Genetics
Abstract
We investigated the interplay between genetics and oral peanut protein exposure in the determination of the immunological response to peanut using the targeted intervention in the LEAP clinical trial. We identified an association between peanut-specific IgG4 and HLA-DQA1*01:02 that was only observed in the presence of sustained oral peanut protein exposure. The association between IgG4 and HLA-DQA1*01:02 was driven by IgG4 specific for the Ara h 2 component. Once peanut consumption ceased, the association between IgG4-specific Ara h 2 and HLA-DQA1*01:02 was attenuated. The association was validated by observing expanded IgG4-specific epitopes in people who carried HLA-DQA1*01:02. Notably, we confirmed the previously reported associations with HLA-DQA1*01:02 and peanut allergy risk in the absence of oral peanut protein exposure. Interaction between HLA and presence or absence of exposure to peanut in an allergen- and epitope-specific manner implicates a mechanism of antigen recognition that is fundamental to driving immune responses related to allergy risk or protection.
Authors
Kanika Kanchan, Stepan Grinek, Henry T. Bahnson, Ingo Ruczinski, Gautam Shankar, David Larson, George Du Toit, Kathleen C. Barnes, Hugh A. Sampson, Mayte Suarez-Farinas, Gideon Lack, Gerald T. Nepom, Karen Cerosaletti, Rasika A. Mathias
Abstract
Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a phenotypically and genetically heterogeneous malignancy in which the genetic alterations determining clinical behavior are not fully understood. Here we performed a comprehensive whole-exome sequencing analysis of 152 primary samples derived from 134 MCL patients, including longitudinal samples from 16 patients and matched RNA sequencing data from 48 samples. We classified MCL into four robust clusters (C). C1 featured mutated IGHV, CCND1 mutation, amp(11q13) and active BCR signaling. C2 was enriched with del(11q)/ATM mutations and upregulation of NF-κB and DNA repair pathways. C3 was characterized by mutations in SP140, NOTCH1 and NSD2 with downregulation of BCR signaling and MYC targets. C4 harbored del(17p)/TP53 mutations, del(13q) and del(9p), and active MYC pathway and hyperproliferation signatures. Patients in these four clusters had distinct outcomes (5-year OS rates for C1-C4 were 100%, 56.7%, 48.7%, and 14.2%, respectively, p<0.001). We also inferred the temporal order of genetic events and studied clonal evolution of 16 patients before treatment and at progression/relapse. Eleven of these samples showed drastic clonal evolution that was associated with inferior survival while the other samples showed modest or no evolution. Our study thus identifies genetic subsets that clinically define this malignancy and delineates clonal evolution patterns and their impact on clinical outcomes.
Authors
Shuhua Yi, Yuting Yan, Meiling Jin, Supriyo Bhattacharya, Yi Wang, Yiming Wu, Lu Yang, Eva Giné, Guillem Clot, Lu Chen, Ying Yu, Dehui Zou, Jun Wang, An T. Phan, Rui Cui, Fei Li, Qi Sun, Qiongli Zhai, Tingyu Wang, Zhen Yu, Lanting Liu, Wei Liu, Rui Lyv, Weiwei Sui, Wenyang huang, Wenjie Xiong, Huijun Wang, Chengwen Li, Zhijian Xiao, Mu Hao, Jianxiang Wang, Tao Cheng, Silvia Bea, Alex F. Herrera, Alexey Danilov, Elias Campo, Vu N. Ngo, Lugui Qiu, Lili Wang
Abstract
Genetic variants near the TRIB1 gene are highly significantly associated with plasma lipid traits and coronary artery disease. While TRIB1 is likely causal of these associations, the molecular mechanisms are not well understood. Here we sought to investigate how TRIB1 influences low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels in mice. Hepatocyte-specific deletion of Trib1 (Trib1Δhep) in mice increased plasma cholesterol and apoB and slowed the catabolism of LDL-apoB due to decreased levels of LDL receptor (LDLR) mRNA and protein. Simultaneous deletion of the transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha (CEBPα) with TRIB1 eliminated the effects of TRIB1 on hepatic LDLR regulation and LDL catabolism. Using RNA-seq, we found that activating transcription factor 3 (Atf3) was highly upregulated in the livers of Trib1Δhep but not Trib1Δhep CebpaΔhep mice. ATF3 has been shown to directly bind to the CEBPα protein, and to repress the expression of LDLR by binding its promoter. Blunting the increase of ATF3 in Trib1Δhep mice reduced the levels of plasma cholesterol and partially attenuated the effects on LDLR. Based on these data, we conclude that deletion of Trib1 leads to a posttranslational increase in CEBPα, which increases ATF3 levels, thereby contributing to the downregulation of LDLR and increased plasma LDL-C.
