3743 results for "RNA AND sequencing OR transcriptome"

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• Pharmacogenomic Analysis Reveals New Therapeutic Options for Pleural Mesothelioma

  Background: Pleural mesothelioma (PM) urgently requires novel effective treatments. Drug repurposing is a relevant strategy to discover new therapeutic options among well-known drugs used in clinical practice. This study aimed to identify new therapies in the context of molecular heterogeneity of PM. Methods: We performed a multi-omics study of the largest cohort of patient-derived primary PM cell lines (n=58) to date, using whole exome sequencing, RNA sequencing and methylome analysis. We also conducted a large-scale drug screening of over 1300 compounds on a subset of cell lines (n=11), as well as an extension screen (n=48) for selected drugs of interest. The best candidates were validated using 3D culture and mouse models. Results: We demonstrated that the molecular landscape of the cell lines cohort recapitulates the main findings in tumours and revealed new specific features of PM. The large-scale drug screening and subsequent validations highlighted notably strong sensitivity to entinostat and fluvastatin. Importantly, both compounds displayed same efficacy in 2D and 3D culture models and single treatment prolonged survival in vivo similarly or even better than standard chemotherapy. Strikingly, combining entinostat treatment with anti-PD1 led to cures in some mice and immunized them against tumour cells. Conclusions: Among several candidates, we identified entinostat, notably in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitor, and to a lesser extent fluvastatin, as promising therapeutic options for patients. We believe our study provides a valuable resource that could contribute to advances in the field and warrants further clinical investigation.

  Study EGAS00001007866

• Analysis of CD20 loss in patients treated with Mosunetuzumab

  CD20 is an established therapeutic target in B-cell malignancies. The CD20xCD3 bispecific antibody mosunetuzumab has significant efficacy in B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL). Since target antigen loss is a recognized mechanism of resistance, we evaluated the contribution of CD20 expression to clinical response in patients with relapsed and/or refractory NHL in the phase 1/2 GO29781 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02500407) investigating mosunetuzumab monotherapy. CD20 was studied using immunohistochemistry (IHC), RNA sequencing, and whole-exome sequencing performed centrally in biopsies collected prior to treatment, or as paired samples at pre-dose and on-treatment, or at-progression. Prior to treatment, most patients exhibited a high proportion of tumor cells expressing CD20; however, the proportion of CD20+ tumor cells in 14/293 (6%) patients was <10%. Analyses of paired biopsies from patients during treatment revealed that CD20 levels were maintained in 29/30 (97%), vs patients with samples at-progression, in which 11/32 (34%) showed CD20 loss. Reduced transcription or acquisition of truncating mutations explained most but not all cases of CD20 loss. In vitro modeling confirmed the effect of CD20 variants identified in clinical samples on reduction of CD20 expression and confirmed missense mutations in the extracellular domain that could block mosunetuzumab binding. This study expands knowledge about the occurrence of target antigen loss after anti-CD20 therapeutics to CD20-targeting bispecific antibodies and elucidates the underlying mechanisms for reduced CD20 expression at disease progression that may be generalizable to other anti-CD20 targeting agents. These results also establish the utility of readily-available IHC staining for CD20 as a tool to inform clinical decisions.

  Study EGAS50000000151

• T-cell receptor sequencing of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) in breast cancer

  The spatial distribution of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) predicts breast cancer outcome and response to systemic therapy, highlighting the importance of an intact tissue structure for characterizing patients’ tumors. Here, we present ST-FFPE, a spatial transcriptomics method for the analysis of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples, which opens the possibility of interrogating widely available archival tissue. The method involves extraction, exome capture and sequencing of RNA from different tumor compartments microdissected by laser-capture, and can be used to study the cellular composition of various tumor environments. Focusing on triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), we characterized T cells, B cells, dendritic cells, fibroblasts and endothelial cells in both stromal and intra-epithelial compartments. We found a highly variable spatial distribution of immune cell subsets among tumors. This analysis revealed that the immune repertoires of intra-epithelial T and B cells were consistently less diverse than those of stromal T and B cells. T-cell receptor (TCR) sequencing confirmed a reduced diversity and revealed higher clonality of intra-epithelial T cells relative to the corresponding stromal T cells. Analysis of the top ten dominant clonotypes in the two compartments showed a majority of shared but also some unique clonotypes both in stromal and intra-epithelial T cells. Hyperexpanded clonotypes were more abundant among intra-epithelial than stromal T cells. These findings validate the ST-FFPE method and suggest an accumulation of antigen-specific T cells within tumor core. Because ST-FFPE is readily applicable for analysis of previously collected tissue samples, it could be useful for rapid assessment of intratumoral cellular heterogeneity in multiple disease and treatment settings.

