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Infant High-Grade Gliomas Comprise Multiple Subgroups Characterized by Novel Targetable Gene Fusions and Favorable Outcomes.

ABSTRACT: Infant high-grade gliomas appear clinically distinct from their counterparts in older children, indicating that histopathologic grading may not accurately reflect the biology of these tumors. We have collected 241 cases under 4 years of age, and carried out histologic review, methylation profiling, and custom panel, genome, or exome sequencing. After excluding tumors representing other established entities or subgroups, we identified 130 cases to be part of an "intrinsic" spectrum of disease specific to the infant population. These included those with targetable MAPK alterations, and a large proportion of remaining cases harboring gene fusions targeting ALK (n = 31), NTRK1/2/3 (n = 21), ROS1 (n = 9), and MET (n = 4) as their driving alterations, with evidence of efficacy of targeted agents in the clinic. These data strongly support the concept that infant gliomas require a change in diagnostic practice and management. SIGNIFICANCE: Infant high-grade gliomas in the cerebral hemispheres comprise novel subgroups, with a prevalence of ALK, NTRK1/2/3, ROS1, or MET gene fusions. Kinase fusion-positive tumors have better outcome and respond to targeted therapy clinically. Other subgroups have poor outcome, with fusion-negative cases possibly representing an epigenetically driven pluripotent stem cell phenotype.See related commentary by Szulzewsky and Cimino, p. 904.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 890.

SUBMITTER: Clarke M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8313225 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Pediatric low-grade gliomas (PLGGs) are commonly associated with BRAF gene fusions that aberrantly activate the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. This has led to PLGG clinical trials utilizing RAF- and MAPK pathway-targeted therapeutics. Whole-genome profiling of PLGGs has also identified rare gene fusions involving another RAF isoform, CRAF/RAF1, in PLGGs and cancers occuring in adults. Whereas BRAF fusions primarily dysregulate MAPK signaling, the CRAF fusions QKI-RAF1 and SRGAP3-RAF1 aberrantly activate both the MAPK and phosphoinositide-3 kinase/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/mTOR) signaling pathways. Although ATP-competitive, first-generation RAF inhibitors (vemurafenib/PLX4720, RAFi) cause paradoxical activation of the MAPK pathway in BRAF-fusion tumors, inhibition can be achieved with 'paradox breaker' RAFi, such as PLX8394. Here we report that, unlike BRAF fusions, CRAF fusions are unresponsive to both generations of RAFi, vemurafenib and PLX8394, highlighting a distinct responsiveness of CRAF fusions to clinically relevant RAFi. Whereas PLX8394 decreased BRAF-fusion dimerization, CRAF-fusion dimerization is unaffected primarily because of robust protein-protein interactions mediated by the N-terminal non-kinase fusion partner, such as QKI. The pan-RAF dimer inhibitor, LY3009120, could suppress CRAF-fusion oncogenicity by inhibiting dimer-mediated signaling. In addition, as CRAF fusions activate both the MAPK and PI3K/mTOR signaling pathways, we identify combinatorial inhibition of the MAPK/mTOR pathway as a potential therapeutic strategy for CRAF-fusion-driven tumors. Overall, we define a mechanistic distinction between PLGG-associated BRAF- and CRAF/RAF1 fusions in response to RAFi, highlighting the importance of molecularly classifying PLGG patients for targeted therapy. Furthermore, our study uncovers an important contribution of the non-kinase fusion partner to oncogenesis and potential therapeutic strategies against PLGG-associated CRAF fusions and possibly pan-cancer CRAF fusions.

Project description:High-grade gliomas are malignant neuroepithelial tumors. The current WHO classification for adult-type diffuse gliomas is based on IDH1/2 mutational and 1p/19q-codeletion status, which can be refined by emerging genomics, transcriptomics, and methylomics approaches. Nevertheless, therapy has been dominated by radiochemotherapy for about 15 years and progressed little in efficacy or precision through advanced molecular patient stratification. Glioma proteome alterations remain undercharacterized despite their promise for a better stratification and, in particular, the identification of therapeutic targets. Here, we used mass spectrometry (MS) to characterize 42 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples from IDH-wildtype (IDHwt), IDH-mutant (IDHmut) gliomas with and without 1p/19q-codeletion, and non-neoplastic brain tissue controls. Based on more than 5500 quantified proteins and 5000 phospho-sites, gliomas separated according to IDH1/2 mutational status and reflected loss of proteins encoded on 1p/19q in IDHmut, gains on chromosome 7 and losses on chromosome 10 in IDHwt. Unexpectedly, the 1p/19q-codeletion resulted in minor proteome changes. Instead, two proteomic subtypes of IDHmut gliomas showed major perturbations of mitochondrial DNA-encoded proteins, aerobic/anaerobic energy metabolism, RNA metabolism, chromatin dynamics, the extracellular matrix as well as tumor suppressor and oncoproteins. Reanalysis of three glioma proteomics studies independently validate the observed hallmarks and associate these proteomic subtypes with the well-established proneural and classic/mesenchymal IDHwt glioma subtypes. These results suggest an alternative stratification of IDHmut gliomas as part of common phenotypic subtypes independent of the IDH status, with broad therapeutic implications for patients with IDHmut gliomas in the future. Altogether, our study provides a rich protein and phospho-site resource restratifying glioma subtypes and supporting future mechanism of action and target discovery investigations.

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Infant High-Grade Gliomas Comprise Multiple Subgroups Characterized by Novel Targetable Gene Fusions and Favorable Outcomes.

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