Authors
Katherine Quiroz-Figueroa, Cecilia Vitali, Donna M. Conlon, John S. Millar, John W. Tobias, Robert C. Bauer, Nicholas J. Hand, Daniel J. Rader
Abstract
Aberrant activation of telomerase in human cancer is achieved by various alterations within the TERT promoter, including cancer-specific DNA hypermethylation of the TERT hypermethylated oncological region (THOR). However, the impact of allele-specific DNA methylation within the TERT promoter on gene transcription remains incompletely understood. Using allele-specific next-generation sequencing, we screened a large cohort of normal and tumor tissues (n = 652) from 10 cancer types and identified that differential allelic methylation (DAM) of THOR is restricted to cancerous tissue and commonly observed in major cancer types. THOR-DAM was more common in adult cancers, which develop through multiple stages over time, than in childhood brain tumors. Furthermore, THOR-DAM was especially enriched in tumors harboring the activating TERT promoter mutations (TPMs). Functional studies revealed that allele-specific gene expression of TERT requires hypomethylation of the core promoter, both in TPM and TERT WT cancers. However, the expressing allele with hypomethylated core TERT promoter universally exhibits hypermethylation of THOR, while the nonexpressing alleles are either hypermethylated or hypomethylated throughout the promoter. Together, our findings suggest a dual role for allele-specific DNA methylation within the TERT promoter in the regulation of TERT expression in cancer.
Authors
Donghyun D. Lee, Martin Komosa, Sumedha Sudhaman, Ricardo Leão, Cindy H. Zhang, Joana D. Apolonio, Thomas Hermanns, Peter J. Wild, Helmut Klocker, Farshad Nassiri, Gelareh Zadeh, Bill H. Diplas, Hai Yan, Steven Gallinger, Trevor J. Pugh, Vijay Ramaswamy, Michael D. Taylor, Pedro Castelo-Branco, Nuno Miguel Nunes, Uri Tabori
Abstract
Neoantigens are now recognized drivers of the antitumor immune response. Recurrent neoantigens, shared among groups of patients, have thus become increasingly coveted therapeutic targets. Here, we report on the data-driven identification of a robustly presented, immunogenic neoantigen that is derived from the combination of HLA-A*01:01 and RAS.Q61K. Analysis of large patient cohorts indicated that this combination applies to 3% of patients with melanoma. Using HLA peptidomics, we were able to demonstrate robust endogenous presentation of the neoantigen in 10 tumor samples. We detected specific reactivity to the mutated peptide within tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) from 2 unrelated patients, thus confirming its natural immunogenicity. We further investigated the neoantigen-specific clones and their T cell receptors (TCRs) via a combination of TCR sequencing, TCR overexpression, functional assays, and single-cell transcriptomics. Our analysis revealed a diverse repertoire of neoantigen-specific clones with both intra- and interpatient TCR similarities. Moreover, 1 dominant clone proved to cross-react with the highly prevalent RAS.Q61R variant. Transcriptome analysis revealed a high association of TCR clones with specific T cell phenotypes in response to cognate melanoma, with neoantigen-specific cells showing an activated and dysfunctional phenotype. Identification of recurrent neoantigens and their reactive TCRs can promote “off-the-shelf” precision immunotherapies, alleviating limitations of personalized treatments.
