5624 results for "canc*"

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• Exome-wide somatic mutation characterization of small bowel adenocarcinoma

  Small intestinal adenocarcinoma (SIA) is a rare and aggressive form of cancer with limited treatment options. To further characterize the somatic mutation landscape of this tumor type, exome sequencing was conducted on a population-based set of SIA samples from all three parts of the small intestine. Archival tissue from 106 tumors with comprehensive clinical patient information entered exome sequencing from a patient series consisting of SIA cases diagnosed in Finland between the years 2003-2011. Paired-end exome sequencing was performed using Illumina HiSeq 4000, and OncodriveFML was used to identify significantly mutated genes from the exome data. Also mutational signature and pathway enrichment analyses were performed.

  Study EGAS00001002559

• Evolution and clinical impact of genetic epistasis within EGFR-mutant lung cancers

  The current understanding of tumorigenesis is largely centered on a monogenic driver oncogene model. This paradigm is incompatible with the prevailing clinical experience in most solid malignancies: monotherapy with a drug directed against an individual oncogenic driver typically results in incomplete clinical responses and eventual tumor progression1-7. By profiling the somatic genetic alterations present in over 2,000 cases of lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide, we show that combinations of functional genetic alterations, i.e. genetic collectives dominate the landscape of advanced-stage disease. We highlight this polygenic landscape and evolution of advanced-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) through the spatial-temporal genomic profiling of 7 distinct tumor biopsy specimens and 6 plasma specimens obtained from an EGFR-mutant NSCLC patient at (1) initial diagnosis of early-stage disease, (2) metastatic progression, (3) sequential treatment and resistance to 2 EGFR inhibitors, (4) death. The comprehensive genomic analysis of this case, coupled with circulating free (cf) tumor DNA profiling of additional advanced-stage EGFR-mutant NSCLC clinical cohorts with associated treatment responses uncovered features of evolutionary selection for multiple concurrent gene alterations: including the presence of EGFR inhibitor-sensitive (EGFRL858R;EGFRexon19del) or inhibitor-resistant (EGFRT790M;EGFRC797S) forms of oncogenic EGFR along with cell cycle gene alterations (e.g. in CDK4/6, CCNE1, RB1) and activating alterations in WNT/β-catenin and PI3K pathway genes, which our data suggest can cooperatively impart non-redundant functions to limit EGFR targeted therapy response and/or promote tumor progression. Moreover, evidence of an unanticipated parallel evolution of both EGFR T790M and two distinct forms of oncogenic PIK3CA was observed. Our study provides a large-scale clinical and genetic dataset of advanced-stage EGFR-mutant NSCLC, a rationale for specific polytherapy strategies such as EGFR and CDK4/6 inhibitor co-treatment to potentially enhance clinical outcomes, and prompts a re-evaluation of the prevailing paradigm of monogenic-based molecular stratification for targeted therapy. Instead, our findings highlight an alternative model of genetic collectives that operate through epistasis to drive lung cancer progression and therapy resistance.

  Study EGAS00001002604

• The genomic landscape of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma from immunosuppressed and immunocompetent patients reveals common drivers and a novel mutational signature associated with chronic azathioprine exposure

  Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) has a high tumour mutational burden (50 mutations per megabase DNA pair). Combining whole exome analyses from 40 primary cSCC tumours, comprising 20 well differentiated and 20 moderately/poorly differentiated tumours, with accompanying clinical data from a longitudinal study of immunosuppressed and immunocompetent patients, coupled with integration of independent gene expression studies has allowed the identification of commonly mutated genes and altered pathways and processes. Mutational signature analysis revealed the presence of a novel signature (signature 32), which was found exclusively in the tumours from immunosuppressed patients who had been exposed to azathioprine. Characterisation of a panel of 15 keratinocyte cancer cell lines derived from tumours from immunocompetent and immunosuppressed patients reveals that they accurately reflect the mutational signatures and genomic alterations of primary tumours and provide a resource for the validation of tumour drivers and therapeutic targets.

  Study EGAS00001002612

• Whole-exome sequencing of ovarian clear cell carcinoma in clinical outliers

  Whole-exome sequencing dataset for the Australian Ovarian Cancer Study (AOCS) and The Jikei University School of Medicine (JIKEI) ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC) clinical outliers project, representing 10 donors. Although OCCC are commonly resistant to platinum based chemotherapy, good clinical outcomes are observed in a subset of patients. Exome sequencing was performed in 10 patients who had either unusually long survival (N=5) or had a very short time to progression (N=5).

  Study EGAS00001004248

• Genome-wide search for higher order epistasis as modifiers of treatment effects on bone mineral density in childhood cancer survivors

  Survivors of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) exposed to curative treatments that adversely affect BMD (age- and sex-adjusted BMD Z-scores, measured via QCT). Specifically, after SNP QC and annotation, we considered 75523 autosomal SNPs mapped to putative promoter or enhancer regions to restrict our search to 3-way SNP interactions that potentially reflect gene regulation events that influence BMD. We replicated 3-SNP interactions as modifiers of treatment effects in a cohort of adult survivors of non-ALL pediatric cancers (N=1428).

  Study EGAS00001002645

• We performed whole-exome sequencing of 20 samples (10 actinic keratosis and 10 cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma) to investigate a potential relationship between DNA methylation-based subtypes and genetic mutation patterns (Rodriguez-Paredes et al., Nat Commun 2017)

  Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is the second most common skin cancer type and arises from keratinocytes. Most cSCC progress from a UV-induced precancerous lesion termed actinic keratosis (AK). Despite various efforts to characterize these lesions molecularly, the etiology of AK and its progression to cSCC remain only partially understood. Here we have used Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChips to interrogate the DNA methylation status of about 850.000 CpGs in epidermal preparations from healthy skin, AK and cSCC. Importantly, we found that the premalignant AK samples displayed classical features of cancer methylomes and were highly similar to cSCC methylomes. Further analysis identified typical features of stem cell methylomes, such as a reduced DNA methylation age, non-CpG methylation and stem cell-related keratin and enhancer methylation patterns. Interestingly, this signature was detected only in one half of the AK and cSCC samples, while the other half showed keratin and enhancer methylation patterns that were more closely related to the control epidermis. These findings suggest the existence of two distinct subclasses of AK and cSCC that originate from distinct keratinocyte differentiation stages.

