12291 results for ""statistically+reactive"+taxa+in+microbial+community"

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• Widespread hypertranscription in aggressive human cancers

  Cancers are often defined by the dysregulation of specific transcriptional programs; however, the importance of global transcriptional changes is less understood. Hypertranscription is the genome-wide increase in RNA output. Hypertranscription’s prevalence, underlying drivers and prognostic significance are undefined in primary human cancer. This is due in part to limitations of expression profiling methods, which assume equal RNA output between samples. Here, we developed a computational method to directly measure hypertranscription in 7,494 human tumors, spanning 31 cancer types. Hypertranscription is ubiquitous across cancer, especially in aggressive disease. It defines patient subgroups with worse survival, even within well-established subtypes. Our data suggest that loss of transcriptional suppression underpins the hypertranscriptional phenotype. Single-cell analysis reveals hypertranscriptional clones, which dominate transcript production regardless of their size. Finally, patients with hypertranscribed mutations have improved response to immune checkpoint therapy. Our results provide fundamental insights into gene dysregulation across human cancers and may prove useful in identifying patients that would benefit from novel therapies.

  Study EGAS00001006365

• High-resolution, patient-level dissection of IL-23 blockade in cutaneous psoriasis

  Psoriasis vulgaris and other chronic inflammatory diseases improve markedly with therapeutic blockade of IL-23 signaling in T cells, but the genetic mechanisms of response remain poorly understood. We single-cell transcriptomically profiled CD45+ immune cells isolated from lesional psoriatic skin before and after IL-23 blockade. In clinically responsive patients, a psoriatic transcriptional signature in skin-resident memory T cells was sharply attenuated. In contrast, poorly responsive patients were distinguished by enduring T17 cell activation, a mechanism distinct from alternative cytokine signaling or downstream resistance. Spatial transcriptomic analysis suggests that successful IL-23 blockade requires dampening of > 90% of IL-17-induced signaling in lymphocyte-adjacent keratinocytes, an unexpectedly high threshold. We also detected a subset of persistent, disease-specific T17 abnormalities in responsive patients, revealing an irreversible cell identity that may necessitate ongoing IL-23 inhibition. Collectively, our data establishes a patient-level paradigm for dissecting response to immunomodulatory treatments.

  Study EGAS00001007373

• Distribution of ctDNA levels in plasma of early-stage non-small cell lung cancer patients measured using personalised ctDNA analysis

  Blood-based assays have shown increasing ability to detect circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) in patients with early-stage cancer. However, detection of ctDNA in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has continued to prove challenging. We performed retrospective analysis to quantify ctDNA levels in a cohort of 100 patients with early-stage NSCLC prior to treatment with curative intent. Where tumour tissue was available for whole exome sequencing, mutations identified were used to define patient-specific sequencing assays. For those 90 patients, plasma cell-free DNA was sequenced to high depth across capture panels targeting a median of 328 mutations specific to each patient. Data was analysed using Integration of Variant Reads (INVAR), detecting ctDNA in 66.7% of patients, including 52.7% (29 of 55) patients with stage I disease and >88% detection for patients with stage II and III disease (16/18 and 15/17). ctDNA was detected in plasma at fractional concentrations as low as 9.1x10-6, and in patients with tumour volumes as low as 0.23 cm3. A 36-gene sequencing panel (InVisionFirst-LungTM) was used to analyse plasma DNA in 27 samples including the 10 cases without tumour exome data, and detected ctDNA in 59% of samples tested (16 of 27). Across the entire cohort, detection rates were higher in squamous cell carcinoma patients compared to adenocarcinoma patients (81% vs. 59%). Detection of ctDNA prior to treatment was associated with significantly shorter time free from relapse, across all patients and in patient subgroups, with Hazard Ratios ranging from 2.25 to >11. Our analysis indicates that for patients with stage I NSCLC, the median ctDNA fraction in plasma is approx. 12 parts per million (0.0012%). This indicates the limits of detection that would be required for ctDNA-based liquid biopsies to detect ctDNA in the majority of patients with early-stage NSCLC.

