Search Results - EGA European Genome-Phenome Archive

Fragmentomic features of individuals with different cfDNA concentrations

The goal of this study is to explore fragmentomic patterns that vary between individuals of different concentrations of total cell-free DNA in plasma. We have selected a large cohort of individuals (ethnically Chinese men with a median age of 54 years, IQR 49-57) who were part of a screening of a large-scale clinical study to screen for nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Differences in fragmentomic features provided insights into the modulation of cfDNA levels in blood circulation. Fragmentomic and machine learning systems adopted in this study have also been applied to assess the quantity of cfDNA species of clinical interest, including the fraction of circulating fetal and tumor DNA, from pregnancy cases and individuals with hepatocellular carcinoma, respectively.

Study EGAS50000000692

Single-Cell ATAC and RNA Sequencing of Human Breast Cancer Reveals Salient Cancer-Specific Enhancers

Matched single-cell chromatin accessibility sequencing (scATAC-seq) and single-cell transcriptomic sequencing (scRNA-seq) were performed for 12 human breast tumor samples, 4 normal human mammary reduction samples, and 4 human breast cancer cell lines (HCC1143, SUM149PT, MCF7, and T47D). Both scATAC-seq and scRNA-seq assays resolved the underlying cellular heterogeneity in chromatin accessibility and transcriptional output for each patient sample. In this work, we quantitatively linked variation in chromatin accessibility to gene expression across malignant and non-malignant cell types from patient samples. We then showed that our findings were recapitulated in the breast cancer cell line samples. These data will serve as an important resource for the single-cell genomics and breast cancer research communities.

Study phs003253

Sampling of multi-centric lower grade glioma influences management and provides insight into gliomagenesis

Rare multicentric lower-grade gliomas (LGG) represent a unique opportunity to study the heterogeneity between distinct tumor foci in a single patient, and to infer their origins and parallel patterns of evolution. In this study, we integrate clinical features, histology and immunohistochemistry for 4 patients with multicentric LGG, arising both synchronously and metachronously. For 3 patients we analyze the phylogeny of the lesions using exome sequencing, including one case with a total of 8 samples from the two lesions. We show that each tumor in multicentric LGG cases may arise independently or may diverge very early in their development, presenting as genetically and histologically distinct tumors suggesting that comprehensive sampling of these lesions can significantly alter diagnosis and management.

Study EGAS00001002495

Genomic and immune profiling of pre-invasive lung adenocarcinoma

Adenocarcinoma in situ and minimally invasive adenocarcinoma are the pre-invasive forms of lung adenocarcinoma. The genomic and immune profiles of these lesions are poorly understood. Here we report exome and transcriptome sequencing of 98 lung adenocarcinoma precursor lesions and 99 invasive adenocarcinomas. We have identified EGFR, RBM10, BRAF, ERBB2, TP53, KRAS, MAP2K1 and MET as significantly mutated genes in the pre/minimally invasive group. Classes of genome alterations that increase in frequency during the progression to malignancy are revealed. These include mutations in TP53, arm-level copy number alterations, and HLA loss of heterozygosity. Immune infiltration is correlated with copy number alterations of chromosome arm 6p, suggesting a link between arm-level events and the tumor immune environment.

Study EGAS00001004006

Cell motility and migration as determinants of stem cell efficacy

Limited stem cell migration capacities and undirected homing hamper their therapeutic efficacy. We report here the novel technology to isolate stem cell subpopulations with high migration potential. Hereby, we identified podoplanin-dependent stem cell mobility as important mechanism for their in vivo homing capacities and therapeutic efficacy as validated in preclinical models of Alzheimer´s disease and mouse glioma. In vivo applications of highly migrating stem cells resulted in remarkable improvement of targeted homing and engraftment rates. Moreover, animals receiving highly migrating stem cells showed higher recovery rates compared to unselected stem cells. This novel technology provides useful tool to improve therapeutic efficacy of stem cells and give insights into stem cell subpopulations heterogeneity with the potential of general applicability for cellular therapies.