  Study EGAS00001002670

• MicroRNA expression in malignant and benign breast tissue – the Norwegian Women and Cancer study

  The Norwegian Women and Cancer study (NOWAC) is a prospective study which started in 1991 and includes 172 000 Norwegian women aged 30-70 years. The study is based on questionnaires with information on variables of importance to breast cancer risk. Later, about 49 500 samples of peripheral blood have been collected (the NOWAC postgenome cohort). Participants in the NOWAC postgenome cohort with a diagnosis of breast cancer have been identified, and breast cancer cases in Northern Norway diagnosed in 2004-2008 were included in this pilot study. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumor tissue was retrieved from the pathology labs, tissue cores were collected and RNA extracted. As normal controls, FFPE tissue from benign breast specimens (breast reductions) was included in the study. Microarray analyses of microRNA expression were perfomed by Exiqon using the 7th generation miRCURY LNA microRNA microarray system.od- to be deleted

  Study EGAS00001002671

• WGS of breast cancer diagnosed during pregnancy and matched control

  The aim of this study was to compare the mutational landscape of breast cancer diagnosed during pregnancy (BCP) and breast cancer from age/stage non-pregnant patients (controls). We present whole genome sequencing data (Illumina HiSeq X ten platform) of tumor and matched normal tissues from 35 BCP patients and 20 controls. This work provides important novel biological insights and a unique resource to study the biology of breast cancer in young women and how pregnancy could modulate tumor biology.

  Study EGAS00001002685

• Gut microbiome modulates response to anti PD1 immunotherapy in metastatic melanoma patients

  There is a growing appreciation of the role of the microbiome in cancer, and evidence in pre-clinical models that the gut microbiome may modulate responses to immune checkpoint blockade though this has not been well-characterized in patients. We analyzed the oral (n=86)and gut (n=43) 16S microbiome in melanoma patients on PD-1 blockade. Significant differences were noted in the diversity and composition of the gut microbiome between responders and non-responders in patients with a fecal microbiome sample, with significantly higher alpha diversity and relative abundance of Ruminococcaceae bacteria) in R. Metagenomic studies (n=25) revealed functional differences in gut bacteria in R including enrichment of anabolic pathways. Immune profiling demonstrated enhanced systemic and anti-tumor immunity in patients with a favorable gut microbiome as well as in germ-free mice receiving fecal transplant from responding patients. Together, these data have important implications for treatment with immune checkpoint blockade in cancer. The fastq files associated with this dataset are stored at ENA under the following accession numbers: PRJEB22894 (Fecal 16S), PRJEB22874 (Oral 16S), PRJEB22895 (Murine 16S), PRJEB22893 (Fecal WGS).

  Study EGAS00001002698

• TCR β-chain repertoire characterization of regulatory and conventional T cells in peripheral blood from breast cancer patients and healthy individuals.

  Identification of tumor-specific effects on peripheral TCRβ repertoire formation in humans, investigation of the clonal origin of regulatory T cells in breast cancer patients and impact analysis of the tumor-specific conversion of conventional T cells into induced regulatory T cells on the peripheral Treg repertoire in humans.

  Study EGAS00001002699

• Dynamics of neoantigen landscape during immunotherapy

  Immune checkpoint inhibitors have shown significant therapeutic responses against tumors containing increased mutation-associated neoantigen load. We have examined the evolving landscape of tumor neoantigens during the emergence of acquired resistance in non-small cell lung cancer patients after initial response to immune checkpoint blockade with anti-PD1 or anti-PD-1/anti-CTLA4 antibodies. Analyses of matched pretreatment and resistant tumors identified genomic changes resulting in loss of 7 to 18 putative mutation-associated neoantigens in resistant clones. Peptides generated from the eliminated neoantigens elicited clonal T cell expansion in autologous T cell cultures, suggesting that they generated functional immune responses. Neoantigen loss occurred through elimination of tumor subclones or through deletion of chromosomal regions containing truncal alterations and were associated with changes in T cell receptor clonality. These analyses provide insights into the dynamics of mutational landscapes during immune checkpoint blockade and have implications for development of immune therapies that target tumor neoantigens.

  Study EGAS00001002704

• Sequencing-based counting and size profiling of plasma Epstein-Barr virus DNA enhance population screening of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

  Circulating tumor-derived DNA testing for cancer screening has recently been demonstrated in a prospective study on identification of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) among 20,174 asymptomatic individuals. Plasma EBV DNA, a marker for NPC, was detected using real-time PCR. While plasma EBV DNA was persistently detectable in 97.1% of the NPCs identified, ∼5% of the general population had transiently detectable plasma EBV DNA. We hypothesized that EBV DNA in plasma of subjects with or without NPC may have different molecular characteristics. We performed target-capture sequencing of plasma EBV DNA and identified differences in the abundance and size profiles of EBV DNA molecules within plasma of NPC and non-NPC subjects. NPC patients had significantly higher amounts of plasma EBV DNA, which showed longer fragment lengths. Cutoff values were established from an exploratory dataset and tested in a validation sample set. Adopting an algorithm that required a sample to concurrently pass cutoffs for EBV DNA counting and size measurements, NPCs were detected at a positive predictive value (PPV) of 19.6%. This represented superior performance compared with the PPV of 11.0% in the prospective screening study, which required participants with an initially detectable plasma EBV DNA result to be retested within 4 weeks. The observed differences in the molecular nature of EBV DNA molecules in plasma of subjects with or without NPC were successfully translated into a sequencing-based test that had a high PPV for NPC screening and achievable through single time-point testing.

  Study EGAS00001002707

• Exome array analysis of adverse reactions to fluoropyrimidine-based therapy for gastrointestinal cancer

  Fluoropyrimidines, including 5-fluororacil (5FU) and its pro-drug Capecitabine, are the common treatment for colorectal, breast, neck and head cancers – either as monotherapy or in combination therapy. Adverse reactions (ADRs) to the treatment are common and often result in treatment discontinuation or dose reduction. Factors contributing to ADRs, including genetic variation, are poorly characterized. We performed exome array analysis to identify genetic variants that contribute to adverse reactions.Our final dataset consisted of 504 European ancestry individuals undergoing fluoropyrimidine-based therapy for gastrointestinal cancer. A subset of 254 of these were treated with Capecitabine. All individuals were genotyped on the Illumina HumanExome Array.

