Project description:Chordoma associated with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) are an extremely rare tumor that was described only in 13 cases since 1975. Сhordomas themselves are malignant slow-growing bone tumors thought to arise from vestigial or ectopic notochordal tissue. In total, with CMA we found 180 regions with CNVs in the chordoma tumor sample. The longest section was 58,014 kbp long (arr[GRCh38] 9q21.31q34.3(79267492_137281464)x1-2), harboring region 9q34 that includes TSC1 gene. Also, 12 oncogenes including KRAS and CBX7 were in amplified regions and 92 tumor suppressor genes were in regions with loss status. Four genes that participate in epigenetic regulation, - ELP3, GTF3C4, MBD2, and PHF2 were found to be affected. Moreover, members of the APOBEC3 family were amplified.
Project description:Treatment resistant epilepsy in tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) and some focal cortical dysplasias (FCDs) are associated with dysfunctional mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling. This can upregulate cell growth and proliferation, with increased downstream ribosomal S6 protein phosphorylation (phospho-S6). mTOR inhibitors are used in TSC, the archetypal mTORopathy, to reduce tumor growth or seizure frequency. Preclinical studies in FCD support a potential role in suppressing seizures. This pilot study sought to evaluate the safety of the mTOR inhibitor everolimus in treatment-resistant (failure of > 2 anti-seizure medications) TSC and FCD patients undergoing surgical resection and to assess changes in mTOR signaling and molecular pathways.
Project description:<p>In this study, we characterized the genomic landscape of tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), a rare genetic disease causing multisystem growth of benign tumors and other hamartomatous lesions. We analyzed 127 human tissues, including 111 TSC-associated samples and 16 non-TSC negative controls, using multiple genomic platforms including whole exome sequencing, targeted sequencing of known disease-causative loci (<i>TSC1</i> and <i>TSC2</i>), mRNA sequencing, high-density SNP arrays, and DNA methylation arrays.</p>
Project description:Patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) develop hamartomas containing biallelic inactivating mutations in either TSC1 or TSC2, resulting in mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) activation. Hamartomas overgrow epithelial and mesenchymal cells in TSC skin. The pathogenetic mechanisms for these changes had not been investigated, and the existence or location of cells with biallelic mutations (âtwo-hitâ cells) that resulted in mTOR activation was unclear. We compared TSC skin hamartomas (facial angiofibromas and periungual fibromas) to normal-appearing skin of the same patient, and observed more proliferation and mTOR activation in hamartoma epidermis. âTwo-hitâ cells were not detected in the epidermis. Fibroblast-like cells in the dermis, however, exhibited allelic deletion of TSC2, in both touch preparations of fresh tumor samples and cells grown from TSC skin tumors, suggesting that increased epidermal proliferation and mTOR activation were not caused by second-hit mutations in the keratinocytes but by mesenchymal-epithelial interactions. Gene expression arrays, used to identify potential paracrine factors released by mesenchymal cells, revealed more epiregulin mRNA in fibroblast-like angiofibroma and periungual fibroma cells than in fibroblasts from normal-appearing skin of the same patient. Elevation of epiregulin mRNA was confirmed using real-time PCR, and increased amounts of epiregulin protein were demonstrated using immunoprecipitation and ELISA. Epiregulin stimulated keratinocyte proliferation and phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6 in vitro. These results suggest that hamartomatous TSC skin tumors are induced by paracrine factors released by âtwo-hitâ cells in the dermis, and that proliferation with mTOR activation of the overlying epidermis is an effect of epiregulin. Experiment Overall Design: The study is of case/control design with biological replication. Tumor (case) and normal (control) fibroblast cells were isolated from each of four patients (biological replicates).
