DICER1 platform domain missense variants inhibit miRNA biogenesis and lead to tumor susceptibility

DICER1 in pediatric and adult cancer predisposition populations: Prevalence, phenotypes, and mosaicism

PURPOSE

DICER1 tumor predisposition syndrome (DTPS) is a hereditary condition affecting children and young adults. Identification of DICER1 carriers is key for prevention and actionability in families. However, DTPS diagnosis is hindered by its incomplete penetrance and broad phenotypic spectrum.

METHODS

We performed an analysis of DICER1 sequencing data from 92 children and 6108 adults with suspected cancer predisposition syndrome. Clinical and DICER1 somatic data from selected carriers and public data sets were studied.

RESULTS

The prevalence of germline DICER1 pathogenic variants was 1:30 in children and 1:3054 in adults. No adult referral phenotype was a known DTPS-associated tumor, although 3 of 5 carriers developed thyroid alterations. We provide functional evidence supporting the pathogenicity of a novel in-frame deletion. A 56-year-old woman with ovarian carcinoma and toxic diffuse thyroid hyperplasia was found to have a postzygotic hotspot missense variant.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of DICER1 pathogenic variants in cancer predisposition populations was 5 to 6 times that reported in the general population. Pediatric-onset DTPS is well characterized, whereas adult carriers mainly present with thyroid abnormalities in the absence of DICER1-related family history, thus requiring accurate criteria for its identification when in constellation with other tumor types. Postzygotic hotspot missense variants may exist without the expected severe phenotype.

Extraskeletal chondroma of the toe in a child with DICER1 tumor predisposition syndrome: support for a dominant negative mechanism

DICER1 tumor predisposition syndrome is a pleiotropic disorder that gives rise to various mainly pediatric-onset lesions. We report an extraskeletal chondroma (EC) of the great toe occurring in a child who, unusually, carries a germline "hotspot" missense DICER1 variant rather than the more usual loss-of-function (LOF) variant. No heterozygous LOF allele was identified in the EC. We demonstrate this variant impairs 5p cleavage of precursor-miRNA (pre-miRNA) and competes with wild-type (WT) DICER1 protein for pre-miRNA processing. These results suggest a mechanism through which a germline RNase IIIb variant could impair pre-miRNA processing without complete LOF of the WT DICER1 allele.