Authors
Aviyah Peri, Erez Greenstein, Michal Alon, Joy A. Pai, Tamir Dingjan, Shlomit Reich-Zeliger, Eilon Barnea, Chaya Barbolin, Ronen Levy, Claudia Arnedo-Pac, Shelly Kalaora, Bareket Dassa, Ester Feldmesser, Ping Shang, Polina Greenberg, Yishai Levin, Gil Benedek, Mitchell P. Levesque, David J. Adams, Michal Lotem, James S. Wilmott, Richard A. Scolyer, Göran B. Jönsson, Arie Admon, Steven A. Rosenberg, Cyrille J. Cohen, Masha Y. Niv, Nuria Lopez-Bigas, Ansuman T. Satpathy, Nir Friedman, Yardena Samuels
Abstract
BACKGROUND. There is considerable variability in COVID-19 outcomes amongst younger adults—and some of this variation may be due to genetic predisposition. METHODS. We combined individual level data from 13,888 COVID-19 patients (N=7,185 hospitalized) from 17 cohorts in nine countries to assess the association of the major common COVID-19 genetic risk factor (chromosome 3 locus tagged by rs10490770) with mortality, COVID-19-related complications and laboratory values. We next performed meta-analyses using FinnGen and the Columbia University COVID-19 Biobank. RESULTS. We found that rs10490770 risk allele carriers experienced an increased risk of all-cause mortality (HR 1.4, 95%CI 1.2–1.7). Risk allele carriers had increased odds of several COVID-19 complications: severe respiratory failure (OR 2.1, 95%CI 1.6-2.6), venous thromboembolism (OR 1.7, 95%CI 1.2-2.4), and hepatic injury (OR 1.5, 95%CI 1.2-2.0). Risk allele carriers ≤60 years had higher odds of death or severe respiratory failure (OR 2.7, 95%CI 1.8-3.9) compared to those >60 years (OR 1.5, 95%CI 1.2-1.8, interaction-p=0.038). Amongst individuals ≤60 years who died or experienced severe respiratory failure, 32.3% were risk variant carriers, compared to 13.9% of those not experiencing these outcomes. The genetic risk improved the prediction of death or severe respiratory failure similarly to, or better than, most established clinical risk factors. CONCLUSIONS. The major common COVID-19 genetic risk factor is associated with increased risks of morbidity and mortality, which are more pronounced amongst individuals ≤60 years. The effect was similar in magnitude and more common than most established clinical risk factors, suggesting potential implications for future clinical risk management.
Authors
Tomoko Nakanishi, Sara Pigazzini, Frauke Degenhardt, Mattia Cordioli, Guillaume Butler-Laporte, Douglas Maya-Miles, Luis Bujanda, Youssef Bouysran, Mari E.K. Niemi, Adriana Palom, David Ellinghaus, Atlas Khan, Manuel Martínez-Bueno, Selina Rolker, Sara Amitrano, Luisa Roade Tato, Francesca Fava, Christoph D. Spinner, Daniele Prati, David Bernardo, Federico Garcia, Gilles Darcis, Israel Fernandez-Cadenas, Jan Cato Holter, Jesus M. Banales, Robert Frithiof, Krzysztof Kiryluk, Stefano Duga, Rosanna Asselta, Alexandre C. Pereira, Manuel Romero-Gómez, Beatriz Nafría-Jiménez, Johannes R. Hov, Isabelle Migeotte, Alessandra Renieri, Anna M. Planas, Kerstin U. Ludwig, Maria Buti, Souad Rahmouni, Marta E. Alarcón-Riquelme, Eva C. Schulte, Andre Franke, Tom H. Karlsen, Luca Valenti, Hugo Zeberg, J. Brent Richards, Andrea Ganna
Abstract