Project description:Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) is caused by germline TSC1 or TSC2 mutations, leading to hyperactivation of mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) and tumors in multiple organs including the brain, heart, lung (lymphangioleiomyomatosis), and kidney (angiomyolipoma and renal cell carcinoma). Previously, we found that TFEB is constitutively active in models of TSC. To determine the impact of TFEB in vivo, we generated two novel mouse models of TSC, resulting in premature death, in which kidney pathology was the primary phenotype. RNA sequencing revealed that lysosomal and proteasomal gene pathways were the most highly upregulated in the TSC2-deficient kidneys. Knockout of TFEB rescued both kidney pathology and overall survival in both models, indicating that TFEB is the primary driver of renal disease in TSC. Importantly, mTORC1 activity, which was elevated in the TSC2 knockout kidneys, was normalized by TFEB knockout. Knockdown of Rheb or treatment of TSC2-deficient cells with Rapamycin paradoxically increases TFEB phosphorylation at the mTORC1-site (S211) and relocalizes TFEB from the nucleus to the cytoplasm via a Rag-dependent mechanism. Accordingly, treatment of TSC2 knockout mice with Rapamycin normalized lysosomal gene expression, similar to TFEB knockout, suggesting that the beneficial effects of Rapamycin in TSC are TFEB-dependent. These results change the view of the mechanisms leading to mTORC1 hyperactivation in TSC and may lead to novel therapeutic avenues for the treatment of TSC.
Project description:Chronic kidney disease is the main cause of mortality in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex disease (TSC). The mechanisms underlying TSC cystic kidney disease remain unclear with no available interventions to prevent cyst formation. Using targeted deletion of TSC1 in nephron progenitor cells, we showed that cysts in TSC1 null embryonic kidneys originate from injured proximal tubular cells with high mTOR complex 1 activity. Injection of rapamycin to pregnant mice inhibited the mTOR pathway and tubular cell proliferation in kidneys of TSC1 null offspring. Rapamycin also prevented renal cystogenesis and prolonged the life span of TSC newborns. Gene expression analysis of proximal tubule cells, identified sets of genes and pathways that were modified secondary to TSC1 deletion and rescued by rapamycin administration during nephrogenesis. Inflammation with mononuclear infiltration was observed in the cystic areas of TSC1 null kidneys. Dexamethasone administration during pregnancy decreased cyst formation not only by inhibiting the inflammatory response but also by interfering with the mTORC1 pathway. These results reveal novel mechanisms of cystogenesis in TSC disease and suggest new interventions prior to birth to ameliorate cystic disease in offspring.
Project description:Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), an autosomal dominant disorder caused by mutations in either TSC1 or TSC2, exhibits white matter abnormalities including CNS myelin deficits. however, underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Here we find that, unexpectedly, constitutive activation of mTOR signaling caused by Tsc1 deletion in the oligodendrocyte lineage results in severe myelination defects and oligodendrocyte cell death. Expression profiling analysis reveals that Tsc1 ablation induces prominent endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress responses through the PERKâeIF2α dependent signaling axis and activates Fas-JNK apoptotic pathways. Our studies suggest that TSC1-mTOR signaling acts as an important checkpoint for maintaining oligodendrocyte homeostasis. Gene expression profiling of optic nerve from P12 control and Tsc1cKO mice
Project description:Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a multisystem tumor-forming disorder caused by loss of TSC1 or TSC2. Renal manifestations predominately include cysts and angiomyolipomas. Despite a well-described monogenic etiology, the cellular pathogenesis has remained elusive. Here, we report a novel genetically-engineered human renal organoid model which recapitulates pleiotropic features of TSC kidney disease in vitro and upon orthotopic xenotransplantation. We find that loss of TSC1/2 affects multiple developmental processes in the renal epithelial, stromal, and glial compartments. First, loss of TSC1/2 leads to an expanded stroma by favouring stromal cell fate acquisition and alters terminal stromal cell identity. Second, epithelial cells in the TSC1/2-/- organoids exhibit a rapamycin-insensitive epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Third, a melanocytic population forms exclusively in TSC1/2-/- organoids, branching from MITF+ Schwann cell precursors of a bona fide neural crest-to-Schwann cell differentiation trajectory. Together, these results illustrate the pleiotropic developmental consequences of biallelic inactivation of TSC1/2 and offer insight into the pathogenesis of TSC kidney lesions.