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Yin G, Liu L, Yu T, Yu L, Feng M, Zhou C, Wang X, Teng G, Ma Z, Zhou W, Ye C, Zhang J, Ji C, Zhao L, Zhou P, Guo Y, Meng X, Fu Q, Zhang Q, Li L, Zhou F, Zheng C, Xiang Y, Guo M, Wang Y, Wang F, Huang S, Yu Z. Genomic and transcriptomic analysis of breast cancer identifies novel signatures associated with response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Genome Med 2024; 16:11. [PMID: 38217005 PMCID: PMC10787499 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-024-01286-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/14/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) has become a standard treatment strategy for breast cancer (BC). However, owing to the high heterogeneity of these tumors, it is unclear which patient population most likely benefit from NAC. Multi-omics offer an improved approach to uncovering genomic and transcriptomic changes before and after NAC in BC and to identifying molecular features associated with NAC sensitivity. METHODS We performed whole-exome and RNA sequencing on 233 samples (including matched pre- and post-treatment tumors) from 50 BC patients with rigorously defined responses to NAC and analyzed changes in the multi-omics landscape. Molecular features associated with NAC response were identified and validated in a larger internal, and two external validation cohorts, as well as in vitro experiments. RESULTS The most frequently altered genes were TP53, TTN, and MUC16 in both pre- and post-treatment tumors. In comparison with pre-treatment tumors, there was a significant decrease in C > A transversion mutations in post-treatment tumors (P = 0.020). NAC significantly decreased the mutation rate (P = 0.006) of the DNA repair pathway and gene expression levels (FDR = 0.007) in this pathway. NAC also significantly changed the expression level of immune checkpoint genes and the abundance of tumor-infiltrating immune and stroma cells, including B cells, activated dendritic cells, γδT cells, M2 macrophages and endothelial cells. Furthermore, there was a higher rate of C > T substitutions in NAC nonresponsive tumors than responsive ones, especially when the substitution site was flanked by C and G. Importantly, there was a unique amplified region at 8p11.23 (containing ADGRA2 and ADRB3) and a deleted region at 3p13 (harboring FOXP1) in NAC nonresponsive and responsive tumors, respectively. Particularly, the CDKAL1 missense variant P409L (p.Pro409Leu, c.1226C > T) decreased BC cell sensitivity to docetaxel, and ADGRA2 or ADRB3 gene amplifications were associated with worse NAC response and poor prognosis in BC patients. CONCLUSIONS Our study has revealed genomic and transcriptomic landscape changes following NAC in BC, and identified novel biomarkers (CDKAL1P409L, ADGRA2 and ADRB3) underlying chemotherapy resistance and poor prognosis, which could guide the development of personalized treatments for BC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gengshen Yin
- Department of Breast Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
| | - Liyuan Liu
- Department of Breast Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
- Institute of Translational Medicine of Breast Disease Prevention and Treatment, Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Translational Research On Prevention and Treatment of Breast Disease, Jinan, 250033, China
| | - Ting Yu
- Research Center for Mathematics and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China
| | - Lixiang Yu
- Department of Breast Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
- Institute of Translational Medicine of Breast Disease Prevention and Treatment, Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Translational Research On Prevention and Treatment of Breast Disease, Jinan, 250033, China
| | - Man Feng
- Department of Pathology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University (Affiliated Hospital of Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences), Jinan, 250031, China
| | - Chengjun Zhou
- Department of Pathology, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
| | - Xiaoying Wang
- Department of Pathology, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
| | - Guoxin Teng
- Department of Pathology, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
| | - Zhongbing Ma
- Department of Breast Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
- Institute of Translational Medicine of Breast Disease Prevention and Treatment, Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Translational Research On Prevention and Treatment of Breast Disease, Jinan, 250033, China
| | - Wenzhong Zhou
- Department of Breast Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
- Institute of Translational Medicine of Breast Disease Prevention and Treatment, Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Translational Research On Prevention and Treatment of Breast Disease, Jinan, 250033, China
| | - Chunmiao Ye
- Department of Breast Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
- Institute of Translational Medicine of Breast Disease Prevention and Treatment, Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Translational Research On Prevention and Treatment of Breast Disease, Jinan, 250033, China
| | - Jialin Zhang
- Department of Breast Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
| | - Changhua Ji
- Department of Pathology, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
| | - Linfeng Zhao
- Institute of Translational Medicine of Breast Disease Prevention and Treatment, Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
- Institute of Medical Sciences, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
| | - Peng Zhou
- Department of Breast Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
| | - Yaxun Guo
- Department of Breast Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
| | - Xingchen Meng
- Department of Breast Surgery, Weifang People's Hospital, Weifang, 261041, China
| | - Qinye Fu
- Department of Breast Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
