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Grandt CL, Brackmann LK, Foraita R, Schwarz H, Hummel-Bartenschlager W, Hankeln T, Kraemer C, Zahnreich S, Drees P, Mirsch J, Spix C, Blettner M, Schmidberger H, Binder H, Hess M, Galetzka D, Marini F, Poplawski A, Marron M. Gene expression variability in long-term survivors of childhood cancer and cancer-free controls in response to ionizing irradiation. Mol Med 2023; 29:41. [PMID: 36997855 PMCID: PMC10061869 DOI: 10.1186/s10020-023-00629-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Differential expression analysis is usually adjusted for variation. However, most studies that examined the expression variability (EV) have used computations affected by low expression levels and did not examine healthy tissue. This study aims to calculate and characterize an unbiased EV in primary fibroblasts of childhood cancer survivors and cancer-free controls (N0) in response to ionizing radiation. METHODS Human skin fibroblasts of 52 donors with a first primary neoplasm in childhood (N1), 52 donors with at least one second primary neoplasm (N2 +), as well as 52 N0 were obtained from the KiKme case-control study and exposed to a high (2 Gray) and a low dose (0.05 Gray) of X-rays and sham- irradiation (0 Gray). Genes were then classified as hypo-, non-, or hyper-variable per donor group and radiation treatment, and then examined for over-represented functional signatures. RESULTS We found 22 genes with considerable EV differences between donor groups, of which 11 genes were associated with response to ionizing radiation, stress, and DNA repair. The largest number of genes exclusive to one donor group and variability classification combination were all detected in N0: hypo-variable genes after 0 Gray (n = 49), 0.05 Gray (n = 41), and 2 Gray (n = 38), as well as hyper-variable genes after any dose (n = 43). While after 2 Gray positive regulation of cell cycle was hypo-variable in N0, (regulation of) fibroblast proliferation was over-represented in hyper-variable genes of N1 and N2+. In N2+, 30 genes were uniquely classified as hyper-variable after the low dose and were associated with the ERK1/ERK2 cascade. For N1, no exclusive gene sets with functions related to the radiation response were detected in our data. CONCLUSION N2+ showed high degrees of variability in pathways for the cell fate decision after genotoxic insults that may lead to the transfer and multiplication of DNA-damage via proliferation, where apoptosis and removal of the damaged genome would have been appropriate. Such a deficiency could potentially lead to a higher vulnerability towards side effects of exposure to high doses of ionizing radiation, but following low-dose applications employed in diagnostics, as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caine Lucas Grandt
- Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology-BIPS, Achterstr. 30, 28359, Bremen, Germany.
- Faculty of Human and Health Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany.
| | - Lara Kim Brackmann
- Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology-BIPS, Achterstr. 30, 28359, Bremen, Germany
| | - Ronja Foraita
- Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology-BIPS, Achterstr. 30, 28359, Bremen, Germany
| | - Heike Schwarz
- Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology-BIPS, Achterstr. 30, 28359, Bremen, Germany
| | | | - Thomas Hankeln
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Molecular Genetics and Genome Analysis, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Christiane Kraemer
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Molecular Genetics and Genome Analysis, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Sebastian Zahnreich
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Radiation Therapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Philipp Drees
- Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Johanna Mirsch
- Radiation Biology and DNA Repair, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Claudia Spix
- Division of Childhood Cancer Epidemiology, German Childhood Cancer Registry, Institute of Medical Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics (IMBEI), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Maria Blettner
- Institute of Medical Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics (IMBEI), Center of the Johannes, University Medical, Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Heinz Schmidberger
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Radiation Therapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Harald Binder
- Institute of Medical Biometry and Statistics, University Medical Center, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Moritz Hess
- Institute of Medical Biometry and Statistics, University Medical Center, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Danuta Galetzka
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Radiation Therapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Federico Marini
- Institute of Medical Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics (IMBEI), Center of the Johannes, University Medical, Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Alicia Poplawski