  Study EGAS00001007125

• Multivalent State Transitions Shape the Intratumoral Composition of Small Cell Lung Carcinoma

  Small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) is an aggressive, tobacco-associated tumor characterized by rapid growth, early metastases, and initial response followed by almost invariable resistance to chemotherapy. Studies to date have not resolved the extent that diverse transcriptional programs drive SCLC and contribute to its lethality. We combined patient-derived xenograft (PDX) (n = 64) resources with multi-omic profiling, single-cell fluorescence tracking of ex vivo tumor cells, and mathematical and statistical models to study the topology of the SCLC transcriptional state space and its plasticity.

  Study phs003102

• Alignment BAM files and gene count files of the Illumina Sequencing Data (10 tumor samples)

  Reads were processed with the RNA-seq workflow 1.3.0 developed by the DKFZ Omics IT and Data Management Core Facility (https://github.com/DKFZ-ODCF/RNAseqWorkflow). First, FASTQ reads were aligned via two-pass alignment using STAR 2.5.3a. The STAR index was generated from the 1000 Genomes assembly and GENCODE Version 19 gene models with a sjdbOverhang of 200. Duplicate marking of the resultant main alignment file was done with sambamba 0.6.5. Gene-specific read counting was performed using featureCounts (from Subread 1.5.1) over exon features based on GENCODE Version 19 gene models. Both reads of a paired fragment were used for counting, and the quality threshold was set to 255, indicating that STAR found a unique alignment. Strand-specific counting was also used. For RPKM and TPM calculations, all genes on chromosomes X and Y, the mitochondrial genome, as well as rRNA and tRNA genes were omitted as they are likely to introduce library size estimation biases.

  Dataset EGAD00001008969

• Distinct embryonic phylogenies and driver events of infant Wilms tumor - RNA

  Cancers of adults typically arise through progressive rounds of clonal diversification and intratumoral selective sweeps which generate a long mutational trunk with shorter subclonal branches. Here, we investigated whether tumors of young children exhibit the same phylogenetic configuration. We studied three infants, including two newborns, with the childhood kidney cancer, Wilms tumour, through whole genome sequencing of bulk tissues, of single cell derived organoids, and of microdissections. All three cancers exhibited unusual driver events, with tumours of newborns harbouring FOXR2 rearrangements, delineating a distinct variant of Wilms tumour. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that tumors were seeded in an early, possibly confined window of development. Unusually, following seeding there was extensive polyclonal diversification with little evidence of clonal sweeps, leading to a distinct phylogenetic configuration more reminiscent of normal tissues rather than of adult cancers. These findings indicate that some childhood cancers may diversify via unorthodox phylogenetic pathways.

  Dataset EGAD00001009813

• The Genomic and Transcriptomic Landscape of a HeLa Cell Line

  HeLa is the most widely used model cell line for studying human cellular and molecular biology. To date, no genomic reference for this cell line has been released, and experiments have relied on the human reference genome. Effective design and interpretation of molecular genetic studies performed using HeLa cells require accurate genomic information. Here we present a detailed genomic and transcriptomic characterization of a HeLa cell line. We performed DNA and RNA sequencing of a HeLa Kyoto cell line and analyzed its mutational portfolio and gene expression profile. Segmentation of the genome according to copy number revealed a remarkably high level of aneuploidy and numerous large structural variants at unprecedented resolution. Some of the extensive genomic rearrangements are indicative of catastrophic chromosome shattering, known as chromothripsis. Our analysis of the HeLa gene expression profile revealed that several pathways, including cell cycle and DNA repair, exhibit significantly different expression patterns from those in normal human tissues. Our results provide the first detailed account of genomic variants in the HeLa genome, yielding insight into their impact on gene expression and cellular function as well as their origins. This study underscores the importance of accounting for the strikingly aberrant characteristics of HeLa cells when designing and interpreting experiments, and has implications for the use of HeLa as a model of human biology. Copyright Landry et al., "The Genomic and Transcriptomic Landscape of a HeLa Cell Line," G3: Genes | Genomes | Genetics (2013).

