1
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Steiert TA, Parra G, Gut M, Arnold N, Trotta JR, Tonda R, Moussy A, Gerber Z, Abuja P, Zatloukal K, Röcken C, Folseraas T, Grimsrud M, Vogel A, Goeppert B, Roessler S, Hinz S, Schafmayer C, Rosenstiel P, Deleuze JF, Gut I, Franke A, Forster M. A critical spotlight on the paradigms of FFPE-DNA sequencing. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:7143-7162. [PMID: 37351572 PMCID: PMC10415133 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
In the late 19th century, formalin fixation with paraffin-embedding (FFPE) of tissues was developed as a fixation and conservation method and is still used to this day in routine clinical and pathological practice. The implementation of state-of-the-art nucleic acid sequencing technologies has sparked much interest for using historical FFPE samples stored in biobanks as they hold promise in extracting new information from these valuable samples. However, formalin fixation chemically modifies DNA, which potentially leads to incorrect sequences or misinterpretations in downstream processing and data analysis. Many publications have concentrated on one type of DNA damage, but few have addressed the complete spectrum of FFPE-DNA damage. Here, we review mitigation strategies in (I) pre-analytical sample quality control, (II) DNA repair treatments, (III) analytical sample preparation and (IV) bioinformatic analysis of FFPE-DNA. We then provide recommendations that are tested and illustrated with DNA from 13-year-old liver specimens, one FFPE preserved and one fresh frozen, applying target-enriched sequencing. Thus, we show how DNA damage can be compensated, even when using low quantities (50 ng) of fragmented FFPE-DNA (DNA integrity number 2.0) that cannot be amplified well (Q129 bp/Q41 bp = 5%). Finally, we provide a checklist called 'ERROR-FFPE-DNA' that summarises recommendations for the minimal information in publications required for assessing fitness-for-purpose and inter-study comparison when using FFPE samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim A Steiert
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Christian-Albrechts-University and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel 24105, Germany
| | - Genís Parra
- Center for Genomic Regulation, Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Marta Gut
- Center for Genomic Regulation, Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Norbert Arnold
- Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Kiel 24105, Germany
| | - Jean-Rémi Trotta
- Center for Genomic Regulation, Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Raúl Tonda
- Center for Genomic Regulation, Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Alice Moussy
- Le Centre de référence, d’innovation, d’expertise et de transfert (CRefIX), PFMG 2025, Évry 91057, France
| | - Zuzana Gerber
- Centre National de Recherche en Génomique Humaine (CNRGH), Institut de Biologie François Jacob, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay, Évry 91057, France
| | - Peter M Abuja
- Diagnostic & Research Center for Molecular Biomedicine, Diagnostic & Research Institute of Pathology, Medical University of Graz, Graz 8010, Austria
| | - Kurt Zatloukal
- Diagnostic & Research Center for Molecular Biomedicine, Diagnostic & Research Institute of Pathology, Medical University of Graz, Graz 8010, Austria
| | - Christoph Röcken
- Department of Pathology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Kiel 24105, Germany
| | - Trine Folseraas
- Norwegian PSC Research Center Department of Transplantation Medicine, Division of Surgery, Inflammatory Medicine and Transplantation, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo 0372, Norway
- Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Transplantation Medicine, Division of Surgery, Inflammatory Diseases and Transplantation, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo 0372, Norway
| | - Marit M Grimsrud
- Norwegian PSC Research Center Department of Transplantation Medicine, Division of Surgery, Inflammatory Medicine and Transplantation, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo 0372, Norway
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo 0372, Norway
| | - Arndt Vogel
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hanover 30625, Germany
| | - Benjamin Goeppert
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg 69120, Germany
- Institute of Pathology and Neuropathology, RKH Klinikum Ludwigsburg, Ludwigsburg 71640, Germany
| | - Stephanie Roessler
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg 69120, Germany
| | - Sebastian Hinz
- Department of General Surgery, University Medicine Rostock, Rostock 18057, Germany
| | - Clemens Schafmayer
- Department of General Surgery, University Medicine Rostock, Rostock 18057, Germany
| | - Philip Rosenstiel
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Christian-Albrechts-University and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel 24105, Germany
| | - Jean-François Deleuze
- Le Centre de référence, d’innovation, d’expertise et de transfert (CRefIX), PFMG 2025, Évry 91057, France
- Centre National de Recherche en Génomique Humaine (CNRGH), Institut de Biologie François Jacob, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay, Évry 91057, France
| | - Ivo G Gut
- Center for Genomic Regulation, Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Andre Franke
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Christian-Albrechts-University and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel 24105, Germany
| | - Michael Forster
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Christian-Albrechts-University and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel 24105, Germany