Study EGAS00001002478

Targeting PTPRK-RSPO3 colon tumours promotesdifferentiation and loss of stem-cell function

Colorectal cancer remains a major unmet medical need, promptinglarge-scale genomics efforts in the field to identify moleculardrivers for which targeted therapies might be developed. Wepreviously reported the identification of recurrent translocationsin R-spondin proteins present in a subset of colorectal tumours.Here we show that targeting RSPO3 in PTPRK-RSPO3-fusion positivehuman tumour xenografts inhibits tumour growth andpromotes differentiation. Notably, genes expressed in the stem-cellcompartment of the intestine were among those most sensitive toanti-RSPO3 treatment. This observation, combined with functionalassays, suggests that a stem-cell compartment drives PTPRK-RSPO3colorectal tumour growth and indicates that the therapeutictargeting of stem-cell properties within tumours may be a clinicallyrelevant approach for the treatment of colorectal tumors.

Study EGAS00001001462

Genome-wide DNA methylation profiles of NSCLC xenograft and primary lung tissues for the identification of epigenetic predictive biomarkers.

Non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) are the most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and primarily treated with platinum-based drugs like cisplatin and carboplatin, radiation and surgery. The major challenge in the management of NSCLC are intrinsic or acquired resistance mechanisms with only few published molecular markers which can predict the outcome of the patients. On the other side, changes in DNA methylation are observed in nearly all cancer types making them suitable as biomarker. Here genome-wide methylation profiles from MeDIP-Seq and gene expression profiling data of 22 primary NSCLC, adjacent normal tissue and PDX samples are provided. For each PDX tumor growth rates were measured in absence or presence of chemotherapy.

Study EGAS00001002479

Exome sequencing of 1000 population control samples from the UK 1958 birth cohort

Exome sequencing from 1,000 UK population samples (the ICR1000 Exome series), using samples from the 1958 Birth Cohort Collection, a population-based collection of all individuals born in the UK in one week in 1958 (http://www.cls.ioe.ac.uk). DNA libraries were prepared from genomic DNA using the Illumina TruSeq sample preparation kit. DNA was fragmented using Covaris technology and the libraries were prepared without gel size selection. Target enrichment was performed in pools of six libraries using the Illumina TruSeq Exome Enrichment kit. The captured DNA libraries were PCR amplified using the supplied paired-end PCR primers. Sequencing was performed with an Illumina HiSeq2000 (v3 flow cell, one pool per lane) generating 2x100-bp reads.

Study EGAS00001000971

Pilot_experiment_on_functional_genomics_in_osteoarthritis_RNA

The aim of this work is to apply an integrated systems approach to understand the biological underpinnings of large joint (hip and knee) osteoarthritis which culminates in the need for total joint replacement (TJR). In this pilot we will assess the feasibility of the approach in the relevant tissue. We will obtain diseased and non-diseased tissue (cartilage and endochondral bone) following TJR, coupled with a blood sample, from 12 patients. We will characterise the 12 pairs of diseased and non-diseased tissue samples in terms of transcription (RNASeq) The pilot will help assess the feasibility of isolating sufficient levels of starting material for the different approaches, and will instigate the development of analytical approaches to synthesising the resulting data.

Study EGAS00001001203

Genomic characterization of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma reveals critical genes underlying tumorigenesis and poor prognosis

The genetic mechanisms underlying the poor prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) are not well understood. In this study, we comprehensively characterized somatic mutations, copy number alterations (SCNAs)/structural variants (SVs) found in ESCC from sequencing 10 whole-genome and 57 whole-exome matched tumor-normal pairs. We identified multiple somatic mutations seen previously in known cancer pathways and identified candidate genes for ESCC including VANGL1 and MIR4707. A survival analysis based on the expression profiles of 321 ESCC individuals indicated that the somatically altered genes we found were significantly associated with ESCC poorer survival. Subsequently, we performed functional studies to validate the roles of the altered genes in tumor proliferation and metastasis.

Study EGAS00001001723

Mitochondrial DNA sequencing of iPSC, parental cells, and iPSC derived cardiomyocytes

The aim of this work was to analyze to which extent mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variants in human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) originate from their parental cells or from de novo mutagenesis, and whether dynamics in variant heteroplasmy levels during prolonged expansion culture of iPSC are caused by inter- or intra-cellular selection or genetic drift. Hence, mtDNA of 26 early passage iPSC clones from, in total, 10 donors and the corresponding parental cell populations (here endothelial cells) were sequenced. Furthermore, 7 iPSC clones were expanded up to passage 50 and the change in variant heteroplasmy levels was monitored. Lastly, the effect of differentiation on the variant heteroplasmy levels was investigated during directed cardiomyocyte differentiation of 4 iPSC clones.

