Search Results - EGA European Genome-Phenome Archive

Identifying genetic consequences of Epstein-Barr Virus transformation by comparing an individual’s genomic DNA with that of its lymphoblastoid cell line.

A detailed analysis of whole genomes can be now achieved with next generation sequencing. Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) transformation is a widely used strategy in clinical research to obtain an unlimited source of a subject’s DNA. Although the mechanism of transformation and immortalization by EBV is relatively well known at the transcriptional and proteomic level, the genetic consequences of EBV transformation are less well understood. A detailed analysis of the genetic alterations introduced by EBV transformation is highly relevant, as it will inform on the usefulness and limitations of this approach. We used whole genome sequencing to assess the genomic signature of a low-passage lymphoblastoid cell line (LCL). Specifically, we sequenced the full genome (40X) of an individual using DNA purified from fresh whole blood as well as DNA from his LCL. A total of 217.33 Gb of sequence were generated from the cell line and 238.95 Gb from the normal genomic DNA. We determined with high confidence that 99.2% of the genomes were identical, with no reproducible changes in structural variation (chromosomal rearrangements and copy number variations) or insertion/deletion polymorphisms (indels). Our results suggest that, at this level of resolution, the LCL is genetically indistinguishable from its genomic counterpart and therefore their use in clinical research is not likely to introduce a significant bias.

Study EGAS00001000323

Landscape of somatic mutations and clonal evolution in mantle cell lymphoma

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an aggressive tumor, but a subset of patients may follow an indolent clinical course. To understand the mechanisms underlying this biological heterogeneity, we performed whole-genome and/or whole-exome sequencing on 29 MCL cases and their respective matched normal DNA, as well as 6 MCL cell lines. Recurrently mutated genes were investigated by targeted sequencing in an independent cohort of 172 MCL patients. We identified 25 significantly mutated genes, including known drivers such as ataxia-telangectasia mutated (ATM), cyclin D1 (CCND1), and the tumor suppressor TP53; mutated genes encoding the anti-apoptotic protein BIRC3 and Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2); and the chromatin modifiers WHSC1, MLL2, and MEF2B. We also found NOTCH2 mutations as an alternative phenomenon to NOTCH1 mutations in aggressive tumors with a dismal prognosis. Analysis of two simultaneous or subsequent MCL samples by whole-genome/whole-exome (n = 8) or targeted (n = 19) sequencing revealed subclonal heterogeneity at diagnosis in samples from different topographic sites and modulation of the initial mutational profile at the progression of the disease. Some mutations were predominantly clonal or subclonal, indicating an early or late event in tumor evolution, respectively. Our study identifies molecular mechanisms contributing to MCL pathogenesis and offers potential targets for therapeutic intervention.

Study EGAS00001000510

Characterization_of_genomic_landscape_of_Peripheral_T_cell_Lymphomas__not_otherwise_specified__PTCL_NOS_

Peripheral T-cell lymphomas not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS) represent a heterogeneous group of nodal and extra-nodal mature T-cell lymphomas, with a low prevalence in Western countries. PTCL-NOSs account for about 25% of all PTCLs and are currently diagnosed based on exclusion criteria, as this lymphomas lack unifying morphological, phenotypic and genomic features. Cytogenetic and FISH analysis of PTCL-NOS samples have not revealed recurrent pathogenetic abnormalities, while gene expression profiling has shown only partial ability to segregate cases representing homogeneous clinic-pathological entities. This underscores the need to look at PTCL-NOS with innovative and high-throughput approaches to identify recurrent genetic lesions that could further our understanding of the biology of this heterogeneous group of diseases, provide better diagnostic tools and perhaps new targets for innovative treatments. Our aim is to study ~15 patients affected by PTCL-NOS. Out study will be funded by a private, non-profit Italian cancer research fund (Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro, www.airc.it) based on a grant owned by Anna Dodero and Cristiana Carniti, hematologists at INT. Samples will be analysed by whole genome sequencing using Illumina X10 machines, on a 150bp-PE protocol. Data will be analysed using the pipeline available in Team 78, under the supervision of Peter Campbell, the WTSI faculty who will oversee the project, and by Francesco Maura, visiting scientist at the WTSI.

