Project description:Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common primary intraocular malignancy in adults and leads to deadly metastases for which there is no approved treatment. Genetic events driving early tumor development are well-described, but those occurring later during metastatic progression remain poorly understood. We performed multiregional genomic sequencing on 22 tumors collected from two patients with widely metastatic UM who underwent rapid autopsy. We observed multiple seeding events from the primary tumors, metastasis-to-metastasis seeding, polyclonal seeding, and late driver variants in ATM, KRAS, and other genes previously unreported in UM. These findings reveal previously unrecognized temporal and anatomic complexity in the genetic evolution of metastatic uveal melanoma, and they highlight the distinction between early and late phases of UM genetic evolution with implications for novel therapeutic approaches.
Project description:Uveal melanoma is an aggressive cancer that metastasizes to the liver in about half of patients, being at that time almost always fatal. Identification of patients at high risk of metastases may provide indication for a frequent follow-up for early detection of metastases and treatment. The analysis of the gene expression profiling of primary human uveal melanomas showed high expression of SDCBP (encoding for syndecan-binding protein-1 or syntenin-1), which appeared higher in patients with recurrence, whereas expression of syndecans was lower and unrelated to progression. Moreover, we found that high expression of SDCBP gene was related to metastatic progression in two additional independent dataset of uveal melanoma patients. More importantly, immunohistochemistry showed that high expression of syntenin-1 protein in primary tumours was significantly related to metastatic recurrence in our cohort of patients. Syntenin-1 expression was confirmed by RT-PCR, immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry in cultured uveal melanoma cells or primary tumours. A pseudo-metastatic model of uveal melanoma to the liver was developed in NOD/SCID/IL2R null mice and the study of syntenin-1 expression in primary and metastatic lesions revealed higher syntenin-1 expression in metastases. The inhibition of SDCBP expression by siRNA impaired the ability of uveal melanoma cells to migrate in a woundâhealing assay. These results suggest that SDCBP is involved in uveal melanoma progression and that it represents a candidate molecular marker of metastases and a potential therapeutic target. Gene expression profiles of 29 unique samples from uveal melanoma patients were measured.
Project description:Metastatic uveal melanoma generally responds poorly to immunotherapy. The aim here was to sequence tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes from uveal melanoma metastases to study their phenotypes and T-cell receptor (TCR) clonotypes. We performed paired single-cell transcriptome and TCR sequencing using the 10x Genomics platform of IL2-expanded tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes from 7 liver and 1 subcutaneous metastasis.
Project description:Uveal melanoma is an aggressive cancer that metastasizes to the liver in about half of patients, being at that time almost always fatal. Identification of patients at high risk of metastases may provide indication for a frequent follow-up for early detection of metastases and treatment. The analysis of the gene expression profiling of primary human uveal melanomas showed high expression of SDCBP (encoding for syndecan-binding protein-1 or syntenin-1), which appeared higher in patients with recurrence, whereas expression of syndecans was lower and unrelated to progression. Moreover, we found that high expression of SDCBP gene was related to metastatic progression in two additional independent dataset of uveal melanoma patients. More importantly, immunohistochemistry showed that high expression of syntenin-1 protein in primary tumours was significantly related to metastatic recurrence in our cohort of patients. Syntenin-1 expression was confirmed by RT-PCR, immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry in cultured uveal melanoma cells or primary tumours. A pseudo-metastatic model of uveal melanoma to the liver was developed in NOD/SCID/IL2R null mice and the study of syntenin-1 expression in primary and metastatic lesions revealed higher syntenin-1 expression in metastases. The inhibition of SDCBP expression by siRNA impaired the ability of uveal melanoma cells to migrate in a wound–healing assay. These results suggest that SDCBP is involved in uveal melanoma progression and that it represents a candidate molecular marker of metastases and a potential therapeutic target.
Project description:Despite advances in surgery and radiotherapy of uveal melanoma (UM), many patients develop distant metastases that poorly respond to therapy. Improved therapies for the metastatic disease are therefore urgently needed. Expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a target of kinase inhibitors and humanized antibodies in use for several cancers, had been reported. 48 human UMs were analyzed by expression profiling. Evidence for signaling in tumors was obtained through the application of a UM-specific EGF signature. The EGFR specific kinase inhibitor, Gefitinib, and the humanized monoclonal antibody, Cetuximab, were tested for their effect on EGFR signaling. Natural killer cell mediated antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and TNF-alpha release was analyzed for Cetuximab. EGFR appears suited as a novel molecular drug target for therapy of uveal melanoma. Gene expression profiles of 19 unique samples from uveal melanoma patients were measured.
