivation of telomerase, while a small part acquires immortality through the telomerase-independent alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) mechanism. In the last years, a great amount of data was generated, and different TMMs were reported and explained in detail, benefiting from genome-scale studies of major importance. In this review, we address seven different TMMs in tumour cells: mutations of the TERT promoter (TERTp), amplification of the genes TERT and TERC, polymorphic variants of the TERT gene and of its promoter, rearrangements of the TERT gene, epigenetic changes, ALT, and non-defined TMM (NDTMM). We gathered information from over fifty thousand patients reported in 288 papers in the last years. This wide data collection enabled us to portray, by organ/system and histotypes, the prevalence of TERTp mutations, TERT and TERC amplifications, and ALT in human tumours. Based on this information, we discuss the putative future clinical impact of the aforementioned mechanisms on the malignant transformation process in different setups, and provide insights for screening, prognosis, and patient management stratification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiago Bordeira Gaspar
- Cancer Signaling and Metabolism Group, Institute for Research and Innovation in Health Sciences (i3S), University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
- Cancer Signaling and Metabolism Group, Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (Ipatimup), 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
- Medical Faculty of University of Porto (FMUP), 4200-139 Porto, Portugal.
- Abel Salazar Biomedical Sciences Institute (ICBAS), University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Ana Sá
- Cancer Signaling and Metabolism Group, Institute for Research and Innovation in Health Sciences (i3S), University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
- Cancer Signaling and Metabolism Group, Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (Ipatimup), 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
- Abel Salazar Biomedical Sciences Institute (ICBAS), University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
| | - José Manuel Lopes
- Cancer Signaling and Metabolism Group, Institute for Research and Innovation in Health Sciences (i3S), University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
- Cancer Signaling and Metabolism Group, Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (Ipatimup), 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
- Medical Faculty of University of Porto (FMUP), 4200-139 Porto, Portugal.
- Department of Pathology and Oncology, Centro Hospitalar São João, 4200-139 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Manuel Sobrinho-Simões
- Cancer Signaling and Metabolism Group, Institute for Research and Innovation in Health Sciences (i3S), University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
- Cancer Signaling and Metabolism Group, Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (Ipatimup), 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
- Medical Faculty of University of Porto (FMUP), 4200-139 Porto, Portugal.
- Department of Pathology and Oncology, Centro Hospitalar São João, 4200-139 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Paula Soares
- Cancer Signaling and Metabolism Group, Institute for Research and Innovation in Health Sciences (i3S), University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
- Cancer Signaling and Metabolism Group, Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (Ipatimup), 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
- Abel Salazar Biomedical Sciences Institute (ICBAS), University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
| | - João Vinagre
- Cancer Signaling and Metabolism Group, Institute for Research and Innovation in Health Sciences (i3S), University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
- Cancer Signaling and Metabolism Group, Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (Ipatimup), 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
- Medical Faculty of University of Porto (FMUP), 4200-139 Porto, Portugal.
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50
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Kim HS, Kwon MJ, Song JH, Kim ES, Kim HY, Min KW. Clinical implications of TERT promoter mutation on IDH mutation and MGMT promoter methylation in diffuse gliomas. Pathol Res Pract 2018; 214:881-888. [PMID: 29650441 DOI: 10.1016/j.prp.2018.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2018] [Revised: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 04/03/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
IDH mutation and MGMT promoter methylation are reliable prognostic and predictive biomarkers in grade II-IV diffuse gliomas. Recurrent mutations in the promoter region of the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERTp) gene have also been found in diffuse gliomas. However, the prognostic and predictive effects of TERTp mutation on IDH or MGMT status are largely unknown. IDH1/2 and TERTp mutations, as well as MGMT methylation statuses, were examined via peptide nucleic acid-mediated PCR clamping and MGMT methylation-specific PCR in 67 paraffinized tumor samples, respectively. TERTp mutation was associated with older patients (≥60 years) and frontally located gliomas. Old age, frontal location, and grade IV were found to be predictive factors of TERTp mutation. TERTp mutation resulted in poor prognosis in overall diffuse gliomas. TERTp mutation was not correlated with overall survival (OS) or progression-free survival (PFS) in the diffuse gliomas. However, TERTp mutations, in combination with MGMT methylation or IDH mutation, showed that there were statistical significant survival differences between MGMT-unmethylated/TERTp-mutated and MGMT-unmethylated/TERTp-wildtype subgroups in grade II gliomas. There was a statistical significant survival difference of OS between IDH-wildtype/TERTp-mutated and IDH-mutated/TERTp-mutated subgroups in grade III gliomas. No significant associations between survival and MGMT/TERTp or IDH/TERTp status were found in grade IV gliomas. In conclusion, the combination of TERTp with IDH or MGMT status may be a prognostic indicator depending on grades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyun Sik Kim
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang, Republic of Korea
| | - Mi Jung Kwon
- Departments of Pathology, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Republic of Korea; Research Insititute for Complementary & Alternative Medicine, Hallym University, 40 Seokwoo-Dong, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do, 445-170, Republic of Korea.
| | - Joon Ho Song
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun Soo Kim
- Department of Radiology, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang, Republic of Korea
| | - Ho Young Kim
- Department of Hematological Oncology, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyueng-Whan Min
- Department of Pathology, Hanyang University Guri Hospital, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Kyoungchun-ro 153, Guri-si, Gyeonggi-do 11923, Republic of Korea
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