Study EGAS00001005560

Effect of 28-day administration of Urolithin A to sedentary elderly on muscle gene expression

Urolithin A (UA) is a natural dietary, microflora derived, metabolite shown to stimulate mitophagy and improve muscle health in old animals and pre-clinical models of aging. UA was administered for 28-day in a first-in-human clinical trial to sedentary elderly subjects. Muscle biopsies were collected before the first dosing, and at the end of the 28-day period, under fasted conditions. Gene expression was measured by microarray. Gene-set enrichment analysis of the gene expression data showed that UA increased the transcription of mitochondrial related genesets. These observed effects on mitochondrial biomarkers show that UA induces a molecular signature of improved mitochondrial and cellular health following regular oral consumption in humans.

Study EGAS00001003638

Single-cell transcriptome of T-ALL P1

In this study, we profiled single-cell transcriptome (10X genomics) of Patient-derived xenografts (PDX) T-ALL replase samples from P1 patient. Primary human T-ALL cells were recovered from cryopreserved bone marrow aspirates of patients enrolled in the ALL-BFM 2009 study. Patient-derived xenografts (PDX) were generated as previously described by intrafemoral injection of 1 Million viable primary ALL cells in NSG mice110 PDX-derived (P1)28 cells were frozen until processing. For scRNA-seq library preparation, cryopreserved cells were thawed rapidly at 37 ℃ and resuspended in 10 ml warm Roswell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI) medium with 100 μg/ml Dnase I. Cells were centrifuged for 5 mins at 300 g, and resuspended in ice-cold phosphate buffered saline (PBS) with 2% foetal bovine serum (FBS) and 5mM EDTA. Cells were stained on ice with anti-murine-CD45-PE (mCD45)(clone 30-F11; BioLegend; 1:20) in the dark for 30 mins. 1:100 DAPI was added and incubated in the dark for 5 mins before sorting. Triple negative cells (DAPI-mCD45-GFP-) were sorted (Fig. S27) using a BD FACSAria™ Fusion Cell Sorter into ice cold 0.03% bovine serum albumin (BSA) in PBS. All isolated cells were immediately used for scRNA-seq libraries, which were generated as per the standard 10x Genomics Chromium 3′ (v.3.1 Chemistry) protocol. Completed libraries were sequenced on a NextSeq5000 sequencer (HIGH-mode, 75 bp paired-end).

Dataset EGAD00001008325

Spatial heterogeneity of follicular lymphoma

Follicular lymphoma (FL) is an incurable B cell malignancy characterized by advanced stage disease and a heterogeneous clinical course. Recent genomic studies have focused on profiling “single” FL biopsies over several time-points, however, multi-site sampling in solid cancers has demonstrated profound spatial intra-tumor heterogeneity (ITH) with implications for precision medicine based initiatives. This study examined the extent of spatial heterogeneity in FL by whole exome sequencing 22 synchronously removed spatially separated biopsies from 9 patients. We observed significant differences in the extent of ITH across cases, with two distinct patterns of high and low spatial heterogeneity emerging. Site-specific alterations in genes with biological, prognostic or therapeutic relevance included, TNFRSF14, PIK3CD, TNFAIP3, PTEN, EP300 and XBP1. In depth characterization of these variants using deep-sequencing techniques confirmed their discordant nature, suggesting on-going genetic diversification driving evolution after widespread tumor dissemination. There was evidence of tumors comprising multiple competing subclones, with distinct clusters of mutations demonstrating differential expansions within spatially-separated sites. For cases where spatial tumors were examined at two time-points (FL and transformation to diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL)), the degree of heterogeneity increased with transformation. Collectively, our results demonstrate that spatial ITH is prevalent in FL. The existence of site-specific aberrations suggests that a single biopsy may not be sufficient in all patients to capture the full genomic complexity present and these spatial variations need to be considered in biomarker-led clinical studies.