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2
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Hercules SM, Liu X, Bassey-Archibong BBI, Skeete DHA, Smith Connell S, Daramola A, Banjo AA, Ebughe G, Agan T, Ekanem IO, Udosen J, Obiorah C, Ojule AC, Misauno MA, Dauda AM, Egbujo EC, Hercules JC, Ansari A, Brain I, MacColl C, Xu Y, Jin Y, Chang S, Carpten JD, Bédard A, Pond GR, Blenman KRM, Manojlovic Z, Daniel JM. Analysis of the genomic landscapes of Barbadian and Nigerian women with triple negative breast cancer. Cancer Causes Control 2022; 33:831-841. [PMID: 35384527 PMCID: PMC9085672 DOI: 10.1007/s10552-022-01574-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive breast cancer subtype that disproportionately affects women of African ancestry (WAA) and is often associated with poor survival. Although there is a high prevalence of TNBC across West Africa and in women of the African diaspora, there has been no comprehensive genomics study to investigate the mutational profile of ancestrally related women across the Caribbean and West Africa. METHODS This multisite cross-sectional study used 31 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples from Barbadian and Nigerian TNBC participants. High-resolution whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed on the Barbadian and Nigerian TNBC samples to identify their mutational profiles and comparisons were made to African American, European American and Asian American sequencing data obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Whole exome sequencing was conducted on tumors with an average of 382 × coverage and 4335 × coverage for pooled germline non-tumor samples. RESULTS Variants detected at high frequency in our WAA cohorts were found in the following genes NBPF12, PLIN4, TP53 and BRCA1. In the TCGA TNBC cases, these genes had a lower mutation rate, except for TP53 (32% in our cohort; 63% in TCGA-African American; 67% in TCGA-European American; 63% in TCGA-Asian). For all altered genes, there were no differences in frequency of mutations between WAA TNBC groups including the TCGA-African American cohort. For copy number variants, high frequency alterations were observed in PIK3CA, TP53, FGFR2 and HIF1AN genes. CONCLUSION This study provides novel insights into the underlying genomic alterations in WAA TNBC samples and shines light on the importance of inclusion of under-represented populations in cancer genomics and biomarker studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawn M. Hercules
- grid.25073.330000 0004 1936 8227Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON Canada
- African Caribbean Cancer Consortium, Philadelphia, PA USA
| | - Xiyu Liu
- grid.42505.360000 0001 2156 6853Department of Translational Genomics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA USA
| | | | - Desiree H. A. Skeete
- African Caribbean Cancer Consortium, Philadelphia, PA USA
- grid.412886.10000 0004 0592 769XFaculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies at Cave Hill, Bridgetown, Barbados
- grid.415521.60000 0004 0570 5165Department of Pathology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Bridgetown, Barbados
| | - Suzanne Smith Connell
- grid.412886.10000 0004 0592 769XFaculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies at Cave Hill, Bridgetown, Barbados
- grid.415521.60000 0004 0570 5165Department of Radiation Oncology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Bridgetown, Barbados
- Present Address: Cancer Specialists Inc, Bridgetown, Barbados
| | - Adetola Daramola
- grid.411283.d0000 0000 8668 7085Department of Anatomic and Molecular Pathology, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria
| | - Adekunbiola A. Banjo
- grid.411283.d0000 0000 8668 7085Department of Anatomic and Molecular Pathology, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria
| | - Godwin Ebughe
- grid.413097.80000 0001 0291 6387Department of Pathology, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, Nigeria
| | - Thomas Agan
- grid.413097.80000 0001 0291 6387Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, College of Medical Sciences, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, Nigeria
| | - Ima-Obong Ekanem
- grid.413097.80000 0001 0291 6387Department of Pathology, College of Medical Sciences, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, Nigeria
| | - Joe Udosen
- grid.413097.80000 0001 0291 6387Division of General and Breast Surgery, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, Nigeria
| | - Christopher Obiorah
- grid.412738.bDepartment of Anatomical Pathology, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
| | - Aaron C. Ojule
- grid.412738.bDepartment of Chemical Pathology, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
| | - Michael A. Misauno
- grid.411946.f0000 0004 1783 4052Department of Surgery, Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Nigeria
| | - Ayuba M. Dauda
- grid.411946.f0000 0004 1783 4052Department of Pathology, Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Nigeria
| | | | - Jevon C. Hercules
- grid.12916.3d0000 0001 2322 4996Department of Mathematics, University of the West Indies at Mona, Kingston, Jamaica
- grid.12955.3a0000 0001 2264 7233Present Address: Wang Yanan Institute for Studies in Economics, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Amna Ansari
- grid.25073.330000 0004 1936 8227Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON Canada
| | - Ian Brain
- grid.25073.330000 0004 1936 8227Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON Canada
| | - Christine MacColl
- grid.25073.330000 0004 1936 8227Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON Canada
