We designed a study to investigate immunoediting of an epithelial cancer genome using wildtype and immunodeficient mice, NGS, and analytical pipelines to process and analyze the data. We carried out experiments with wildtype and immunodeficient RAG1-/- mice with transplanted tumors and analyzed longitudinal samples with respect to the genomic landscape and the immunophenotypes of the tumors. Finally, we performed also experiments with anti-PD-L1 antibodies and show how the activation of the PD1-PD-L1 axis modulates immunoediting. MC38 cells were subcutaneously injected into wild-type C57Bl/6 and immunodeficient Rag1-/- mice. Samples were taken at predefined time points and subjected to detailed analysis, including FACS, exome sequencing, RNA sequencing and SNP arrays. Overall design: Samples were taken at predifined time points, in triplicates and subjected to RNA sequencing using Ion Torrent Proton
Targeting immune checkpoints potentiates immunoediting and changes the dynamics of tumor evolution.
Subject, Time
View SamplesMutations in CCAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha (CEBPA) are seen in 5-14% of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and have been associated with a favorable clinical outcome. Most AMLs with CEBPA mutations simultaneously carry two mutations (CEBPAdouble-mut), usually biallelic, while single heterozygous mutations (CEBPAsingle-mut) are less frequently seen. Using denaturing high performance liquid chromatography and nucleotide sequencing we identified among a cohort of 598 newly diagnosed AMLs a subset of 41 CEBPA mutant cases, i.e. 28 CEBPAdouble-mut and 13 CEBPAsingle-mut cases. CEBPAdouble-mut associated with a unique gene expression profile as well as favorable overall and event-free survival, retained in multivariable analysis that included cytogenetic risk, FLT3-ITD and NPM1 mutation, white blood cell count and age. In contrast, CEBPAsingle-mut AMLs did not express a discriminating signature and could not be distinguished from wild type cases as regards clinical outcome. These results demonstrate significant underlying heterogeneity within CEBPA mutation positive AML with prognostic relevance.
Double CEBPA mutations, but not single CEBPA mutations, define a subgroup of acute myeloid leukemia with a distinctive gene expression profile that is uniquely associated with a favorable outcome.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage
View SamplesThe pretreatment karyotype of leukemic blasts is currently the key determinant in therapy decision-making in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, approximately fifty percent of AML patients, often carrying a normal karyotype, are currently unclassifiable based these established methods. Gene expression profiling has proven to be valuable for risk stratification of AML.
Prediction of molecular subtypes in acute myeloid leukemia based on gene expression profiling.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Disease, Disease stage
View SamplesGene signatures were derived to separate responders from nonresponders by tipifarnib treatment.
Identification of molecular predictors of response in a study of tipifarnib treatment in relapsed and refractory acute myelogenous leukemia.
Sex, Age
View SamplesAcute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous disease from the molecular and biological standpoints, and even patients with a specific gene expression profile may present clinical and molecular heterogeneity. We studied the epigenetic profiles of a cohort of patients that shared a common gene expression profile but differed in that only half of them harbored mutations of the CEBPA locus, while the rest presented with silencing of this gene and co-expression of certain T cell markers. DNA methylation studies revealed that these two groups of patients could be readily segregated in an unsupervised fashion based on their DNA methylation profiles alone. Furthermore, CEBPA silencing was associated with the presence of an aberrant DNA hypermethylation signature, which was not present in the CEBPA mutant group. This aberrant hypermethylation occurred more frequently at sites within CpG islands. CEBPA silenced leukemias also displayed marked hypermethylation when compared with normal CD34+ hematopoietic cells, while CEBPA mutant cases showed only mild changes in DNA methylation when compared to these normal progenitors. Biologically, CEBPA silenced leukemias presented with a decreased response to myeloid growth factors in vitro.
Genome-wide epigenetic analysis delineates a biologically distinct immature acute leukemia with myeloid/T-lymphoid features.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesOverexpression of miR-9 and miR-9* in 32D cells, cells grown under IL-3 conditions and miR-9 and miR-9* were introduced with retroviral vectors containing about ~150 bp up and downstream of mmu-mir-9-2.
Aberrant expression of miR-9/9* in myeloid progenitors inhibits neutrophil differentiation by post-transcriptional regulation of ERG.
