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Güllülü Ö, Mayer BE, Toplek FB. Linking Gene Fusions to Bone Marrow Failure and Malignant Transformation in Dyskeratosis Congenita. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:1606. [PMID: 38338888 PMCID: PMC10855549 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25031606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Dyskeratosis Congenita (DC) is a multisystem disorder intrinsically associated with telomere dysfunction, leading to bone marrow failure (BMF). Although the pathology of DC is largely driven by mutations in telomere-associated genes, the implications of gene fusions, which emerge due to telomere-induced genomic instability, remain unexplored. We meticulously analyzed gene fusions in RNA-Seq data from DC patients to provide deeper insights into DC's progression. The most significant DC-specific gene fusions were subsequently put through in silico assessments to ascertain biophysical and structural attributes, including charge patterning, inherent disorder, and propensity for self-association. Selected candidates were then analyzed using deep learning-powered structural predictions and molecular dynamics simulations to gauge their potential for forming higher-order oligomers. Our exploration revealed that genes participating in fusion events play crucial roles in upholding genomic stability, facilitating hematopoiesis, and suppressing tumors. Notably, our analysis spotlighted a particularly disordered polyampholyte fusion protein that exhibits robust higher-order oligomerization dynamics. To conclude, this research underscores the potential significance of several high-confidence gene fusions in the progression of BMF in DC, particularly through the dysregulation of genomic stability, hematopoiesis, and tumor suppression. Additionally, we propose that these fusion proteins might hold a detrimental role, specifically in inducing proteotoxicity-driven hematopoietic disruptions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ömer Güllülü
- Department of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Benjamin E. Mayer
- Computational Biology & Simulation, Technische Universität Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Fran Bačić Toplek
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
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Kudryavtseva AV, Lukyanova EN, Kharitonov SL, Nyushko KM, Krasheninnikov AA, Pudova EA, Guvatova ZG, Alekseev BY, Kiseleva MV, Kaprin AD, Dmitriev AA, Snezhkina AV, Krasnov GS. Bioinformatic identification of differentially expressed genes associated with prognosis of locally advanced lymph node-positive prostate cancer. J Bioinform Comput Biol 2020; 17:1950003. [PMID: 30866732 DOI: 10.1142/s0219720019500033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the primary causes of cancer-related mortality in men worldwide. Patients with locally advanced PCa with metastases in regional lymph nodes are usually marked as a high-risk group. One of the chief concerns for this group is to make an informed decision about the necessity of conducting adjuvant androgen deprivation therapy after radical surgical treatment. During the oncogenic transformation and progression of the disease, the expression of many genes is altered. Some of these genes can serve as markers for diagnosis, predicting the prognosis or effectiveness of drug therapy, as well as possible therapeutic targets. We undertook bioinformatic analysis of the RNA-seq data deposited in The Cancer Genome Atlas consortium database to identify possible prognostic markers. We compared the groups with favorable and unfavorable prognosis for the cohort of patients with PCa showing lymph node metastasis (pT2N1M0, pT3N1M0, and pT4N1M0) and for the most common molecular type carrying the fusion transcript TMPRSS2-ERG. For the entire cohort, we revealed at least six potential markers (IDO1, UGT2B15, IFNG, MUC6, CXCL11, and GBP1). Most of these genes are involved in the positive regulation of immune response. For the TMPRSS2-ERG subtype, we also identified six genes, the expression of which may be associated with prognosis: TOB1, GALNT7, INAFM1, APELA, RAC3, and NNMT. The identified genes, after additional studies and validation in the extended cohort, could serve as a prognostic marker of locally advanced lymph node-positive PCa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna V Kudryavtseva
- * Laboratory of Postgenomic Research, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, Vavilova 32, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation
| | - Elena N Lukyanova
- * Laboratory of Postgenomic Research, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, Vavilova 32, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation
| | - Sergey L Kharitonov
- * Laboratory of Postgenomic Research, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, Vavilova 32, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation
| | - Kirill M Nyushko
- † Federal State Budgetary Institution, National Medical Research Radiological Center of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 4 Korolev Str., Obninsk 249036, Russian Federation
| | - Alexey A Krasheninnikov
- † Federal State Budgetary Institution, National Medical Research Radiological Center of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 4 Korolev Str., Obninsk 249036, Russian Federation
| | - Elena A Pudova
- * Laboratory of Postgenomic Research, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, Vavilova 32, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation
| | - Zulfiya G Guvatova
- * Laboratory of Postgenomic Research, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, Vavilova 32, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation
| | - Boris Y Alekseev
- † Federal State Budgetary Institution, National Medical Research Radiological Center of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 4 Korolev Str., Obninsk 249036, Russian Federation
| | - Marina V Kiseleva
- † Federal State Budgetary Institution, National Medical Research Radiological Center of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 4 Korolev Str., Obninsk 249036, Russian Federation
| | - Andrey D Kaprin
- † Federal State Budgetary Institution, National Medical Research Radiological Center of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 4 Korolev Str., Obninsk 249036, Russian Federation
| | - Alexey A Dmitriev
- * Laboratory of Postgenomic Research, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, Vavilova 32, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation
| | - Anastasiya V Snezhkina
- * Laboratory of Postgenomic Research, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, Vavilova 32, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation
| | - George S Krasnov
- * Laboratory of Postgenomic Research, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, Vavilova 32, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation
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