We studied a child with severe viral, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic diseases, who was homozygous for a loss-of-function mutation of REL, encoding c-Rel, which is selectively expressed in lymphoid and myeloid cells. The patient had low frequencies of NK, effector memory cells reexpressing CD45RA (Temra) CD8+ T cells, memory CD4+ T cells, including Th1 and Th1*, Tregs, and memory B cells, whereas the counts and proportions of other leukocyte subsets were normal. Functional deficits of myeloid cells included the abolition of IL-12 and IL-23 production by conventional DC1s (cDC1s) and monocytes, but not cDC2s. c-Rel was also required for induction of CD86 expression on, and thus antigen-presenting cell function of, cDCs. Functional deficits of lymphoid cells included reduced IL-2 production by naive T cells, correlating with low proliferation and survival rates and poor production of Th1, Th2, and Th17 cytokines by memory CD4+ T cells. In naive CD4+ T cells, c-Rel is dispensable for early IL2 induction but contributes to later phases of IL2 expression. The patient’s naive B cells displayed impaired MYC and BCL2L1 induction, compromising B cell survival and proliferation and preventing their differentiation into Ig-secreting plasmablasts. Inherited c-Rel deficiency disrupts the development and function of multiple myeloid and lymphoid cells, compromising innate and adaptive immunity to multiple infectious agents.
Authors
Romain Lévy, David Langlais, Vivien Béziat, Franck Rapaport, Geetha Rao, Tomi Lazarov, Mathieu Bourgey, Yu J. Zhou, Coralie Briand, Kunihiko Moriya, Fatima Ailal, Danielle T. Avery, Janet Markle, Ai Ing Lim, Masato Ogishi, Rui Yang, Simon Pelham, Mehdi Emam, Mélanie Migaud, Caroline Deswarte, Tanwir Habib, Luis R. Saraiva, Eman A. Moussa, Andrea Guennoun, Bertrand Boisson, Serkan Belkaya, Ruben Martinez-Barricarte, Jérémie Rosain, Aziz Belkadi, Sylvain Breton, Kathryn Payne, Ibtihal Benhsaien, Alessandro Plebani, Vassilios Lougaris, James P. Di Santo, Bénédicte Neven, Laurent Abel, Cindy S. Ma, Ahmed Aziz Bousfiha, Nico Marr, Jacinta Bustamante, Kang Liu, Philippe Gros, Frédéric Geissmann, Stuart G. Tangye, Jean-Laurent Casanova, Anne Puel
Abstract
BACKGROUND. Germline mutations in telomerase and other telomere maintenance genes manifest in the premature aging short telomere syndromes. Myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloid leukemia (MDS/AML) account for 75% of associated malignancies, but how these cancers overcome the inherited telomere defect is unknown. METHODS. We used ultra-deep targeted sequencing to detect somatic reversion mutations in 17 candidate telomere lengthening genes among controls and short telomere syndrome patients with and without MDS/AML and we tested the functional significance of these mutations. RESULTS. While no controls carried somatic mutations in telomere maintenance genes, 29% (16 of 56) of adults with germline telomere maintenance defects carried at least one (P<0.001) and 13% (7 of 56) had 2 or more. In addition to TERT promoter mutations which were present in 19%, we identified POT1 and TERF2IP mutations in 13%. POT1 mutations impaired telomere binding in vitro and some mutations were identical to ones seen in familial melanoma associated with longer telomere length. Exclusively in patients with germline defects in telomerase RNA (TR), we identified somatic mutations in nuclear RNA exosome genes, RBM7, SKIV2L2, and DIS3, where loss-of-function upregulates mature TR levels. Somatic reversion events in six telomere-related genes were more prevalent in patients who were MDS/AML-free (P = 0.02, RR 4.4, 95% CI 1.2-16.7), and no MDS/AML patient had more than one reversion mutation. CONCLUSIONS. Our data identify diverse adaptive somatic mechanisms in the short telomere syndrome; they raise the possibility that their presence alleviates the telomere crisis that promotes transformation to MDS/AML.