  Dataset EGAD00001006230

• Immune cell atlas of environmental and ancestral diversity in Indonesia [scRNAseq]

  Island Southeast Asia (ISEA) remains consistently underrepresented in large-scale human genomic resources despite its rich ancestral and lifestyle diversity. The region's complex population history and environmental/pathogen pressures could have shaped its populations' unique immune responses. Here, we generated single-cell PBMC profiles from 199 Indonesians sampled across four populations in the islands of Bali and New Guinea. The dataset consists of low-pass whole genome sequencing and pooled single-cell PBMC transcriptome sequencing. These groups capture diversity in regional genetic ancestries (West ISEA-like and Papuan-like) and lifestyle contrasts (urban versus rural communities in Bali; highland versus lowland communities in New Guinea), providing a window into how ancestry and environment jointly shape immune variation across ISEA. Together, this study provides the first large-scale single-cell immune atlas of ISEA, highlighting how ancestral and environmental diversity jointly shape human immunity in this globally important yet understudied region.

  Study EGAS50000001656

• Immune cell atlas of environmental and ancestral diversity in Indonesia [WGS]

  Island Southeast Asia (ISEA) remains consistently underrepresented in large-scale human genomic resources despite its rich ancestral and lifestyle diversity. The region's complex population history and environmental/pathogen pressures could have shaped its populations' unique immune responses. Here, we generated single-cell PBMC profiles from 199 Indonesians sampled across four populations in the islands of Bali and New Guinea. The dataset consists of low-pass whole genome sequencing and pooled single-cell PBMC transcriptome sequencing, including T-cell receptor (TCR). These groups capture diversity in regional genetic ancestries (West ISEA-like and Papuan-like) and lifestyle contrasts (urban versus rural communities in Bali; highland versus lowland communities in New Guinea), providing a window into how ancestry and environment jointly shape immune variation across ISEA. Together, this study provides the first large-scale single-cell immune atlas of ISEA, highlighting how ancestral and environmental diversity jointly shape human immunity in this globally important yet understudied region.

  Study EGAS50000001655

• Aspirin and Inflammation: Mutations, Genes, Pathways and Prevention in Barrett's Esophagus

  Background: Use of aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) has been shown to protect against tetraploidy, aneuploidy, and chromosomal alterations in the metaplastic condition Barrett's esophagus (BE) and to lower the incidence and mortality of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EA). The esophagus is exposed to both intrinsic and extrinsic mutagens resulting from gastric reflux, chronic inflammation and exposure to environmental carcinogens such as those found in cigarettes. Here we test the hypothesis that NSAID use inhibits accumulation of point mutations/indels during somatic genomic evolution in BE. Methods: Whole exome sequences were generated from 82 purified epithelial biopsies and paired blood samples from a cross-sectional study of 41 NSAID users and 41 nonusers matched by sex, age, smoking, and continuous time using or not using NSAIDs. Results: NSAID use reduced overall frequency of point mutations across the spectrum of mutation types, lowered the frequency of mutations even when adjusted for both TP53 mutation and smoking status, and decreased the prevalence of clones with high variant allele frequency. Never smokers who consistently used NSAIDs had fewer point mutations in signature 17, which is commonly found in EA. NSAID users had on average a 50% reduction in functional gene mutations in nine cancer-associated pathways and also had less diversity in pathway mutational burden compared to nonusers. Conclusions: These results indicate NSAID use functions to limit overall mutations on which selection can act and supports a model in which specific mutant cell populations survive or expand better in the absence of NSAIDs. Galipeau PC, et al. Genome Med. 2018 Feb 27;10(1):17. PMID: 29486792.

  Study phs001654

• Response and Resistance to ER-Directed Therapy in Metastatic Breast Cancer

  Despite the reduction in cancer recurrence and mortality provided by hormonal therapy, estrogen receptor positive (ER+) metastatic breast cancer (MBC) remains the most common cause of breast cancer death, resulting in more than 20,000 deaths in the U.S each year. Although several therapeutic options exist to target the estrogen receptor, resistance to these therapies invariably occurs. Genetic mechanisms of acquired resistance to targeted therapies in ER+ MBC are not well understood. To address this, we developed a prospective biopsy protocol where multiple research biopsies are collected from metastatic samples and used for pathology, ER/PR/HER2, OncoPanel (a CLIA 300 gene sequencing panel), whole exome sequencing (WES), transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq), and single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq). In some cases, tissue is used for cell line and xenograft generation. Archival primary biopsies are also obtained when possible for parallel genomic studies. Patients are followed and serial metastatic biopsies are obtained. This data will be used to determine the landscape of genomic alterations in treatment-resistant ER+ MBC, and compared to data generated by TCGA for treatment-naive ER+ primary breast cancer. Comparison of genomic studies from resistant, metastatic specimens with corresponding pre-treatment primary samples will allow us to identify genomic association with resistance to specific therapies. Analysis of the serial metastatic biopsies collected over the course of multiple treatments will also shed light on tumor evolution under selective therapeutic pressure.NoteA subset of the MBC blood biopsies that are included in our study can be accessed and downloaded from the phs001977 accession.Another subset of patients in this study participated in a clinical trial (NCT02871791) and have their data deposited in the current study as well.