- Institute of Translational Medicine of Breast Disease Prevention and Treatment, Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Translational Research On Prevention and Treatment of Breast Disease, Jinan, 250033, China
| | - Qiang Zhang
- Department of Breast Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
- Institute of Translational Medicine of Breast Disease Prevention and Treatment, Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Translational Research On Prevention and Treatment of Breast Disease, Jinan, 250033, China
| | - Liang Li
- Department of Breast Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
- Institute of Translational Medicine of Breast Disease Prevention and Treatment, Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Translational Research On Prevention and Treatment of Breast Disease, Jinan, 250033, China
| | - Fei Zhou
- Department of Breast Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
- Institute of Translational Medicine of Breast Disease Prevention and Treatment, Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Translational Research On Prevention and Treatment of Breast Disease, Jinan, 250033, China
| | - Chao Zheng
- Department of Breast Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
- Institute of Translational Medicine of Breast Disease Prevention and Treatment, Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Translational Research On Prevention and Treatment of Breast Disease, Jinan, 250033, China
| | - Yujuan Xiang
- Department of Breast Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
- Institute of Translational Medicine of Breast Disease Prevention and Treatment, Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Translational Research On Prevention and Treatment of Breast Disease, Jinan, 250033, China
| | - Mingming Guo
- Department of Breast Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
- Institute of Translational Medicine of Breast Disease Prevention and Treatment, Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Translational Research On Prevention and Treatment of Breast Disease, Jinan, 250033, China
| | - Yongjiu Wang
- Department of Breast Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
- Institute of Translational Medicine of Breast Disease Prevention and Treatment, Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Translational Research On Prevention and Treatment of Breast Disease, Jinan, 250033, China
| | - Fei Wang
- Department of Breast Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China.
- Institute of Translational Medicine of Breast Disease Prevention and Treatment, Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China.
- Shandong Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Translational Research On Prevention and Treatment of Breast Disease, Jinan, 250033, China.
| | - Shuya Huang
- Department of Breast Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China.
- Institute of Translational Medicine of Breast Disease Prevention and Treatment, Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China.
- Shandong Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Translational Research On Prevention and Treatment of Breast Disease, Jinan, 250033, China.
| | - Zhigang Yu
- Department of Breast Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China.
- Institute of Translational Medicine of Breast Disease Prevention and Treatment, Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China.
- Shandong Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Translational Research On Prevention and Treatment of Breast Disease, Jinan, 250033, China.
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2
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Parga-Pazos M, Cusimano N, Rábano M, Akhmatskaya E, Vivanco MDM. A Novel Mathematical Approach for Analysis of Integrated Cell-Patient Data Uncovers a 6-Gene Signature Linked to Endocrine Therapy Resistance. J Transl Med 2024; 104:100286. [PMID: 37951307 DOI: 10.1016/j.labinv.2023.100286] [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: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/13/2023] Open
Abstract
A significant number of breast cancers develop resistance to hormone therapy. This progression, while posing a major clinical challenge, is difficult to predict. Despite important contributions made by cell models and clinical studies to tackle this problem, both present limitations when taken individually. Experiments with cell models are highly reproducible but do not reflect the indubitable heterogenous landscape of breast cancer. On the other hand, clinical studies account for this complexity but introduce uncontrolled noise due to external factors. Here, we propose a new approach for biomarker discovery that is based on a combined analysis of sequencing data from controlled MCF7 cell experiments and heterogenous clinical samples that include clinical and sequencing information from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Using data from differential gene expression analysis and a Bayesian logistic regression model coupled with an original simulated annealing-type algorithm, we discovered a novel 6-gene signature for stratifying patient response to hormone therapy. The experimental observations and computational analysis built on independent cohorts indicated the superior predictive performance of this gene set over previously known signatures of similar scope. Together, these findings revealed a new gene signature to identify patients with breast cancer with an increased risk of developing resistance to endocrine therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Parga-Pazos
- Modelling and Simulation in Life and Materials Sciences, Basque Center for Applied Mathematics, Spain; Cancer Heterogeneity Lab, CIC bioGUNE, Basque Research and Technology Alliance, Derio, Spain
| | - Nicole Cusimano
- Modelling and Simulation in Life and Materials Sciences, Basque Center for Applied Mathematics, Spain
| | - Miriam Rábano
- Cancer Heterogeneity Lab, CIC bioGUNE, Basque Research and Technology Alliance, Derio, Spain
| | - Elena Akhmatskaya
- Modelling and Simulation in Life and Materials Sciences, Basque Center for Applied Mathematics, Spain; IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain.
