Enriched tumor epithelium, tumor-associated stroma, and whole tissue were collected by laser microdissection from thin sections across spatially separated levels of ten high-grade serous ovarian carcinomas (HGSOCs) and analyzed by mass spectrometry, reverse phase protein arrays, and RNA sequencing. Unsupervised analyses of protein abundance data revealed independent clustering of an enriched stroma and enriched tumor epithelium, with whole tumor tissue clustering driven by overall tumor “purity.” Comparing these data to previously defined prognostic HGSOC molecular subtypes revealed protein and transcript expression from tumor epithelium correlated with the differentiated subtype, whereas stromal proteins (and transcripts) correlated with the mesenchymal subtype. Protein and transcript abundance in the tumor epithelium and stroma exhibited decreased correlation in samples collected just hundreds of microns apart. These data reveal substantial tumor microenvironment protein heterogeneity that directly bears on prognostic signatures, biomarker discovery, and cancer pathophysiology and underscore the need to enrich cellular subpopulations for expression profiling. (Companion proteomic data is available in the ProteomeXchange Consortium, PRIDE: PXD026570).
EORTC-SPECTA RP1759 study focuses on cancers in adolescent and young adult (AYA), age 12 to 29 years. This study explicitly recruited AYA patients and therefore collected empirical data to bridge the molecular gap between pediatric and adult oncology. The initial pilot study, activated in February 2019 across Europe, aimed to recruit 100 AYA patients (aged 12-29 years) with newly diagnosed or relapsed high-grade gliomas and high-grade bone and soft tissue sarcomas. The primary objective of the pilot is to determine feasibility and recruitment rates. Here we submit the data from patients with newly diagnosed, recurrent intermediate or high-grade sarcoma that were collected and analyzed during the study. More specifically, we submit raw FASTQ files obtained from whole exome sequencing (WES) of matching tumor and blood samples, tumor RNA sequencing and DNA methylation profiling.
When locally advanced breast cancer is treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the recurrence risk is significantly higher if no complete pathologic response is achieved. Identification of the underlying resistance mechanisms is essential to select treatments with maximal efficacy and minimal toxicity. Here we employed gene expression profiles derived from 317 HER2-negative treatment-naïve breast cancer biopsies of patients who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy, deep whole exome and RNA-sequencing profiles of 22 matched pre- and post-treatment tumors, and treatment outcome data to identify biomarkers of response and resistance mechanisms. Molecular profiling of treatment-naïve breast cancer samples revealed that expression levels of proliferation, immune response and extracellular matrix (ECM) organization combined predict response to chemotherapy. Triple negative patients with high proliferation, high immune response and low ECM expression had a significantly better treatment response and survival benefit (HR 0.29, 95% CI 0.10-0.85; p=0.02), while in ER+ patients the opposite was seen (HR 4.73, 95% CI 1.51-14.8; 0=0.008). The characterization of paired pre-and post-treatment samples revealed that aberrations of known cancer genes were either only present in the pre-treatment sample (CDKN1B) or in the post-treatment sample(TP53, APC, CTNNB1). Proliferation-associated genes were frequently down-regulated in post-treatment ER+ tumors, but not in triple negative tumors. Genes involved in ECM were upregulated in the majority of post-chemotherapy samples. Genomic and transcriptomic differences between pre- and post-chemotherapy samples are common and may reveal potential mechanisms of therapy resistance. Our results show a wide range of distinct, but related mechanisms, with a prominent role for proliferation- and ECM-related genes.