Study EGAS00001002057

EXOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION ANALYSIS OF CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA POPULATION

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) remains the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Mortality rates associated with CAD have shown an exceptional increase particularly in fast developing economies like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Over the past twenty years, CAD has become the leading cause of death in KSA and has reached epidemic proportions. This rise is undoubtedly caused by fast urbanization that is associated with a life-style that promotes CAD. However, the question remains whether genetics play a significant role and whether genetic susceptibility is increased in KSA compared to the well-studied Western European populations. Therefore, we performed an Exome-wide association study (EWAS) in 832 patients and 1,076 controls of Saudi Arabian origin to test whether population specific, strong genetic risk factors for CAD exist, or whether the polygenic risk score for known genetic risk factors for CAD, lipids, and Type 2 Diabetes show evidence for an enriched genetic burden. Our results do not show significant associations for a single genetic locus. However, the heritability estimate for CAD for this population was high (h2 = 0.53, S.E. = 0.1, p = 4e-12) and we observed a significant association of the polygenic risk score for CAD that demonstrates that the population of KSA, at least in part, shares the genetic risk associated to CAD in Western populations.

Study EGAS00001001645

Single cell transcriptional characterization of human megakaryocyte lineage commitment and maturation

Single cell RNA-sequencing of sternal bone marrow reciding Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs) and Megakaryocytes (MKs) from individuals undergoing elective open heart valve replacement. HSCs were defined as Lineage-, CD34+, CD38-, CD45RA-, CD90+, CD49f+ cells. MKs where CD41a+, CD42b+ and ploidy was determined with Hoechst. A sternal bone marrow scraping was taken directly following median sternotomy using a Volkmann’s spoon. The sample was collected into an EDTA Vacutainer tube containing 1.8mg/ml EDTA. 4mL of Dulbecco’s phosphate buffered saline (PBS, Sigma) containing 10% human serum albumin (HSA, Gemini Bio Products) was added and the whole volume was resuspended by pipetting 2-3 times. The sample was then put on metallic thermal beads (ThermoFisher Scientific) at a temperature between 0-4°C and transported to the University of Cambridge for further processing. For HSC isolation the cells were stained with the following antibody cocktail: PECy5 conjugated anti-lineage specific antibodies: CD2 (BD), CD3 (BD), CD10 (BD), CD11b (BD), CD11c (BD), CD19 (BD), CD20 (BD), CD56 (BD), biotinylated CD42b (Pab5, NHS Blood and Transplant, International Blood Group Reference Laboratory [IBGRL]), biotinylated GP6 (Pab5, NHS Blood and Transplant, International Blood Group Reference Laboratory [IBGRL]) used in combination with PECy5 conjugated streptavidin (Biolegend). Alexa Fluor 700 conjugated anti-CD34 (BD), PerCP-Cy5.5 conjugated anti-CD38 (BD), Pacific Blue conjugated anti-CD45RA (Invitrogen), PECy7 conjugated anti-CD90 (BD),PE conjugated anti-CD49f (BD). After staining cells were kept at 4°C before sorting using a FACS Aria Fusion flow sorter (BD). Single HSCs defined as Lineage-, CD34+, CD38-, CD45RA-, CD90+, CD49f+ cells were sorted by FACS directly into individual wells of a 96-well plate. Index sort data was collected for each single cell. For MK isolation the cells were stained for surface MK markers with mouse anti-human CD41a APC conjugated antibody (BD) and mouse anti-human CD42b PE conjugated antibody (BD) and for ploidy analysis with 1ug/ml Hoechst 33342 (Invitrogen). After incubation at 37°C for 30 minutes, the cells were kept at 4°C before sorting using a FACS Aria Fusion flow sorter (BD). Single cells and MK pools of 20 cells were sorted by FACS according to ploidy level using a 100uM nozzle directly into individual wells of a 96-well plate. cDNA synthesis and poly(A) enrichment was performed following the G&T-seq protocol (Macaulay et al. 2015), a variation of the Smart-seq2 protocol1. ERCC spike-in RNA (Ambion) was added to the lysis buffer in a dilution of 1:4,000,000.

Dataset EGAD00001006677

RNA-sequencing of human skin samples obtained from SSc patients and healthy controls.