| | - Maria dM Vivanco
- Cancer Heterogeneity Lab, CIC bioGUNE, Basque Research and Technology Alliance, Derio, Spain.
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3
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Wang D, Yang Y, Yang L, Yang H. Bibliometric analysis and visualization of endocrine therapy for breast cancer research in the last two decade. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2023; 14:1287101. [PMID: 38116321 PMCID: PMC10728495 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1287101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Breast cancer endocrine therapy research has become a crucial domain in oncology since hormone receptor-positive breast cancers have been increasingly recognized, and targeted therapeutic interventions have been advancing over the past few years. This bibliometric analysis attempts to shed light on the trends, dynamics, and knowledge hotspots that have shaped the landscape of breast cancer endocrine therapy research between 2003 and 2022. Methods In this study, we comprehensively reviewed the scientific literature spanning the above-mentioned period, which included publications accessible through the database of the Web of Science (WOS) and the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). Next, a systematic and data-driven analysis supported by sophisticated software tools was conducted, such that the core themes, prolific authors, influential journals, prominent countries, and critical citation patterns in the relevant research field can be clarified. Results A continuous and substantial expansion of breast cancer endocrine therapy research was revealed over the evaluated period. A total of 1,317 scholarly articles were examined. The results of the analysis suggested that research on endocrine therapy for breast cancer has laid a solid basis for the treatment of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. From a geographical perspective, the US, the UK, and China emerged as the most active contributors, illustrating the global impact of this study. Furthermore, our analysis delineated prominent research topics that have dominated the discourse in the past two decades, including drug therapy, therapeutic efficacy, molecular biomarkers, and hormonal receptor interactions. Conclusion This comprehensive bibliometric analysis provides a panoramic view of the ever-evolving landscape of breast cancer endocrine therapy research. The findings highlight the trajectory of past developments while signifying an avenue of vast opportunities for future investigations and therapeutic advancements. As the field continues to burgeon, this analysis will provide valuable guidance for to researchers toward pertinent knowledge hotspots and emerging trends, which can expedite the discoveries in the realm of breast cancer endocrine therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Hongwei Yang
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Suining Central Hospital, Suining, Sichuan, China
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4
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Kim H, Whitman AA, Wisniewska K, Kakati RT, Garcia-Recio S, Calhoun BC, Franco HL, Perou CM, Spanheimer PM. Tamoxifen Response at Single-Cell Resolution in Estrogen Receptor-Positive Primary Human Breast Tumors. Clin Cancer Res 2023; 29:4894-4907. [PMID: 37747807 PMCID: PMC10690085 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-23-1248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE In estrogen receptor-positive (ER+)/HER2- breast cancer, multiple measures of intratumor heterogeneity are associated with a worse response to endocrine therapy. We sought to develop a novel experimental model to measure heterogeneity in response to tamoxifen treatment in primary breast tumors. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN To investigate heterogeneity in response to treatment, we developed an operating room-to-laboratory pipeline for the collection of live normal breast specimens and human tumors immediately after surgical resection for processing into single-cell workflows for experimentation and genomic analyses. Live primary cell suspensions were treated ex vivo with tamoxifen (10 μmol/L) or control media for 12 hours, and single-cell RNA libraries were generated using the 10X Genomics droplet-based kit. RESULTS In total, we obtained and processed normal breast tissue from two women undergoing reduction mammoplasty and tumor tissue from 10 women with ER+/HER2- invasive breast carcinoma. We demonstrate differences in tamoxifen response by cell type and identify distinctly responsive and resistant subpopulations within the malignant cell compartment of human tumors. Tamoxifen resistance signatures from resistant subpopulations predict poor outcomes in two large cohorts of ER+ breast cancer patients and are enriched in endocrine therapy-resistant tumors. CONCLUSIONS This novel ex vivo model system now provides the foundation to define responsive and resistant subpopulations within heterogeneous human tumors, which can be used to develop precise single cell-based predictors of response to therapy and to identify genes and pathways driving therapeutic resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyunsoo Kim
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Austin A. Whitman
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Kamila Wisniewska
