Project description:It is poorly understood how the tumor immune microenvironment influences disease recurrence in localized clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Here we perform whole-transcriptomic profiling of 236 tumors from patients assigned to the placebo-only arm of a randomized, adjuvant clinical trial for high-risk localized ccRCC. Unbiased pathway analysis identifies myeloid-derived interleukin-6 (IL-6) as a key mediator. Furthermore, a novel myeloid gene signature strongly correlates with disease recurrence and overall survival on uni- and multivariate analysis and is linked to TP53 inactivation across multiple datasets.
Project description:By generating 194 epigenomic and transcriptomic profiles datasets from 57 human tissue samples, using H3K27ac and HIF2α chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq), ATAC-seq, and RNA-seq, we provide a comprehensive integrated characterization of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) across normal, tumor, and metastatic states. Our epigenomic analyses reveal insights into various aspects of ccRCC biology. First, we show that significant enhancer reprogramming (H3K27ac) and shifts in the transcription factor HIF2α cistrome and chromatin accessibility landscape occur during the transition from normal to tumor; by contrast, there areis no significant differences between localized tumors and metastatic samples. Second, we show that fetal kidney-specific developmental pathways are reactivated to drive malignancy. Third, we performed the first cistrome cistrome-wide association study (CWAS) in ccRCC, validating five established RCC risk loci and identifying six novel regions associated with RCC risk, including a significant association on 12q24 linked to the SCARB1 gene that was functionally validated. These datasets provide new perspectives on the role of developmental pathways in ccRCC tumorigenesis and metastasis, insights into epigenetic mechanisms of ccRCC heritability, and a comprehensive epigenomic atlas for the research community.
Project description:Background. Current clinicopathological factors are not accurate enough to predict tumor progression in intermediate/high-risk clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Objective: To develop a prognostic classifier for intermediate/high-risk ccRCC based on gene expression and histopathological prognostic factors. Design, setting and participants: Retrospective, multicenter study including 84 intermediate/high-risk ccRCC patients who underwent surgery. Global gene expression patterns were analyzed in 13 tissue samples from progressive and non-progressive ccRCC using Illumina Hi-seq 2000 kit. Expression levels of 22 selected genes were assessed by nCounter Analysis in an independent series of 71 ccRCC. A combined genetic-clinicopathological classifier for predicting tumor progression was developed. Outcomes measurements and statistical analysis: Logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent prognostic factors. Results and Limitations: A total of 1202 genes were found differentially expressed between progressive and non-progressive intermediate/high-risk ccRCC. In the independent cohort, 7 genes remained significant differentially expressed between the groups. Expression of HS6ST2, pT stage, tumor size and ISUP grade were found independent prognostic factors for tumor progression (p<0.05). A risk score generated using these variables was able to distinguish a subset of patients at higher-risk of progression (HR 7,27; p<0,001), improving the individual discriminative performance of each of these variables on their own. Conclusions: A novel prognostic algorithm based on genetic and clinicopathological factors was successfully developed. This model may aid physicians to select high-risk patients for further adjuvant target therapy or immune therapy.
Project description:Purpose: Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common renal cancer. Thirty percent of patients with localized ccRCC develop metastases during follow-up. Although current scoring methods correctly identify patients at low progression risk, a small subgroup still experiences metastatization. We therefore aimed to identify ccRCC progression biomarkers in “low-risk” patients, potentially eligible for adjuvant treatments. Methods: We performed next-generation sequencing of RNA from formalin-fixed samples obtained at initial surgery from 8 “low-risk” patients with progressing tumours and 16 patients with similar Leibovich score, tumour stage and size, creatinine levels and surgical treatment, not progressing to recurrence with metastasis. Key results were confirmed with qPCR, immunohistochemistry and in external data. Results: Principal component analysis indicates that systematic transcriptomic differences are detectable at the time of initial surgery. 1167 genes, related to cancer and immune-related pathways, were differentially expressed between progressors and non-progressors. Search for a classifier revealed that overexpression of AGAP2-AS1, an antisense long non-coding RNA, alone, correctly classified 23 of 24 samples without requiring larger gene panels. AGAP2-AS1 gene overexpression was confirmed by qPCR (p <0.05) and correlated with shorter progression-free survival (p: <0.0005). Immunohistochemistry confirmed upregulation at the protein level of AGAP2. Conclusion: AGAP2-AS1 may represent a novel biomarker identifying high risk patients currently classified as “low risk” at the time of surgery.