Patient information SSc patients were recruited at the Department of Rheumatology of the Leiden University Medical Center (Leiden, The Netherlands). All patients met the American Rheumatism Association classification criteria for SSc (Subcommittee for scleroderma criteria 1980), and were classified according to LeRoy and Medsger criteria as either limited or diffuse cutaneous disease (LeRoy EC, Black C, Fleischmajer R, Jablonska S, Krieg T, Medsger TA Jr, Rowell N 1988). Institutional review board approval and written informed consent was obtained before patients entered this study. Two 4 mm skin biopsies were taken from a standardized location on the most proximal part of the lower arm, distal from the elbow. In 10 patients the skin biopsy came from a clinically affected area and in 4 patients the skin was locally unaffected. One sample was used for RNA sequencing and one sample was used for immunohistochemistry. Skin biopsies from healthy individuals were commercially sourced (Tissue Solutions, UK) and collected from donors undergoing skin resection surgery and after informed consent. To match the healthy skin with patients as much as possible, skin biopsies from healthy controls were also taken from a similar position (the under-arm (for 4 controls) and leg (for 2 controls)). Healthy skin donors were selected to match the age and sex of the SSc patient cohort. Biopsies from patients and controls were equally treated and were both stored at -80°C until RNA isolation was performed. RNA from frozen skin biopsies was isolated using RNeasy kit from fibrous tissue (Qiagen, the Netherlands). RNA quantity was determined by using SimplyNano 2000 and quality was assessed on Tapestation (Agilent, the Netherlands). All samples included in the study had a RIN score above 7.0. Transcriptome characterisation and analysis RNA sequencing was performed using polyA selection and a stranded protocol using Ion Torrent next generation sequencing technology (Service XS, The Netherlands). The Ion PI Template OT2 200 Kit v3 and Ion PI Sequencing 200 Kit v3 were used according to the manufacturer’s instructions. 20 samples were run on 11 PI chips. PI chip analyses, base calling and quality checks were performed using the Torrent Server Suite. An average of 42 million 100 bp reads was generated per sample. Following quality control, reads were aligned to the human genome (Homo sapiens GRh38.78) using Bowtie2 and STAR (Dobin et al. 2013; Langmead and Salzberg 2012). Reads were first aligned with STAR. For the unmapped reads from STAR, a second alignment step was performed using bowtie2 (local very sensitive options)

Dataset EGAD00001003832

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

Extracellular transcriptome in seminal plasma for non-invasive prostate cancer diagnosis

A diagnostic non-invasive biomarker test for prostate cancer at an early stage, with high sensitivity and specificity, would improve diagnostic decision making. Extracellular RNAs present in seminal plasma might contain biomarker potential for the accurate detection of clinically significant prostate cancer. So far, the extracellular messenger RNA (mRNA) profile of seminal plasma has not been interrogated for its biomarker potential in the context of prostate cancer. Here, we investigate the mRNA transcriptome in seminal plasma samples obtained from prostate cancer patients (n=25), patients with benign prostate hyperplasia (n=26) and individuals without prostatic disease (n=6). Seminal plasma harbors a complex mRNA repertoire that reflects prostate as its tissue of origin. The endogenous RNA content is higher in the prostate cancer samples compared to the control samples. Prostate cancer antigen 3 (PCA3), a long non-coding RNA with prostate cancer-specific overexpression, and ATP-binding cassette transporter 1 (ABCA1), known to be involved in the prostate cancer pathogenesis, were more abundant in the prostate cancer group. In addition, twelve high confidence fusion transcripts could be detected in prostate cancer samples, including the bona-fide prostate cancer fusion transcript TMPRSS2-ERG. Our findings provide proof-of-principle that the extracellular transcriptome of seminal plasma can reveal information of an underlying prostate cancer.