| | - Yili Xu
- grid.42505.360000 0001 2156 6853Department of Translational Genomics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA USA
| | - Yuxin Jin
- grid.42505.360000 0001 2156 6853Department of Translational Genomics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA USA
| | - Sharon Chang
- grid.42505.360000 0001 2156 6853Department of Translational Genomics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA USA
| | - John D. Carpten
- grid.42505.360000 0001 2156 6853Department of Translational Genomics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA USA
| | - André Bédard
- grid.25073.330000 0004 1936 8227Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON Canada
| | - Greg R. Pond
- grid.25073.330000 0004 1936 8227Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON Canada
- grid.25073.330000 0004 1936 8227Department of Oncology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON Canada
| | - Kim R. M. Blenman
- grid.433818.5Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Medical Oncology, Yale Cancer Center, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT USA
- grid.47100.320000000419368710Department of Computer Science, School of Engineering and Applied Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT USA
| | - Zarko Manojlovic
- grid.42505.360000 0001 2156 6853Department of Translational Genomics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA USA
| | - Juliet M. Daniel
- grid.25073.330000 0004 1936 8227Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON Canada
- African Caribbean Cancer Consortium, Philadelphia, PA USA
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3
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Davies J, Muralidhar S, Randerson-Moor J, Harland M, O'Shea S, Diaz J, Walker C, Nsengimana J, Laye J, Mell T, Chan M, Appleton L, Birkeälv S, Adams DJ, Cook GP, Ball G, Bishop DT, Newton-Bishop JA. Ulcerated melanoma: Systems biology evidence of inflammatory imbalance towards pro-tumourigenicity. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res 2022; 35:252-267. [PMID: 34826184 DOI: 10.1111/pcmr.13023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Microscopic ulceration is an independent predictor of melanoma death. Here, we used systems biology to query the role of host and tumour-specific processes in defining the phenotype. Albumin level as a measure of systemic inflammation was predictive of fewer tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes and poorer survival in the Leeds Melanoma Cohort. Ulcerated melanomas were thicker and more mitotically active (with corresponding transcriptomic upregulated cell cycle pathways). Sequencing identified tumoural p53 and APC mutations, and TUBB2B amplification as associated with the phenotype. Ulcerated tumours had perturbed expression of cytokine genes, consistent with protumourigenic inflammation and histological and transcriptomic evidence for reduced adaptive immune cell infiltration. Pathway/network analysis of multiomic data using neural networks highlighted a role for the β-catenin pathway in the ulceration, linking genomic changes in the tumour to immunosuppression and cell proliferation. In summary, the data suggest that ulceration is in part associated with genomic changes but that host factors also predict melanoma death with evidence of reduced immune responses to the tumour.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Davies
- Leeds Institute of Data Analytics, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Sathya Muralidhar
- Division of Molecular Pathology, The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, UK
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | | | - Mark Harland
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Sally O'Shea
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Dermatology Department, South Infirmary-Victoria University Hospital Cork and University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Joey Diaz
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Christy Walker
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Jérémie Nsengimana
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Population Health Sciences Institute, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Jon Laye
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Tracey Mell
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - May Chan
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Lizzie Appleton
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging, Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - Sofia Birkeälv
- Experimental Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK
| | - David J Adams
- Experimental Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK
| | - Graham P Cook
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Graham Ball
- School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK
| | - David T Bishop
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
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4