  Study EGAS00001002763

• Colorectal adenomas and carcinomas NKI-AvL TGO series Gut2009

  Colorectal cancer (CRC) develops from normal epithelium, through a benign precursor lesion called adenoma, by accumulation of genetic alterations affecting oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes. These CRC-related genomic alterations often result in specific RNA-expression patterns. RNA isolated from fresh frozen specimen of 32 adenomas and 29 CRCs was obtained from the previously published study (Carvalho et al. 2009) and RNA-sequencing was performed with the aim to examine RNA expression changes in colorectal adenoma-to-carcinoma progression.

  Study EGAS00001002758

• Mutational spectrum of highly differentiated, fusion-negative rhabdomyosarcoma (set 2).

  Pediatric PAX-FOXO1 fusion-negative rhabdomyosarcoma represents a diverse spectrum of tumors. In this study, the mutational spectrum of 22 fusion-negative rhabdomyosarcomas with high, rhabdomyoma-like levels of differentiation was evaluated using OncoPanel v.2 (OPv2), an Agilent SureSelect custom designed bait set consisting of the coding regions of 504 cancer-relevant genes. Corresponding normal tissue was not available. Discarded normal human skeletal muscle, obtained from 7 donors without tumor history, were also included in the sequencing run.

  Study EGAS00001002771

• An integrated molecular study of 20 hepatoblastoma pairs using whole genome sequencing and RNA sequencing

  Hepatoblastoma is an uncommon malignant liver cancer occurring in infants and children. The mutant background of hepatoblastoma has not been fully demonstrated. The aim of this study is to genomically depict the mutational landscape of hepatoblastoma through an integrative analysis of whole genome sequencing and RNA sequencing of 20 hepatoblastomas from Chinese individuals.

  Study EGAS00001002772

• Phylogenetic analysis of treatment-naive metastases using whole exome and genome sequencing data

  Metastases are responsible for the majority of cancer related deaths and are often difficult to treat successfully. Even for metastases that occur subsequent to treatment, we do not know whether such relapsing metastases were originally heterogeneous or if the observed heterogeneity is a consequence of therapy. Given that treatment can influence evolutionary dynamics by selecting resistant clones, imposing bottlenecks on cancer cell populations, and even inducing novel somatic mutations, characterizing the prior standing variation among metastases remains an important goal to predict initial therapeutic response. To quantify the heterogeneity at clinical presentation of advanced disease, we surveyed the literature for patients in which at least two treatment-naïve metastases underwent genome/exome-wide sequencing. Across all cancer types surveyed, only 18 subjects were found to fulfill this requirement. Including previously unpublished data from two subjects, we analyzed data of 74 untreated metastases and inferred cancer phylogenies. Putative driver gene mutations were acquired at a 2-fold higher rate on the trunk of all metastases than on branches. Mutations in driver genes along the trunk were strongly enriched for predicted functional consequences. Using a stochastic mathematical model, we find that driver gene heterogeneity among metastases mostly occurs in slowly growing cancers for highly advantageous driver gene mutations. Seeding efficiency only weakly affects the heterogeneity among metastases. These results explain why functional driver gene heterogeneity is uncommon in advanced disease prior to treatment, thus providing optimism for future therapies that depend on mutations across metastases.

  Study EGAS00001002777

• Evolutionary analysis of pancreatic cancer and coexistent precursor lesions using whole exome sequencing data

  Most adult carcinomas develop from noninvasive precursor lesions, a progression that is supported by genetic analysis. Further, the evolution of these lesions contextualizes the dynamics of advanced stage disease. We analyzed the somatic variants of co-existing pancreatic cancers and precursor lesions sampled from distinct regions of the same pancreas. After inferring evolutionary relationships, we found that the ancestral cell had initiated and clonally expanded to form one or more lesions, and that subsequent driver gene mutations eventually led to a pancreatic cancer. We also found that this multi-step progression generally spans many years. Our data suggest that independent, high-grade pancreatic lesions observed in a histologic cross section often represent a single neoplasm that can spread and colonize the ductal system, accumulating spatial and genetic divergence over time.

  Study EGAS00001002778

• Preferential infiltration of distinct Vγ9δ2 T cells into Glioblastoma multiforme

  Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most fatal CNS cancer, is highly infiltrative as a result of phenotypic alteration of cancer cells mainly driven by a mutual interaction among cancer cells, tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and other stromal cells. This work aims at characterizing GBM-infiltrating γδ T cells that may regulate the GBM tumor microenvironment and cancer cell gene expression. V(D)J repertoires of tumor-infiltrating and blood circulating γδ T cells from 4 patients were analyzed by NGS-based TCR sequencing. RNA gene expression profiling and immunostaining of cancer tissues were performed as well.

  Study EGAS00001002790

• Deep single-cell RNA sequencing data for 11138 T cells from tumour, adjacent normal tissue and peripheral blood of treatment-naive CRC patients. The DATA ACCESS AGREEMENT is provided at https://github.com/zhangyybio/single-T-cell-data-access. Applicants can request access to the data by directly downloading it or by sending an email to cancerpku@pku.edu.cn. The process that is used to approve an application includes verifying the institution, participants and research purposes of the application. In general this process will take about two weeks. In principal, any scientific research program complying with the laws and bioethic regulation policies of China will be approved.

  T cells are central players in cancer immunotherapy1, yet some of their fundamental properties such as development and migration within tumours remain elusive. The enormous T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire, required for recognising foreign and self-antigens2,3, could serve as lineage tags to track these T cells in tumours4. Here, we obtained transcriptomes of 11,138 single T cells from 12 colorectal cancer (CRC) patients and developed STARTRAC (Single T-cell Analysis by Rna-seq and Tcr TRACking) indices to quantitatively analyse dynamic relationships among 20 identified T cell subsets with distinct functions and clonalities. While both CD8+ effector and “exhausted” T cells exhibited high clonal expansion, they were independently connected with tumour-resident CD8+ effector memory cells, implicating a TCR-based fate decision. Of the CD4+ T cells, the majority of tumour-infiltrating Tregs showed clonal exclusivity, whereas certain Treg clones were developmentally linked to multiple TH clones. Notably, we identified two IFNG+ TH1-like clusters in tumours, the GZMK+ TEM and CXCL13+ TH1-like clusters, which were associated with distinct IFN-γ-regulating transcription factors, EOMES/RUNX3 and BHLHE40, respectively. Only CXCL13+BHLHE40+ TH1-like cells were preferentially enriched in tumours of microsatellite-instable (MSI) patients, which might explain their favourable response rates to immune-checkpoint blockade. Furthermore, we found IGFLR1 to be highly expressed in both CXCL13+BHLHE40+ TH1-like and CD8+ exhausted T cells and possessed co-stimulatory functions. Our integrated STARTRAC analyses provides a powerful avenue to comprehensively dissect the T cell properties in CRC, which could shed new insights into the dynamic relationships of T cells in other cancers