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Rasha T. Kakati
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Susana Garcia-Recio
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Benjamin C. Calhoun
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Hector L. Franco
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Computational Medicine Program, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Charles M. Perou
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Computational Medicine Program, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Philip M. Spanheimer
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
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5
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Bahnassy S, Stires H, Jin L, Tam S, Mobin D, Balachandran M, Podar M, McCoy MD, Beckman RA, Riggins RB. Unraveling Vulnerabilities in Endocrine Therapy-Resistant HER2+/ER+ Breast Cancer. Endocrinology 2023; 164:bqad159. [PMID: 37897495 PMCID: PMC10651073 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqad159] [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: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 10/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/30/2023]
Abstract
Breast tumors overexpressing human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2) confer intrinsic resistance to endocrine therapy (ET), and patients with HER2/estrogen receptor-positive (HER2+/ER+) breast cancer (BCa) are less responsive to ET than HER2-/ER+. However, real-world evidence reveals that a large subset of patients with HER2+/ER+ receive ET as monotherapy, positioning this treatment pattern as a clinical challenge. In the present study, we developed and characterized 2 in vitro models of ET-resistant (ETR) HER2+/ER+ BCa to identify possible therapeutic vulnerabilities. To mimic ETR to aromatase inhibitors (AIs), we developed 2 long-term estrogen deprivation (LTED) cell lines from BT-474 (BT474) and MDA-MB-361 (MM361). Growth assays, PAM50 subtyping, and genomic and transcriptomic analyses, followed by validation and functional studies, were used to identify targetable differences between ET-responsive parental and ETR-LTED HER2+/ER+ cells. Compared to their parental cells, MM361 LTEDs grew faster, lost ER, and increased HER2 expression, whereas BT474 LTEDs grew slower and maintained ER and HER2 expression. Both LTED variants had reduced responsiveness to fulvestrant. Whole-genome sequencing of aggressive MM361 LTEDs identified mutations in genes encoding transcription factors and chromatin modifiers. Single-cell RNA sequencing demonstrated a shift towards non-luminal phenotypes, and revealed metabolic remodeling of MM361 LTEDs, with upregulated lipid metabolism and ferroptosis-associated antioxidant genes, including GPX4. Combining a GPX4 inhibitor with anti-HER2 agents induced significant cell death in both MM361 and BT474 LTEDs. The BT474 and MM361 AI-resistant models capture distinct phenotypes of HER2+/ER+ BCa and identify altered lipid metabolism and ferroptosis remodeling as vulnerabilities of this type of ETR BCa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaymaa Bahnassy
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | | | - Lu Jin
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Stanley Tam
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Dua Mobin
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Manasi Balachandran
- Department of Medicine, University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville, TN 37920, USA
| | - Mircea Podar
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA
| | - Matthew D McCoy
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Robert A Beckman
- Department of Oncology and of Biostatistics, Bioinformatics, and Biomathematics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA
- Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and Innovation Center for Biomedical Informatics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA
| | - Rebecca B Riggins
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
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6
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Bahnassy S, Stires H, Jin L, Tam S, Mobin D, Balachandran M, Podar M, McCoy MD, Beckman RA, Riggins RB. Unraveling Vulnerabilities in Endocrine Therapy-Resistant HER2+/ER+ Breast Cancer. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.21.554116. [PMID: 37662291 PMCID: PMC10473676 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.21.554116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Background Breast tumors overexpressing human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2) confer intrinsic resistance to endocrine therapy (ET), and patients with HER2/ estrogen receptor-positive (HER2+/HR+) breast cancer (BCa) are less responsive to ET than HER2-/ER+. However, real-world evidence reveals that a large subset of HER2+/ER+ patients receive ET as monotherapy, positioning this treatment pattern as a clinical challenge. In the present study, we developed and characterized two distinct in vitro models of ET-resistant (ETR) HER2+/ER+ BCa to identify possible therapeutic vulnerabilities. Methods To mimic ETR to aromatase inhibitors (AI), we developed two long-term estrogen-deprived (LTED) cell lines from BT-474 (BT474) and MDA-MB-361 (MM361). Growth assays, PAM50 molecular subtyping, genomic and