Cell line
View SamplesGoal of this study was to compare transcriptional changes in stimulated mast cells in the absence or presence of sialostatinL Overall design: mRNA profiles of 4 weeks old mast cells (BMMC derived from C57BL/6 mice ) stimulated for 24h with ionomycin in absence or presence of tick derived sialostatinL were generated by deep sequencing using Illumina HiSeq2000
Tick Salivary Sialostatin L Represses the Initiation of Immune Responses by Targeting IRF4-Dependent Transcription in Murine Mast Cells.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesEwing Tumors (ET) are highly malignant tumors, localized in bone or soft tissue and are molecularly defined by ews/ets translocations. We identified histone methyl-transferase Enhancer of Zeste, Drosophila, Homolog 2 (EZH2) to be increased in ET. EZH2s suppressive activity maintains stemness in normal and malignant cells. Here we found EZH2 to be upregulated by the pathognomonic fusion oncogene EWS-FLI1 in ET and mesenchymal stem cells. Downregulation of EZH2 by RNA interference in ET suppressed oncogenic transformation by inhibiting clonogenicity in vitro. Similarly, tumor development and metastasis in immunodeficient Rag2-/-C-/- mice was suppressed. EZH2-mediated gene silencing was shown to be dependent on histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity. Subsequent microarray analysis of EZH2 knock down, HDAC-inhibitor treatment and confirmation in independent assays revealed an undifferentiated phenotype maintained by EZH2 in ET. Downregulation of EZH2 decreased histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) at target loci. EZH2 regulated stemness genes such as nerve growth factor receptor (NGFR) as well as genes involved in neuroectodermal differentiation (EMP1, EPHB2, GFAP, GAP43). These data suggest that EZH2 might play a central role in Ewing Tumor pathology shaping the oncogenicity and stem cell phenotype of this tumor presumably by epigenetic regulation.
EZH2 is a mediator of EWS/FLI1 driven tumor growth and metastasis blocking endothelial and neuro-ectodermal differentiation.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesHigh VEGFC mRNA expression of AML blasts is related to increased in vitro and in vivo drug resistance. The prognostic significance of VEGFC on long-term outcome and its associated gene expression profiles remain to be defined. We studied the effect of VEGFC on treatment outcome and investigated gene expression profiles associated with VEGFC using microarray data of 525 adult and 100 pediatric AML patients. High VEGFC expression appeared strongly associated with reduced complete remission rate, reduced overall and event-free survival (OS and EFS) in adult AML. Multivariable analysis established high VEGFC as prognostic indicator independent of cytogenetic risk, FLT3-ITD, NPM1, CEBPA, age and WBC. Also in pediatric AML high VEGFC was related to reduced OS. A unique series of differentially expressed genes was identified that distinguished AML with high VEGFC from AML with low VEGFC, i.e., 331 upregulated genes (representative of proliferation, VEGF-receptor activity, signal transduction) and 44 downregulated genes (e.g. related to apoptosis) consistent with a role in enhanced chemoresistance. In conclusion, high VEGFC predicts adverse long-term prognosis and provides prognostic information in addition to well-known prognostic factors.
High VEGFC expression is associated with unique gene expression profiles and predicts adverse prognosis in pediatric and adult acute myeloid leukemia.
Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesCurrently there is no method available to predict response to farnesyltransferase inhibitors (FTI). We analyzed gene expression profiles from the bone marrow of patients from a phase 2 study of the FTI tipifarnib, in older adults with previously untreated acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The RASGRP1:APTX gene expression ratio was found to predict response to tipifarnib with the greatest accuracy. This two-gene ratio was validated by quantitative PCR (QPCR) in the newly diagnosed AML cohort. We further demonstrated that this classifier could predict response to tipifarnib in an independent set of 54 samples from relapsed or refractory AML, with a negative predictive value (NPV) and positive predictive value (PPV) of 92% and 28%, respectively (odds ratio of 4.4). The classifier also predicted for improved overall survival (154 vs 56 days, p = 0.0001), which was shown to be independent of other prognostic factors including a previously described gene expression classifier predictive of overall survival. Therefore, these data indicate that a two-gene expression assay may have utility in categorizing a population of AML patients who are more likely to respond to tipifarnib.
A 2-gene classifier for predicting response to the farnesyltransferase inhibitor tipifarnib in acute myeloid leukemia.
Sex, Age, Disease
View Samples