  Study EGAS00001002791

• Breast cancer DNA repair

  Tumors of germline BRCA1/2 mutated carriers show homologous recombination (HR) deficiency (HRD), resulting in impaired DNA double strand break (DSB) repair and high sensitivity to Poly-(ADP-Ribose)-Polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. Although this therapy is expected to be effective beyond germline BRCA1/2 mutated carriers, a robust validated test to detect HRD tumors is lacking. In the present study we therefore evaluated a functional HR assay exploiting the formation of RAD51 foci in proliferating cells after ex vivo irradiation of fresh breast cancers (BrC) tissue: the RECAP test.Methods Fresh samples of 170 primary BrC were analyzed using the RECAP test. The molecular explanation for the HRD phenotype was investigated by exploring BRCA deficiencies, mutational signatures, tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and microsatellite instability (MSI).Results RECAP was completed successfully in 148 out of 170 samples (87%). 24 tumors showed HRD (16%), while 6 tumors were HR intermediate (HRi) (4%). HRD was explained by BRCA deficiencies (mutations, promoter hypermethylation, deletions) in 16 cases. Several non-BRCA deficient HRD tumors showed BRCAness mutational signatures, suggesting that they are also bona fide HRD cases. HRD tumors showed an increased incidence of high TIL counts (p=0.023) compared to HR proficient (HRP) tumors and MSI was more frequently observed in the HRD group (2/20, 10%) than expected in BrC (1%) (p=0.017).Conclusion The RECAP test is a robust assay detecting both BRCA1/2 deficient and BRCA1/2 proficient HRD tumors, suggesting that this test identifies approximately 50% more patients that may benefit from PARPi treatment than BRCA gene testing only.

  Study EGAS00001002792

• Sensitive and Frequent Identification of High Avidity Neo-epitope Specific CD8 + T-cells in Immunotherapy-naïve Ovarian Cancer

  Immunotherapy directed against private tumor neo-antigens derived from non-synonymous somatic mutations is a promising strategy of personalized cancer immunotherapy. However, feasibility in low mutational load tumor types remains unknown. Comprehensive and deep analysis of circulating and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) for neo-epitope specific CD8 + T cells allowed prompt identification of oligoclonal and polyfunctional such cells from most immunotherapy-naïve patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer studied. Neo-epitope recognition was discordant between circulating T cells and TILs, and was more likely to be found among TILs, which displayed higher functionalavidity and unique TCRs with higher predicted affinity than their blood counterparts. Our results imply that identification of neo-epitope specific CD8 + T cells is achievable even in tumors with relatively low number of somatic mutations, and neo-epitope validation in TILs extends opportunities for mutanome-based personalized immunotherapies to such tumors.

  Study EGAS00001002803

• Prostate Cancer and Normal Adjacent Prostate RNA-seq samples, NGS-ProToCol

  The dataset "Prostate Cancer and Normal Adjacent Prostate RNA-seq samples, NGS-ProToCol" includes 41 Normal Adjacent Prostate and 51 ribo-depleted Prostate Cancer RNA-seq samples. ---- Detection of fusion transcripts and their genomic breakpoints from RNA sequencing data Youri Hoogstrate, Malgorzata A. Komor, René Böttcher, Job van Riet, Harmen J. G. van de Werken, Stef van Lieshout, Ralf Hoffmann, Evert van den Broek, Anne S. Bolijn, Natasja Dits, Daoud Sie, David van der Meer, Floor Pepers, Chris H. Bangma, Geert J. L. H. van Leenders, Marcel Smid, Pim French, John W.M. Martens, Wilbert van Workum, Peter J. van der Spek, Bart Janssen, Eric Caldenhoven, Christian Rausch, Mark de Jong, Andrew P. Stubbs, Gerrit A. Meijer, Remond J.A. Fijneman, Guido Jenster

  Study EGAS00001002816

• Molecular subtypes of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma

  Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma (PeM) is a rare but frequently fatal cancer that originates from the peritoneal lining of the abdomen. Standard treatment of PeM is limited to cytoreductive surgery and/or chemotherapy, and no targeted therapies for PeM yet exist. This study performs comprehensive integrative analysis of genome, transcriptome, and proteome of treatment-naive PeM tumors with the aim of identifying mesothelioma-related molecular alterations and potentially identifying novel treatment strategies.

  Study EGAS00001002820

• Genomic profiling of ovarian adult type granulosa cell tumors

  To investigate the genomic landscape of primary and recurrent ovarian adult type granulosa cell tumors, we first identified an exploratory cohort comprised of cryopreserved surgical biopsies from 24 patients (primary, n = 8; recurrent, n = 16) with 20 having matched normal tissue or peripheral blood samples. We performed whole exome sequencing (WES) on these tumor samples at 200X target coverage (mean 226; range 165-296) and also performed WES on the available normal samples. In addition, we performed cancer gene panel sequencing using the T200.1 hybrid capture platform on FFPE tissue from 55 additional patients (primary, n = 27; recurrent, n = 28), of which we sequenced matched normal tissue for a total of 44.

  Study EGAS00001002833

• The interface of malignant and immunologic clonal dynamics in high-grade serous ovarian cancer

  High-grade serous ovarian cancer exhibits extensive intratumoral heterogeneity coupled with widespread intraperitoneal disease. Despite this, metastatic spread of tumor clones is non-random, implying the existence of local microenvironmental factors that shape tumor progression. We interrogated the molecular interface between tumorinfiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) and cancer cells in 143 samples from 21 patients using whole-genome sequencing, immunohistochemistry, histologic image analysis, gene expression profiling, and T- and B-cell receptor sequencing. We identify 3 immunologic response categories, which frequently co-exist within individual patients. Furthermore, epithelial CD8+ TIL were inversely associated with malignant cell diversity, evidenced by subclonal neoepitope elimination and spatial tracking between tumor and T-cell clones. Intersecting mutational signatures and immune analysis showed that foldback inversion genomic aberrations lead to worse outcomes even in the presence of cytotoxic TIL (n=433). Thus, regional variation in immune contexture mirrors the pattern of intraperitoneal malignant spread, provoking new perspectives for treatment of this challenging disease.