transcriptomic analyses, followed by validation and functional studies, were used to identify targetable differences between ET-responsive parental and ETR-LTED HER2+/ER+ cells. Results Compared to their parental cells, MM361 LTEDs grew faster, lost ER, and increased HER2 expression, whereas BT474 LTEDs grew slower and maintained ER and HER2 expression. Both LTED variants had reduced responsiveness to fulvestrant. Whole-genome sequencing of the more aggressive MM361 LTED model system identified exonic mutations in genes encoding transcription factors and chromatin modifiers. Single-cell RNA sequencing demonstrated a shift towards non-luminal phenotypes, and revealed metabolic remodeling of MM361 LTEDs, with upregulated lipid metabolism and antioxidant genes associated with ferroptosis, including GPX4. Combining the GPX4 inhibitor RSL3 with anti-HER2 agents induced significant cell death in both the MM361 and BT474 LTEDs. Conclusions The BT474 and MM361 AI-resistant models capture distinct phenotypes of HER2+/ER+ BCa and identify altered lipid metabolism and ferroptosis remodeling as vulnerabilities of this type of ETR BCa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaymaa Bahnassy
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
| | | | - Lu Jin
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
| | - Stanley Tam
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
| | - Dua Mobin
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
| | - Manasi Balachandran
- Department of Medicine, University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville, TN
| | | | - Matthew D. McCoy
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
| | - Robert A. Beckman
- Departments of Oncology and of Biostatistics, Bioinformatics, and Biomathematics, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and Innovation Center for Biomedical Informatics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC
| | - Rebecca B. Riggins
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
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7
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El-Botty R, Morriset L, Montaudon E, Tariq Z, Schnitzler A, Bacci M, Lorito N, Sourd L, Huguet L, Dahmani A, Painsec P, Derrien H, Vacher S, Masliah-Planchon J, Raynal V, Baulande S, Larcher T, Vincent-Salomon A, Dutertre G, Cottu P, Gentric G, Mechta-Grigoriou F, Hutton S, Driouch K, Bièche I, Morandi A, Marangoni E. Oxidative phosphorylation is a metabolic vulnerability of endocrine therapy and palbociclib resistant metastatic breast cancers. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4221. [PMID: 37452026 PMCID: PMC10349040 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40022-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Resistance to endocrine treatments and CDK4/6 inhibitors is considered a near-inevitability in most patients with estrogen receptor positive breast cancers (ER + BC). By genomic and metabolomics analyses of patients' tumours, metastasis-derived patient-derived xenografts (PDX) and isogenic cell lines we demonstrate that a fraction of metastatic ER + BC is highly reliant on oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Treatment by the OXPHOS inhibitor IACS-010759 strongly inhibits tumour growth in multiple endocrine and palbociclib resistant PDX. Mutations in the PIK3CA/AKT1 genes are significantly associated with response to IACS-010759. At the metabolic level, in vivo response to IACS-010759 is associated with decreased levels of metabolites of the glutathione, glycogen and pentose phosphate pathways in treated tumours. In vitro, endocrine and palbociclib resistant cells show increased OXPHOS dependency and increased ROS levels upon IACS-010759 treatment. Finally, in ER + BC patients, high expression of OXPHOS associated genes predict poor prognosis. In conclusion, these results identify OXPHOS as a promising target for treatment resistant ER + BC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rania El-Botty
- Laboratory of Preclinical Investigation, Translational Research Department, Institut Curie, PSL University, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Ludivine Morriset
- Laboratory of Preclinical Investigation, Translational Research Department, Institut Curie, PSL University, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Elodie Montaudon
- Laboratory of Preclinical Investigation, Translational Research Department, Institut Curie, PSL University, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Zakia Tariq
- Department of Genetics, Institut Curie, PSL University, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Anne Schnitzler
- Department of Genetics, Institut Curie, PSL University, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Marina Bacci
- Dept. of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, Viale Morgagni, 50 - 50134, Florence, Italy
| | - Nicla Lorito
- Dept. of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, Viale Morgagni, 50 - 50134, Florence, Italy
| | - Laura Sourd
- Laboratory of Preclinical Investigation, Translational Research Department, Institut Curie, PSL University, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Léa Huguet
- Laboratory of Preclinical Investigation, Translational Research Department, Institut Curie, PSL University, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Ahmed Dahmani
