1
|
Barili V, Ambrosini E, Bortesi B, Minari R, De Sensi E, Cannizzaro IR, Taiani A, Michiara M, Sikokis A, Boggiani D, Tommasi C, Serra O, Bonatti F, Adorni A, Luberto A, Caggiati P, Martorana D, Uliana V, Percesepe A, Musolino A, Pellegrino B. Genetic Basis of Breast and Ovarian Cancer: Approaches and Lessons Learnt from Three Decades of Inherited Predisposition Testing. Genes (Basel) 2024; 15:219. [PMID: 38397209 PMCID: PMC10888198 DOI: 10.3390/genes15020219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Germline variants occurring in BRCA1 and BRCA2 give rise to hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) syndrome, predisposing to breast, ovarian, fallopian tube, and peritoneal cancers marked by elevated incidences of genomic aberrations that correspond to poor prognoses. These genes are in fact involved in genetic integrity, particularly in the process of homologous recombination (HR) DNA repair, a high-fidelity repair system for mending DNA double-strand breaks. In addition to its implication in HBOC pathogenesis, the impairment of HR has become a prime target for therapeutic intervention utilizing poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. In the present review, we introduce the molecular roles of HR orchestrated by BRCA1 and BRCA2 within the framework of sensitivity to PARP inhibitors. We examine the genetic architecture underneath breast and ovarian cancer ranging from high- and mid- to low-penetrant predisposing genes and taking into account both germline and somatic variations. Finally, we consider higher levels of complexity of the genomic landscape such as polygenic risk scores and other approaches aiming to optimize therapeutic and preventive strategies for breast and ovarian cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Barili
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Enrico Ambrosini
- Medical Genetics, University Hospital of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Beatrice Bortesi
- Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Roberta Minari
- Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Erika De Sensi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | | | - Antonietta Taiani
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Maria Michiara
- Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
- Breast Unit, University Hospital of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Angelica Sikokis
- Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
- Breast Unit, University Hospital of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Daniela Boggiani
- Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
- Breast Unit, University Hospital of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Chiara Tommasi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
- Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
- Breast Unit, University Hospital of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Olga Serra
- Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
- Breast Unit, University Hospital of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Francesco Bonatti
- Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Alessia Adorni
- Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Anita Luberto
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | | | - Davide Martorana
- Medical Genetics, University Hospital of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Vera Uliana
- Medical Genetics, University Hospital of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Antonio Percesepe
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
- Medical Genetics, University Hospital of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Antonino Musolino
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
- Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
- Breast Unit, University Hospital of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Benedetta Pellegrino
- Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
- Breast Unit, University Hospital of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Barili V, Ambrosini E, Uliana V, Bellini M, Vitetta G, Martorana D, Cannizzaro IR, Taiani A, De Sensi E, Caggiati P, Hilton S, Banka S, Percesepe A. Success and Pitfalls of Genetic Testing in Undiagnosed Diseases: Whole Exome Sequencing and Beyond. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:1241. [PMID: 37372421 DOI: 10.3390/genes14061241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2023] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Novel approaches to uncover the molecular etiology of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) are highly needed. Even using a powerful tool such as whole exome sequencing (WES), the diagnostic process may still prove long and arduous due to the high clinical and genetic heterogeneity of these conditions. The main strategies to improve the diagnostic rate are based on family segregation, re-evaluation of the clinical features by reverse-phenotyping, re-analysis of unsolved NGS-based cases and epigenetic functional studies. In this article, we described three selected cases from a cohort of patients with NDD in which trio WES was applied, in order to underline the typical challenges encountered during the diagnostic process: (1) an ultra-rare condition caused by a missense variant in MEIS2, identified through the updated Solve-RD re-analysis; (2) a patient with Noonan-like features in which the NGS analysis revealed a novel variant in NIPBL causing Cornelia de Lange syndrome; and (3) a case with de novo variants in genes involved in the chromatin-remodeling complex, for which the study of the epigenetic signature excluded a pathogenic role. In this perspective, we aimed to (i) provide an example of the relevance of the genetic re-analysis of all unsolved cases through network projects on rare diseases; (ii) point out the role and the uncertainties of the reverse phenotyping in the interpretation of the genetic results; and (iii) describe the use of methylation signatures in neurodevelopmental syndromes for the validation of the variants of uncertain significance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Barili
- Medical Genetics, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Enrico Ambrosini
- Medical Genetics, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Vera Uliana
- Medical Genetics, University Hospital of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Melissa Bellini
- Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology, Guglielmo da Saliceto Hospital, 29121 Piacenza, Italy
| | - Giulia Vitetta
- Medical Genetics, University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy
| | - Davide Martorana
- Medical Genetics, University Hospital of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Ilenia Rita Cannizzaro
- Medical Genetics, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Antonietta Taiani
- Medical Genetics, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Erika De Sensi
- Medical Genetics, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | | | - Sarah Hilton
- Division of Evolution, Infection & Genomics, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine & Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
- Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, Saint Mary's Hospital, Manchester University Foundation NHS Trust, Health Innovation Manchester, Manchester M13 9WL, UK
| | - Siddharth Banka
- Division of Evolution, Infection & Genomics, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine & Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
- Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, Saint Mary's Hospital, Manchester University Foundation NHS Trust, Health Innovation Manchester, Manchester M13 9WL, UK
| | - Antonio Percesepe
- Medical Genetics, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
- Medical Genetics, University Hospital of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| |
Collapse
|