Dataset EGAD00001003553

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Postmortem Prefrontal Cortex eQTL and mQTL Study

Mapping expression and methylation quantitative trait loci (eQTLs and mQTLs) using genome-wide genotype, transcriptome, and DNA methylome data can provide an unbiased approach to identify novel functional variants. One critical issue of the eQTL/mQTL analysis is that the role of genetic variants in regulating gene expression (or DNA methylation) can be tissue- or cell-specific. To unravel causal variants from disease-associated loci, it would be necessary to map eQTLs and mQTLs in both patients and controls. Those eQTLs and mQTLs in patients are more likely to be causal variants for the disease. Identification of disease- and tissue-specific eQTLs and mQTLs will help disentangle the role of the specific tissue in disease development as well. In the present study, we mapped eQTLs and mQTLs in postmortem prefrontal cortex of patients with alcoholism or alcohol use disorder (AUD) and matched control subjects by integrative analyses of genome-wide SNP genotype, mRNA transcriptome, and DNA methylome data. As AUD is comorbid with schizophrenia (SCZ), bipolar disorder (BIP), major depressive disorder (MDD), and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), we further examined the co-localization of PFC eQTLs/mQTLs and GWAS-identified SNPs (mainly noncoding SNPs) that were associated with AUD as well as comorbid SCZ, BIP, MDD, and ADHD. Our study demonstrated the enrichment of PFC eQTLs/mQTLs in the above psychiatric disorder-associated genetic variants identified by genome-wide association studies (GWAS).

Study phs001981

Small Intestine Neuroendocrine Tumors (Carcinoid Tumors)

The diagnosed incidence of small bowel neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) is increasing. While patients with localized disease can be treated surgically, those with metastatic disease currently have few treatment options. The success of biologically targeted therapies in other malignancies has led to interest in the molecular alterations underlying the pathogenesis of these NETs. To identify genetic aberrations in small intestine NETs, we generated copy number profiles from 31 primary and metastatic tumors and performed whole-exome sequencing on a subset of 29 primary small intestine NETs and 24 metastatic NETs in parallel with normal blood DNA. Whole-genome sequencing data was generated on 15 tumor/normal pairs and 5 primary/metastasis/normal trios. The global genetic landscape of small bowel NETs is relatively quiet. Consistent with previous studies, the overwhelming majority of tumors were characterized by loss of chromosome 18 and, to a lesser extent, other chromosome arm gains and losses. In stark contrast to arm-level alterations, recurrent high-level focal amplifications and deletions were much less prevalent in these tumors. High-throughput mutation screening and exome sequencing revealed similarly low rates of somatic mutation in NETs (median of 0.77 non-silent mutations per megabase (Mb) of coding DNA) compared to other recent cancer exome sequencing efforts. Our analysis of this cohort identified only a single, statistically significant recurrent somatic mutation targeting the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor gene, CDKN1B, encoding p27.

Study phs000579

Medulloblastoma exome sequence analysis

Medulloblastomas are the most common malignant brain tumors in children. Identifying and understanding the genetic events that drive these tumors is critical for the development of more effective diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic strategies. Recently, our group and others described distinct molecular subtypes of medulloblastoma based on transcriptional and copy number profiles. Here, we utilized whole exome hybrid capture and Illumina sequencing to identify somatic mutations across the coding regions of 92 primary medulloblastoma/normal pairs. Overall, medulloblastomas exhibit low mutation rates consistent with other pediatric tumors, with a median of 0.35 non-silent mutations per megabase. We identified twelve genes mutated at statistically significant frequencies, including previously known mutated genes in medulloblastoma such as CTNNB1, PTCH1, MLL2, SMARCA4 and TP53. Recurrent somatic mutations were identified in an RNA helicase gene, DDX3X, often concurrent with CTNNB1 mutations, and in the nuclear co-repressor (N-CoR) complex genes GPS2, BCOR, and LDB1, to our knowledge novel findings in medulloblastoma and all cancer. We show that mutant DDX3X potentiates transactivation of a TCF promoter and enhances cell viability in combination with mutant but not wild type beta-catenin. Together, our study reveals the alteration of Wnt, Hedgehog, histone methyltransferase and now N-CoR pathways across medulloblastomas and nominates the RNA helicase DDX3X as a component of pathogenic beta-catenin signaling in medulloblastoma. "Reprinted from 'MEDULLOBLASTOMA EXOME SEQUENCING UNCOVERS SUBTYPE-SPECIFIC SOMATIC MUTATION', with permission from Nature"