  Study phs001285

• Bone marrow breakout lesions act as key sites for tumor-immune cell diversification and exhaustion in multiple myeloma

  Multiple myeloma is a disease characterized by the expansion of cancerous plasma cells in the bone marrow. The bone marrow microenvironment plays a pivotal role in supporting myeloma growth and modulating tumor immunity. As the disease progresses, myeloma cells may become independent of the bone marrow environment, leading to extramedullary disease associated with poor prognosis. However, the early processes associated with bone marrow independence and its implications for disease and immune control remain poorly understood. Here, we employed comprehensive single-cell and spatial mapping to identify the disruption of the cortical bone and subsequent expansion of myeloma cells in breakout lesions as a key event in multiple myeloma pathogenesis and tumor immunity. Breakout lesions harbor an adapted niche and a unique immune microenvironment conferred by sustained immune-tumor interactions. In particular, tumor-reactive T cells with a highly exhausted phenotype, alongside unique NK cell and macrophage subtypes, specifically expanded in breakout lesions. Spatially-resolved genomic, transcriptomic and cellular analyses uncovered extensive intra-lesion heterogeneity, suggesting a divergent co-evolution of genomic variation and locally confined T cell responses in distinct subregions. Ultra-high plex imaging revealed that tumor-reactive T cells, together with other immune-regulatory cells and dendritic cells, co-expand and exhaust upon sustained tumor interactions in locally confined immune islands. In contrast, immune-regulatory macrophage and NK cell subsets operate spatially separated within myeloma cell deserts. Jointly, our analyses uncover bone marrow breakout lesions as a hotspot for tumor-immune cell interactions, diversification and exhaustion, representing a key event in myeloma pathogenesis with significant therapeutic implications.

  Study EGAS50000000304

• Efficacy and Immune Effects of Anakinra Prophylaxis for Neurologic Toxicity and Cytokine Release Syndrome in Patients with Lymphoma Receiving Axicabtagene Ciloleucel

  Chimeric antigen receptor T cells have transformed the treatment of multiple hematologic malignancies, but are limited in application due to treatment-related toxicities. Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurotoxicity (NT) are the primary toxicities associated with these therapies and are thought to be mediated by broad immune activation due to robust T-cell expansion. Current treatment of these toxicities utilize anti-IL-6 directed therapy and/or systemic glucocorticoids to mitigate the consequences of this complex inflammatory cascade. We sought to use anakinra, an IL-1R antagonist, as a prophylactic strategy to prevent clinically meaningful CRS/NT, defined as grade 2 or higher toxicity necessitating clinical intervention. Although our study, in line with others, demonstrated that IL-1R antagonism is insufficient to prevent such toxicities entirely, we were able to gain insight into the molecular immune signaling associated with breakthrough CRS & NT in the presence of anakinra prophylaxis using our scRNA dataset of patients treated with and without IL-1R antagonism. We demonstrate that IL-4 and IL-10 anti-inflammatory pathways in infused CAR-T products of both anakinra and non-anakinra cohorts were negatively associated with grade 2+ toxicities. We also found that expression of IFN-gamma pathways and ligand-receptor activities, as well as cytokine levels of IFN-gamma and CXCL10 in CD14+ monocytes, were significantly enriched in patients with breakthrough toxicity in the anakinra cohort. This correlated with an increase in IFN-gamma in the peripheral blood of patients with breakthrough toxicities, among other cytokines. These data identify IFN-gamma as a potential key mechanism in the development of CAR-T cell-associated toxcities and suggest that this pathway is also targetable and not inhibited by anakinra alone.

