Project description:Mutations of SF3B1 in CLL induce alternative splicing in multiple transcripts, including DVL2. DVL2 in turn can act as a negative regulator of NOTCH1 signaling. Gene Expression Profile (GEP) was used to investigate the activation of the NOTCH1 pathway in presence of alternatively spliced DVL2.
Project description:Stabilizing mutations of NOTCH1 have been identified in about 10% of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cases at diagnosis, with a higher frequency in unmutated IGHV (IGHV-UM) CLL, chemorefractory CLL and CLL in advanced disease phases. Clinically, the presence of NOTCH1 mutations is an independent predictor of overall survival in CLL and associates with resistance to anti-Cd20 immunotherapy. The Gene Expression Profile was generated to identify the peculiar molecular signatures of NOTCH1 mutated CLL in the context of IGHV-UM CLL.
Project description:Stabilizing mutations of NOTCH1 have been identified in about 10% of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cases at diagnosis, with a higher frequency in unmutated IGHV (IGHV-UM) CLL, chemorefractory CLL and CLL in advanced disease phases. Clinically, the presence of NOTCH1 mutations is an independent predictor of overall survival in CLL and associates with resistance to anti-Cd20 immunotherapy. The Gene Expression Profile was generated to identify the peculiar molecular signatures of NOTCH1 mutated CLL in the context of IGHV-UM CLL. Constitutive gene expression in CLL cells bearing or not NOTCH1 mutation (c.7541_7542delCT). Five samples were selected for each category (WT vs MUT).
Project description:In CLL, NOTCH1 is the most commonly mutated gene at diagnosis and it is associated with a poor outcome. The mechanisms underlying how NOTCH1 contributes to disease progression, resistance to treatment and Richter’s transformation remain largely unknown. The main goal of this study is to compare the gene expression profile of primary CLL cells transduced with the intracellular part of NOTCH1 lacking of the PEST domain vs cells transduced with an empty vector. Additionally, patients with the Trisomy 12 abnormality are included in this study to clarify the role of the mutations in this specific sub-group of CLL patients that are strongly associated with NOTCH1 mutations.
Project description:In CLL, NOTCH1 is the most commonly mutated gene at diagnosis and it is associated with a poor outcome. The mechanisms underlying how NOTCH1 contributes to disease progression, resistance to treatment and Richter’s transformation remain largely unknown. Data suggests a link between BCR activation and NOTCH1 signalling so the main goal of this study is to compare the gene expression profile of primary CLL cells transduced with the intracellular part of NOTCH1 lacking of the PEST domain vs cells transduced with an empty vector following IgM stimulation.
Project description:In chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), NOTCH1 is the most commonly mutated gene at diagnosis and it is associated with a poor outcome. The mechanisms underlying how NOTCH1 contributes to disease progression, resistance to treatment and Richter’s transformation remain largely unknown. The main goal of this study is to compare the chromatin activation profile of primary CLL cells transduced with the intracellular part of NOTCH1 lacking of the PEST domain vs. cells transduced with an empty vector. Additionally, patients with the Trisomy 12 abnormality are included in this study to clarify the role of the mutations in this specific sub-group of CLL patients that are strongly associated with NOTCH1 mutations.
Project description:Recurrent mutations in RNA splicing factors SF3B1, U2AF1, and SRSF2 have been reported in hematologic cancers including myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). However, SF3B1 is the only splicing associated gene to be found mutated in CLL and has been shown to induce aberrant splicing. To investigate if any other genomic aberration caused similar transcriptome changes, we clustered RNASeq samples based on an alternative 3’ splice site (ss) pattern previously identified in SF3B1-mutant CLL patients. Out of 215 samples, we identified 37 (17%) with alternative 3’ ss usage, the majority of which harbored known SF3B1 hotspot mutations. Interestingly, 3 patient samples carried previously unreported in-frame deletions in SF3B1 around K700, the most frequent mutation hotspot. To study the functional effects of these deletions, we used various minigenes demonstrating that recognition of canonical 3’ ss and alternative branchsite are required for aberrant splicing, as observed for SF3B1 p.K700E. The common mechanism of action of these deletions and substitutions result in similar sensitivity of primary cells towards splicing inhibitor E7107. Altogether, these data demonstrate that novel SF3B1 in-frame deletion events identified in CLL result in aberrant splicing, a common biomarker in spliceosome-mutant cancers.