  Study phs000643

• Comprehensive molecular and clinicopathological profiling of lung adenocarcinoma in Japanese never or light smokers

  Studies have yet to characterize the differences in molecular profiles of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) among divergent ethnic groups. Herein, we conducted comprehensive molecular profiling of LUAD in never or light smokers from Asia in order to discover novel targetable mutations and prognostic biomarkers of this distinct disease entity. Methods: We analyzed 996 cases of Asian LUAD, and performed whole-exome sequencing and/or RNA-seq in 125 cases of Asian LUAD negative for the driver oncogenes defined by conventional laboratory testing. We also investigated the clinical and pathological characteristics among the 996 cases. Results: Driver oncogenes were identified in 88 cases (70.4%) with specific hotspot mutations differing from those in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) study. Clustering based on mRNA expression profiles, but not genetic mutational ones, could predict patient prognosis. The risk score generated by the expression of a three-gene set was a strong prognostic marker for overall survival and progression-free survival in our cohort, and was further validated using TCGA cohort. Among the 996 cases, each driver alteration is distributed across all histological subtypes. Adenocarcinoma in situ was identified to harbor driver mutations, suggesting that these alterations are early events in the pathogenesis of LUAD. This study indicates the value of applying gene expression profiling for predicting the prognosis after a surgical operation, and that the identification of actionable mutations is important for optimizing targeted drugs in Japanese LUAD.

  Study JGAS000215

• Single-cell RNA-seq of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in classic Hodgkin lymphoma

  Classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) is a largely MHC class I-negative tumor with recurrent 9p24.1/ PD-L1/ PD-L2 copy gains and the highest reported response rates to PD-1 blockade. We utilized scRNA sequencing to characterize the peripheral immune response to PD-1 blockade and more broadly define non-CD8+ dependent mechanisms of immune evasion in cHL. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were obtained from 20 patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) cHL treated with PD-1 blockade (nivolumab) on the CheckMate 205 clinical trial (paired samples from cycle 1 day 1 [C1D1] and cycle 4 day 1 [C4D1]), 11 patients with newly diagnosed, previously untreated cHL and 13 healthy donors.

  Study EGAS00001007569

• BRAIN Cell EncyclOpeDia of Transcribed Elements (BRAINcode)

  BRAINCODE: How Does the Human Genome Function in Specific Brain Neurons? The human brain comprises about 86 billion neurons whose function is central to human biology. How does the human genome program high performing neurons and neural networks in response to experience? What subprograms does the genome express in physiologically and morphologically distinct brain cells? The goal of the BRAIN Cell encyclOpeDia of transcribed Elements Consortium (BRAINcode) is to provide a map of gene expression - both protein-coding and non-coding - in specific cell types, not in culture, but in situ in brains of people. Going beyond traditional mRNA sequencing, polyadenylated and non-polyadenylated transcripts were ultra deeply sequenced using ribo-depleted RNA from neurons laser-captured from human post-mortem brains. Three prototypical neuron types, dopamine neurons, pyramidal neurons, and Betz cells, were prioritized because of their key biologic roles and differential vulnerability to important neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease. Genetic variation between individuals was examined for correlation with differences in transcribed sequences to identify regions of the genome that influence whether, how, and how much a transcript is expressed in specific cell types in human brains. Our results indicate a vast universe of annotated and novel non-coding RNAs expressed in brain cells and suggest a more diverse and much more complex transcriptional architecture than previously imagined.

  Study phs001556

• Integrated Metabolic Profiling and Gene Expression Analysis Reveals Therapeutic Modalities in Breast Cancer

  In this study, we performed metabolite profiling and RNA-sequencing on human breast cancer tumors and normal breast tissue samples, including triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), estrogen receptor positive breast cancer (ER+) and paired normal samples, and patient-derived xenografts (PDX) samples. Here, we report two distinctive groups defined by metabolites; a TNBC-HIGH group that shows high levels of pyrimidine pathway metabolites and biosynthetic enzymes, and an ER-HIGH group that shows high levels of fatty acid and arginine biosynthesis intermediates. We identify different metabolic enrichment profiles between cell lines grown in vitro vs. in vivo; cell lines grown in vivo recapitulate patient tumors metabolic profiles. Further, we identify a subset of genes that strongly correlates with the TNBC-HIGH metabolic profile using integrated metabolic and gene expression profiling, which strongly predicts patient prognosis when tested on larger human datasets. As a proof-of-principle, when we target TNBC-HIGH metabolic dysregulation with a pyrimidine biosynthesis inhibitor (Brequinar), and/or a glutaminase inhibitor (CB-839), we observe therapeutic efficacy and decreased tumor growth in representative TNBC cell lines, murine p53-null mammary tumors, and in vivo patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) upon multi-agent drug treatment. This study highlights potential new therapeutic opportunities in breast cancers guided by a genomic biomarker, which could prove impactful for breast cancers that rapidly proliferate.