Study EGAS00001005277

Real-time analysis of the cancer genome and fragmentome from plasma and urine short and long cell-free DNA using Nanopore sequencing

Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) can be isolated from blood and/or urine of cancer patients and analyzed with sequencing. Unfortunately, most conventional short-read sequencing methods are technically challenging, labor intensive and time consuming, requiring several days but more typically weeks to obtain interpretable data which are limited by a bias for short cfDNA fragments. Here, we demonstrate that with Oxford Nanopore Technologies sequencing we can achieve economical and ultra-fast delivery of clinical data from liquid biopsies. Our ‘ITSFASTR’ approach is able to deliver copy number aberrations, and cfDNA fragmentation profiles in less than 24 hours from sample collection. The tumor-derived cfDNA fraction calculated from lung cancer patient plasma and urine from bladder cancer patients was highly correlated (R=0.98) to the tumor fraction calculated from conventional short-read sequencing of the same samples. cfDNA size profile and fragmentation patterns in plasma and urine exhibited the typical cfDNA features yet with a significantly higher proportion of informative fragments that exceed 300bp, exhibiting similar tumor fraction than shorter size fragments. Notably, comprehensive fragment-end composition and nucleosome profiling near transcription start sites can be determined from the same data. We propose that ITSFASTR is the first point-of-care solution for obtaining genomic and fragmentomic results from liquid biopsies.

Study EGAS00001006591

Enrichment of oral-derived bacteria in inflamed colorectal tumors and distinct associations of Fusobacterium in the mesenchymal subtype

The association between colorectal cancer (CRC) clinical variables and Fusobacterium, but not other intra-tumoral bacteria, has been extensively studied. Here we leveraged whole-transcriptome sequencing from 807 CRC tumor samples from the AVANT phase III trial to dually characterize tumor gene expression and intra-tumoral bacteria. After stringent filtering, 74 high-confidence taxa were identified. 17 of these species, including 4 Fusobacterium spp., were classified as orally-derived and had a robust signal within right-sided, MSI-H, and BRAF mutant tumors. Across consensus molecular subtypes (CMS), integration of Fusobacterium animalis presence and tumor gene expression revealed that F. animalis had the greatest number of associations in mesenchymal CMS4 tumors, despite an overall lower prevalence than in immune CMS1 tumors. Pathway analysis within CMS4 revealed that F. animalis, but not other highly prevalent species, was uniquely associated with pathways for collagen degradation and formation as well as IL-6 and IL-1 cytokine signaling. These associations could explain in part why Fusobacterium has been previously associated with reduced survival in mesenchymal populations. Overall, this study identified oral-derived bacteria, including Fusobacterium, as broadly more prevalent in inflamed CRC tumors compared to the other subtypes, and the association of intra-tumoral bacteria on tumor gene expression is context- and species-specific.

Study EGAS00001006757

Genomic characterization of retinoblastoma (targeted sequencing)

Retinoblastoma is the most frequent intraocular malignancy in children, originating from a maturing cone precursor in the developing retina. Little is known on the molecular basis underlying the biological and clinical behavior of this cancer. Here, using multi-omics data, we demonstrate the existence of two retinoblastoma subtypes. Subtype 1, of earlier onset, includes most of the heritable forms. It harbors few genetic alterations other than the initiating RB1 inactivation and corresponds to differentiated tumors expressing mature cone markers. By contrast, subtype 2 tumors harbor frequent recurrent genetic alterations including MYCN-amplification. They express markers of less differentiated cone together with neuronal/ganglion cell markers with marked inter- and intra-tumor heterogeneity. The cone dedifferentiation in subtype 2 is associated with stemness features including low immune and interferon response, E2F and MYC/MYCN activation and a higher propensity for metastasis. The recognition of these two subtypes, one maintaining a cone-differentiated state, and the other, more aggressive, associated with cone dedifferentiation and expression of neuronal markers, opens up important biological and clinical perspectives for retinoblastomas. In this study, we performed targeted sequencing of the exonic regions of RB1, BCOR and ARID1A on 37 samples from the series of 102 retinoblastomas. Among them, 23 samples were not subjected to whole-exome sequencing, and 14 samples have the whole-exome sequencing data (deposited in EGAS00001005248).