  Study phs003655

• 'Targeted High Throughput Sequencing in Clinical Cancer Settings: Formaldehyde fixed-paraffin embedded (FFPE) tumor tissues, input amount and tumor heterogeneity'

  "Background: Massively parallel sequencing technologies have brought an enormous increase in sequencing throughput. However, these technologies need to be further improved with regard to reproducibility and applicability to clinical samples and settings. Methods: Using identification of genetic variations in prostate cancer as an example we address three crucial challenges in the field of targeted re-sequencing: Small nucleotide variation (SNV) detection in samples of formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue material, minimal amount of input sample and sampling in view of tissue heterogeneity.Results: We show that FFPE tissue material can supplement for fresh frozen tissues for the detection of SNVs and that solution-based enrichment experiments can be accomplished with small amounts of DNA with only minimal effects on enrichment uniformity and data variance. Finally, we address the question whether the heterogeneity of a tumor is reflected by different genetic alterations, e.g. different foci of a tumor display different genomic patterns. We show that the tumor heterogeneity plays an important role for the detection of copy number variations, but is of minor importance for the detection of somatic variations.Conclusions: The application of high throughput sequencing technologies in cancer genomics opens up a new dimension for the identification of disease mechanisms. In particular the ability to use small amounts of FFPE samples available from surgical tumor resections and histopathological examinations facilitates the collection of precious tissue materials. However, care needs to be taken in regard to the locations of the biopsies taken, which can have an influence on the prediction of copy number variations. Bearing these technological challenges in mind will significantly improve many large-scale sequencing studies and will - on a long-range - result in a more reliable prediction of individual cancer therapies."

  Study EGAS00001000136

• Limited Association between HRR Gene Alterations and HRD in Molecular Tumor Board Cancer Samples: Who should be tested for HRD?

  Alterations in Homologous Recombination Repair (HRR) Pathway genes have been found to be associated with HR-Deficiency (HRD), which is an approved biomarker for PARP Inhibitor (PARPi) treatment. The aim of a Molecular Tumor Board (MTB) is to identify molecular alterations in cancer patients with advanced tumors that may suggest off-label treatment options. So far, few studies have analyzed the presence of HRR gene mutations and their association with HRD outside of clinical studies. Currently, no data on HRD testing in the setting of a MTB have been published. For the present study, a cohort of 237 patients encompassing 24 different tumor entities was collected from the MTB of the Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN. We show that an elevated Genomic Instability Score (GIS ≥ 42) can occur in samples with and without mutations in HRR-related genes. Overall, 38.1% of cancer samples with BRCA1/2 mutations, 10.9% of tumors with alterations in HRR genes other than BRCA1/2, and 4.3% of cancer samples without HRR gene mutations harbored an elevated GIS. Notably, our data show that various inactivating BRCA1/2 mutations are not associated with an elevated GIS. Taken together, panCancer assessment of HRD in addition to BRCA1/2 and other HRR gene mutational analysis is recommended to guide decisions regarding PARPi treatment. Further studies are needed to establish thresholds for GIS in non-ovarian cancer entities. Finally, HRD can be observed in 4.3% of BRCA1/2 and other HRR gene wildtype cancer samples, and may emerge as an independent biomarker for PARPi in the future.

  Study EGAS00001008063

• Integrative genomic analysis reveals cancer-associated mutations at diagnosis of CML in patients with high risk disease

  Genomic events associated with poor outcome in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) are poorly understood. We performed whole exome sequencing, copy number variation and/or RNA-Seq for 65 patients to discover mutations at diagnosis and blast crisis (BC). Forty-six chronic phase patients with the extremes of outcome were studied at diagnosis. Cancer gene variants were detected in 15/27 patients (56%) with subsequent BC or poor outcome and in 3/19 optimal responders (16%), P=.007. Frequently mutated genes at diagnosis were ASXL1, IKZF1 and RUNX1. The methyltransferase SETD1B was a novel recurrently mutated gene. A novel class of variant associated with the Philadelphia translocation was detected at diagnosis in 11/46 patients (24%) comprising fusions and/or rearrangement of genes on the translocated chromosomes, with evidence of fragmentation, inversion and imperfect sequence reassembly. These were more frequent at diagnosis in patients with poor outcome: 9/27 (33%) versus 2/19 optimal responders (11%), P=.07. Thirty-nine patients were tested at BC and all had cancer gene variants, including ABL1 kinase domain mutations in 58%. However, ABL1 mutations co-occurred with other mutated cancer genes in 89% of cases, and these predated ABL1 mutations in 62% of evaluable patients. Gene fusions not associated with the Philadelphia translocation occurred in 42% of patients at BC and commonly involved fusion partners that were known cancer genes (78%). Genomic analysis revealed numerous relevant variants at diagnosis in patients with poor outcome and all patients at BC. Future refined biomarker testing of specific variants will likely provide prognostic information to facilitate a risk-adapted therapeutic approach.