  Study phs002396

• Genetic and Hormonal Contributions to Gene Expression in Immune Cells

  The origins of sex differences in human disease are elusive, in part because of difficulties in separating the effects of sex hormones and sex chromosomes. To isolate the effects of testosterone, estradiol, and sex chromosome complement (XX or XY) in humans, we implemented a four-state, cross-sectional study design of trans- and cisgender individuals, the former receiving exogenous testosterone or estradiol for at least a year as part of their gender-affirming medical care. This study design allowed us to compare four combinations of sex hormones and sex chromosomes in humans: XX individuals treated with exogenous testosterone (n=21), XY individuals treated with exogenous estradiol (n=13), untreated XX individuals (n=20), and untreated XY individuals (n=15). We chose to focus on the human immune system because it displays an impressively broad range of sex-differential biology. We collected blood samples from each individual and isolated PBMCs the same day. We performed 10X Genomics 3' single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) on PBMCs from the 69 individuals. We generated 150-bp paired end reads from a total of 358,426 cells (with an average of 48,007 reads/cell) and identified 18 distinct immune cell types. We found that testosterone, estradiol, and sex chromosome complement have unique, non-overlapping effects on PBMC cell abundances and gene expression.

  Study phs003860

• Investigating Host Genetic Risk Factors for Tuberculosis in Highly Endemic South African Populations

  It is apparent from our recent population genetic and admixture mapping work 1–3 that a substantial part of the ancestral input into the South African Coloured (SAC) population is from the San or Khoe groups, which are not well represented in publicly available genetic databases. It is a reasonable assumption that the SAC population in the Western Cape may have derived more genetic input from the present KhoeSan population in the Northern Cape than the San residing in Namibia. It was concluded by our group that it is indeed the southern African KhoeSan group, the ≠Khomani, that best represent the KhoeSan contribution seen in the SAC 4. More recently, it has been shown that there are ancestry related increases in TB susceptibility, especially with increased Bantu-speaking African and KhoeSan ancestry 5. We aim to elucidate the epidemiological and human-host genetic risk factors for TB and the immunological pathways modulating TB infection. The proposed sub-study will enroll people evaluated for TB at Northern Cape community health clinics and their contacts from their households and/or community. We will conduct a demographic interview, collect saliva, which will be used for genetic analysis, and blood to determine latent TB infection status and capture immunological responses to mycobacterial infections at the cellular level and RNA sequencing.

  Study EGAS00001007850

• INSPIRE - Investigator-initiated Phase 2 Study of Pembrolizumab Immunological Response in Metastatic Solid Tumors

  Whole exome and RNA sequencing source data for: Clouthier, D.L., Lien, S.C., Yang, S.Y.C. et al. An interim report on the investigator-initiated phase 2 study of pembrolizumab immunological response evaluation (INSPIRE). j. immunotherapy cancer 7, 72 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40425-019-0541-0 Bratman S*, Yang SYC*, Iafolla MAJ, Liu Z, Hansen AR, Bedard P, Lheureux S, Spreafico A, Razak AA, Shchegrova S, Louie M, Billings P, Zimmerman B, Sethi H, Aleshi A, Torti D, Marsh K, Eagles J, Cirlan I, Hanna Y, Clouthier D, Lien SC, Ohashi PS, Xu W, Siu LL, Pugh TJ. Personalized circulating tumor DNA analysis as a predictive biomarker in solid tumor patients treated with pembrolizumab. Nature Cancer. 2020:1:873-881. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43018- 020-0096-5. Yang SYC, Lien SC, Wang BX, Clouthier DL, Hanna Y, Cirlan I, Zhu K, Bruce JP, El Ghamrasni S, Iafallo MAJ, Oliva M, Hansen AR, Spreafico A, Bedard PL, Lheureux S, Razak A, Speers V, Berman HK, Aleshin A, Haibe-Kains B, Brooks DG, McGaha TL, Butler MO, Bratman SV, Ohashi PS, Siu LL, and Pugh TJ. Pan-cancer analysis of longitudinal metastatic tumors reveals genomic alterations and immune landscape dynamics associated with pembrolizumab sensitivity. Nature Comm 2021:12, 5137. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-25432-7

  Study EGAS00001003280

• Single cell transcriptomics of hESC-derived midbrain dopaminergic neurons generated by a new human development-based protocol

  Recent advances in stem cell technologies provide new opportunities for regenerative medicine and Parkinson’s disease modelling. However, the precise composition and quality of human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived preparations at the single cell level, compared to endogenous brain standards, remains to be determined. In addition, multiple developmental pathways important for midbrain dopaminergic (mDA) neuron development remain to be implemented in hESCs. Here we use mouse developmental knowledge and human single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) data to generate a new development-based protocol to differentiate hESCs into mDA neurons. We found that Laminin 511, dual WNT activation with CHIR99021 and WNT5A, together with FGF8b, improved different aspects of midbrain patterning. Moreover, mDA neurogenesis and differentiation were enhanced by activation of liver X receptors and inhibition of fibroblast growth factor signaling. Analysis of hESC-derived midbrain cultures by scRNA-seq revealed multiple hESC-derived clusters, which resembled those in the endogenous human ventral midbrain. Moreover, high quality mDA neurons were detected and found to progressively acquire functionality in vitro. Thus, we hereby provide a hESC differentiation protocol that recapitulates several aspects of endogenous mDA neuron development, and a strategy to determine cell composition and quality of hESC-derived preparations that can be useful for disease modeling and cell therapy.