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Kato S, Weng QY, Insco ML, Chen KY, Muralidhar S, Pozniak J, Diaz JMS, Drier Y, Nguyen N, Lo JA, van Rooijen E, Kemeny LV, Zhan Y, Feng Y, Silkworth W, Powell CT, Liau BB, Xiong Y, Jin J, Newton-Bishop J, Zon LI, Bernstein BE, Fisher DE. Gain-of-Function Genetic Alterations of G9a Drive Oncogenesis. Cancer Discov 2020; 10:980-997. [PMID: 32269030 PMCID: PMC7334057 DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-19-0532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2019] [Revised: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 04/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Epigenetic regulators, when genomically altered, may become driver oncogenes that mediate otherwise unexplained pro-oncogenic changes lacking a clear genetic stimulus, such as activation of the WNT/β-catenin pathway in melanoma. This study identifies previously unrecognized recurrent activating mutations in the G9a histone methyltransferase gene, as well as G9a genomic copy gains in approximately 26% of human melanomas, which collectively drive tumor growth and an immunologically sterile microenvironment beyond melanoma. Furthermore, the WNT pathway is identified as a key tumorigenic target of G9a gain-of-function, via suppression of the WNT antagonist DKK1. Importantly, genetic or pharmacologic suppression of mutated or amplified G9a using multiple in vitro and in vivo models demonstrates that G9a is a druggable target for therapeutic intervention in melanoma and other cancers harboring G9a genomic aberrations. SIGNIFICANCE: Oncogenic G9a abnormalities drive tumorigenesis and the "cold" immune microenvironment by activating WNT signaling through DKK1 repression. These results reveal a key druggable mechanism for tumor development and identify strategies to restore "hot" tumor immune microenvironments.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 890.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shinichiro Kato
- Cutaneous Biology Research Center, Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts
| | - Qing Yu Weng
- Cutaneous Biology Research Center, Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts
| | - Megan L Insco
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Kevin Y Chen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Sathya Muralidhar
- Institute of Medical Research at St James's, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Joanna Pozniak
- Institute of Medical Research at St James's, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Joey Mark S Diaz
- Institute of Medical Research at St James's, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Yotam Drier
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Nhu Nguyen
- Cutaneous Biology Research Center, Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts
| | - Jennifer A Lo
- Cutaneous Biology Research Center, Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts
| | - Ellen van Rooijen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Lajos V Kemeny
- Cutaneous Biology Research Center, Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts
| | - Yao Zhan
- Cutaneous Biology Research Center, Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts
| | - Yang Feng
- Cutaneous Biology Research Center, Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts
| | - Whitney Silkworth
- Cutaneous Biology Research Center, Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts
| | - C Thomas Powell
- Cutaneous Biology Research Center, Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts
| | - Brian B Liau
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Yan Xiong
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Jian Jin
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Julia Newton-Bishop
- Institute of Medical Research at St James's, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Leonard I Zon
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Bradley E Bernstein
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - David E Fisher
- Cutaneous Biology Research Center, Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts.
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5
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Thakur R, Laye JP, Lauss M, Diaz JMS, O'Shea SJ, Poźniak J, Filia A, Harland M, Gascoyne J, Randerson-Moor JA, Chan M, Mell T, Jönsson G, Bishop DT, Newton-Bishop J, Barrett JH, Nsengimana J. Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Prognostic Molecular Signatures of Stage I Melanoma. Clin Cancer Res 2019; 25:7424-7435. [PMID: 31515461 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-18-3659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2018] [Revised: 02/04/2019] [Accepted: 08/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Previously identified transcriptomic signatures have been based on primary and metastatic melanomas with relatively few American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage I tumors, given difficulties in sampling small tumors. The advent of adjuvant therapies has highlighted the need for better prognostic and predictive biomarkers, especially for AJCC stage I and stage II disease. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN A total of 687 primary melanoma transcriptomes were generated from the Leeds Melanoma Cohort (LMC). The prognostic value of existing signatures across all the AJCC stages was tested. Unsupervised clustering was performed, and the prognostic value of the resultant signature was compared with that of sentinel node biopsy (SNB) and tested as a biomarker in three published immunotherapy datasets. RESULTS Previous Lund and The Cancer Genome Atlas signatures predicted outcome in the LMC dataset (P = 10-8 to 10-4) but showed a significant interaction with AJCC stage (P = 0.04) and did not predict outcome in stage I tumors (P = 0.3-0.7). Consensus-based classification of the LMC dataset identified six classes that predicted outcome, notably in stage I disease. LMC class was a similar indicator of prognosis when compared with SNB, and it added prognostic value to the genes reported by Gerami and colleagues. One particular LMC class consistently predicted poor outcome in patients receiving immunotherapy in two of three tested datasets. Biological characterization of this class revealed high JUN and AXL expression and evidence of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. CONCLUSIONS A transcriptomic signature of primary melanoma was identified with prognostic value, including in stage I melanoma and in patients undergoing immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rohit Thakur