Study EGAS00001005550

Genome wide variation in the Angolan Namib desert reveals unique Pre-Bantu ancestry

The populations of the Angolan Namib Desert have been largely neglected in previous surveys of the genomic landscape of southern Africa. Although at present, the Namib is culturally dominated by Southwest Bantu-speaking cattle-herders, the region exhibits an extraordinary ethnographic diversity which includes an array of semi-nomadic peoples whose subsistence strategies fall outside the traditional division between foraging and food production and can thus be referred to as “peripatetic”. Among these small-scale populations are the last speakers of the Kwadi branch of the Khoe-Kwadi language family associated with the introduction of pastoralism into southern Africa (Kwepe), as well as a range of groups whose origins remain enigmatic (Kwisi, Twa and Tjimba). Using genome-wide data from 208 individuals belonging to nine ethnically diverse groups from the Angolan Namib and adjacent areas (Kwepe, Kwisi, Twa, Tjimba, !Xun, Kuvale, Himba, Nyaneka, Ovimbundu) in combination with published data from other regions of Africa, we reconstruct in detail the histories of contact emerging from pre-historic migrations to southern Africa and show that peripatetic groups from southwestern Angola stand out for exhibiting elevated levels of an unique, regionally-specific and highly divergent Pre-Bantu ancestry. These findings highlight the importance of the Namib for understanding the deep genetic structure of Africa.

Study EGAS00001007011

Towards standardized whole exome sequencing (WES) for cancer patients: lessons from a multicentric pilot study

A growing number of druggable targets and national initiatives for precision oncology necessitate broader genomic profiling for many cancer patients. Whole exome sequencing (WES) offers unbiased analysis of the entire coding sequence, segmentation-based detection of copy number alterations (CNAs), and accurate determination of complex biomarkers including tumor mutational burden (TMB), homologous recombination repair deficiency (HRD), and microsatellite instability (MSI). To assess the inter-institution variability of clinical WES, we performed a comparative pilot study between German Centers of Personalized Medicine (ZPMs) from five participating institutions. Tumor and matched normal DNA from 30 patients were analyzed using custom sequencing protocols and bioinformatic pipelines. Calling of somatic variants was highly concordant with a sensitivity between 91-95% and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 82-95% compared with a three-institution consensus and full agreement for 16 of 17 druggable targets. Deviations were observed for cases with low VAF or coverage, differing annotations, and different filter protocols. CNAs showed overall agreement in 76% for the genomic sequence with high wet-lab variability. Complex biomarkers correlated strongly between institutions (HRD: 0.79-1, TMB: 0.97-0.99) and all institutions agreed on microsatellite instability. This study will contribute to the development of quality control frameworks for comprehensive genomic profiling and sheds light onto parameters that require stringent standardization.

Study EGAS00001007363

Machine learning guided signal enrichment for ultrasensitive plasma tumor burden monitoring

In solid tumor oncology, circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is poised to transform care through accurate assessment of minimal residual disease (MRD) and therapeutic response monitoring. To overcome the sparsity of ctDNA fragments in low tumor fraction (TF) settings and increase MRD sensitivity, we previously leveraged genome-wide mutational integration through plasma whole genome sequencing (WGS). We now introduce MRD-EDGE, a composite machine learning-guided WGS ctDNA single nucleotide variant (SNV) and copy number variant (CNV) detection platform designed to increase signal enrichment. MRD-EDGESNV uses deep learning and a ctDNA-specific feature space to increase SNV signal-to-noise enrichment in WGS by 300X compared to previous WGS error suppression. MRD-EDGECNV also reduces the degree of aneuploidy needed for ultrasensitive CNV detection through WGS from 1 Gb to 200 Mb, thereby expanding its applicability to a wider range of solid tumors. We harness the improved performance to identify MRD following surgery in multiple cancer types, track changes in tumor burden in response to neoadjuvant immunotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and demonstrate ctDNA shedding in precancerous colorectal adenomas. Finally, the radical signal-to-noise enrichment in MRD-EDGESNV enables de novo mutation calling in melanoma and small cell lung cancer (SCLC) without matched tumor, yielding clinically informative TF monitoring for patients on immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI).