  Study EGAS00001006313

• scRNA-seq of HGSC tumor and ascites

  Immune regulatory metabolites are key features of the tumor microenvironment (TME), yet with a few notable exceptions, their identities remain largely unknown. We uncovered the immune regulatory metabolic states and metabolomes of sorted tumor and stromal, CD4+, and CD8+ cells from the tumor and ascites of patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC) using high-dimensional flow cytometry and metabolomics supplemented with single cell RNA sequencing. Flow cytometry revealed that tumor cells show a consistently greater uptake of glucose than T cells, but similar mitochondrial activity. Cells within the ascites and tumor had pervasive metabolite differences, with a striking enrichment in 1-methylnicotinamide (MNA) in T cells infiltrating the tumor compared to ascites. Despite the elevated levels of MNA in T cells, the expression of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase, the gene encoding the enzyme that catalyses the transfer of a methyl group from S-adenosylmethionine to nicotinamide, was restricted to fibroblasts and tumor cells. Treatment of T cells with MNA resulted in an increase in T cell-mediated secretion of the tumor promoting cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha. Thus, the TME-derived metabolite MNA contributes to an alternative and non-cell autonomous mechanism of immune modulation of T cells in HGSC. Collectively, uncovering the tumor-T cell metabolome may reveal metabolic vulnerabilities that can be exploited using T cell-based immunotherapies to treat human cancer.

  Study EGAS00001004829

• BMP4 and temozolomide synergize in the majority of patient derived glioblastoma cultures

  The poor prognosis of patients with glioblastoma is partly due to resistance to standard treatment, which combines chemoradiation using temozolomide (TMZ). The concept of cancer stem cells provided new insight into tumor resistance and management, and isolated Glioblastoma stem-like cells (GSCs) which contribute to this therapy resistance. Bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) is a differentiation factor that stimulates astroglial differentiation of such GSCs, thereby reducing their self-renewal. Exposing GSCs to BMP4 could therefore sensitize them to chemotherapy with TMZ, but previous studies with various treatment paradigms have produced contradictory results in this matter. Therefore, we re-defined the optimal treatment paradigm for the combination of TMZ and BMP4 and subsequently re-assessed the inter-tumoral variability in response to co-treatment with TMZ+BMP4 in vitro. First, the simultaneous treatment was found more effective than sequential therapy. Second, after application of our optimized treatment protocol, 70% of a total of 20 patient-derived glioblastoma cultures showed synergy when the treatments were combined. The synergistic effect was a result of increased cellular apoptosis and not of decreased proliferation. Comparative RNA-sequencing suggested that combination treatment results in decreased MAPK signaling. We conclude that addition of BMP4 to standard therapy with TMZ could enlarge the group of patients with good therapeutic response.

  Study EGAS00001007095

• Resistance to Checkpoint Blockade Therapy Through Inactivation of Antigen Presentation

  Although immune checkpoint blockade (CPB) leads to prolonged responses in 15-40% of patients with metastatic melanoma, treatment refractory disease and progression after initial response remain major causes of mortality. While predictors of response have been reported, the common mechanisms of both primary and acquired resistance are poorly understood. To identify mechanisms of resistance and examine the evolving landscape in response to CPB, we performed whole exome sequencing (WES), immunohistochemistry (IHC), and RNA-sequencing (RNAseq) of longitudinal tumor biopsies from 17 metastatic melanoma patients treated with various CPB therapies. We found no significant changes in both mutational and neoantigen loads over time between responders and nonresponders. However, we identified abnormalities in one gene, beta-2-microglobulin (B2M), an essential component of MHC Class I antigen presentation, that were present in samples during disease progression but not regression. In total, we identified B2M aberrations in 29.4% of patients, including multiple early frameshift mutations, loss of heterozygosity (LOH) overlapping B2M, and absence of tumor-specific B2M protein expression. Additional defects in the antigen presentation and IFNγ pathways were identified but were not restricted to progressing lesions in our cohort. In two independent cohorts of 105 and 38 melanoma patients treated with ipilimumab (anti-CTLA4) and pembrolizumab (anti-PD1) respectively, we found that B2M LOH was enriched 3-fold in nonresponders (~30%) vs. responders (~10%) and associated with poorer overall survival (log-rank p=0.01, p=0.006). Loss of both copies of B2M was found only in nonresponders. We also found evidence for association of LOH overlapping IFNGR1 with poorer overall survival exclusively in the anti-PD1 cohort. Thus, B2M loss is likely a common mechanism of primary and acquired resistance to therapies targeting CTLA4 or PD-1.