Study phs000504

UCSF Database for the Advancement of JMML - Integration of Metadata with Omic Data

Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) is a rare and frequently fatal myeloproliferative/myelodysplastic disorder of early childhood with an estimated incidence of 1.2 cases per million. It is associated with a spectrum of diverse outcomes ranging from spontaneous resolution in rare patients to transformation to acute myeloid leukemia in others. The overwhelming majority of JMML patients (~95%) will harbor mutations in canonical Ras pathway genes, including NF1, NRAS, KRAS, PTPN11, and CBL. As Ras proteins are mutated in more than 30% of human cancers, the information gleaned from the study of JMML has provided insights into Ras signaling in cancer as well as a group of congenital diseases with tumor predispositions known as the “Rasopathies”. While oncogenic Ras is one of the most common mutations in human cancer, it remains one of the most vexing targets for efficacious therapy. To better understand this disease, a JMML tissue bank was established at UCSF that allows for consenting of subjects, biobanking of tissue and collection of follow up data from patients both locally and at other institutions. Through the collection and analysis of specimens, knowledge about the genetic, epigenetic, and biochemical basis of JMML has been gained. This integrated database will enable future JMML research, and importantly, additional Ras/MAPK pathway research by depositing linked, processed data to well annotated anonymized patients in an easily accessible online database

Study phs002504

Collagen XVII Promotes Pancreatic Cancer Through Regulation of PIK3R5

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) contains a desmoplastic stroma that promotes the aggressive biology of this disease. While the varied mechanisms by which fibrillar collagens contribute to PDAC have been defined, little is known about the contribution of transmembrane collagens. Among this class of collagens, Collagen XVII uniquely contains an extensive intracellular domain that connects intracellular cytoplasmic components with the extracellular matrix. Collagen XVII is best characterized as the defining component of the type I hemidesmosome, an anchoring complex that attaches epithelial cells to the underlying basement membrane. In this study, we characterize the expression of collagen XVII in PDAC and the mechanisms by which it contributes to PDAC biology. We demonstrate that crosstalk between PDAC cells and cancer associated fibroblasts drive collagen XVII expression in vitro and xenograft tumor models in vivo. Genetic depletion of collagen XVII in low-passage patient derived cell lines diminishes their metastatic potential and ability to form tumors in mice. Whole transcriptome sequencing of tumors formed by cells with diminished collagen XVII levels revealed dramatically lower levels of PIK3R5, a regulatory subunit of class IB phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) that interacts with G protein-coupled receptors. Consistent with this, collagen XVII-deficient tumors exhibited lower levels of phosphorylated AKT, a downstream effector of PI3K. The studies highlight the importance of collagen XVII signaling in PDAC and define a novel mechanism by which collagen XVII mediates activation of PI3K.

Study phs003641

Illumina HumanCoreExome genotyping data from the TEENAGE (TEENs of Attica: Genes and Environment) study.

The TEENAGE study is a cross-sectional study comprising healthy Greek adolescents. The study was conducted according to the guidelines specified in the Declaration of Helsinki and all procedures involving human subjects were approved by the Institutional Review Board of Harokopio University and the Greek Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs. The TEENAGE study target population comprised adolescent students aged 13 to 15 years attending the first three classes of public secondary schools located in the wider Athens area of Attica. The regions across Attica from which students were recruited were physically similar and all urban in nature. Sampling of regions and schools selected to participate was random. Students were enrolled from the wider urban region to ensure that they were coming from families with varying educational background and socio-economic status. Moreover, in order to exclude any vast economic disparities, all participating schools were exclusively public schools, which are free of charge. A total of twenty-four schools participated in the study out of 285 junior secondary public schools in Attica. Anthropometric, medical and dietary information was obtained. DNA samples were genotyped using Illumina HumanCoreExome BeadChips (Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA) at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK. Genotypes were called using GenCall (Illumina Genome Studio) followed by zCall and quality control (QC) was performed in two stages (pre- and post-zCall).

