1
|
Aguiar TFM, Rivas MP, de Andrade Silva EM, Pires SF, Dangoni GD, Macedo TC, Defelicibus A, Barros BDDF, Novak E, Cristofani LM, Odone V, Cypriano M, de Toledo SRC, da Cunha IW, da Costa CML, Carraro DM, Tojal I, de Oliveira Mendes TA, Krepischi ACV. First Transcriptome Analysis of Hepatoblastoma in Brazil: Unraveling the Pivotal Role of Noncoding RNAs and Metabolic Pathways. Biochem Genet 2024:10.1007/s10528-024-10764-y. [PMID: 38649558 DOI: 10.1007/s10528-024-10764-y] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Hepatoblastoma stands as the most prevalent liver cancer in the pediatric population. Characterized by a low mutational burden, chromosomal and epigenetic alterations are key drivers of its tumorigenesis. Transcriptome analysis is a powerful tool for unraveling the molecular intricacies of hepatoblastoma, shedding light on the effects of genetic and epigenetic changes on gene expression. In this study conducted in Brazilian patients, an in-depth whole transcriptome analysis was performed on 14 primary hepatoblastomas, compared to control liver tissues. The analysis unveiled 1,492 differentially expressed genes (1,031 upregulated and 461 downregulated), including 920 protein-coding genes (62%). Upregulated biological processes were linked to cell differentiation, signaling, morphogenesis, and development, involving known hepatoblastoma-associated genes (DLK1, MEG3, HDAC2, TET1, HMGA2, DKK1, DKK4), alongside with novel findings (GYNG4, CDH3, and TNFRSF19). Downregulated processes predominantly centered around oxidation and metabolism, affecting amines, nicotinamides, and lipids, featuring novel discoveries like the repression of SYT7, TTC36, THRSP, CCND1, GCK and CAMK2B. Two genes, which displayed a concordant pattern of DNA methylation alteration in their promoter regions and dysregulation in the transcriptome, were further validated by RT-qPCR: the upregulated TNFRSF19, a key gene in the embryonic development, and the repressed THRSP, connected to lipid metabolism. Furthermore, based on protein-protein interaction analysis, we identified genes holding central positions in the network, such as HDAC2, CCND1, GCK, and CAMK2B, among others, that emerged as prime candidates warranting functional validation in future studies. Notably, a significant dysregulation of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), predominantly upregulated transcripts, was observed, with 42% of the top 50 highly expressed genes being ncRNAs. An integrative miRNA-mRNA analysis revealed crucial biological processes associated with metabolism, oxidation reactions of lipids and carbohydrates, and methylation-dependent chromatin silencing. In particular, four upregulated miRNAs (miR-186, miR-214, miR-377, and miR-494) played a pivotal role in the network, potentially targeting multiple protein-coding transcripts, including CCND1 and CAMK2B. In summary, our transcriptome analysis highlighted disrupted embryonic development as well as metabolic pathways, particularly those involving lipids, emphasizing the emerging role of ncRNAs as epigenetic regulators in hepatoblastomas. These findings provide insights into the complexity of the hepatoblastoma transcriptome and identify potential targets for future therapeutic interventions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Talita Ferreira Marques Aguiar
- Department of Genetics and Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Biosciences, Human Genome and Stem-Cell Research Center, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Maria Prates Rivas
- Department of Genetics and Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Biosciences, Human Genome and Stem-Cell Research Center, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Edson Mario de Andrade Silva
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Federal University of Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA
| | - Sara Ferreira Pires
- Department of Genetics and Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Biosciences, Human Genome and Stem-Cell Research Center, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Dib Dangoni
- Department of Genetics and Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Biosciences, Human Genome and Stem-Cell Research Center, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Taiany Curdulino Macedo
- Department of Genetics and Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Biosciences, Human Genome and Stem-Cell Research Center, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | - Estela Novak
- Pediatric Cancer Institute (ITACI) at the Pediatric Department, São Paulo University Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Lilian Maria Cristofani
- Pediatric Cancer Institute (ITACI) at the Pediatric Department, São Paulo University Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Vicente Odone
- Pediatric Cancer Institute (ITACI) at the Pediatric Department, São Paulo University Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Monica Cypriano
- Department of Pediatrics, Adolescent and Child With Cancer Support Group (GRAACC), Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Silvia Regina Caminada de Toledo
- Department of Pediatrics, Adolescent and Child With Cancer Support Group (GRAACC), Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | - Dirce Maria Carraro
- International Center for Research, A. C. Camargo Cancer Center, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Israel Tojal
- International Center for Research, A. C. Camargo Cancer Center, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Ana Cristina Victorino Krepischi
- Department of Genetics and Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Biosciences, Human Genome and Stem-Cell Research Center, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Dangoni GD, Teixeira ACB, Aguiar TF, Sugayama SMM, Filho VO, Bertola DR, Krepischi ACV. A rare case of hepatoblastoma in a syndromic child with a de novo germline JAG1 mutation. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2023; 70:e30311. [PMID: 36965188 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.30311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2023] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Dib Dangoni
- Department of Genetics and Evolutionary Biology, Human Genome and Stem Cell Research Center, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Anne Caroline Barbosa Teixeira
- Department of Genetics and Evolutionary Biology, Human Genome and Stem Cell Research Center, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
- Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Talita Ferreira Aguiar
- Department of Genetics and Evolutionary Biology, Human Genome and Stem Cell Research Center, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Sofia Mizuho Miura Sugayama
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Instituto de Tratamento do Câncer Infantil (ITACI), University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Vicente Odone Filho
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Instituto de Tratamento do Câncer Infantil (ITACI), University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Débora Romeo Bertola
- Department of Genetics and Evolutionary Biology, Human Genome and Stem Cell Research Center, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
- Genetics Unit, Instituto da Criança, Hospital das Clinicas Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Ana Cristina Victorino Krepischi
- Department of Genetics and Evolutionary Biology, Human Genome and Stem Cell Research Center, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|