Project description:Somatic mutations in TEK, the gene encoding endothelial cell tyrosine kinase receptor TIE2, cause more than half of sporadically occurring unifocal venous malformations (VMs). Here, we report that somatic mutations in PIK3CA, the gene encoding the catalytic p110? subunit of PI3K, cause 54% (27 out of 50) of VMs with no detected TEK mutation. The hotspot mutations c.1624G>A, c.1633G>A, and c.3140A>G (p.Glu542Lys, p.Glu545Lys, and p.His1047Arg), frequent in PIK3CA-associated cancers, overgrowth syndromes, and lymphatic malformation (LM), account for >92% of individuals who carry mutations. Like VM-causative mutations in TEK, the PIK3CA mutations cause chronic activation of AKT, dysregulation of certain important angiogenic factors, and abnormal endothelial cell morphology when expressed in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The p110?-specific inhibitor BYL719 restores all abnormal phenotypes tested, in PIK3CA- as well as TEK-mutant HUVECs, demonstrating that they operate via the same pathogenic pathways. Nevertheless, significant genotype-phenotype correlations in lesion localization and histology are observed between individuals with mutations in PIK3CA versus TEK, pointing to gene-specific effects.
Project description:In people whos cancers have a PIK3CA mutation, this trial will be evaluating the drug BKM120 as a possible treatment. BKM120 works by blocking the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)pathway, thereby inhibiting tumor growth and survival.
The purpose of this study is to learn if the study drug BKM120 can shrink or slow the growth of your tumor. The safety of BKM120 will also be studied. Your physical state, symptoms, change in the size of your tumor, and laboratory findings obtained while you are on study will help the research team decide if BKM120 is safe and effective in patients with advanced cancers.
Project description:Congenital lipomatous overgrowth with vascular, epidermal, and skeletal anomalies (CLOVES) is a sporadically occurring, nonhereditary disorder characterized by asymmetric somatic hypertrophy and anomalies in multiple organs. We hypothesized that CLOVES syndrome would be caused by a somatic mutation arising during early embryonic development. Therefore, we employed massively parallel sequencing to search for somatic mosaic mutations in fresh, frozen, or fixed archival tissue from six affected individuals. We identified mutations in PIK3CA in all six individuals, and mutant allele frequencies ranged from 3% to 30% in affected tissue from multiple embryonic lineages. Interestingly, these same mutations have been identified in cancer cells, in which they increase phosphoinositide-3-kinase activity. We conclude that CLOVES is caused by postzygotic activating mutations in PIK3CA. The application of similar sequencing strategies will probably identify additional genetic causes for sporadically occurring, nonheritable malformations.
Project description:The Genetic Association Information Network (GAIN) Data Access Committee was established in June 2007 to provide prompt and fair access to data from six genome-wide association studies through the database of Genotypes and Phenotypes (dbGaP). Of 945 project requests received through 2011, 749 (79%) have been approved; median receipt-to-approval time decreased from 14 days in 2007 to 8 days in 2011. Over half (54%) of the proposed research uses were for GAIN-specific phenotypes; other uses were for method development (26%) and adding controls to other studies (17%). Eight data-management incidents, defined as compromises of any of the data-use conditions, occurred among nine approved users; most were procedural violations, and none violated participant confidentiality. Over 5 years of experience with GAIN data access has demonstrated substantial use of GAIN data by investigators from academic, nonprofit, and for-profit institutions with relatively few and contained policy violations. The availability of GAIN data has allowed for advances in both the understanding of the genetic underpinnings of mental-health disorders, diabetes, and psoriasis and the development and refinement of statistical methods for identifying genetic and environmental factors related to complex common diseases.