  Study EGAS00001002839

• A novel breast cancer cell line derived from a metastatic bone lesion of a breast cancer patient

  Purpose: We sought to generate and characterize a novel cell line from a breast cancer bone metastasis in order to better study the progression of the disease.Methods: The cell line, P7731, was derived from a metastatic bone lesion of a breast cancer patient and assessed for marker expression. P7731 was analyzed for DNA copy number variation, somatic mutations and gene expression and compared to the primary tumor. Results: P7731 cells are negative for estrogen receptor alpha (ERα), progesterone receptor (PR) and HER2 (triple-negative), strongly express vimentin (100% of cells positive) and also express cytokeratins 8/18 and 19 but at lower frequencies. Flow cytometry indicates P7731 cells are predominantly CD44+/CD49f+/EpCAM-, consistent with a primitive, mesenchymal-like phenotype. The cell line is tumorigenic in immunocompromised mice. Exome sequencing identified a total of 45 and 76 somatic mutations in the primary tumor and cell line respectively, of which 32 were identified in both samples and included mutations in known driver genes PIK3CA, TP53 and ARID1A. P7731 retains the DNA copy number alterations present in the matching primary tumor. Homozygous deletions detected in the cell line and in the primary tumor were found in regions containing three known (CDKN2A, CDKN2B and CDKN1B) and 23 putative tumor suppressor genes. Cell line specific gene amplification coupled with mRNA expression analysis revealed genes and pathways with potential pro-metastatic functions.Conclusion: This novel human breast cancer-bone metastasis cell line will be a useful model to study aspects of breast cancer biology, particularly metastasis-related changes from breast to bone.

  Study EGAS00001002840

• Single cell sequencing of breast cancer T cells reveals a tissue-resident memory subset associated with improved prognosis

  Study EGAS00001002845

• Genomic and functional fidelity of small cell lung cancer patient-derived xenografts

  Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) can be generated from biopsies or circulating tumor cells (CTCs), though scarcity of tissue and low efficiency of tumor growth have previously limited these approaches. Applying an established clinical-translational pipeline for tissue collection and an automated microfluidic platform for CTC-enrichment, we generated 17 biopsy-derived PDXs and 17 CTC-derived PDXs in a two-year timeframe, at efficiencies of 89% and 38%, respectively. Whole exome sequencing showed that somatic alterations are stably maintained between patient tumors and PDXs. Early-passage PDXs maintain the genomic and transcriptional profiles of the founder PDX. In vivo treatment with etoposide and cisplatin (EP) in 30 PDX models demonstrated greater sensitivity in PDXs from EP naïve patients, and resistance to EP corresponded to increased expression of a MYC gene signature. Finally, serial CTC-derived PDXs generated from an individual patient at multiple time points accurately recapitulated the evolving drug sensitivities of that patient’s disease. Collectively, this work highlights the translational potential of this strategy.

  Study EGAS00001002853

• Colorectal adenomas, carcinomas and adjacent normal NKI-AvL TGO series NGS-ProToCol

  Cancer is caused by changes in the genome of cells, resulting in aberrant transcripts and proteins. In order to understand why normal cells become cancer cells and how we can identify and destroy them, the CTMM-NGS-ProToCol project aimed to understand prostate and colorectal cancer through DNA and RNA molecular profiling, to further improve diagnosis, prognosis and treatment.The state-of-the-art within the field of genome sequencing makes it possible to identify all the modifications in our genome that encode for RNA and of the transcripts themselves. The latest development in RNA sequencing is that if one does not select for polyA RNA, but first removes rRNA from the total RNA and then performs ‘random’ RNA sequencing, 30-60% of the reads are intronic. Since about 40% of the genome consists of genes (and only 1.6% is exonic), deep RNA sequencing will cover not only the exons, but also a large portion of the introns and therefore much of the genome. The power of the combined sequencing of genome and transcriptome is the full view of copy number aberrations (CNA), exon mutations and the consequence and relevance of the mutations at the RNA level in the form of differential gene expression, alternative splicing, alternative promoter usage, novel transcripts, fusion transcripts, read-through transcripts and mutations. For the colorectal (tumor) tissue dataset, we applied molecular profiling to 30 colorectal adenomas, 30 colorectal carcinomas and 18 normal adjacent colon tissues.

  Study EGAS00001002854

• Exome and RNA sequencing data from 32 ocular and extraocular sebaceous carcinomas

  Sebaceous carcinomas (SeC) are cutaneous malignancies that, in rare cases, metastasize and prove fatal. Here we report whole exome sequencing on 32 SeC, revealing distinct mutational classes that explain both cancer ontogeny and clinical course. A UV-damage signature predominated 10/32 samples, while 9 were instead defined by microsatellite instability (MSI) mutations. UV-damage SeC exhibited poorly differentiated, infiltrative histopathologycompared to MSI signature SeC (p = 0.003), features previously associated with dissemination. Strikingly, UV-damage SeC transcriptomes and anatomic distributionclosely resembling those of cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (SCC), implicating sun-exposed keratinocytes as a cell of origin. Like SCC, this UV-damage subclass harbors a high somatic mutation burden with >50 mutations/Mb, predicting immunotherapeutic response. In contrast, ocular SeC acquire far fewer mutations without a dominant signature, but show frequent truncating mutations in the ZNF750 epidermal differentiation regulator. Our data exemplify how different mutational processes convergently drive histopathologically related but clinically distinct cancers.

  Study EGAS00001002869

• Targeted exome sequencing of pleomorphic invasive lobular carcinoma (PILC).

  Pleomorphic invasive lobular carcinoma (PILC) is an aggressive variant of invasive lobular breast cancer that is associated with poor clinical outcomes. Limited molecular data are available to explain the mechanistic basis for PILC behavior. To address this issue, we performed targeted sequencing using the Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI) TumorCare™ gene panel that includes 1053 genes that were selected based upon their association with cancer. This sequencing analysis identified genes that distinguish PILC from classic ILC (CILC) and invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) by the incidence of their genomic changes.