  Study phs001427

• A Phase I Study With a Personalized Neoantigen Cancer Vaccine in Glioblastoma Multiforme

  Neoantigens, which are derived from tumor-specific protein-coding gene mutations, are exempt from central tolerance, can generate robust immune responses and function as bona fide antigens that facilitate tumor rejection. A strategy of using multi-epitope and personalized neoantigen vaccination has previously been tested in patients with high-risk melanoma. We demonstrated that this strategy is feasible for glioblastoma (GBM) which typically has a relatively low mutation load and an immunologically 'cold' tumor microenvironment. We conducted whole exome sequencing (WES) of tumor and normal cells from individual GBM patients to identify tumor-specific mutations. We assessed the expression of mutated alleles by RNA-sequencing of tumor, and used personalized neoantigen-targeting vaccines to immunize newly diagnosed GBM patients following surgical resection and conventional radiotherapy in a phase I/Ib study. Patients who did not receive dexamethasone, a highly potent corticosteroid that is frequently prescribed to treat cerebral oedema in GBM patients, generated circulating polyfunctional neoantigen-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses that were enriched in a memory phenotype and showed an increase in the number of tumor-infiltrating T cells. Using single-cell T cell receptor analysis, we provided an evidence that neoantigen-specific T cells from the peripheral blood can migrate into an intracranial GBM tumor. Neoantigen-targeting vaccines thus have the potential to favorably alter the immune environment of GBM.In order to discover cancer antigens derived from annotated and unannotated protein-coding regions of the genome, we carried out matched ribosome profiling (Ribo-Seq) on two GBM samples. We discovered novel or unannotated open reading frames (nuORFs) and their expression levels as well as somatic mutations within the nuORFs, which could be used to predict potential neoantigens.

  Study phs001519

• THAP11 mutations in a patient with a cblX-like phenotype implicates THAP11 in the regulation of cobalamin metabolism and early vertebrate development

  Mutations in HCFC1 are associated with cblX (MIM309541), an X-linked recessive disorder, characterized by defects in cobalamin metabolism and other developmental defects. HCFC1 is a transcriptional co-regulator, which interacts with transcription factors to regulate the expression of a myriad of genes. Notably, HCFC1 regulates cobalamin metabolism via the regulation of MMACHC expression through its interaction with THAP11, a THAP domain-containing transcription factor. In addition, the HCFC1/THAP11 complex potentially regulates genes involved in diverse cellular functions including cell cycle, proliferation, and transcription. Thus, it is likely that mutations in THAP11 may also result in biochemical and other phenotypes similar to those observed in patients with cblX. We report a patient who presented with phenotypic features that overlap cblX, but did not have any mutations in either MMACHC or HCFC1. We sequenced THAP11 by Sanger sequencing and discovered a potentially pathogenic, homozygous variant in THAP11, c.240C>G (p.Phe80Leu). Functional analysis in the developing zebrafish embryo, demonstrate that both THAP11 and HCFC1 regulate the proliferation and differentiation of neural precursors, suggesting important roles in normal brain development. Further, the loss of THAP11 in zebrafish embryos, results in craniofacial abnormalities including the complete loss of Meckel’s cartilage, the ceratohyal, and all of the ceratobranchial cartilages. These data are consistent with our previous work which demonstrated a role for HCFC1 in vertebrate craniofacial development. Furthermore, our high throughput RNA-sequencing analysis reveals several overlapping gene targets of HCFC1 and THAP11 that likely contribute to the phenotypes associated with cblX and related disorders. Thus, both HCFC1 and THAP11 play important roles in the regulation of cobalamin metabolism as well as other pathways involved in early vertebrate development.

  Study EGAS00001002201

• Clinical Outcomes by Tumor Mutational Burden and Inflammatory Gene Expression With Combined Nivolumab and Ipilimumab or Monotherapy in Advanced Melanoma