- Laboratory of Preclinical Investigation, Translational Research Department, Institut Curie, PSL University, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Pierre Painsec
- Laboratory of Preclinical Investigation, Translational Research Department, Institut Curie, PSL University, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Heloise Derrien
- Laboratory of Preclinical Investigation, Translational Research Department, Institut Curie, PSL University, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Sophie Vacher
- Department of Genetics, Institut Curie, PSL University, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75005, Paris, France
| | | | - Virginie Raynal
- ICGex - NGS platform, Institut Curie, PSL University, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Sylvain Baulande
- ICGex - NGS platform, Institut Curie, PSL University, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Thibaut Larcher
- INRA, APEX-PAnTher, Oniris, 44322, Rue de la Géraudière, Nantes, France
| | - Anne Vincent-Salomon
- Department of Pathology, Institut Curie, PSL University, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Guillaume Dutertre
- Department of Surgery, Institut Curie, PSL University, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Paul Cottu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Institut Curie, PSL University, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Géraldine Gentric
- "Stress and Cancer" Laboratory, Institut Curie - Inserm U830, PSL University, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Fatima Mechta-Grigoriou
- "Stress and Cancer" Laboratory, Institut Curie - Inserm U830, PSL University, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Scott Hutton
- Metabolon Inc., 617 Davis Drive, Suite 100, Morrisville, NC, 27560, USA
| | - Keltouma Driouch
- Department of Genetics, Institut Curie, PSL University, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Ivan Bièche
- Department of Genetics, Institut Curie, PSL University, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75005, Paris, France
- Paris City University, Inserm U1016, Faculty of Pharmaceutical and Biological Sciences, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Andrea Morandi
- Dept. of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, Viale Morgagni, 50 - 50134, Florence, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Marangoni
- Laboratory of Preclinical Investigation, Translational Research Department, Institut Curie, PSL University, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75005, Paris, France.
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8
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Kim H, Whitman AA, Wisniewska K, Kakati RT, Garcia-Recio S, Calhoun BC, Franco HL, Perou CM, Spanheimer PM. Tamoxifen Response at Single Cell Resolution in Estrogen Receptor-Positive Primary Human Breast Tumors. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.01.535159. [PMID: 37066379 PMCID: PMC10103953 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.01.535159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/18/2023]
Abstract
In ER+/HER2- breast cancer, multiple measures of intra-tumor heterogeneity are associated with worse response to endocrine therapy. To investigate heterogeneity in response to treatment, we developed an operating room-to-laboratory pipeline for the collection of live human tumors and normal breast specimens immediately after surgical resection for processing into single-cell workflows for experimentation and genomic analyses. We demonstrate differences in tamoxifen response by cell type and identify distinctly responsive and resistant subpopulations within the malignant cell compartment of human tumors. Tamoxifen resistance signatures from 3 distinct resistant subpopulations are prognostic in large cohorts of ER+ breast cancer patients and enriched in endocrine therapy resistant tumors. This novel ex vivo model system now provides a foundation to define responsive and resistant sub-populations within heterogeneous tumors, to develop precise single cell-based predictors of response to therapy, and to identify genes and pathways driving resistance to therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyunsoo Kim
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Austin A. Whitman
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Kamila Wisniewska
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Rasha T. Kakati
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Susana Garcia-Recio
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Benjamin C. Calhoun
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Hector L. Franco
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
- Computational Medicine Program, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Charles M. Perou
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
- Computational Medicine Program, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Philip M. Spanheimer
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
- Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
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9