Project description:A high percentage of uveal melanoma patients develop metastatic tumors that predominately occur in the liver. To identify genes associated with metastasis in this pathology, we studied 63 molecular profiles derived from gene expression microarrays performed from enuceated primary tumors. Metastasis free survival analysis was performed to obtain clinical and genomic variables associated to metastasis occurrence. We also compared within the 57 tumors with at least 36 months follow-up, 28 uveal melanoma from patients who developed liver metastases (meta1 group) with 29 tumors arising from patients without metastases (or later metastases, i.e. after 36 months) (meta0 group). The transcriptome of 63 uveal melanoma from enucleation of untreated patients were analyzed using Affymetrix U133plus2 Arrays.
Project description:Previous studies have demonstrated two distinct classes of primary uveal melanoma tumors based on gene expression profiling. This study compares the gene expression profiles of primary uveal melanomas collected from fresh frozen samples to those collected by fine needle aspiration biopsy. Two matched metastatic samples were included to identify changes in gene expression profile with metastatic progression. Total RNA was obtained from tumor samples that were collected at the time of treatment.
Project description:Uveal melanoma is a highly aggressive cancer with a strong propensity for metastasis, yet little is known about the biological mechanisms underlying this metastatic potential. We recently showed that most metastasizing uveal melanomas, which exhibit a class 2 gene expression profile, contain inactivating mutations in the tumor suppressor BAP1. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of BAP1 in uveal melanoma progression. To that end, uveal melanoma cells were studied following stable shRNA-mediated depletion of BAP1. RNA was isolated from three independent uveal melanoma cell lines each stably depleted using shRNA for either BAP1 or the control gene GFP. Two biological replicates were performed for each cell line.
Project description:Previous studies have demonstrated two distinct classes of primary uveal melanoma tumors based on gene expression profiling. This study compares the gene expression profiles of primary uveal melanomas collected from fresh frozen samples to those collected by fine needle aspiration biopsy. Two matched metastatic samples were included to identify changes in gene expression profile with metastatic progression.
Project description:Analysis of DNA from fixed tissues specimens of 58 primary uveal melanomas, with known clinical outcome, to determine gene copy number variations that were associated with survival. Abstract: Uveal melanomas can be stratified into subgroups with high or low risk of metastatic death, according to the presence of gross chromosomal abnormalities. Where a monosomy 3 uveal melanoma is detected, patient survival at three years is reduced to 50%. However, approximately 5% of patients with a disomy 3 tumour ultimately develop metastasis, and a further 5% of monosomy 3 uveal melanoma patients’ exhibit disease-free survival for more than five years. Despite extensive knowledge of the chromosomal abnormalities occurring in uveal melanoma, the genes driving metastasis are not well defined. Gene copy number variations occurring in a well-characterised cohort of 58 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded uveal melanoma samples were identified using the Affymetrix SNP 6.0 whole genome microarray. Four genetic sub-groups of primary uveal melanoma were represented in the patient cohort: 1) disomy 3 with long-term survival; 2) metastasizing disomy 3; 3) metastasizing monosomy 3; and 4) monosomy 3 with long-term survival. Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis identified three genes that were associated with differences in patient survival. Patients with an amplification of CNKSR3 (6q) or RIPK1 (6p) demonstrated longer survival than those with gene deletions or no copy number change (log rank, p=0.022 and p<0.001, respectively). Conversely, those patients with an amplification of PENK (8q) showed reduced survival (log rank p<0.001). CNKSR3, RIPK1 and PENK are novel candidate metastasis regulatory genes in uveal melanoma. This is the first report of amplification of a specific gene on 6p that is associated with improved uveal melanoma patient survival and suggests that the development of uveal melanomas with a propensity to metastasise may be limited by genes on 6p. 58 samples in total. Ten disomy 3 with long-term survival. Fifteen disomy 3 with metastasising. Seventeen monosomy 3 with long-term survival. Sixteen monosomy 3 metastasising.