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The cell-free DNA methylome captures distinctions between localized and metastatic prostate tumors. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6467. [PMID: 36309516 PMCID: PMC9617856 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34012-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Metastatic prostate cancer remains a major clinical challenge and metastatic lesions are highly heterogeneous and difficult to biopsy. Liquid biopsy provides opportunities to gain insights into the underlying biology. Here, using the highly sensitive enrichment-based sequencing technology, we provide analysis of 60 and 175 plasma DNA methylomes from patients with localized and metastatic prostate cancer, respectively. We show that the cell-free DNA methylome can capture variations beyond the tumor. A global hypermethylation in metastatic samples is observed, coupled with hypomethylation in the pericentromeric regions. Hypermethylation at the promoter of a glucocorticoid receptor gene NR3C1 is associated with a decreased immune signature. The cell-free DNA methylome is reflective of clinical outcomes and can distinguish different disease types with 0.989 prediction accuracy. Finally, we show the ability of predicting copy number alterations from the data, providing opportunities for joint genetic and epigenetic analysis on limited biological samples.
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Sklavenitis-Pistofidis R, Getz G, Ghobrial I, Papaioannou M. Multiple Myeloma With Amplification of Chr1q: Therapeutic Opportunity and Challenges. Front Oncol 2022; 12:961421. [PMID: 35912171 PMCID: PMC9331166 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.961421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable plasma cell malignancy with a heterogeneous genetic background. Each MM subtype may have its own therapeutic vulnerabilities, and tailored therapy could improve outcomes. However, the cumulative frequency of druggable targets across patients is very low, which has precluded the widespread adoption of precision therapy for patients with MM. Amplification of the long arm of chromosome 1 (Amp1q) is one of the most frequent genetic alterations observed in patients with MM, and its presence predicts inferior outcomes in the era of proteasome inhibitors and immunomodulatory agents. Therefore, establishing precision medicine for MM patients with Amp1q stands to benefit a large portion of patients who are otherwise at higher risk of relapse. In this article, we review the prevalence and clinical significance of Amp1q in patients with MM, its pathogenesis and therapeutic vulnerabilities, and discuss the opportunities and challenges for Amp1q-targeted therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romanos Sklavenitis-Pistofidis
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Gad Getz
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Irene Ghobrial
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States
- *Correspondence: Maria Papaioannou, ; Irene Ghobrial,
| | - Maria Papaioannou
- Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
- Hematology Unit, 1st Internal Medicine Department, AHEPA University Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece
- *Correspondence: Maria Papaioannou, ; Irene Ghobrial,
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Gurova K. Can aggressive cancers be identified by the "aggressiveness" of their chromatin? Bioessays 2022; 44:e2100212. [PMID: 35452144 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202100212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Phenotypic plasticity is a crucial feature of aggressive cancer, providing the means for cancer progression. Stochastic changes in tumor cell transcriptional programs increase the chances of survival under any condition. I hypothesize that unstable chromatin permits stochastic transitions between transcriptional programs in aggressive cancers and supports non-genetic heterogeneity of tumor cells as a basis for their adaptability. I present a mechanistic model for unstable chromatin which includes destabilized nucleosomes, mobile chromatin fibers and random enhancer-promoter contacts, resulting in stochastic transcription. I suggest potential markers for "unsettled" chromatin in tumors associated with poor prognosis. Although many of the characteristics of unstable chromatin have been described, they were mostly used to explain changes in the transcription of individual genes. I discuss approaches to evaluate the role of unstable chromatin in non-genetic tumor cell heterogeneity and suggest using the degree of chromatin instability and transcriptional noise in tumor cells to predict cancer aggressiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katerina Gurova
- Department of Cell Stress Biology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York, USA
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Kundu S, Ray MD, Sharma A. Interplay between genome organization and epigenomic alterations of pericentromeric DNA in cancer. J Genet Genomics 2021; 48:184-197. [PMID: 33840602 DOI: 10.1016/j.jgg.2021.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2020] [Revised: 02/07/2021] [Accepted: 02/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
In eukaryotic genome biology, the genomic organization inside the three-dimensional (3D) nucleus is highly complex, and whether this organization governs gene expression is poorly understood. Nuclear lamina (NL) is a filamentous meshwork of proteins present at the lining of inner nuclear membrane that serves as an anchoring platform for genome organization. Large chromatin domains termed as lamina-associated domains (LADs), play a major role in silencing genes at the nuclear periphery. The interaction of the NL and genome is dynamic and stochastic. Furthermore, many genes change their positions during developmental processes or under disease conditions such as cancer, to activate certain sorts of genes and/or silence others. Pericentromeric heterochromatin (PCH) is mostly in the silenced region within the genome, which localizes at the nuclear periphery. Studies show that several genes located at the PCH are aberrantly expressed in cancer. The interesting question is that despite being localized in the pericentromeric region, how these genes still manage to overcome pericentromeric repression. Although epigenetic mechanisms control the expression of the pericentromeric region, recent studies about genome organization and genome-nuclear lamina interaction have shed light on a new aspect of pericentromeric gene regulation through a complex and coordinated interplay between epigenomic remodeling and genomic organization in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subhadip Kundu
- Laboratory of Chromatin and Cancer Epigenetics, Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110029, India
| | - M D Ray
- Department of Surgical Oncology, IRCH, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110029, India
| | - Ashok Sharma
- Laboratory of Chromatin and Cancer Epigenetics, Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110029, India.
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