  Study EGAS00001002871

• Whole genome analysis of mutation hotspots in gastric cancer

  Tissue-specific driver mutations in non-coding genomic regions remain undefined for most cancer types. In this study, we unbiasedly analysed 212 gastric cancer whole genomes to identify recurrently mutated non-coding regions in gastric cancer. Applying comprehensive statistical approa- ches to accurately model background mutational processes, we observe significant enrich- ment of non-coding indels (insertions/deletions) in three gastric lineage-specific genes. We further identify 34 mutation hotspots, of which 11 overlap CTCF binding sites (CBSs).

  Study EGAS00001002872

• Foundation Medicine Genomic Data Used to Identify Prognostic Markers and Fusion Genes in Multiple Myeloma

  The purpose of this study is to identify prognostic markers and treatment targets using a clinically certified sequencing panel in multiple myeloma. Mutational burden was associated with maf and proliferation gene expression groups, and a high-mutational burden was associated with a poor prognosis. We identified homozygous deletions that were present in multiple myeloma within key genes, including CDKN2C, RB1, TRAF3, BIRC3 and TP53, and that bi-allelic inactivation was significantly enriched at relapse. Alterations in CDKN2C, TP53, RB1 and the t(4;14) were associated with poor prognosis. Alterations in RB1 were predominantly homozygous deletions and were associated with relapse and a poor prognosis which was independent of other genetic markers, including t(4;14), after multivariate analysis. Bi-allelic inactivation of key tumor suppressor genes in myeloma was enriched at relapse, especially in RB1, CDKN2C and TP53 where they have prognostic significance. In addition, chromosomal rearrangements that result in oncogenic kinase activation are present in many solid and hematological malignancies, but none have been reported in multiple myeloma (MM). Here we detected fusion genes in 1.5% of patients. These fusion genes were in-frame and the majority of them contained kinase domains from either receptor tyrosine kinases (ALK, ROS1, NTRK3, and FGFR1) or cytoplasmic kinases (BRAF, MAP3K14, and MAPK14) which would result in the activation of MEK/ERK, NF-κB or inflammatory signaling pathways. Fusion genes were present in smoldering MM, newly diagnosed MM and relapse patient samples indicating they are not solely late events. Most fusion genes were subclonal in nature, but one EML4-ALK fusion was clonal indicating it is a driver of disease pathogenesis. Samples with fusions of receptor tyrosine kinases were not found in conjunction with clonal Ras/Raf mutations indicating a parallel mechanism of MEK/ERK pathway activation. Fusion genes involving MAP3K14 (NIK), which regulates the NF-κB pathway, were detected as were t(14;17) rearrangements involving NIK in 2% of MM samples. Activation of kinases in myeloma through rearrangements presents an opportunity to use treatments existing in other cancers.

  Study EGAS00001002874

• Dynamics of multiple resistance mechanisms in plasma DNA and their clinical implications for NSCLC patients receiving EGFR-targeted therapies

  Background:The development of resistance mechanisms to targeted therapies is complicated by underlying tumour heterogeneity. When multiple resistance mechanisms co-exist, identifying the dominant driver(s) is critical for selection of treatment. Patients and methods:We studied the relative dynamics of multiple oncogenic drivers and resistance mechanisms in 50 patients with EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), during treatment with gefitinib and hydroxychloroquine (NCT00809237). We performed digital PCR and targeted deep sequencing of cell-free DNA from longitudinal plasma samples from all patients, and shallow whole genome sequencing of serial samples from three patients who underwent histological transformation to small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). ResultsEGFR activating mutations were assessed in tumour samples and accurately identified in plasma samples of 95% of patients (41/43). We identified additional mutations including EGFR T790M (31/50, 62%), TP53 (23/50, 46%), PIK3CA (7/50, 14%), and PTEN (4/50, 8%), and tracked their relative levels in plasma. Patients with both TP53 and EGFR mutations detected in plasma pre-treatment tended to have worse overall survival than those where only EGFR was detected. The resistance-conferring EGFR T790M mutation was identified in 62% of the patients who progressed. Changes in relative levels of T790M and activating mutations in EGFR corresponded to clinical responses in two patients who were given sequential treatments. Patients who progressed without T790M detected in plasma had worse PFS during TKI continuation, and developed alternative resistance mechanisms, that could be identified in plasma DNA, including SCLC-associated copy number changes and TP53 mutations, that tracked with progression and response to subsequent therapies. Conclusion:Longitudinal analysis of multiple oncogenic drivers in ctDNA may help identifying dominant mechanisms of resistance to EGFR-targeted therapies, and highlight the importance of monitoring genetic events that are not direct drug targets but provide non-invasive molecular information that may guide clinical management.

  Study EGAS00001002908

• Genomic Heterogeneity and the Small Renal Mass

  Tumor heterogeneity is believed to represent a barrier to pre-operative genomic characterization in kidney cancer. Previous studies of heterogeneity in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) evaluated only large and metastatic tumors. In small renal tumors in which multiple biopsies are not feasible, the extent of heterogeneity remains unknown. In this study, we evaluated how the extent of genomic heterogeneity in small and large ccRCC. A total of 23 small (<4cm ) and 24 large (>7cm ) ccRCC had 3 regions sampled for evaluation of copy number, clear-cell A/clear-cell B (ccA/ccB) classification, and cell cycle progression (CCP) score. Small tumors have less genomic complexity and significantly fewer subclonal events. Pre-treatment genomic characterization based on a single biopsy in small ccRCC can provide insight into biologic potential to make clinical decisions.

  Study EGAS00001002919

• SS18-SSX-mediated hijacking of BAF complexes drives synovial sarcoma

  Synovial sarcoma (SS) is defined by a recurrent t(x;18) chromosomal translocation, which produces the hallmark SS18-SSX oncogenic fusion. Incorporation of SS18-SSX into BAF complexes renders BAF complexes aberrant in two distinct manners: the addition of 78aa of SSX onto SS18, and concomitant loss of BAF47 assembly. However, the importance and functional contributions of each of these perturbations on BAF complex targeting and gene expression regulation remain unclear. Here we use an integrative set of genomic approaches in human cancer cell lines and primary tumor samples to define the mechanistic consequences of the SS18-SSX fusion oncoprotein. We find that SS18-SSX hijacks BAF complexes to broad polycomb domains to activate bivalent genes, driving a unique gene expression program distinct from other loss-of-function BAF complex malignancies. Importantly, restoration of BAF47 rescues enhancer activation but is dispensable for proliferative arrest in cell lines. These results demonstrate that gain-of-function SS18-SSX-mediated BAF complex targeting and gene activation is the driving event in SS, and present a mechanism by which distinct functions of BAF complexes can be co-opted to drive oncogenesis.