Purpose: Despite extensive genomic and transcriptomic profiling, it remains unknown how signaling pathways are differentially activated and how tumors are differentially sensitized to certain perturbations. Here, we aim to characterize AKT signaling activity and its association with other genomic or immunohistochemistry-based PI3K/AKT pathway biomarkers as well as the clinical activity of ipatasertib (AKT inhibitor) in the FAIRLANE trial. Experimental Design: In FAIRLANE, 151 patients with early triple-negative breast cancer were randomized 1:1 to receive paclitaxel with ipatasertib or placebo for 12 weeks prior to surgery. Adding ipatasertib did not increase pathologic complete response rate and numerically improved overall response rate by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We used reverse-phase protein microarrays (RPPA) to examine the total level and/or phosphorylation states of over 100 proteins in various signaling or cell processes including PI3K/AKT and mTOR signaling. 125 baseline and 127 on-treatment samples were evaluable by RPPA, with 110 paired samples at both time points. Results: Tumors with genomic/protein alterations in PIK3CA/AKT1/PTEN were associated with higher levels of AKT phosphorylation. In addition, phosphorylated(p)AKT levels exhibited a significant association with enriched clinical benefit of ipatasertib, and identified patients who received benefit in the absence of PIK3CA/AKT1/PTEN alterations. Ipatasertib treatment led to a down-regulation of AKT/mTORC1 signaling, which was more pronounced among the tumors with PIK3CA/AKT1/PTEN alterations or among the responders to the treatment. Conclusions: We showed that the high baseline pAKT levels are associated with the alterations of PI3K/AKT pathway components and enriched benefit of ipatasertib in TNBC.
The overall goal of this study is to uncover contributors to inherited cancer through analysis of individuals and families with, or at risk of, a hereditary cancer syndrome. In addition, we hope to elucidate novel mechanisms of tumourigenesis in hereditary cancer patients. This specific report highlights a rare case of VHL mosaicism and shows the value of tissue testing in VHL variant negative cases.
To elucidate the timing and mechanism of the clonal expansion of somatic mutations in cancer-associated genes in the normal endometrium, we conducted target sequencing of 112 genes for 1,298 endometrial glands and matched blood samples from 36 women. By collecting endometrial glands from different parts of the endometrium, we showed that multiple glands with the same somatic mutations occupied substantial areas of the endometrium. The 112 genes are as follows: ABCC1, ACRC, ANK3, ARHGAP35, ARID1A, ARID5B, ATCAY, ATM, ATR, BARD1, BCOR, BRCA1, BRCA2, BRD4, BRIP1, CAMTA1, CDC23, CDYL, CFAP54, CHD4, CHEK1, CHEK2, CTCF, CTNNB1, CUX1, DGKA, DISP2, DYNC2H1, EMSY, FAAP24, FAM135B, FAM175A, FAM65C, FANCA, FANCB, FANCC, FANCD2, FANCE, FANCF, FANCG, FANCI, FANCL, FANCM, FAT1, FAT3, FBN2, FBXW7, FGFR2, FRG1, GPR50, HEATR1, HIST1H4B, HNRNPCL1, HOOK3, KIAA1109, KIF26A, KMT2B, KMT2C, KRAS, LAMA2, LRP1B, MLH1, MON2, MRE11A, MSH2, MSH6, MTOR, NBN, PALB2, PHEX, PIK3CA, PIK3R1, PLXNB2, PLXND1, PMS2, POLE, POLR3B, PPP2R1A, PTEN, PTPN13, RAD50, RAD51, RAD51B, RAD51C, RAD51D, RAD52, RAD54B, RAD54L, RICTOR, SACS, SIGLEC9, SLC19A1, SLX4, SPEG, STT3A, TAF1, TAF2, TAS2R31, TFAP2C, TNC, TONSL, TP53, TTC6, UBA7, VNN1, WT1, XIRP2, ZBED6, ZC3H13, ZFHX3, ZFHX4, ZMYM4.
Genomic determination for Homologous Recombination Deficiency (HRD) by shallow Whole Genome Sequencing (sWGS) with shallowHRD (PMID : 32315385) on 55 triple-negative breast cancer Patient Derived-Xenograft (PDX) treated with platinum.
