CTCF/cohesin-binding sites are frequently mutated in cancer

Cohesin is present in almost all active enhancer regions, where it is associated with transcription factors. Cohesin frequently colocalizes with CTCF (CCCTC-binding factor), affecting genomic stability, expression and epigenetic homeostasis. Cohesin subunits are mutated in cancer, but CTCF/cohesin-binding sites (CBSs) in DNA have not been examined for mutations. Here we report frequent mutations at CBSs in cancers displaying a mutational signature where mutations in A•T base pairs predominate. Integration of whole-genome sequencing data from 213 colorectal cancer (CRC) samples and chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-exo) data identified frequent point mutations at CBSs. In contrast, CRCs showing an ultramutator phenotype caused by defects in the exonuclease domain of DNA polymerase ɛ (POLE) displayed significantly fewer mutations at and adjacent to CBSs. Analysis of public data showed that multiple cancer types accumulate CBS mutations. CBSs are a major mutational hotspot in the noncoding cancer genome.

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

1 Dataset 3 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
EGAD00001004329	Somatic mutations of 256 whole-genome sequenced colorectal tumors. 234 MSS, 19 MSI and 3 POLE mutants. See Katainen R. et al. CTCF/cohesin-binding sites are frequently mutated in cancer, Nature Genetics 2015. doi:10.1038/ng.3335		256

Publications	Citations
Contribution of allelic imbalance to colorectal cancer. Palin K, Pitkänen E, Turunen M, Sahu B, Pihlajamaa P, Kivioja T, Kaasinen E, Välimäki N, Hänninen UA, Cajuso T, Aavikko M, Tuupanen S, Kilpivaara O, van den Berg L, Kondelin J, Tanskanen T, Katainen R, Grau M, Rauanheimo H, Plaketti RM, Taira A, Sulo P, Hartonen T, Dave K, Schmierer B, Botla S, Sokolova M, Vähärautio A, Gladysz K, Ongen H, Dermitzakis E, Bramsen JB, Ørntoft TF, Andersen CL, Ristimäki A, Lepistö A, Renkonen-Sinisalo L, Mecklin JP, Taipale J, Aaltonen LA. Nat Commun 9: 2018 3664	13
Retrotransposon insertions can initiate colorectal cancer and are associated with poor survival. Cajuso T, Sulo P, Tanskanen T, Katainen R, Taira A, Hänninen UA, Kondelin J, Forsström L, Välimäki N, Aavikko M, Kaasinen E, Ristimäki A, Koskensalo S, Lepistö A, Renkonen-Sinisalo L, Seppälä T, Kuopio T, Böhm J, Mecklin JP, Kilpivaara O, Pitkänen E, Palin K, Aaltonen LA. Nat Commun 10: 2019 4022	35
Mutation-Attention (MuAt): deep representation learning of somatic mutations for tumour typing and subtyping. Sanjaya P, Maljanen K, Katainen R, Waszak SM, Genomics England Research Consortium, Aaltonen LA, Stegle O, Korbel JO, Pitkänen E. Genome Med 15: 2023 47	4