Combined hereditary and somatic mutations of replication error repair genes result in rapid onset of ultra-hypermutated cancers

DNA replication-associated mutations are repaired by two components: polymerase proofreading and mismatch repair. The mutational consequences of disruption to both repair components in humans are not well studied. We sequenced cancer genomes from children with inherited biallelic mismatch repair deficiency (bMMRD). High-grade bMMRD brain tumors exhibited massive numbers of substitution mutations (>250/Mb) – higher than all childhood and most cancers (>7000 analyzed). All ultra-hypermutated bMMRD cancers acquired early somatic driver mutations in DNA polymerases epsilon or delta. The ensuing mutation signatures and numbers are unique and diagnostic of childhood germline bMMRD (p<10e-13). Sequential tumor biopsy analysis revealed that bMMRD/polymerase mutant cancers rapidly amass an excess of simultaneous mutations (~600 mutations/cell division), reaching but not exceeding ~20,000 exonic mutations in <6 months. Thus implying a threshold compatible with cancer cell survival. We suggest a new mechanism of cancer progression in which mutations develop in a rapid burst after ablation of replication repair.

Type: Other
Archiver: European Genome-Phenome Archive (EGA)

2 Datasets 4 Publications

Click on a Dataset ID in the table below to learn more, and to find out who to contact about access to these data

Dataset ID	Description	Technology	Samples
EGAD00001001217	None		15
EGAD00001001218	None		10

Publications	Citations
Comprehensive Analysis of Hypermutation in Human Cancer. Campbell BB, Light N, Fabrizio D, Zatzman M, Fuligni F, de Borja R, Davidson S, Edwards M, Elvin JA, Hodel KP, Zahurancik WJ, Suo Z, Lipman T, Wimmer K, Kratz CP, Bowers DC, Laetsch TW, Dunn GP, Johanns TM, Grimmer MR, Smirnov IV, Larouche V, Samuel D, Bronsema A, Osborn M, Stearns D, Raman P, Cole KA, Storm PB, Yalon M, Opocher E, Mason G, Thomas GA, Sabel M, George B, Ziegler DS, Lindhorst S, Issai VM, Constantini S, Toledano H, Elhasid R, Farah R, Dvir R, Dirks P, Huang A, Galati MA, Chung J, Ramaswamy V, Irwin MS, Aronson M, Durno C, Taylor MD, Rechavi G, Maris JM, Bouffet E, Hawkins C, Costello JF, Meyn MS, Pursell ZF, Malkin D, Tabori U, Shlien A. Cell 171: 2017 1042-1056.e10	408
Nucleosome positioning stability is a modulator of germline mutation rate variation across the human genome. Li C, Luscombe NM. Nat Commun 11: 2020 1363	22
DNA Polymerase and Mismatch Repair Exert Distinct Microsatellite Instability Signatures in Normal and Malignant Human Cells. Chung J, Maruvka YE, Sudhaman S, Kelly J, Haradhvala NJ, Bianchi V, Edwards M, Forster VJ, Nunes NM, Galati MA, Komosa M, Deshmukh S, Cabric V, Davidson S, Zatzman M, Light N, Hayes R, Brunga L, Anderson ND, Ho B, Hodel KP, Siddaway R, Morrissy AS, Bowers DC, Larouche V, Bronsema A, Osborn M, Cole KA, Opocher E, Mason G, Thomas GA, George B, Ziegler DS, Lindhorst S, Vanan M, Yalon-Oren M, Reddy AT, Massimino M, Tomboc P, Van Damme A, Lossos A, Durno C, Aronson M, Morgenstern DA, Bouffet E, Huang A, Taylor MD, Villani A, Malkin D, Hawkins CE, Pursell ZF, Shlien A, Kunkel TA, Getz G, Tabori U. Cancer Discov 11: 2021 1176-1191	37
Mutations in the RAS/MAPK Pathway Drive Replication Repair-Deficient Hypermutated Tumors and Confer Sensitivity to MEK Inhibition. Campbell BB, Galati MA, Stone SC, Riemenschneider AN, Edwards M, Sudhaman S, Siddaway R, Komosa M, Nunes NM, Nobre L, Morrissy AS, Zatzman M, Zapotocky M, Joksimovic L, Kalimuthu SN, Samuel D, Mason G, Bouffet E, Morgenstern DA, Aronson M, Durno C, Malkin D, Maris JM, Taylor MD, Shlien A, Pugh TJ, Ohashi PS, Hawkins CE, Tabori U. Cancer Discov 11: 2021 1454-1467	21