  Purpose Exploratory analyses of CheckMate 066 and 067 trials were conducted to investigate associations of tumor mutational burden (TMB), a 4-gene inflammatory gene expression signature, and BRAF mutation status with tumor response, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) in patients with advanced melanoma. Patients and Methods Patients with known programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression and BRAF mutation status received nivolumab (NIVO) or dacarbazine in CheckMate 066 and either NIVO, ipilimumab (IPI), or NIVO+IPI in CheckMate 067. Whole exome sequencing and RNA sequencing were used to determine TMB and inflammatory gene expression signature scores, respectively. These biomarkers were evaluated in terms of their association with PFS and OS. Results In the NIVO, NIVO+IPI, and IPI arms of CheckMate 067, longer survival was associated with high (> median) versus low (≤ median) TMB with hazard ratios (HRs) (95% confidence interval [CI]) for PFS of 0.45 (0.30–0.65), 0.55 (0.38–0.81), and 0.60 (0.43–0.82), and for OS of 0.46 (0.30–0.71), 0.53 (0.34–0.82), and 0.52 (0.36–0.74), respectively. For NIVO-treated patients, these results were confirmed in CheckMate 066. A survival benefit was observed with high TMB and absence of BRAF mutation. Survival was associated with high versus low inflammatory signature scores with HRs (95% CI) for PFS of 0.56 (0.34–0.94), 0.40 (0.23–0.72), and 0.43 (0.27–0.70), and for OS of 0.37 (0.20–0.66), 0.38 (0.19–0.74), and 0.46 (0.27–0.79), in the NIVO, NIVO+IPI, and IPI arms, respectively. Weak correlations were observed between PD-L1, TMB, and the inflammatory signature. Conclusions Combined assessment of TMB, inflammatory gene expression signature, and BRAF mutation status may be predictive for response to immunotherapy in advanced melanoma.

  Study EGAS00001004564

• Clinical Outcomes by Tumor Mutational Burden and Inflammatory Gene Expression With Combined Nivolumab and Ipilimumab or Monotherapy in Advanced Melanoma - CM066-WES

  Purpose Exploratory analyses of CheckMate 066 and 067 trials were conducted to investigate associations of tumor mutational burden (TMB), a 4-gene inflammatory gene expression signature, and BRAF mutation status with tumor response, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) in patients with advanced melanoma. Patients and Methods Patients with known programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression and BRAF mutation status received nivolumab (NIVO) or dacarbazine in CheckMate 066 and either NIVO, ipilimumab (IPI), or NIVO+IPI in CheckMate 067. Whole exome sequencing and RNA sequencing were used to determine TMB and inflammatory gene expression signature scores, respectively. These biomarkers were evaluated in terms of their association with PFS and OS. Results In the NIVO, NIVO+IPI, and IPI arms of CheckMate 067, longer survival was associated with high (> median) versus low (≤ median) TMB with hazard ratios (HRs) (95% confidence interval [CI]) for PFS of 0.45 (0.30–0.65), 0.55 (0.38–0.81), and 0.60 (0.43–0.82), and for OS of 0.46 (0.30–0.71), 0.53 (0.34–0.82), and 0.52 (0.36–0.74), respectively. For NIVO-treated patients, these results were confirmed in CheckMate 066. A survival benefit was observed with high TMB and absence of BRAF mutation. Survival was associated with high versus low inflammatory signature scores with HRs (95% CI) for PFS of 0.56 (0.34–0.94), 0.40 (0.23–0.72), and 0.43 (0.27–0.70), and for OS of 0.37 (0.20–0.66), 0.38 (0.19–0.74), and 0.46 (0.27–0.79), in the NIVO, NIVO+IPI, and IPI arms, respectively. Weak correlations were observed between PD-L1, TMB, and the inflammatory signature. Conclusions Combined assessment of TMB, inflammatory gene expression signature, and BRAF mutation status may be predictive for response to immunotherapy in advanced melanoma.

  Study EGAS00001004567

• Clinical Outcomes by Tumor Mutational Burden and Inflammatory Gene Expression With Combined Nivolumab and Ipilimumab or Monotherapy in Advanced Melanoma - CM67 WES

  Purpose Exploratory analyses of CheckMate 066 and 067 trials were conducted to investigate associations of tumor mutational burden (TMB), a 4-gene inflammatory gene expression signature, and BRAF mutation status with tumor response, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) in patients with advanced melanoma. Patients and Methods Patients with known programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression and BRAF mutation status received nivolumab (NIVO) or dacarbazine in CheckMate 066 and either NIVO, ipilimumab (IPI), or NIVO+IPI in CheckMate 067. Whole exome sequencing and RNA sequencing were used to determine TMB and inflammatory gene expression signature scores, respectively. These biomarkers were evaluated in terms of their association with PFS and OS. Results In the NIVO, NIVO+IPI, and IPI arms of CheckMate 067, longer survival was associated with high (> median) versus low (≤ median) TMB with hazard ratios (HRs) (95% confidence interval [CI]) for PFS of 0.45 (0.30–0.65), 0.55 (0.38–0.81), and 0.60 (0.43–0.82), and for OS of 0.46 (0.30–0.71), 0.53 (0.34–0.82), and 0.52 (0.36–0.74), respectively. For NIVO-treated patients, these results were confirmed in CheckMate 066. A survival benefit was observed with high TMB and absence of BRAF mutation. Survival was associated with high versus low inflammatory signature scores with HRs (95% CI) for PFS of 0.56 (0.34–0.94), 0.40 (0.23–0.72), and 0.43 (0.27–0.70), and for OS of 0.37 (0.20–0.66), 0.38 (0.19–0.74), and 0.46 (0.27–0.79), in the NIVO, NIVO+IPI, and IPI arms, respectively. Weak correlations were observed between PD-L1, TMB, and the inflammatory signature. Conclusions Combined assessment of TMB, inflammatory gene expression signature, and BRAF mutation status may be predictive for response to immunotherapy in advanced melanoma.