Study EGAS00001007545

This study generated Oxford Nanopore long read sequencing data of cancer cell line mixtures for validating long-read variant calls in cancer genomics

Long-read sequencing (LRS) improves genome alignment and facilitates resolving variants in complex genomic regions, making it a promising approach for cancer variant detection and biomarker discovery. Here, we evaluate the performance of LRS to detect somatic variants across different tumour purities and sequencing depths by comparing to somatic variants from short-read sequencing. We generated experimental mixtures of cancer cell lines and matched normal cell lines to simulate 10 tumour purities (ranging from 0 to 100% tumour content). This resulted in 22 samples which were sequenced using whole genome LRS to a targeted depth of 60x and somatic variants were identified. We downsampled sequencing data to explore the optimal read depth for somatic variant detection. Our results show that long-read variant calling tools achieve recall rates comparable to short-read gold standards. While a tumour sequencing depth of 30x to 60× is generally sufficient for detecting common variants, particularly structural variants (SVs), sequencing the matched normal sample at adequate depth is crucial for accuracy. Notably, we found variants unique to LRS that may represent real and previously undetected events. This study highlights key factors for optimising cancer genome sequencing with LRS and provides a comprehensive dataset of cell line mixtures for future research and tool development.

Study EGAS00001008107

PD-L1 blockade immunotherapy rewires cancer-induced emergency myelopoiesis

Introduction Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment, demonstrating exceptional clinical responses in a wide range of cancers. Despite the success, a significant proportion of patients still fail to respond, highlighting the existence of unappreciated mechanisms of immunotherapy resistance. Delineating such mechanisms is paramount to minimize immunotherapy failures and optimize the clinical benefit. Methods In this study, we treated tumour-bearing mice with PD-L1 blockage antibody (aPD-L1) immunotherapy, to investigate its effects on cancer-induced emergency myelopoiesis, focusing on bone marrow HSPCs. We examined the impact of aPD-L1 treatment on HSPC quiescence, proliferation, transcriptomic profile, and functionality. Results Herein, we reveal that aPD-L1 in tumour-bearing mice targets the hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) in the bone marrow (ΒΜ), mediating their exit from quiescence and promoting their proliferation. Notably, disruption of the PDL1/PD1 axis induces transcriptomic reprogramming in HSPCs, observed in both individuals with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and tumour-bearing mice, shifting towards an inflammatory state. Furthermore, HSPCs from aPDL1-treated mice demonstrated resistance to cancer-induced emergency myelopoiesis, evidenced by a lower generation of MDSCs compared to control-treated mice. Discussion: Our findings shed light on unrecognized mechanisms of action of ICB immunotherapy in cancer, which involves targeting of BM-driven HSPCs and reprogramming of cancer-induced emergency myelopoiesis.

Study EGAS00001007873

WES of 2 human osteosarcoma and corresponding cell lines

Progress in the systemic control of osteosarcoma has been limited over the past decades thus indicating the urgent clinical need for the development of novel treatment strategies. Therefore, we have recently developed new preclinical models to study promising novel agents for the treatment of pediatric osteosarcoma. The checkpoint kinase (chk) inhibitor prexasertib (LY2606368) and its salt form (LSN2940930) have recently been shown to be active in adult and pediatric malignancies, including sarcoma. We have now tested the potency of prexasertib in clonogenic survival assays in two new lines of primary patient-derived osteosarcoma cells and in two established osteosarcoma cell lines as a single agent and in combination with cisplatin and the poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor talazoparib. Prexasertib alone results in strongly reduced clonogenic survival at low nanomolar concentrations and acts by affecting cell cycle progression, induction of apoptosis and induction of double-stranded DNA breakage at concentrations that are well below clinically tolerable and safe plasma concentrations. In combination with cisplatin and talazoparib, prexasertib acts in a synergistic fashion. Chk1 inhibition by prexasertib and its combination with the DNA damaging agent cisplatin and the PARP-inhibitor talazoparib thus emerges as a potential new treatment option for pediatric osteosarcoma which will now have to be tested in preclinical primary patient derived in vivo models and clinical studies.