  Study EGAS00001002920

• Somatic point mutation data from microsatellite unstable colorectal cancers

  Microsatellite instability (MSI) leads to accumulation of an excessive number of mutations in the genome, mostly small insertions and deletions. MSI CRCs, however, also contain more point mutations than microsatellite stable (MSS) tumors, yet they have not been as comprehensively studied. To identify candidate driver genes affected by point mutations in MSI CRC, we ranked genes based on mutation significance while correcting for replication timing and gene expression utilizing an algorithm, MutSigCV. Somatic point mutation data from the exome kit-targeted area from 24 exome sequenced sporadic MSI CRCs and respective normals, and 12 whole genome sequenced sporadic MSI CRCs and respective normals were utilized. The top 73 genes were validated in 93 additional MSI CRCs.

  Study EGAS00001003101

• The spatio-temporal evolution of lymph node spread in early breast cancer

  Purpose: The most significant prognostic factor in early breast cancer is lymph node involvement. This stage between localised and systemic disease is key to understanding breast cancer progression, however our knowledge of the evolution of lymph node malignant invasion remains limited, as most currently available data derive from primary tumours. Experimental design: In 11 treatment-naïve node positive early breast cancer patients without clinical evidence of distant metastasis, we investigated lymph node evolution using spatial multi-region sequencing (n=78 samples) of primary and lymph node deposits and genomic profiling of matched longitudinal circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA). Results: Linear evolution from primary to lymph node was rare (1/11) whereas the majority of cases displayed either early divergence between primary and nodes (4/11), or no detectable divergence (6/11) where both primary and nodal cells belonged to a single recent expansion of a metastatic clone. Divergence of metastatic subclones was driven in part by APOBEC. Longitudinal ctDNA samples from 2 subjects taken peri-operatively reflected the two major evolutionary patterns and demonstrate that private mutations can be detected even from early metastatic nodal deposits. Moreover, node removal resulted in disappearance of private lymph node mutations in ctDNA.Conclusions: This study sheds new light on a crucial evolutionary step in the natural history of breast cancer, demonstrating early establishment of axillary lymph node metastasis in a substantial proportion of patients.

  Study EGAS00001002947

• Colorectal advanced adenomas NKI-AvL TGO COCOS series

  Colorectal cancer (CRC) develops from normal epithelium, through a benign precursor lesion called adenoma, by accumulation of genetic alterations affecting oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes. About 5% of colorectal adenomas are estimated to progress to CRC. However, it is important to identify which adenomas actually carry a high-risk of progression, because these serve as intermediate endpoints for e.g. screening programs. In clinical practice, adenomas with a size of ≥10 mm, villous component and/or high-grade dysplasia, called advanced adenomas, are considered high-risk, although solid evidence for this classification is lacking. Specific DNA copy number changes are associated with adenoma-to-carcinoma progression.For this tissue dataset, we applied low-pass whole genome sequencing to 96 advanced adenomas. Advanced adenomas were classified as lesions with low-risk or high-risk of progression, according to the presence of specific DNA copy number changes (Carvalho et al, CancerPrevRes, 2018).

  Study EGAS00001002952

• Colorectal adenomas, NKI-AvL TGO series Stool-Proteomics

  Colorectal cancer (CRC) develops from normal epithelium, through a benign precursor lesion called adenoma, by accumulation of genetic alterations affecting oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes. About 5% of colorectal adenomas are estimated to progress to CRC. However, it is important to identify which adenomas actually are at high-risk of progression, because these should serve as intermediate endpoints for e.g. CRC screening programs. In clinical practice, adenomas with a size of ≥10 mm, villous component and/or high-grade dysplasia, called advanced adenomas, are considered high-risk, although this classification lacks solid evidence. Specific DNA copy number changes are associated with adenoma-to-carcinoma progression.For this tissue dataset, we applied low-pass whole genome sequencing to 98 non-advanced and advanced adenomas. These adenomas were classified as lesions with low-risk or high-risk of progression, according to the presence of specific DNA copy number changes (Carvalho et al, CancerPrevRes, 2018).

  Study EGAS00001002953

• Whole-genome sequencing reveals genomic signatures associated with the inflammatory microenvironments in Chinese NSCLC patients

  Chinese lung cancer patients have distinct epidemiologic and genomic features, highlighting the presence of specific etiologic mechanisms other than smoking. We integrate genomic (whole-genome sequencing, WGS) and transcriptome (polyA-enriched RNASeq) sequencing from 92 NSCLC cases and comprehensively identified the distinct genomic features of Chinese NSCLC patients. We reveal that inflammatory infiltration may contribute to the accumulation of EGFR mutations, especially in never-smokers.

  Study EGAS00001002954

• Single cell exome sequencing of lung adenocarcinoma

  Single cell exome sequencing was performed on 200 single cells isolated from a lung adenocarcinoma, female, non-smoker patient. The cells were derived from two distant tumour sectors and a far normal sector. The single cells were amplified on the Fluidigm C1 machine using the GE Healthcare illustra GenomiPhi V2 DNA Amplification Kit prior to sequencing library preparation. In addition, bulk exome sequencing was also conducted for each tumour sectors. For this study, somatic variations were detected from the single cells and phylogenetic clustering was conducted to elucidate the evolutionary trajectory of lung cancer.

  Study EGAS00001002972

• Targeted sequencing about core genes involved in telomere biology in colorectal cancer patients

  We sequenced the coding exons of core genes involved in telomere maintenance using peripheral blood DNA of 192 CRC patients. The primary sequencing data were generated by using Ion Torrent Personal Genome Machine® (PGM™) platform (Life Technologies, Carlsbad, CA, USA).