- University of Leeds School of Medicine, Leeds, United Kingdom
- Department of Surgical Oncology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Jonathan P Laye
- University of Leeds School of Medicine, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Martin Lauss
- Division of Oncology and Pathology, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | | | - Sally Jane O'Shea
- Mater Private Hospital Cork, Mahon, Cork, Ireland
- School of Medicine, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Joanna Poźniak
- University of Leeds School of Medicine, Leeds, United Kingdom
- Laboratory for Molecular Cancer Biology, VIB Center for Cancer Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Anastasia Filia
- Centre for Translational Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens (BRFAA), Athens, Greece
| | - Mark Harland
- University of Leeds School of Medicine, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Joanne Gascoyne
- University of Leeds School of Medicine, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | | | - May Chan
- University of Leeds School of Medicine, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Tracey Mell
- University of Leeds School of Medicine, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Göran Jönsson
- Division of Oncology and Pathology, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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6
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Muralidhar S, Filia A, Nsengimana J, Poźniak J, O'Shea SJ, Diaz JM, Harland M, Randerson-Moor JA, Reichrath J, Laye JP, van der Weyden L, Adams DJ, Bishop DT, Newton-Bishop J. Vitamin D-VDR Signaling Inhibits Wnt/β-Catenin-Mediated Melanoma Progression and Promotes Antitumor Immunity. Cancer Res 2019; 79:5986-5998. [PMID: 31690667 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-18-3927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2018] [Revised: 02/12/2019] [Accepted: 10/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
1α,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 signals via the vitamin D receptor (VDR). Higher serum vitamin D is associated with thinner primary melanoma and better outcome, although a causal mechanism has not been established. As patients with melanoma commonly avoid sun exposure, and consequent vitamin D deficiency might worsen outcomes, we interrogated 703 primary melanoma transcriptomes to understand the role of vitamin D-VDR signaling and replicated the findings in The Cancer Genome Atlas metastases. VDR expression was independently protective for melanoma-related death in both primary and metastatic disease. High tumor VDR expression was associated with upregulation of pathways mediating antitumor immunity and corresponding with higher imputed immune cell scores and histologically detected tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. High VDR-expressing tumors had downregulation of proliferative pathways, notably Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Deleterious low VDR levels resulted from promoter methylation and gene deletion in metastases. Vitamin D deficiency (<25 nmol/L ∼ 10 ng/mL) shortened survival in primary melanoma in a VDR-dependent manner. In vitro functional validation studies showed that elevated vitamin D-VDR signaling inhibited Wnt/β-catenin signaling genes. Murine melanoma cells overexpressing VDR produced fewer pulmonary metastases than controls in tail-vein metastasis assays. In summary, vitamin D-VDR signaling contributes to controlling pro-proliferative/immunosuppressive Wnt/β-catenin signaling in melanoma and this is associated with less metastatic disease and stronger host immune responses. This is evidence of a causal relationship between vitamin D-VDR signaling and melanoma survival, which should be explored as a therapeutic target in primary resistance to checkpoint blockade. SIGNIFICANCE: VDR expression could potentially be used as a biomarker to stratify patients with melanoma that may respond better to immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sathya Muralidhar
- University of Leeds School of Medicine, Leeds, United Kingdom
- Division of Molecular Pathology, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Anastasia Filia
- Centre for Translational Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | | | - Joanna Poźniak
- University of Leeds School of Medicine, Leeds, United Kingdom
- Laboratory for Molecular Cancer Biology, VIB Center for Cancer Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sally J O'Shea
- University of Leeds School of Medicine, Leeds, United Kingdom
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- Mater Private Hospital Cork, Citygate, Mahon, Cork, Ireland
| | - Joey M Diaz
- University of Leeds School of Medicine, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Mark Harland
- University of Leeds School of Medicine, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | | | - Jörg Reichrath
- Center for Clinical and Experimental Photodermatology, The Saarland University Hospital, Homburg, Germany
| | - Jonathan P Laye
- University of Leeds School of Medicine, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Louise van der Weyden
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - David J Adams
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - D T Bishop
- University of Leeds School of Medicine, Leeds, United Kingdom
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