  Study EGAS00001003071

• Plasma DNA aberrations in systemic lupus erythematosus revealed by genomic and methylomic sequencing

  We performed a high-resolution analysis of the biological characteristics of plasma DNA in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients using massively parallel genomic and methylomic sequencing. A number of plasma DNA abnormalities were found. First, aberrations in measured genomic representations (MGRs) were identified in the plasma DNA of SLE patients. The extent of the aberrations in MGRs correlated with anti-double–stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA) antibody level. Second, the plasma DNA of active SLE patients exhibited skewed molecular size-distribution profiles with a significantly increased proportion of short DNA fragments. The extent of plasma DNA shortening in SLE patients correlated with the SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) and anti-dsDNA antibody level. Third, the plasma DNA of active SLE patients showed decreased methylation densities. The extent of hypomethylation correlated with SLEDAI and anti-dsDNA antibody level. To explore the impact of anti-dsDNA antibody on plasma DNA in SLE, a column-based protein G capture approach was used to fractionate the IgG-bound and non–IgG-bound DNA in plasma. Compared with healthy individuals, SLE patients had higher concentrations of IgG-bound DNA in plasma. More IgG binding occurs at genomic locations showing increased MGRs. Furthermore, the IgG-bound plasma DNA was shorter in size and more hypomethylated than the non–IgG-bound plasma DNA. These observations have enhanced our understanding of the spectrum of plasma DNA aberrations in SLE and may provide new molecular markers for SLE. Our results also suggest that caution should be exercised when interpreting plasma DNA-based noninvasive prenatal testing and cancer testing conducted for SLE patients.

  Study EGAS00001000962

• Ischemic stroke in a Swedish case-control study.

  Background. Genetic risk scores (GRS), summing up the total effect of several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes associated with either coronary risk or cardiovascular risk factors, have been tested for association with ischemic stroke with conflicting results. Recently an association was found between a GRS, based on 29 SNPs discovered by genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and hypertension. The aim of our study was to investigate the possible association of the same GRS with ischemic stroke on top of other “traditional risk factors”, also testing its potential improvement in indices of discrimination and reclassification, in a Swedish case-control study. Methods and results. Twenty-nine SNPs were genotyped in 3,677 stroke cases and 2,415 controls included in the Lund Stroke Register (LSR), the Malmö Diet and Cancer (MDC) study and the Sahlgrenska Academy Study on Ischemic Stroke (SAHLSIS). The analysis was conducted in the entire material, and separately for the three samples. After adjustment for hypertension, diabetes mellitus and smoking habits, the GRS was associated with ischemic stroke in the entire material [OR (95% CI) 1.086 (1.029-1.147) per SD increase in the GRS p=0.003] with similar trends in all three samples; LSR [1.050 (0.967-1.140)]; p=0.25], MDC [1.168 (1.060-1.288); p=0.002] and SAHLSIS [1.124 (0.997-1.267); P=0.055]. Measures of discrimination and reclassification improved marginally using the GRS. Conclusions. A blood pressure GRS is independently associated with ischemic stroke risk in three Swedish case-control studies, however, the effect size is low and adds marginally to prediction of stroke on top of traditional risk factors including hypertension.

  Study EGAS00001000936

• Analysis of RAD51C promoter methylation using targeted bisulfite sequencing (amplicon sequencing) in ovarian cancer pre-clinical models and patient samples.