Study EGAS00001001001

Negligible impact on missing heritability of autoimmune-locus rare coding-region variants

Genome wide association studies (GWAS) have identified common variants of modest effect size at hundreds of loci for common autoimmune diseases - however a substantial fraction of heritability remains unexplained, and to which rare variants may contribute. To discover rare variants and test them for association with a phenotype, the majority of studies re-sequence a small initial sample size and then genotype the discovered variants in a larger sample set. This approach will fail to analyse a large fraction of the rare variants present in the entire sample set. Here we perform simultaneous amplicon sequencing-based variant discovery and genotyping for coding exons of 25 GWAS risk genes in 41,911 white-European origin UK subjects comprising 24,892 subjects with six autoimmune disease phenotypes and 17,019 controls, and show that rare coding-region variants at known loci play a negligible role in common autoimmune disease susceptibility. These results do not support the rare variant - synthetic genome-wide association hypothesis. Many known autoimmune disease risk loci contain multiple independent common and low frequency variant association signals, and so genes in these loci are a priori stronger candidates to harbor rare coding-region variants than other genes. Our data suggest that the missing heritability for common autoimmune diseases may not lie in the rare coding-region variant portion of the allelic spectrum, but perhaps as others have proposed in very many common variant signals of weak effect.

Study EGAS00001000476

H3.3G34R/V-transformed interneuron progenitors co-opt PDGFRA for gliomagenesis

Histone H3.3 glycine 34 to arginine/valine (H3.3G34R/V) mutations occur in deadly hemispheric high-grade gliomas. These tumors show exquisite regional and temporal specificity, suggesting a developmental context permissive to the effects of G34R/V mutations. Here we present the molecular landscape of G34R/V gliomas (n=85) and show that 50% bear activating mutations in PDGFRA, with strong selection pressure for PDGFRAMUT clones at recurrence. We show that G34R/V tumors arise in interneuron progenitors of the foetal ventral forebrain expressing GSX2 and the DLX family of homeobox transcription factors, where terminal neuronal differentiation is impaired through aberrant G34R/V-mediated H3K27me3. Frequent co-occurrence of G34R/V & PDGFRAMUT is facilitated in this interneuron lineage-of-origin as PDGFRA forms an aberrant chromatin loop with the adjacent GSX2, hijacking its active chromatin conformation. At the single-cell level, G34R/V tumours entirely lack oligodendroglial transcriptional programs prominent in other glioma entities, and instead harbour dual neuronal and astroglial compartments. CRISPR-removal of H3.3G34R/V does not impact tumorigenicity suggesting this mutation becomes dispensable, while PDGFRAMUT are potently oncogenic regardless of G34 mutation. Collectively, our results suggest that G34R/V gliomas arise in foetal interneuron progenitors unable to undergo terminal differentiation, enabling co-option of PDGFRA through inappropriate expression and activating mutations to promote gliogenesis and oncogenicity. Reliance on PDGFRA for oncogenesis may be of therapeutic opportunity in G34R/V glioma.

Study EGAS00001004301

33 patients with Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance (MGUS) had whole exome sequencing performed. Cells were sorted by FACSAria using CD138, CD19 and CD56 to obtain a pure abnormal plasma cell population. Generated somatic variants were compared to a previous study of 463 multiple myeloma patients.

Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is a premalignant precursor of multiple myeloma (MM) with a 1% risk of progression per year. Although targeted analyses have shown the presence of specific genetic abnormalities such as IGH translocations, RB1 deletion, 1q gain, hyperdiploidy or RAS genes mutations, little is known about molecular mechanism of malignant transformation. We have performed whole exome sequencing together with SNP array analysis in 33 flow-cytometry separated abnormal PC samples of MGUS patients to describe somatic gene mutations and chromosome changes at the genome-wide level. Non-synonymous mutations (NS-SNVs) and copy number alterations (CNAs) were present in 97.0% and in 63.6% of cases, respectively. Importantly, the number of somatic mutations was significantly lower in MGUS compared to MM (p<10-4) and we have identified 6 myeloma significantly mutated genes which are KRAS, NRAS, DIS3, HIST1H1E, EGR1 and LTB in the MGUS dataset. We also found a positive correlation with increasing chromosome changes and somatic mutations. IGH translocations were present in 27.3% of cases comprising t(4;14), t(11;14), t(14;16) or t(14;20) and were in a similar frequency to MM, which corresponded with primary lesion hypothesis. Data from this study showed MGUS is a genetically comprehensive disease, however overall genetic instability is significantly lower compared to MM.

