Project description:Among acute myeloid leukemias (AML) with normal karyotype (CN-AML), NPM1 and CEBPA mutations define WHO provisional entities accounting for ~60% of cases, but the remaining ~40% remains poorly characterized. By whole exome-sequencing (WES) of one CN-AML patient lacking mutations in NPM1, CEBPA, FLT3, MLL-PTD and IDH1, we newly identified a clonal somatic mutation in BCOR (BCL6 co-repressor), a gene located in chromosome X. Further analyses showed that BCOR mutations occurred in 11/262 (4.2%) CN-AML cases and represented a substantial fraction (14/82, 17.1%) of CN-AML patients showing the same genetic background as the index patient subjected to WES. BCOR somatic mutations were: i) disruptive events similar to germline BCOR mutations causing the oculo-cranio-facial-dental (OCFD) genetic syndrome; ii) associated with markedly decreased BCOR mRNA levels, absence of full-length BCOR and absent or low expression of a truncated BCOR protein; iii) almost mutually exclusive with NPM1 mutations and frequently associated with DNMT3A and RUNX1 mutations, pointing to a cooperation between these events. Finally, BCOR mutations correlated with poor outcome among a cohort of 160 CN-AML patients (28% versus 66% overall survival at 2 yrs, P=0.024). Our results implicate for the first time BCOR in the pathogenesis of CN-AML without NPM1 mutations.
Project description:Among acute myeloid leukemias (AML) with normal karyotype (CN-AML), NPM1 and CEBPA mutations define WHO provisional entities accounting for ~60% of cases, but the remaining ~40% remains poorly characterized. By whole exome-sequencing (WES) of one CN-AML patient lacking mutations in NPM1, CEBPA, FLT3, MLL-PTD and IDH1, we newly identified a clonal somatic mutation in BCOR (BCL6 co-repressor), a gene located in chromosome X. Further analyses showed that BCOR mutations occurred in 11/262 (4.2%) CN-AML cases and represented a substantial fraction (14/82, 17.1%) of CN-AML patients showing the same genetic background as the index patient subjected to WES. BCOR somatic mutations were: i) disruptive events similar to germline BCOR mutations causing the oculo-cranio-facial-dental (OCFD) genetic syndrome; ii) associated with markedly decreased BCOR mRNA levels, absence of full-length BCOR and absent or low expression of a truncated BCOR protein; iii) almost mutually exclusive with NPM1 mutations and frequently associated with DNMT3A and RUNX1 mutations, pointing to a cooperation between these events. Finally, BCOR mutations correlated with poor outcome among a cohort of 160 CN-AML patients (28% versus 66% overall survival at 2 yrs, P=0.024). Our results implicate for the first time BCOR in the pathogenesis of CN-AML without NPM1 mutations. AML samples with normal karyotype were studied. Molecular analyses were performed for BCOR mutations. 12 BCOR wild-type cases and 12 BCOR mutated cases were hybridized to gene expression micro-arrays.
Project description:Purpose: Aberrantly methylated DNA are hallmarks for many cancers, HCC included. Tumor shed its DNA into circulation stream, and serum DNA methylation analysis is a less-invasive and accessable way to judge the primary tumor status. The goals of this study are to compare DNA methylation profiling in serum cell-free DNA from different stages of HCC progression including healthy control, chronic HBV carrier, HBV-related liver Cirrhosis and HCC, to establish HCC development-related aberrnat DNA methylation patterns. Methods: MBD methylCap/seq was carried out to screen differentially methylated CpG islands in serum cell-free DNA on four different stage of HBV-related HCC development. MSP and multiplex-BSP validation was performed using independent serum DNA or tumor and adjacent tissues. Results: Using a MBD methylCap/seq platform, we produced 33- to 37- million raw reads per sample and mapped them, in about half of the raw reads, to human genome(build h19) in the serum cf DNA of healthy control, HBV carrier, HBV cirrhosis and HCC. The mapped reads formed 180k to 260k peaks per sample, with 160 k common peaks shared by four samples. After subtraction of the common peaks, there left 51k, 107k and 78 k DMRs representing hypermethylations, in HBV carrier, HBV cirrhosis and HCC, respectively. We define those DMRs as early, middle and late when these DMRS occurred and maintained in HBV carrier, HBV cirrhosis and HCC, which including 27k, 24k and 19k DMRs, corresponding to 1,416, 1,337, 1,006 genes. GO analysis of them revealed gene categories and pathways associated with tumorogenenisis related process Conclusions: Our study represents the first detailed analysis of serum cf-DNA methylation profiling in the progression of HBV related HCC development. The processed data analysis here offers a comprehensive evaluation of DNA methylation in serum cf DNA. We conclude that MBD methylCap/seq based methylation profiling would benefit epigenetic research in HCC.
