| 1. |
- Andersson, Natalie, et al.
(författare)
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Extensive clonal branching shapes the evolutionary history of high-risk pediatric cancers
- 2020
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Ingår i: Cancer Research. - 1538-7445. ; 80:7, s. 1512-1523
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Darwinian evolution of tumor cells remains underexplored in childhood cancer. We here reconstruct the evolutionary histories of 56 pediatric primary tumors, including 24 neuroblastomas, 24 Wilms tumors and 8 rhabdomyosarcomas. Whole genome copy number and whole exome mutational profiling of multiple regions per tumor was performed followed by clonal deconvolution to reconstruct a phylogenetic tree for each tumor. Overall, 88% of the tumors exhibited genetic variation among primary tumor regions. This variability typically emerged through collateral phylogenetic branching, leading to spatial variability in the distribution of more than 50% (96/173) of detected diagnostically informative genetic aberrations. Single cell sequencing of 547 individual cancer cells from eight solid pediatric tumors confirmed branching evolution to be a fundamental underlying principle of genetic variation in all cases. Strikingly, cell-to-cell genetic diversity was almost twice as high in aggressive compared to clinically favorable tumors (median Simpson index of diversity 0.45 vs. 0.88; p=0.029). Similarly, a comparison of multiregional sampling data from a total of 274 tumor regions showed that new phylogenetic branches emerge at a higher frequency per sample and carry a higher mutational load in high-risk than in low-risk tumors. Timelines based on spatial genetic variation showed that the mutations most influencing relapse risk occur at initiation of clonal expansion in neuroblastoma and rhabdomyosarcoma, while in Wilms tumor they are late events. Thus, from an evolutionary standpoint, some high-risk childhood cancers are born bad, while others grow worse over time.
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| 2. |
- Rutten, Martijn G. S., et al.
(författare)
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Normalization of hepatic ChREBP activity does not protect against liver disease progression in a mouse model for Glycogen Storage Disease type Ia
- 2023
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Ingår i: Cancer & Metabolism. - : Springer Nature. - 2049-3002. ; 11:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundGlycogen storage disease type 1a (GSD Ia) is an inborn error of metabolism caused by a defect in glucose-6-phosphatase (G6PC1) activity, which induces severe hepatomegaly and increases the risk for liver cancer. Hepatic GSD Ia is characterized by constitutive activation of Carbohydrate Response Element Binding Protein (ChREBP), a glucose-sensitive transcription factor. Previously, we showed that ChREBP activation limits non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in hepatic GSD Ia. As ChREBP has been proposed as a pro-oncogenic molecular switch that supports tumour progression, we hypothesized that ChREBP normalization protects against liver disease progression in hepatic GSD Ia.MethodsHepatocyte-specific G6pc knockout (L-G6pc−/−) mice were treated with AAV-shChREBP to normalize hepatic ChREBP activity.ResultsHepatic ChREBP normalization in GSD Ia mice induced dysplastic liver growth, massively increased hepatocyte size, and was associated with increased hepatic inflammation. Furthermore, nuclear levels of the oncoprotein Yes Associated Protein (YAP) were increased and its transcriptional targets were induced in ChREBP-normalized GSD Ia mice. Hepatic ChREBP normalization furthermore induced DNA damage and mitotic activity in GSD Ia mice, while gene signatures of chromosomal instability, the cytosolic DNA-sensing cGAS-STING pathway, senescence, and hepatocyte dedifferentiation emerged.ConclusionsIn conclusion, our findings indicate that ChREBP activity limits hepatomegaly while decelerating liver disease progression and protecting against chromosomal instability in hepatic GSD Ia. These results disqualify ChREBP as a therapeutic target for treatment of liver disease in GSD Ia. In addition, they underline the importance of establishing the context-specific roles of hepatic ChREBP to define its therapeutic potential to prevent or treat advanced liver disease.
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| 3. |
- Saba, Karim H., et al.
