Project description:Despite aggressive multi-modal treatment, advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients are at high risk of recurrence. Matched pairs (n=38) of primary/recurrent tumors were subjected to whole exome and RNA sequencing. Mutational landscapes and genomic copy number alterations indicated diverging clonal origins in a subset of cases. Transcriptional subtyping (classical/CL, basal/BA, inflamed-mesenchymal/IMS) in primary and recurrent HNSCC (n=112) revealed more frequent CL and IMS in primary tumors with low recurrence rates and a prevalence of BA in recurrent tumors associated with p-EMT and early recurrence. 44% of matched cases underwent a subtype change from primary to recurrent tumors, preferably from IMS to BA or CL. In recurrences, HYPOXIA, P-EMT and RADIATION RESISTANCE signatures were up- and TUMOR INFLAMMATION down-regulated compared to index tumors. A therapy-induced selection of transcriptional subtypes demonstrates the importance of molecular characterization of recurrences for second-line therapy decisions to enable optimally tailored treatments.
Project description:Despite aggressive multi-modal treatment, advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients are at high risk of recurrence. Matched pairs (n=38) of primary/recurrent tumors were subjected to whole exome and RNA sequencing. Mutational landscapes and genomic copy number alterations indicated diverging clonal origins in a subset of cases. Transcriptional subtyping (classical/CL, basal/BA, inflamed-mesenchymal/IMS) in primary and recurrent HNSCC (n=112) revealed more frequent CL and IMS in primary tumors with low recurrence rates and a prevalence of BA in recurrent tumors associated with p-EMT and early recurrence. 44% of matched cases underwent a subtype change from primary to recurrent tumors, preferably from IMS to BA or CL. In recurrences, HYPOXIA, P-EMT and RADIATION RESISTANCE signatures were up- and TUMOR INFLAMMATION down-regulated compared to index tumors. A therapy-induced selection of transcriptional subtypes demonstrates the importance of molecular characterization of recurrences for second-line therapy decisions to enable optimally tailored treatments.
Project description:Intratumor mutational heterogeneity has been documented in primary non-small cell lung cancer. Here, we elucidate mechanisms of tumor evolution and heterogeneity in metastatic thoracic tumors (lung adenocarcinoma and thymic carcinoma) using whole-exome and transcriptome sequencing, SNP array for copy number alterations (CNA) and mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomics of metastases obtained by rapid autopsy. APOBEC-mutagenesis, promoted by increased expression of APOBEC3 region transcripts and associated with a high-risk germline APOBEC3 variant, strongly correlated with mutational tumor heterogeneity. TP53 mutation status was associated with APOBEC hypermutator status. Interferon pathways were enriched in tumors with high APOBEC mutagenesis and IFN- induced expression of APOBEC3B in lung adenocarcinoma cells in culture suggesting a role for the immune microenvironment in the generation of mutational heterogeneity. CNA occurring late in tumor evolution correlated with downstream transcriptomic and proteomic heterogeneity, although global proteomic heterogeneity was significantly greater than transcriptomic and CNA heterogeneity. These results illustrate key mechanisms underlying multi-dimensional heterogeneity in metastatic thoracic tumors.
Project description:Uterine serous carcinoma (USC), an aggressive variant of endometrial cancer representing approximately 10% of endometrial cancer diagnoses, accounts for ~39% of endometrial cancer-related deaths. We examined the role of genomic alterations in advanced-stage USC associated with outcome using paired primary-metastatic tumors (n=29) treated with adjuvant platinum and taxane chemotherapy. Comparative genomic analysis of paired primary-metastatic patient tumors included whole exome sequencing and targeted gene expression. Both PLK3 amplification and the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) in metastatic tumors were linked to time-to-recurrence (TTR) risk without any such association observed with primary tumors. TP53 loss was significantly more frequent in metastatic tumors of platinum-resistant versus platinum-sensitive patient and was also associated with increased TTR and mortality risk. Increased levels of chr1 breakpoints in USC metastatic versus primary tumors co-occur with PLK3 amplification. PLK3 and the TIME are potential targets for improving outcomes in USC adjuvant therapy.
Project description:Whole-exome sequencing analysis of lineage-marked prostate primary tumors and metastases from the NPK mouse model (Nkx3.1CreERT2/+; Ptenflox/flox; KrasLSL-G12D/+; R26R-CAG-LSL-EYFP/+)
Project description:Ependymomas are common childhood brain tumors that occur throughout the nervous system, but are most common in the pediatric hindbrain. Current standard therapy comprises surgery and radiation, but not cytotoxic chemotherapy as it does not further increase survival. Whole-genome and whole-exome sequencing of 47 hindbrain ependymomas reveals an extremely low mutation rate, and zero significant recurrent somatic SNVs. While devoid of recurrent SNVs and focal copy number aberrations, poor prognosis hindbrain ependymomas exhibit a CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP). Transcriptional silencing driven by CpG methylation converges exclusively on targets of the polycomb repressor complex 2 (PRC2) that represses expression of differentiation genes through tri-methylation of H3K27. CIMP-positive (CIMP+) hindbrain ependymomas are responsive to clinical drugs that target either DNA or H3K27 methylation both in vitro and in vivo. We conclude that epigenetic modifiers are the first rational therapeutic candidates for this deadly malignancy, which is epigenetically de-regulated but genetically bland. 10 primary posterior fossa ependymomas have been analyzed
Project description:We recently identified recurrent mutations of cohesin complex in myeloid neoplasms through whole-exome sequencing analysis. In this study, we performed SNP array analysis to detect abnormal copy number of the cohesin genes.
Project description:We performed whole exome sequencing and copy number analysis for 15 triplets, each comprising normal colorectal tissue, primary colorectal carcinoma, and its synchronous matched liver metastasis. We analyzed the similarities and differences between primary colorectal carcinoma and matched liver metastases in regards to somatic mutations and somatic copy number alterationss (SCNAs). The genomic profiling demonstrated mutations in APC(73%), KRAS (33%), ARID1A and PIK3CA (6.7%) genes between primary colorectal and metastatic liver tumors. TP53 mutation was observed in 47% of the primary samples and 67% in liver metastatic samples. The grouped pairs, in hierarchical clustering showed similar SCNA patterns, in contrast to the ungrouped pairs. Many mutations (including those of known key cancer driver genes) were shared in the grouped pairs. The ungrouped pairs exhibited distinct mutation patterns with no shared mutations in key driver genes. Four ungrouped liver metastasis samples had mutations in DNA mismatch repair genes along with hypermutations and a substantial number of copy number of alterations. Genomically, colorectal and metastatic liver tumors were very similar. However, in a subgroup of patients, there were genetic variations in liver metastases in the loss of DNA mismatch repair genes.