  Study EGAS00001004555

• Proteogenomic Characterization Unveils Biomarkers Associated With Chemoresistance in Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer

  Cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) combined with radical cystectomy has been used as a standard of care for patients with clinically non-metastatic muscle invasive urothelial bladder cancer, but 40-50% patients will benefit from the treatment. Molecular subtypes of muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) provide a possible biomarker roadmap that may help identify patients who may or may not respond to NAC. Recently, by integrating Mass Spectrometry-based proteomics, proteogenomic studies from the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) have demonstrated the potential of this approach in prioritizing candidate driver genes and facilitating understanding of the chemotherapy resistance mechanisms. To demonstrate the proteogenomic workflow for investigating the mechanisms underlying chemotherapy resistance in MIBC, we conducted proteogenomic characterization of 46 pre- and 14 post- treatment tumors, including whole exome sequencing (WES), mRNA sequencing, Tandem Mass Tag (TMT)-proteomics, or TMT-phosphoproteomic. These samples were selected from an initial cohort of 143 MIBC tissues and filtered by tumor purity, clinical history, pathological response, and proteomic quality control metrics. The final cohort comprised samples from 53 patients, including 45 with both genomic and proteomic data and 8 with genomic data only.Our multi-omics-based clustering reveals subtypes associated with chemotherapy sensitivity. Protein abundance of a short isoform of ATAD1 and RAF family proteins were identified as biomarkers of chemosensitivity which highlights the importance of proteomics data. Integration of proteomic and phosphoproteomic data reveals Wnt signaling via GSK3B-S9 phosphorylation and the JAK/STAT pathway as potential targets to overcome chemoresistance. Correlations between PD-L1 and TROP-2/NECTIN-4 indicate an additive benefit of combination therapy targeting these proteins. Our data analysis clearly demonstrates that proteogenomic plays an important role in uncovering potential resistance mechanisms that operate only at protein and Post-Translational Modification (PTM) levels. Proteomics data can be accessed through PRIDE with ID PXD060290. RNA-seq and whole-exome sequencing (WES) FASTQ files are archived in the dbGaP database.

  Study phs004049

• The G2 gene expression signature and MYC overexpression are independent poor prognostic factors in childhood high-grade osteosarcoma

  Purpose In high-grade osteosarcoma, prognostic factors at diagnosis are insufficient for stratifying patients into relevant subgroups. Recently, a transcriptomic study developed the G1/G2 gene expression signature, in which the G2 signature was associated with unfavorable survival. An orthogonal study identified MYC amplification as an unfavorable prognostic factor using targeted next-generation sequencing. The purpose of this study was to validate the independent prognostic value and to investigate the combined prognostic value of the G1/G2 signature with, MYC amplification and/or MYC expression for survival prediction. Material and methods This study included pediatric and adolescent patients with high-grade osteosarcoma. RNA sequencing was performed in 48 patients. Whole-exome sequencing was performed in 40 patients. Gene expression signature scores, MYC amplification (defined as > 7 copies) and MYC expression levels were calculated. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards analysis was performed for event-free survival (EFS) (primary endpoint) and overall survival (OS) (secondary endpoint). Results In the full cohort, the 3-year event-free survival rate was 37%. In multivariable Cox regression analysis with metastatic disease stage (n=21, 44%) as covariate, the G2 signature and MYC expression were independently associated with worse outcomes in terms of EFS (Hazard ratio (HR) 3.32, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.34-8.21 and HR 3.38, 95%-CI 1.71-6.66, respectively) and OS (HR 4.07, 95%-CI 1.19-13.9 and HR 2.88, 95%-CI 1.22-6.76, respectively). MYC amplification was not associated with EFS or OS in univariable analysis (HR 1.88, 95% -CI 0.74-4.77 and HR 0.79, 95%-CI 0.21-3.05, respectively). Conclusion The G2 gene expression signature and MYC expression were independently associated with unfavorable outcomes in a pediatric cohort of patients with high-grade osteosarcoma. The combined prognostic value warrants further prospective validation and could potentially serve as a stratification marker for future osteosarcoma treatment protocols.

  Study EGAS00001008073