Project description:Patients with polycystic kidney disease (PKD) encounter a high risk of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), a malignant tumor with dysregulated lipid metabolism. SET domain–containing 2 (SETD2) has been identified as an important tumor suppressor gene in ccRCC. However, the role of SETD2 in tumorigenesis during the transition from PKD to ccRCC remains largely unexplored. Herein, we performed metabolomics, lipidomics, transcriptomics and proteomics with SETD2 loss induced PKD-ccRCC transition mouse model. To characterize biological responses triggered by SETD2 deletion during PKD-ccRCC transition at the protein level, we conducted global proteomics studies.
Project description:Background: Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common renal cancer. Identification of ccRCC likely to progress, despite an apparent low risk at the time of surgery, represents a key clinical issue. Methods: From a cohort of adult ccRCC patients (n=443), we selected low-risk tumors progressing within a 5-years average follow-up (progressors: P, n=8) and non-progressing (NP) tumors (n=16). Transcriptome sequencing, miRNA sequencing and proteomics were performed on tissues obtained at surgery. Our work suggests that LXR, FXR and macrophage activation pathways could be critically involved in the inhibition of the progression of low-risk ccRCC. Furthermore, a 10-component classifier could support an early identification of apparently low-risk ccRCC patients.
Project description:CTCF ChIP-seq of 39 primary samples derived from human acute leukemias, namely AML, T-ALL and mixed myeloid/lymphoid leukemias with CpG Island Methylator Phenotype (CIMP). Due to patient confidentiality considerations, the raw data files for this dataset have been deposited to the EGA controlled-access archive under the accession numbers EGAS00001007094 (study); EGAD00001011059 (dataset).
Project description:The pituitary-tumor transforming gene (PTTG1) is a recently discovered oncogene implicated in the malignant progression of a number of neoplasms. It has been shown to drive both endocrine and non-endocrine malignancies, but has not yet been studied in the context of renal cell carcinoma. Here we show that PTTG1 is frequently amplified and overexpressed in clear cell renal cell carcinoma, the most common form of kidney cancer. Clear cell RCC (ccRCC) is cytogenetically characterized by deletion of chromosome 3p, harboring the von-Hippel Lindau tumor suppressor gene, and amplification of chromosome 5q. The significance of copy number gain of chromosome 5 has to date remained a mystery, but is presumably the location of oncogenes that play an important role in ccRCC development or progression. The PTTG1 oncogene maps to chromosome 5q and shows frequent copy number gain in clear cell RCC, and is significantly overexpressed in tumor tissue relative to adjacent normal kidney. Furthermore, we have established a functional role for PTTG1 in ccRCC tumorigenesis and progression. PTTG1 ablation significantly reduces both the tumorigenic ability of ccRCC cells in vitro and in vivo and the invasive ability of these cells in vitro. An analysis of PTTG1 regulatory targets supports its role in the progression of localized ccRCC to invasive and metastatic disease, an idea further substantiated by PTTG1’s clinical correlation with high grade and high stage tumors and its association with poor prognosis. PTTG1-dependent overexpression of the Rho-GEF ECT2, another proto-oncogene, is observed in a number of ccRCC cell lines, and ECT2 overexpression correlates with PTTG1 overexpression, high stage, high grade, and poor prognosis in human ccRCC tumors. As GEF’s have been promoted as viable drug targets for targeted cancer therapeutics, the relationship between the PTTG1 and ECT2 oncogenes may be able to be exploited for the treatment of this disease.
Project description:H3K27ac ChIP-seq of 79 primary samples derived from human acute leukemias, namely AML, T-ALL and mixed myeloid/lymphoid leukemias with CpG Island Methylator Phenotype (CIMP). In addition, 4 samples derived from CD34+ cord blood cells of healthy donors were included. Due to patient confidentiality considerations, the raw data files for this dataset have been deposited to the EGA controlled-access archive under the accession numbers EGAS00001007094 (study); EGAD00001011060 (dataset).
Project description:Embryonic genome activation (EGA) marks the onset of embryonic program and enables the transition toward the first lineage specification. However, the molecular features of EGA and the transcription factors (TFs) orchestrating this process remain unclear. Here, by performing single-cell RNA-seq on bovine embryos, we reveal that major EGA is asynchronously initiated among blastomeres at the 8-cell stage. Integrative analyses reveal distinctive protein accumulation compared to transcription and translation activation during bovine EGA. Furthermore, we investigate the role of SP1, a TF activated at the minor EGA stage, with motifs enriched in accessible chromatin during major EGA stage in bovine and human embryos. SP1 deficiency leads to morula arrest in bovine and impairs EGA in human embryos. Multi-omics analysis demonstrates that SP1 promotes early lineage gene expression by modulating nearby chromatin states in bovine and directly targets key EGA genes in human embryos. Together, our study delineates the dynamics of bovine EGA and uncovers the conserved and species-specific roles of SP1 in regulating EGA and early development in mammals.