Authors
Kristen E. Schratz, Valeriya Gaysinskaya, Zoe L. Cosner, Emily A. DeBoy, Zhimin Xiang, Laura Kasch-Semenza, Liliana Florea, Pali D. Shah, Mary Armanios
Abstract
Unlike the better-studied aberrant epigenome in the tumor, the clinicopathologic impact of DNA methylation in the tumor microenvironment (TME), especially the contribution from cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF), remains elusive. CAFs exhibit profound patient-to-patient tumorigenic heterogeneity. We ask whether such heterogeneity may be exploited to quantify the level of TME malignancy or not. We developed a robust and efficient methylome/transcriptome co-analysis system for CAFs and paired normal fibroblasts (NFs) from non-small-cell lung cancer patients. We found 14,781 CpG sites of CAF/NF differential methylation, of which 3,707 sites showed higher methylation changes in ever-smokers than in non-smokers. Concomitant CAF/NF differential gene expression analysis pinpointed to a subset of 54 smoking-associated CpG sites with strong methylation-regulated gene expression. A methylation index that summarizes the beta-values of these CpGs was built for NF/CAF discrimination (MIND) with high sensitivity and specificity. The potential of MIND in detecting pre-malignancy across individual patients was shown. MIND succeeded in predicting tumor recurrence in multiple lung cancer cohorts without reliance on patient survival data, suggesting that the malignancy level of TME may be effectively graded by this index. Precision TME grading may provide additional pathological information to guide cancer prognosis and open up more options in personalized medicine.
Authors
Sheng-Fang Su, Hao Ho, Jia-Hua Li, Ming-Fang Wu, Hsu-Chieh Wang, Hsiang-Yuan Yeh, Shuenn-Wen Kuo, Huei-Wen Chen, Chao-Chi Ho, Ker-Chau Li
Abstract
Genetic alterations in the RUNX1 gene are associated with benign and malignant blood disorders, particularly of megakaryocyte and myeloid lineages. The role of RUNX1 in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is less clear, particularly how germline genetic variation influences the predisposition to this type of leukemia. Sequencing 4,836 children with B-ALL and 1,354 cases of T-ALL, we identified 31 and 18 germline RUNX1 variants, respectively. RUNX1 variants in B-ALL consistently showed minimal damaging effects. By contrast, 6 T-ALL-related variants result in drastic loss of RUNX1 activity as a transcription activator in vitro. Ectopic expression of dominant-negative RUNX1 variants in human CD34+ cells repressed differentiation into erythroid, megakaryocytes, and T cells, while promoting myeloid cell development. Chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing of T-ALL models showed distinctive patterns of RUNX1 binding by variant proteins. Further whole genome sequencing identified JAK3 mutation as the most frequent somatic genomic abnormality in T-ALL with germline RUNX1 variants. Co-introduction of RUNX1 variant and JAK3 mutation in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells in mice gave rise to T-ALL with early T-cell precursor phenotype. Taken together, these results indicated that RUNX1 is an important predisposition gene for T-ALL and pointed to novel biology of RUNX1-mediated leukemogenesis in the lymphoid lineages.
Authors
Yizhen Li, Wentao Yang, Meenakshi Devidas, Stuart S. Winter, Chimene Kesserwan, Wenjian Yang, Kimberly P. Dunsmore, Colton Smith, Maoxiang Qian, Xujie Zhao, Ranran Zhang, Julie M. Gastier-Foster, Elizabeth A. Raetz, William L. Carroll, Chunliang Li, Paul P. Liu, Karen R. Rabin, Takaomi Sanda, Charles G. Mullighan, Kim E. Nichols, William E. Evans, Ching-Hon Pui, Stephen P. Hunger, David T. Teachey, Mary V. Relling, Mignon L. Loh, Jun J. Yang
Copyright © 2022 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)