Project description:The RNA splicing factor SF3B1 is recurrently mutated in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), but its functional role in the pathogenesis of this disease has not been firmly established. Here, we show that conditional expression of heterozygous Sf3b1-K700E mutation in mouse B lineage cells disrupts pre-mRNA splicing, alters B-cell development and function, and induces a state of cellular senescence. B-cell restricted expression of this mutation combined with Atm deletion led to the overcoming of cellular senescence, together with enhanced genome instability and the development of clonal B220+CD5+ CLL cells in elderly mice at low penetrance. Mice with CLL-like disease were found to have amplifications of chromosomes 15 and 17. Integrated transcriptome and proteome analysis of the CLL-like cells revealed coordinated dysregulation of multiple CLL-associated cellular processes. This included an unexpected signature of deregulated B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling, which we could also identify in SF3B1-mutated CLL samples from two independent patient cohorts. Notably, human CLLs harboring SF3B1 mutations exhibited greater sensitivity and altered response kinetics to BTK kinase ibrutinib. Our genetically faithful murine model of CLL thus reveals fresh insights regarding the impact of SF3B1 mutation on CLL pathogenesis and suggests a system for identifying vulnerabilities related to this mutation that can be further exploited for the treatment of CLLs with this common mutation.
Project description:Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) is a heterogeneous disease with a variable clinical course strictly dependent on cytogenetic and molecular features. However, in 15-20% of cases both conventional cytogenetic and FISH analyses do not show any kind of abnormality. With the aim to identify dependable molecular prognostic factors in this subgroup, we evaluated 171 CLL patients, without aberrations detected by chromosome banding and FISH analysis. A comprehensive analysis was performed including genomic arrays (CGH+SNP), IGHV status, flow cytometry and a targeted sequencing. By genomic arrays, we detected 73 aberrations in 39 patients (23%). Most frequently, patients had 1 aberration (25/171; 15%), while 14 patients (8%) had at least 2 aberrations. IGHV unmutated status was present in 53/171 (31%) patients. SF3B1 was the most frequently mutated gene (26/171 patients; 15%), followed by NOTCH1 (n=15, 9%), ATM (n=5; 3%); TP53 (n=5; 3%); KLHL6 (n=5; 3%); MYD88 (n=5; 3%) and XPO1 (n=5; 3%). At univariate analysis, an adverse impact on time to treatment (TTT) was evident for SF3B1 mutations, higher white blood cell count, higher CLL cells percentage by flow cytometry, CD38 positivity, IGHV unmutated status and at least 2 genomic array abnormalities. Of them, SF3B1 mutations, CLL cells percentage, IGHV unmutated status and number of genomic array aberrations maintained their impact in multivariate analysis. In conclusion, integrating genomic and molecular data, we identified patients at higher risk for treatment need. Therefore, we suggest to evaluate these factors for a better prognostic stratification of normal karyotype CLL subset.
Project description:We investigated at two time points a longitudinal cohort of 27 untreated Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) patients with either stable or progressive disease. The sequenced genes included BCOR, EGR2, HIST1H1E, ITPKB, KRAS, MED12, NRAS, RIPK1, SAMHD1, ATM, BIRC3, BRAF, CHD2, DDX3X, DDX3Y, FBXW7, KIT, KLHL6, MAPK1, MYD88, NOTCH1, PIK3CA, POT1, SF3B1, TP53, XPO1 and ZMYM3, which were previously identified as mutated in CLL studies.