(författare)
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Disruption of the TP53 locus in osteosarcoma leads to TP53 promoter gene fusions and restoration of parts of the TP53 signalling pathway
- 2024
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Ingår i: Journal of Pathology. - 0022-3417. ; 262:2, s. 147-160
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- TP53 is the most frequently mutated gene in human cancer. This gene shows not only loss-of-function mutations but also recurrent missense mutations with gain-of-function activity. We have studied the primary bone malignancy osteosarcoma, which harbours one of the most rearranged genomes of all cancers. This is odd since it primarily affects children and adolescents who have not lived the long life thought necessary to accumulate massive numbers of mutations. In osteosarcoma, TP53 is often disrupted by structural variants. Here, we show through combined whole-genome and transcriptome analyses of 148 osteosarcomas that TP53 structural variants commonly result in loss of coding parts of the gene while simultaneously preserving and relocating the promoter region. The transferred TP53 promoter region is fused to genes previously implicated in cancer development. Paradoxically, these erroneously upregulated genes are significantly associated with the TP53 signalling pathway itself. This suggests that while the classical tumour suppressor activities of TP53 are lost, certain parts of the TP53 signalling pathway that are necessary for cancer cell survival and proliferation are retained. In line with this, our data suggest that transposition of the TP53 promoter is an early event that allows for a new normal state of genome-wide rearrangements in osteosarcoma.
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| 4. |
- Saba, Karim H., et al.
(författare)
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Loss of NF2 defines a genetic subgroup of non-FOS-rearranged osteoblastoma
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of Pathology: Clinical Research. - : Wiley. - 2056-4538. ; 6:4, s. 231-237
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Osteoblastoma is a locally aggressive tumour of bone. Until recently, its underlying genetic features were largely unknown. During the past two years, reports have demonstrated that acquired structural variations affect the transcription factor FOS in a high proportion of cases. These rearrangements modify the terminal exon of the gene and are believed to stabilise both the FOS transcript and the encoded protein, resulting in high expression levels. Here, we applied in-depth genetic analyses to a series of 29 osteoblastomas, including five classified as epithelioid osteoblastoma. We found recurrent homozygous deletions of the NF2 gene in three of the five epithelioid cases and in one conventional osteoblastoma. These events were mutually exclusive from FOS mutations. Structural variations were determined by deep whole genome sequencing and the number of FOS-rearranged cases was less than previously reported (10/23, 43%). One conventional osteoblastoma displayed a novel mechanism of FOS upregulation; bringing the entire FOS gene under the control of the WNT5A enhancer that is itself activated by FOS. Taken together, we show that NF2 loss characterises a subgroup of osteoblastomas, distinct from FOS-rearranged cases. Both NF2 and FOS are involved in regulating bone homeostasis, thereby providing a mechanistic link to the excessive bone growth of osteoblastoma.
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| 5. |
- Woodward, Eleanor L, et al.
(författare)
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Clonal origin and development of high hyperdiploidy in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 14
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- High hyperdiploid acute lymphoblastic leukemia (HeH ALL), one of the most common childhood malignancies, is driven by nonrandom aneuploidy (abnormal chromosome numbers) mainly comprising chromosomal gains. In this study, we investigate how aneuploidy in HeH ALL arises. Single cell whole genome sequencing of 2847 cells from nine primary cases and one normal bone marrow reveals that HeH ALL generally display low chromosomal heterogeneity, indicating that they are not characterized by chromosomal instability and showing that aneuploidy-driven malignancies are not necessarily chromosomally heterogeneous. Furthermore, most chromosomal gains are present in all leukemic cells, suggesting that they arose early during leukemogenesis. Copy number data from 577 primary cases reveals selective pressures that were used for in silico modeling of aneuploidy development. This shows that the aneuploidy in HeH ALL likely arises by an initial tripolar mitosis in a diploid cell followed by clonal evolution, in line with a punctuated evolution model.
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