  In high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSC), deleterious mutations in the DNA repair gene RAD51C are established drivers of defective homologous recombination and are emerging biomarkers of PARP inhibitor (PARPi) sensitivity. RAD51C promoter methylation (meRAD51C) is detected at similar frequencies to mutations, yet its effects on PARPi responses remain unresolved. In this study, three HGSC patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models with methylation at most or all examined CpG sites in the RAD51C promoter show responses to PARPi. Both complete and heterogeneous methylation patterns were associated with RAD51C gene silencing and homologous recombination deficiency (HRD). PDX models lost meRAD51C following treatment with PARPi rucaparib or niraparib, where a single unmethylated copy of RAD51C was sufficient to drive PARPi resistance. Genomic copy number profiling of one of the PDX models using SNP arrays revealed that this resistance was acquired independently in two genetically distinct lineages. In a cohort of 11 patients with RAD51C-methylated HGSC, various patterns of meRAD51C were associated with genomic 'scarring', indicative of HRD history, but exhibited no clear correlations with clinical outcome. Differences in methylation stability under treatment pressure were also observed between patients, where one HGSC was found to maintain meRAD51C after 6 lines of therapy (4 platinum-based), whilst another HGSC sample was found to have heterozygous meRAD51C and elevated RAD51C gene expression (relative to homozygous meRAD51C controls) after only neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. As meRAD51C loss in a single gene copy was sufficient to cause PARPi resistance in PDX, methylation zygosity should be carefully assessed in previously treated patients when considering PARPi therapy.

  Study EGAS00001005395

• IL7-receptor expression is frequent in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and predicts sensitivity to JAK-inhibition

  T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive hematological malignancy with a dismal prognosis related to refractory/relapsing diseases, raising the need for new targeted-therapies. Activating mutations of the IL7-receptor pathway genes (IL7Rp) play a proven leukemia-supportive role in T-ALL. JAK-inhibitors such as ruxolitinib have recently demonstrated preclinical efficacy. However, prediction markers for sensitivity to JAK-inhibitors are still lacking. Herein, we show that IL7R (CD127) expression is more frequent (~70%) than IL7Rp-mutations in T-ALL (~30%). We compared the so-called non-expressers (no IL7R-expression/IL7Rp-mutation), expressers (IL7R-expression without IL7Rp-mutation) and mutants (IL7Rp-mutations). Integrative multi-omics analysis outlined IL7R-deregulation in virtually all T-ALL subtypes, at the epigenetic-level in non-expressers, genetic-level in mutants, and post-transcriptional level in expressers. Ex-vivo data using primary-derived xenografts support that IL7Rp is functional whenever the IL7R is expressed, regardless of the IL7Rp mutational status. Consequently, ruxolitinib impaired T-ALL survival in both expressers and mutants. Interestingly, we show that expressers displayed ectopic IL7R-expression and IL7Rp-addiction conferring a deeper sensitivity to ruxolitinib. Conversely, mutants were more sensitive to venetoclax than expressers. Overall, combination of ruxolitinib and venetoclax resulted in synergistic effects in both groups. We illustrate the clinical relevance of this association by reporting achievement of complete remission in two patients with refractory/relapsed-T-ALL. This provides proof of concept for translation of this strategy into clinics as bridge to transplant. Altogether, IL7R-expression can be used as a biomarker for sensitivity to JAK-inhibition, thereby expanding the fraction of T-ALL patients eligible to ruxolitinib up to nearly ~70% of T-ALL.

  Study EGAS00001007144

• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) Hepatocellular Carcinoma Study by Exome Sequencing (HCCSES)

  Genetic alterations in specific driver genes lead to disruption of cellular pathways and are critical events in the instigation and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma. As a prerequisite for individualized cancer treatment, we sought to characterize the landscape of recurrent somatic mutations in hepatocellular carcinoma. We performed whole exome sequencing on 87 hepatocellular carcinomas and matched normal adjacent tissues to an average coverage of 59x. The overall mutation rate was roughly 2 mutations per Mb, with a median of 45 non-synonymous mutations that altered the amino acid sequence (range 2 to 381). We found recurrent mutations in several genes with high transcript levels: TP53 (18%), CTNNB1 (10%), KEAP1 (8%), C16orf62 (8%), MLL4 (7%) and RAC2 (5%). Significantly affected gene families include the nucleotide-binding domain and leucine rich repeat containing family, calcium channel subunits, and histone methyltransferases. In particular, the MLL family methyltransferases for histone H3 lysine 4 were mutated in 20% of tumors. Conclusion: The NFE2L2-KEAP1 and MLL pathways are recurrently mutated in multiple cohorts of hepatocellular carcinoma.