Project description:In this study,we performed integrated glycoproteomic and global proteomic analysis of tumor tissues of ICC and HCC to investigate the differences in site-specific glycosylation and proteins between ICC and HCC tumors. The paired paracancer tissue were also included as controls to determine the site-specific glycosylation changes in ICC and HCC tumors. The alteration extents in glycopeptide, global proteome, and normalized glycosylation in different sample groups were systematically compared.
Project description:We compared transcriptomic profiles of 23 ICC tumor specimens to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) specimens using Affymetrix mRNA array and the miRNA array platforms to search for unique gene signatures linked to patient prognosis. ICC and HCC share common stem-like molecular characteristics and stem-like tumor features associated with poor prognosis. Gene expression profiling of 16 intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), 7 mixed type of combined HCC and ICC (CHC), 2 Hepatic Adenoma, 5 Focal Nodular Hyperplasia, and 7 Non-Tumor Tissues were performed.
Project description:Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection promotes liver cancer initiation by inducing inflammation and cellular stress, but its impact in established tumors is not well understood. We used affinity purification mass spectrometry to comprehensively map a network of 145 physical interactions between HBV and human proteins in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A subset of the host factors targeted by HBV proteins are preferentially mutated in non-HB¬V-associated HCC suggesting that their interaction with HBV influences HCC biology. These include proteins involved in mRNA splicing, mitogenic signaling and DNA repair, with the latter set interacting with the HBV oncoprotein X (HBx). We show that HBx remodels the PP2A phosphatase complex by excluding striatin regulatory subunits from the PP2A holoenzyme. We find that HBx effects on PP2A cause Hippo kinase activation, particularly in cells with high striatin levels. In parallel, HBx activates mTOR complex 2 (mTORC2) to prevent YAP degradation. mTORC2 effects on YAP can be observed in human HCC specimens and mouse HCC models and can be targeted with mTOR kinase inhibitors. Thus, HBV interaction with host proteins rewires HCC signaling rather than directly activating mitogenic pathways. These findings provide a new paradigm for the cellular effects of a tumor promoting virus and support a model where HBV may have therapeutic actionable effects on HCC biology.
Project description:Purpose: To gain molecular insights of HBV integration that may contribute to HCC tumorigenesis, we performed whole transcriptome sequencing and whole genome copy number profiling of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) samples from 50 Chinese patients. Results: We identified a total of 33 HBV-human integration sites in 16 of 44 HBV-positive HCC tissues, which were enriched in HBV genotype C-infected patients. In addition, significantly recurrent HBV-MLL4 integration (18%). This dataset is part of the TransQST collection.
Project description:We compared transcriptomic profiles of ICC tumor specimens to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) specimens using Affymetrix mRNA array and the miRNA array platforms to search for unique gene signatures linked to patient prognosis. ICC and HCC share common stem-like molecular characteristics and stem-like tumor features associated with poor prognosis. Gene expression profiling of 16 intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), 7 mixed type of combined hepatocellular cholangiocarcinoma (CHC), 2 Hepatic adenoma, 3 focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH), 5 non-tumor liver tissues, and 2 CCA cell lines were performed.
Project description:Primary liver cancer represents a major health problem. It comprises hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), which differ markedly with regards to their morphology, metastatic potential and therapy response. Yet, molecular actors and tissue context that commit transformed hepatic cells towards HCC or ICC are largely unknown. Here, we report that the hepatic microenvironment epigenetically shapes lineage commitment in mosaic mouse models of liver tumourigenesis. While a necroptosis associated hepatic cytokine microenvironment determines ICC outgrowth from oncogenically transformed hepatocytes, hepatocytes harbouring identical oncogenic drivers give rise to HCC if surrounded by apoptotic hepatocytes. Epigenome and transcriptome profiling of murine HCC and ICC singled out Tbx3 and Prdm5 as major microenvironment-dependent and epigenetically regulated lineage commitment factors, a function conserved in humans. Together, our study provides unprecedented insights into lineage commitment in liver tumourigenesis and explains molecularly why common liver damaging risk factors can either lead to HCC or ICC.