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Kakati RT, Kim H, Whitman A, Spanheimer PM. High expression of the RET receptor tyrosine kinase and its ligand GDNF identifies a high-risk subset of estrogen receptor positive breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2023; 199:589-601. [PMID: 37061618 PMCID: PMC10182256 DOI: 10.1007/s10549-023-06937-9] [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: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/17/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Resistance to endocrine therapy is the primary cause of treatment failure and death in patients with ER-positive (ER +)/luminal breast cancer. Expression and activation of the RET receptor tyrosine kinase may be driving poor outcomes. We aim to identify high-risk patients and druggable pathways for biomarker-based clinical trials. METHODS We obtained batch-normalized mRNA expression data from Breast Invasive Carcinoma-The Cancer Genome Atlas, PanCancer Atlas (BRCA-TCGA). To determine clinically significant cutoffs for RET expression, patients were grouped at different thresholds for Kaplan-Meier plotting. Differential gene expression (DGE) analysis and enrichment for gene sets was performed. transcriptomic dataset of antiestrogen-treated ER + tumors stratified by clinical response was then analyzed. RESULTS High RET expression was associated with worse outcomes in patients with ER + tumors, and stratification was enhanced by incorporating GDNF expression. High RET/GDNF patients had significantly lower overall survival (HR = 2.04, p = 0.012), progression-free survival (HR = 2.87, p < 0.001), disease-free survival (HR = 2.67, p < 0.001), and disease-specific survival (HR = 3.53, p < 0.001) than all other ER + patients. High RET/GDNF tumors were enriched for estrogen-independent signaling and targetable pathways including NTRK, PI3K, and KRAS. Tumors with adaptive resistance to endocrine therapy were enriched for gene expression signatures of high RET/GDNF primary tumors. CONCLUSION Expression and activation of the RET receptor tyrosine kinase may be driving poor outcomes in some patients with ER + breast cancer. ER + patients above the 75th percentile may benefit from clinical trials with tyrosine kinase inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rasha T Kakati
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, 170 Manning Drive, Suite 1149, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7213, USA
| | - Hyunsoo Kim
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, 170 Manning Drive, Suite 1149, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7213, USA
| | - Austin Whitman
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, 170 Manning Drive, Suite 1149, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7213, USA
| | - Philip M Spanheimer
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, 170 Manning Drive, Suite 1149, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7213, USA.
- Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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10
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Khatpe AS, Dirks R, Bhat-Nakshatri P, Mang H, Batic K, Swiezy S, Olson J, Rao X, Wang Y, Tanaka H, Liu S, Wan J, Chen D, Liu Y, Fang F, Althouse S, Hulsey E, Granatir MM, Addison R, Temm CJ, Sandusky G, Lee-Gosselin A, Nephew K, Miller KD, Nakshatri H. TONSL Is an Immortalizing Oncogene and a Therapeutic Target in Breast Cancer. Cancer Res 2023; 83:1345-1360. [PMID: 37057595 PMCID: PMC10107402 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-22-3667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Abstract
Study of genomic aberrations leading to immortalization of epithelial cells has been technically challenging due to the lack of isogenic models. To address this, we used healthy primary breast luminal epithelial cells of different genetic ancestry and their hTERT-immortalized counterparts to identify transcriptomic changes associated with immortalization. Elevated expression of TONSL (Tonsoku-like, DNA repair protein) was identified as one of the earliest events during immortalization. TONSL, which is located on chromosome 8q24.3, was found to be amplified in approximately 20% of breast cancers. TONSL alone immortalized primary breast epithelial cells and increased telomerase activity, but overexpression was insufficient for neoplastic transformation. However, TONSL-immortalized primary cells overexpressing defined oncogenes generated estrogen receptor-positive adenocarcinomas in mice. Analysis of a breast tumor microarray with approximately 600 tumors revealed poor overall and progression-free survival of patients with TONSL-overexpressing tumors. TONSL increased chromatin accessibility to pro-oncogenic transcription factors, including NF-κB and limited access to the tumor-suppressor p53. TONSL overexpression resulted in significant changes in the expression of genes associated with DNA repair hubs, including upregulation of several genes in the homologous recombination (HR) and Fanconi anemia pathways. Consistent with these results, TONSL-overexpressing primary cells exhibited upregulated DNA repair via HR. Moreover, TONSL was essential for growth of TONSL-amplified breast cancer cell lines in vivo, and these cells were sensitive to TONSL-FACT complex inhibitor CBL0137. Together, these findings identify TONSL as a regulator of epithelial cell immortalization to facilitate cancer initiation and as a target for breast cancer therapy. SIGNIFICANCE The chr.8q24.3 amplicon-resident gene TONSL is upregulated during the initial steps of tumorigenesis to support neoplastic transformation by increasing DNA repair and represents a potential therapeutic target for treating breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditi S Khatpe