  Study phs000627

• Whole-Genome Sequencing Analysis of Extrachromosomal DNA with Amplicon Architect

  The study is related to our manuscript entitled "Single-cell genetic heterogeneity linked to immune infiltration in glioblastoma". Using multiplexed FISH analysis of 3-4 tumor cores from 17 glioblastoma formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumors, we identified two classes of tumors based on single cell co-occurrence of EGFR and CDK4 amplification. Tumors with a low odds ratio for finding EGFR and CDK4 amplified in the same cell (ORlow tumors) had higher EGFR copy number and higher diversity of copy number in cells harboring EGFR amplification. This suggested that in ORlow tumors EGFR is likely present on extrachromosomal DNA. To test this hypothesis, we performed whole genome sequencing on DNA extracted from FFPE slides from 3 ORlow samples and 3 ORhigh samples and used AmpliconArchitect to investigate the structure of the EGFR amplicon. We found multiple breakpoints and high complexity structure in the 3 tested ORlow samples, but not in the ORhigh samples, supporting the possibility of an extrachromosomal nature of EGFR amplification in the first group.

  Study phs003100

• Juvenile Sjogren's Syndrome (JSS) Transcriptome Study

  Sjögren's disease (SjD) is a systemic autoimmune disorder with major clinical manifestations of dryness in the eyes and mouth, fatigue, and joint pain. Our interdisciplinary experts in SjD at the University of Florida newly discovered and established a cohort of SjD in children. Many of these patients with childhood SjD (cSjD) demonstrated a prominent feature of recurrent parotitis (RP). To understand the immunopathogenesis of childhood SjD (cSjD) for the first time in the field, we profiled the transcriptome of five groups of four PBMC samples by unbiased, high-throughput single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq): cSjD (n=4), non-cSjD (n=4), biopsy-positive non-cSjD (BP, n=4), biopsy-positive non-cSjD with RP (BPRP, n=4), and healthy controls (HC, n=4). In this study, RNA sequencing data, as well as all barcodes.tsv.gz, features.tsv.gz, and matrix.mtx.gz that may be used to create a Seurat object in R, will be availableTo protect the confidentiality of subjects, certain data were not assessed or collected in the subject phenotype dataset, such as race, age, height, weight, and education.

  Study phs003048

• Genomic Analysis of Head and Neck Cancers

  These aggregate studies focus on specimens from head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients who were treated with standard of care or window of opportunity clinical trial approaches. Specimens were interrogated with exome and RNA-Seq analysis. Patient derived xenografts (PDXs) represent a robust platform for performing co-clinical trial approaches. In the first study we generated a large panel of PDXs and compared genomic profiles between the primary tumor and matched PDX with the patients blood serving as a source of somatic variants. In the second study, we performed a window of opportunity clinical trial in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma patients using the MEK inhibitor trametinib. In addition, PDX models were generated from these specimens also and analyzed as in the first study. Finally, the third approach used pembrolizumab, an anti-PD1 blocking antibody, in a window of opportunity setting in HNSCC patients. For the latter two studies genomic matched sample analysis was performed to define response and resistance mechanisms. Together, these genomic data will inform several therapeutic approaches for HNSCC patients.

  Study phs001623

• Single-Cell Analysis of Somatic Mutations in Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells in Relation to Aging and Smoking

  While lung cancer risk among smokers is dependent on smoking dose, it remains unknown if this increased risk reflects an increased rate of somatic mutation accumulation in normal lung cells. Here we applied single-cell whole genome sequencing of proximal bronchial basal cells from 33 subjects, aged between 11 and 86 years, with smoking histories varying from never smoking to 116 pack years. We found an increase in the frequency of single-nucleotide variants and small insertions and deletions with chronological age in never-smokers, with mutation frequencies significantly elevated among smokers. However, when plotted against smoking pack-years, mutations were found to follow the linear increase in cancer risk only until about 23 pack years, after which no further increase in mutation frequency was observed, pointing towards individual selection for mutation avoidance. Known lung cancer-defined global mutation signatures tracked with both age and smoking. Within study power limits, no significant enrichment for somatic mutations in lung cancer driver genes was observed.