  Study EGAS00001002977

• Host whole genome variations are associated with neurocognitive outcome in survivors of pediatric medulloblastoma

  Host whole genome analysis is a promising source of predictive information for long-term morbidity in cancer survivors. However, studies on genetic predictors of long-term outcome, particularly neurocognitive function following chemoradiation in pediatric oncology are limited. In the present study, we evaluated variations in host whole genome single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and their association with cognitive outcome. Whole-genome SNP analysis of host peripheral blood was conducted on 22 medulloblastoma long-term survivors, of whom 18 completed neuropsychological testing. First, unsupervised consensus clustering of the most variable SNPs within 409 genes involved in DNA repair was performed. Discrete variant groups were identified, although they were not associated with cognitive outcome, suggesting that variations in genes corresponding to a single functional group may be insufficient to predict long-term outcome alone. In support of this interpretation, unsupervised hierarchical clustering analysis using disease-associated gene variants by cognitive impairment status yielded two distinct variant clusters comprised of 36 variants, 34 of which were in noncoding regions. These findings illustrate for the first time that cognitively impaired survivors have a distinct variant profile compared to other medulloblastoma survivors. Future research in larger cohorts is needed to validate host genome predictors of cognitive impairment that may impact clinical management.

  Study EGAS00001002996

• Integrated Genomic, Epigenetic, and Expression Analyses of Ovarian Cancer Cell Lines

  Epithelial ovarian carcinoma of all subtypes has one of the worst outcomes of any human cancer. To improve our understanding of underlying biology and therapeutic possibilities in this disease, we performed whole genome sequencing, methylation, and expression analyses of a comprehensive set of 47 ovarian cancer cell lines representing different histologic tumor subtypes. Given the challenges of genomic analyses in tumors without matched normal samples, we developed novel approaches for detection of somatic alterations and used these to identify sequence, copy number, and rearrangement changes and integrated these with genome-wide epigenetic and expression alterations. Ovarian cancer cell lines had molecular changes in genes involved in cell cycle, PI3K, RAS, BRCA, chromatin regulating, and p53 pathways, and displayed global mutation and methylation changes similar to primary ovarian carcinoma. We identified alterations not previously implicated in ovarian cancer including amplification or overexpression of ASXL1 and H3F3B, deletion or underexpression of CDC73 and members of the TGF beta receptor pathway, including TGFBR2, SMAD3 and SMAD4, in-frame rearrangements of YAP1-MAML2 and IKZF2-ERBB4, and fusions involving MET, NF1, FBXW7 and CCND1. Integrating cell line alterations with dose-response data using three targeted therapies revealed novel molecular dependencies, including increased sensitivity of tumors with PIK3CA and PPP2R1A alterations to PI3K inhibitor GNE-493, those with MYC amplifications to PARP inhibitor BMN673, and SMAD4 alterations to MEK inhibitor MEK162. Genome-wide analyses revealed intrachromosomal rearrangements as an improved measure of sensitivity to PARP inhibition compared to the homologous recombination defect (HRD) score. This study provides a comprehensive resource of molecular information for ovarian cancer cell line models and a pharmacogenomic platform for developing rational cancer therapeutic strategies.

  Study EGAS00001002998

• Biallelic tumor suppressor loss and DNA repair defects in de novo small cell prostate cancer

  Small cell prostatic carcinoma (SCPC) is an aggressive pathology that is managed similar to small cell lung cancer. SCPC can evolve from prostatic adenocarcinoma in response to androgen deprivation therapy but in rare cases is present at initial cancer diagnosis. The molecular etiology of de novo SCPC is incompletely understood due to the scarcity of tumor tissue and the brief life expectancy of patients. Through a retrospective search of our regional oncology pharmacy database, we identified 18 patients diagnosed with de novo SCPC between 2004 and 2017. Ten patients had pure SCPC pathology and the remainder had some admixed adenocarcinoma foci, but all were treated with first line platinum-based chemotherapy. Median overall survival was 28 months. We performed targeted DNA sequencing, whole exome sequencing and mRNA profiling on formalin-fixed paraffin embedded archival tumor tissue. We observed frequent biallelic deletion and/or mutation of tumor suppressors TP53, RB1 and PTEN, similar to treatment related SCPC. Indeed, at the RNA level pure de novo SCPC closely resembled treatment-related SCPC. However, five patients had biallelic loss of DNA repair genes including BRCA1, BRCA2, ATM and MSH2/6: potentially underlying the high genomic instability of this rare disease variant. Two patients with pure de novo SCPC harbored ETS gene rearrangements to androgen-driven promoters, consistent with evolution of de novo SCPC from an androgen-driven ancestor. Overall, our results reveal a highly aggressive molecular landscape underlies this unusual pathologic variant, and propose opportunities for targeted therapy strategies in a disease with few treatment options.

  Study EGAS00001003007

• Age-related remodeling of apparently normal esophageal epithelia by common cancer drivers

  Driver mutated clones multi-focally emerged from early adulthood and over years, increase their number and size, ultimately remodeling the entire esophageal epithelia in extreme elderly. Our results suggest that clonal expansion in esophageal epithelia is an inevitable consequence of normal aging, differentially impacting the development of cancer depending on mutation type and exposure to drinking and smoking.

  Study EGAS00001003008

• CTCF/cohesin-binding sites are frequently mutated in cancer

  Cohesin is present in almost all active enhancer regions, where it is associated with transcription factors. Cohesin frequently colocalizes with CTCF (CCCTC-binding factor), affecting genomic stability, expression and epigenetic homeostasis. Cohesin subunits are mutated in cancer, but CTCF/cohesin-binding sites (CBSs) in DNA have not been examined for mutations. Here we report frequent mutations at CBSs in cancers displaying a mutational signature where mutations in A•T base pairs predominate. Integration of whole-genome sequencing data from 213 colorectal cancer (CRC) samples and chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-exo) data identified frequent point mutations at CBSs. In contrast, CRCs showing an ultramutator phenotype caused by defects in the exonuclease domain of DNA polymerase ɛ (POLE) displayed significantly fewer mutations at and adjacent to CBSs. Analysis of public data showed that multiple cancer types accumulate CBS mutations. CBSs are a major mutational hotspot in the noncoding cancer genome.

  Study EGAS00001003010

• Exploring_the_landscape_of_somatic_mutations_in_normal_tissue___GI___WGS

  The aim of this project is to investiagte somatic mutations, including rates of mutations and signatures, and clonal dynamics in normal (non-cancerous) human tissues from the gastrointestinal tract. The project will involve the studyof normal tissues from healthy individuals and those with specific candidate diseases. We are utilising laser capture microscopy to idnetifiy and isolate specific cell populations which are then subjected to whole genome sequencing to estimate mutational burdens and begin to understand clonal structures across the normal tissues.

  Study EGAS00001003012