- Department of Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Rebecca Dirks
- Department of Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | | | - Henry Mang
- Department of Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Katie Batic
- Department of Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Sarah Swiezy
- Department of Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Jacob Olson
- Decatur Central High School, Indianapolis, IN 46221, USA
| | - Xi Rao
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, IN 46202, USA
| | - Yue Wang
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, IN 46202, USA
| | - Hiromi Tanaka
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, IN 46202, USA
| | - Sheng Liu
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, IN 46202, USA
| | - Jun Wan
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, IN 46202, USA
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Indiana University School of Medicine, IN 46202, USA
| | - Duojiao Chen
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, IN 46202, USA
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Indiana University School of Medicine, IN 46202, USA
| | - Yunlong Liu
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, IN 46202, USA
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Indiana University School of Medicine, IN 46202, USA
| | - Fang Fang
- Medical Science Program, Indiana University School of Medicine, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Sandra Althouse
- Department of Biostatistics and Health Data Science, Indiana University School of Medicine, IN 46202, USA
| | - Emily Hulsey
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, IN 46202, USA
| | - Maggie M Granatir
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, IN 46202, USA
| | - Rebekah Addison
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, IN 46202, USA
| | - Constance J. Temm
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, IN 46202, USA
| | - George Sandusky
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, IN 46202, USA
| | - Audrey Lee-Gosselin
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, IN 46202, USA
| | - Kenneth Nephew
- Medical Science Program, Indiana University School of Medicine, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Kathy D. Miller
- Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Harikrishna Nakshatri
- Department of Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Indiana University School of Medicine, IN 46202, USA
- VA Roudebush Medical Center, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
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11
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Xi J, Deng Z, Liu Y, Wang Q, Shi W. Integrating multi-type aberrations from DNA and RNA through dynamic mapping gene space for subtype-specific breast cancer driver discovery. PeerJ 2023; 11:e14843. [PMID: 36755866 PMCID: PMC9901305 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Driver event discovery is a crucial demand for breast cancer diagnosis and therapy. In particular, discovering subtype-specificity of drivers can prompt the personalized biomarker discovery and precision treatment of cancer patients. Still, most of the existing computational driver discovery studies mainly exploit the information from DNA aberrations and gene interactions. Notably, cancer driver events would occur due to not only DNA aberrations but also RNA alternations, but integrating multi-type aberrations from both DNA and RNA is still a challenging task for breast cancer drivers. On the one hand, the data formats of different aberration types also differ from each other, known as data format incompatibility. On the other hand, different types of aberrations demonstrate distinct patterns across samples, known as aberration type heterogeneity. To promote the integrated analysis of subtype-specific breast cancer drivers, we design a "splicing-and-fusing" framework to address the issues of data format incompatibility and aberration type heterogeneity simultaneously. To overcome the data format incompatibility, the "splicing-step" employs a knowledge graph structure to connect multi-type aberrations from the DNA and RNA data into a unified formation. To tackle the aberration type heterogeneity, the "fusing-step" adopts a dynamic mapping gene space integration approach to represent the multi-type information by vectorized profiles. The experiments also demonstrate the advantages of our approach in both the integration of multi-type aberrations from DNA and RNA and the discovery of subtype-specific breast cancer drivers. In summary, our "splicing-and-fusing" framework with knowledge graph connection and dynamic mapping gene space fusion of multi-type aberrations data from DNA and RNA can successfully discover potential breast cancer drivers with subtype-specificity indication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianing Xi
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhen Deng
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yang Liu
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qian Wang
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wen Shi
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
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