Study EGAS00001003923

Double mutant DNMT3A AML: a unique subtype

Mutation of DNMT3A, encoding a de novo methyltransferase essential for cytosine methylation, is a common early event in clonal hematopoiesis (CH) and adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Spontaneous deamination of methylated cytosines damages DNA, which is repaired by the base excision repair (BER) enzymes MBD4 and TDG. Congenital MBD4-deficiency has been linked to early-onset CH and AML, and is marked by exceedingly high levels of DNA damage and mutation of DNMT3A. Strikingly, wildtype (WT) DNMT3A binds TDG, thereby potentiating its repair activity. Since TDG is the only remaining BER enzyme in MBD4-deficient AML patients capable of repairing methylation damage, we investigated whether mutant DNMT3A negatively affects the repair function of TDG. We found that, whereas WT DNMT3A stimulates TDG function, mutant DNMT3A impairs TDG-mediated repair of DNA damage in vitro. In light of this finding and to extrapolate our observations to the broader AML patient population, we investigate here the genetic profiles and survival outcomes of AML patients with single (SM) versus double mutant (DM) DNMT3A. DM DNMT3A AML patients show a characteristic driver mutation landscape and reduced overall survival when compared to SM DNMT3A AML patients. Importantly, whole-genome sequencing showed a trend for increased DNA damage in primary DM DNMT3A AML samples, especially when DNMT3A mutations are located at the DNMT3A-TDG interaction interface.

Study EGAS00001007966

deep-learning-powered tissue deconvolution for cfDNA

Plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is a noninvasive biomarker for cell death of all organs. Deciphering the tissue origin of cfDNA can reveal abnormal cell death because of diseases, which has great clinical potential in disease detection and monitoring. Despite the great promise, the sensitive and accurate quantification of tissue-derived cfDNA remains challenging to existing methods due to the limited characterization of tissue methylation and the reliance on unsupervised methods. To fully exploit the clinical potential of tissue-derived cfDNA, here we present one of the largest comprehensive and high-resolution methylation atlas based on 521 noncancer tissue samples spanning 29 major types of human tissues. We systematically identified fragment-level tissue-specific methylation patterns and extensively validated them in orthogonal datasets. Based on the rich tissue methylation atlas, we develop the first supervised tissue deconvolution approach, a deep-learning-powered model, cfSort, for sensitive and accurate tissue deconvolution in cfDNA. On the benchmarking data, cfSort showed superior sensitivity and accuracy compared to the existing methods. We further demonstrated the clinical utilities of cfSort with two potential applications: aiding disease diagnosis and monitoring treatment side effects. The tissue-derived cfDNA fraction estimated from cfSort reflected the clinical outcomes of the patients. In summary, the tissue methylation atlas and cfSort enhanced the performance of tissue deconvolution in cfDNA, thus facilitating cfDNA-based disease detection and longitudinal treatment monitoring.

Study EGAS00001007213

Spatial concordance of DNA methylation classification in diffuse glioma

Background: Intratumoral heterogeneity is a hallmark of diffuse gliomas. DNA methylation profiling is an emerging approach in the clinical classification of brain tumors. The goal of this study is to investigate the effects of intratumoral heterogeneity on classification confidence. Methods: We used neuronavigation to acquire 133 image-guided and spatially-separated stereotactic biopsy samples from 16 adult patients with a diffuse glioma (7 IDH-wildtype and 2 IDH-mutant glioblastoma, 6 diffuse astrocytoma, IDH-mutant and 1 oligodendroglioma, IDH-mutant and 1p19q codeleted), which we characterized using DNA methylation arrays. Samples were obtained from regions with and without abnormalities on contrast enhanced T1 weighted and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery MRI. Methylation profiles were analyzed to devise a three-dimensional reconstruction of (epi)genetic heterogeneity. Tumor purity was assessed from clonal methylation sites. Results: Molecular aberrations indicated that tumor was found outside imaging abnormalities, underlining the infiltrative nature of this tumor and the limitations of current routine imaging modalities. We demonstrate that tumor purity is highly variable between samples and explains a substantial part of apparent epigenetic spatial heterogeneity. We observed that DNA methylation subtypes are often, but not always, conserved in space taking tumor purity and prediction accuracy into account. Conclusion: Our results underscore the infiltrative nature of diffuse gliomas and suggest that DNA methylation subtypes are relatively concordant in this tumor type, although some heterogeneity exists.