- Institute of Medical Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics (IMBEI), Center of the Johannes, University Medical, Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Manuela Marron
- Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology-BIPS, Achterstr. 30, 28359, Bremen, Germany
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Grandt CL, Brackmann LK, Poplawski A, Schwarz H, Marini F, Hankeln T, Galetzka D, Zahnreich S, Mirsch J, Spix C, Blettner M, Schmidberger H, Marron M. Identification of lncRNAs involved in response to ionizing radiation in fibroblasts of long-term survivors of childhood cancer and cancer-free controls. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1158176. [PMID: 37182169 PMCID: PMC10174438 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1158176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Long non-coding ribonucleic acids (lncRNAs) are involved in the cellular damage response following exposure to ionizing radiation as applied in radiotherapy. However, the role of lncRNAs in radiation response concerning intrinsic susceptibility to late effects of radiation exposure has not been examined in general or in long-term survivors of childhood cancer with and without potentially radiotherapy-related second primary cancers, in particular. Methods Primary skin fibroblasts (n=52 each) of long-term childhood cancer survivors with a first primary cancer only (N1), at least one second primary neoplasm (N2+), as well as tumor-free controls (N0) from the KiKme case-control study were matched by sex, age, and additionally by year of diagnosis and entity of the first primary cancer. Fibroblasts were exposed to 0.05 and 2 Gray (Gy) X-rays. Differentially expressed lncRNAs were identified with and without interaction terms for donor group and dose. Weighted co-expression networks of lncRNA and mRNA were constructed using WGCNA. Resulting gene sets (modules) were correlated to the radiation doses and analyzed for biological function. Results After irradiation with 0.05Gy, few lncRNAs were differentially expressed (N0: AC004801.4; N1: PCCA-DT, AF129075.3, LINC00691, AL158206.1; N2+: LINC02315). In reaction to 2 Gy, the number of differentially expressed lncRNAs was higher (N0: 152, N1: 169, N2+: 146). After 2 Gy, AL109976.1 and AL158206.1 were prominently upregulated in all donor groups. The co-expression analysis identified two modules containing lncRNAs that were associated with 2 Gy (module1: 102 mRNAs and 4 lncRNAs: AL158206.1, AL109976.1, AC092171.5, TYMSOS, associated with p53-mediated reaction to DNA damage; module2: 390 mRNAs, 7 lncRNAs: AC004943.2, AC012073.1, AC026401.3, AC092718.4, MIR31HG, STXBP5-AS1, TMPO-AS1, associated with cell cycle regulation). Discussion For the first time, we identified the lncRNAs AL158206.1 and AL109976.1 as involved in the radiation response in primary fibroblasts by differential expression analysis. The co-expression analysis revealed a role of these lncRNAs in the DNA damage response and cell cycle regulation post-IR. These transcripts may be targets in cancer therapy against radiosensitivity, as well as provide grounds for the identification of at-risk patients for immediate adverse reactions in healthy tissues. With this work we deliver a broad basis and new leads for the examination of lncRNAs in the radiation response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caine Lucas Grandt
- Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology – BIPS, Bremen, Germany
- Faculty of Human and Health Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
- *Correspondence: Caine Lucas Grandt,
| | - Lara Kim Brackmann
- Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology – BIPS, Bremen, Germany
| | - Alicia Poplawski
- Institute of Medical Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics (IMBEI), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Heike Schwarz
- Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology – BIPS, Bremen, Germany
| | - Federico Marini
- Institute of Medical Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics (IMBEI), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Thomas Hankeln
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Molecular Genetics and Genome Analysis, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Danuta Galetzka
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Radiation Therapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Sebastian Zahnreich
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Radiation Therapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Johanna Mirsch
- Radiation Biology and DNA Repair, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Claudia Spix
- Division of Childhood Cancer Epidemiology, German Childhood Cancer Registry, Institute of Medical Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics (IMBEI), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Maria Blettner
- Institute of Medical Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics (IMBEI), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Heinz Schmidberger
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Radiation Therapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Manuela Marron
- Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology – BIPS, Bremen, Germany
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