  Study phs002758

• Single-Cell RNA-Sequencing of Human Prostatectomy Tissue

  The tissue microenvironment in prostate cancer is profoundly altered. How prostate cancer cells and their precursors mediate those changes is unclear, in part due to the inability to longitudinally study the disease evolution in human tissues. To overcome this limitation, we performed extensive single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) to assess the transcriptional profiles of the tissue microenvironment in prostate tissues from prostatectomies from men diagnosed with prostate cancer. For each subject, benign-enriched and tumor-enriched tissues were collected from the peripheral zone of the prostate. Our studies of human tissues revealed that cancer cell-intrinsic activation of MYC signaling was the top up-regulated pathway in human cancers, representing a common denominator across the well-known molecular and pathological heterogeneity of human prostate cancer. Numerous non-malignant cell states in the tumor microenvironment (TME), including non-cancerous epithelial, immune, and fibroblast cell compartments, were conserved across individuals, suggesting that these cell types may be a sequelae of the convergent MYC activation in the cancer cells.

  Study phs003480

• Multi-Omic Profiling of Glioma Patient Tumors and Patient-Derived Model Systems

  We have created a resource of transcriptomic (RNAseq), genomic (whole-exome seq), and lipidomic (untargeted shotgun) profiling data from over 175 molecularly diverse glioma tumors and derivative models in orthotopic mouse xenografts and gliomasphere cultures from over 110 unique patient tumor lines. Provided in this dataset are matched bulk RNA and whole-exome paired-end sequencing data from resected gliomas and derived model systems performed on Illumina HiSeq and NovaSeq sequencing instruments. This comprehensive dataset powers multiple studies aiming to derive molecular signatures of intertumoral heterogeneity and perturbation responses in glioma. Through integrative multi-omic analyses in Minami, et al., 2023, PMID: 37236196, we identified that CDKN2A deletion remodels the GBM lipidome and consequently primes CDKN2A-deleted tumors for ferroptosis. Lipidomics data related to this study are publicly available here. In another study, we used a combination of molecular profiling and functional profiling of apoptotic potential to stratify patients into groups with differential vulnerability to the current standard-of-care in gliomas, and in combination with drugs targeting intrinsic apoptosis, largely informed but not limited to TP53 mutation status.

  Study phs003286

• Loss of SDHB promotes dysregulated iron homeostasis, oxidative stress and sensitivity to ascorbate

  Succinate dehydrogenase is a key enzyme in the tricarboxylic acid cycle and the electron transport chain. All four subunits of succinate dehydrogenase are tumor suppressor genes predisposing to paraganglioma, but only mutations in the SDHB subunit are associated with increased risk of metastasis. Here we generated an Sdhd knockout chromaffin cell line and compared it to Sdhb-deficient cells. Both cell types exhibited similar SDH loss of function, metabolic adaptation, and succinate accumulation. In contrast, Sdhb-/- cells showed hallmarks of mesenchymal transition associated with increased DNA hypermethylation and a stronger pseudo-hypoxic phenotype compared to Sdhd-/- cells. Loss of SDHB specifically led to increased oxidative stress associated with dysregulated iron and copper homeostasis in the absence of NRF2 activation. High-dose ascorbate exacerbated the increase in mitochondrial reactive oxygen species, leading to cell death in Sdhb-/- cells. These data establish a mechanism linking oxidative stress to iron homeostasis that specifically occurs in SDHB deficient cells and may promote metastasis. They also highlight high-dose ascorbate as a promising therapeutic strategy for SDHB-related cancers.

  Study EGAS00001005279

• A multicenter study of susceptibility genes to type 1 diabetes

  The first genome-wide association study of fulminant type 1 diabetes mellitus was performed in Japanese individuals. As previously reported using a candidate gene approach, a strong association was observed with multiple SNPs in the HLA region, and the strongest association was seen for rs9268853 in the class II DR region (P=1.56 x 10-23, odds ratio [OR] 3.18). In addition, rs11170445 in CSAD/lnc-ITGB7-1 on chromosome 12q13.13 showed an association at a genome-wide significance level (P=7.58 x 10-9, OR 1.96). Fine mapping of the region revealed that rs3782151 in CSAD/lnc-ITGB7-1 showed the lowest P value (P=4.60 x 10-9, OR 1.97 [95% CI 1.57-2.48]). The risk allele of rs3782151 is a cis-expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) for ITGB7 that significantly increases the expression of this gene. CSAD/lnc-ITGB7-1 was strongly associated with the susceptibility to fulminant, but not classical autoimmune, type 1 diabetes, implicating this locus in the distinct phenotype of fulminant type 1 diabetes.

  Study JGAS000144