Study EGAS00001001658

Osteosarcoma 3D patient derived cultures to test genome-informed personalized treatment options; a feasibility study

Background: Improving osteosarcoma treatment beyond conventional (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy and resection remains challenging. An urgent need for novel therapeutic options, particularly personalized and targeted approaches, has emerged due to high inter-patient molecular heterogeneity. A lack of representative in vitro and in vivo models impedes therapeutic development, therefore we aimed to create 3D in vitro long term culture models directly from patient material. Methods: Tumour cells from seven osteosarcoma patients were propagated in monolayer or collagen hydrogels, while whole-exome sequencing of corresponding primary tumour tissue was performed to identify potential drug targets. Established cultures were subsequently used to assess efficacy of the identified personalized treatment options. Results: Three out of seven hydrogel cultures harboured the same genetic alterations as the corresponding primary tumours. Among these, the L6565 patient line exhibited homozygous CDKN2A loss with retained Rb expression, rendering tumour cells sensitive to CDK4/CDK6 inhibition via palbociclib. This patient line was used to evaluate genome-informed therapy and to compare cell culture models of increasing complexity. Our findings demonstrate feasibility of establishing long-term patient-derived osteosarcoma cultures with a success rate of 14%. Tumour heterogeneity was reflected in advanced culture methods producing more variability in treatment response. Conclusion: These results highlight the potential of genome-informed therapies in osteosarcoma and the importance of refining culture techniques to enhance translational research and therapeutic outcomes.

Study EGAS50000001583

NHLBI TOPMed: Pediatric Cardiac Genomics Consortium (PCGC)'s Congenital Heart Disease Biobank

The Pediatric Cardiovascular Genetics Consortium (PCGC) proposes to define genetic causes for congenital heart defects (CHD) as part of the TOPMed Program are the most common form of heart disease in childhood and are also the most prevalent form of birth defects, occurring in 2-3% of live births. The PCGC has recruited and clinically characterized = 10,000 CHD probands and parents (CHD trios). From whole exome sequencing (WES) of >2800 CHD trios, we identified a substantial enrichment of damaging de novo mutations in genes important for cardiogenesis, particularly implicating histone modifier enzyme gene defects. Analysis of whole genome sequencing (WGS) of 350 probands with CHD unexplained by WES and their parents preliminarily implicated de novo mutations in enhancers of genes previously shown to cause CHD in mouse knock out models. Sequencing of RNA (RNAseq) from discarded cardiac tissues from CHD probands has revealed likely causal allele-specific expression (ASE) as well as biallelic loss of expression (LOE). We have also discovered de novo epimutations, differentially methylated regions (DMRs), some with underlying de novo DNA variation, that are detectable in peripheral blood leukocytes and appear to underlie 10% of CHD. Of note, these assorted 'omic' approaches have enabled one another, both for attributing causality and assessing functional impact. Based on these extensive preliminary data, we hypothesize that PCGC probands with uninformative exomic analyses (WES-negative) harbor de novo genetic and/or epigenetic mutations in critical regulatory elements that participate in developmental expression of cardiac genes. To identify these etiologies, we propose analyses of WGS in 1000 WES-negative CHD trios, prioritizing those with probands with banked CHD tissues (n=78), one damaging variant in a recessive CHD gene, and older fathers (age>45). We also request WGS for 230 probands, for whom we have cardiac tissues but not parental DNAs. We request RNAseq for 308 cardiac tissues. For DNA methylation, which TOPMed will offer through the Illumina 850k array platform, we are requesting analysis of DNAs from peripheral blood leukocytes for all probands for whom WGS will be performed (1000 from trios, 230 singletons) as well as DNAs from cardiac tissues (n=308) to pair with the WGS, RNAseq and blood DNA methylation data. We will use existing resources and capabilities of the PCGC to confirm relevant mutations and those of its companion consortium in the Bench to Bassinet Program, the Cardiovascular Development Consortium, to inform analyses of non-coding mutations as well as to perform confirmatory functional genomics studies using cell and animal models. We expect that the studies resulting from data generated through TOPMed will provide novel insights into the molecular basis for CHD and fundamental knowledge about genes and pathways involved in cardiac development. Aside from being relevant to CHD, we anticipate that our findings will inform the understanding of later-onset cardiovascular diseases, including some arising in adulthood.

Study phs001735

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