The gut microbiome is a key player in the immunomodulatory and pro-tumorigenic microenvironment in colorectal cancer (CRC). It is well established that Fusobacterium’s virulence factors are responsible for its pro-tumorigenic properties, however the role of its metabolic cross-talk with the tumor remains unexplored. Here we use in vitro, in vivo, and in silico methods to describe a novel microbe-host interaction keystone: formate. Omics data reveals molecular signatures, linking a metabolically driven CRC phenotype with Fusobacteria. We observed a metabolic shift towards increased F. nucleatum formate secretion in gut-on-chip model co-cultures with patient-derived CRC cells, along with an accelerated cancer glutamine metabolism. We show that high formate levels trigger AhR signaling, increase cancer stemness and cellular invasion. Finally, we observed an expansion of Th17 cells accompanying F. nucleatum-induced tumorigenesis. Moving beyond observational studies, we applied new experimental approaches for gaining ecosystem-level mechanistic understanding of F. nucleatum’s role in cancer pathogenesis.
Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) is a hereditary cancer predisposition syndrome associated with germline TP53 mutations. We performed whole-genome sequence (WGS) analysis of tumors from 22 TP53 mutation carriers. We observed somatic mutations affecting Wnt, PI3K/AKT signaling, epigenetic modifiers and homologous recombination genes as well as mutational signatures associated with prior chemotherapy. We identified near-ubiquitous early loss of heterozygosity of TP53, with gain of the mutant allele. This occurred earlier in these tumors compared to tumors with somatic TP53 mutations, suggesting the timing of this mark may distinguish germline from somatic TP53 mutations. Phylogenetic trees of tumor evolution, reconstructed from bulk and multi-region WGS, revealed that LFS tumors exhibit comparatively limited heterogeneity. Overall, our study delineates early copy number gains of mutant TP53 as a characteristic mutational process in LFS tumorigenesis, likely arising very early in life or in utero.years prior to tumor diagnosis.
The goal of this study was to identify immune correlates of clinical protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Specific BRCA and immune configurations determine optimal response to platinum-based chemotherapy in triple negative breast and ovarian carcinomas (PDX_WGS)
To determine the trascriptional profiles of Triple Negative Breast Cancers (COH cohort)
We report herein an extensive exploratory biomarker analysis of refractory tumors taken from pediatric patients prior to receiving atezolizumab monotherapy in the phase 1-2 iMATRIX-atezolizumab trial (NCT02541604). A high percentage of CD8+ T cells and elevated protein levels of programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) were associated with progression-free survival (PFS). T-cell receptor (TCR) sequencing revealed that diverse infiltrating TCR repertoire at baseline was prognostic. We found no associations between panel-based tumor mutation burden (TMB) or specific genetic aberrations with PFS in this study. Through a pan-cancer gene co-expression network analysis, we developed a novel tumor-agnostic Pediatric Cytotoxicity and Antigen Presentation (PedCAP) signature that was associated with improved PFS in the iMATRIX-atezo study. Our study highlights features of immune response in pediatric cancers when treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors and provides a multi-biomarker pediatric immunogram framework to guide prospective clinical trials in pediatric cancers.
Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is a common and aggressive subtype of renal cancer. Here we conduct a comprehensive proteogenomic analysis of 232 tumor and adjacent non-tumor tissue pairs from Chinese ccRCC patients. By comparing with tumor adjacent tissues, we find that ccRCC shows extensive metabolic dysregulation and an enhanced immune response. Molecular subtyping classifies ccRCC tumors into three subtypes (GP1–3), among which the most aggressive GP1 exhibits the strongest immune phenotype, increased metastasis, and metabolic imbalance, linking the multi-omics-derived phenotypes to clinical outcomes of ccRCC. Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT), a one-carbon 38 metabolic enzyme, is identified as a potential marker of ccRCC and a drug target for GP1. We demonstrate that NNMT induces DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) homocysteinylation, increases DNA repair, and promotes ccRCC tumor growth. This study provides insights into the biological underpinnings and prognosis assessment of ccRCC, revealing targetable metabolic vulnerabilities.