Study EGAS00001005434

Unraveling the transcriptomic profile of utero-tubal lavage fluid of ovarian cancer patients

The majority of ovarian cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage and have a high mortality rate. Current screening strategies fail to improve prognosis because markers of early stage disease are lacking. This medical need justifies the search for biomarkers enabling early detection of ovarian cancer. In this study, we explore the extracellular transcriptome of utero-tubal lavage fluid obtained from 26 ovarian cancer patients and 48 controls using messenger RNA (mRNA) capture and small RNA sequencing. Because of its contact with the fallopian tube and the ovaries, collection of utero-tubal lavage might be the preferred non-invasive method to identify localized lesions compared with analyses based on peripheral blood samples. We observed an enrichment of ovarian and fallopian tube specific messenger RNAs in utero-tubal lavage fluid compared to other human biofluids. Over 300 mRNAs and 41 miRNAs were upregulated in ovarian cancer samples compared with controls. Upregulated genes were enriched for genes involved in cell cycle activation and proliferation, hinting at a tumor derived signal. In conclusion, we provide proof-of-principle that mRNA capture sequencing of utero-tubal lavage fluid is technically feasible, and that the extracellular transcriptome of utero-tubal lavage should be further explored in larger cohorts to assess the diagnostic value of the biomarkers identified in this study.

Study EGAS00001005498

Intratumoural heterogeneity and immune modulation in lung adenocarcinoma of female smokers and never smokers

Lung cancer is still the leading cause of cancer death worldwide despite declining smoking prevalence in industrialised countries. Although lung cancer is highly associated with smoking status, a significant proportion of lung cancer cases develop in patients who never smoked, with an observable bias towards female never smokers. A better understanding of lung cancer heterogeneity and immune system involvement during tumour evolution and progression in never smokers is therefore highly warranted. We employed single nucleus transcriptomics of surgical lung adenocarcinoma (LADC) and normal lung tissue samples from patients with or without smoking history. Immune cells as well as fibroblasts and endothelial cells respond to tobacco smoke exposure by inducing a highly inflammatory state in normal lung tissue. In the presence of LADC, we identified differentially expressed transcriptional programmes in macrophages and cancer-associated fibroblasts, providing insight into how the niche favours tumour progression. Within tumours, we distinguished eight subpopulations of neoplastic cells in female smokers and never smokers. Through pseudotemporal ordering, we inferred a trajectory towards two differentiated tumour cell states implicated in cancer progression and invasiveness. A proliferating cell population sustaining tumour growth exhibits differential immune modulating signatures in both patient groups. Our results resolve cellular heterogeneity and immune interactions in LADC, with a special emphasis on female never smokers and implications for the design of therapeutic approaches.

Study EGAS00001006331

Target gene sequencing for human normal endometrial glands

The raw fastq files target sequencing of 112 genes for 1,298 endometrial glands and matched blood samples. The paired-end sequencing data sets (R1 and R2) are deposited. ABCC1, ACRC, ANK3, ARHGAP35, ARID1A, ARID5B, ATCAY, ATM, ATR, BARD1, BCOR, BRCA1, BRCA2, BRD4, BRIP1, CAMTA1, CDC23, CDYL, CFAP54, CHD4, CHEK1, CHEK2, CTCF, CTNNB1, CUX1, DGKA, DISP2, DYNC2H1, EMSY, FAAP24, FAM135B, FAM175A, FAM65C, FANCA, FANCB, FANCC, FANCD2, FANCE, FANCF, FANCG, FANCI, FANCL, FANCM, FAT1, FAT3, FBN2, FBXW7, FGFR2, FRG1, GPR50, HEATR1, HIST1H4B, HNRNPCL1, HOOK3, KIAA1109, KIF26A, KMT2B, KMT2C, KRAS, LAMA2, LRP1B, MLH1, MON2, MRE11A, MSH2, MSH6, MTOR, NBN, PALB2, PHEX, PIK3CA, PIK3R1, PLXNB2, PLXND1, PMS2, POLE, POLR3B, PPP2R1A, PTEN, PTPN13, RAD50, RAD51, RAD51B, RAD51C, RAD51D, RAD52, RAD54B, RAD54L, RICTOR, SACS, SIGLEC9, SLC19A1, SLX4, SPEG, STT3A, TAF1, TAF2, TAS2R31, TFAP2C, TNC, TONSL, TP53, TTC6, UBA7, VNN1, WT1, XIRP2, ZBED6, ZC3H13, ZFHX3, ZFHX4, ZMYM4.

Dataset EGAD00001008465

22938 results for "ega"

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