Project description:Using high-resolution array comparative genomic hybridization, we mapped del(14)(q) in a series of 23 B-cell leukemia/lymphoma cases. Interestingly, 14 cases with interstitial del(14)(q) showed involvement of IGH at 14q32.33. Whereas the proximal breakpoints of these deletions varied in 6 cases, they clustered in the 14q24.1/ZFP36L1 region in the 8 remaining cases. The latter del(14)(q24.1q32.33) covering approximately 36 Mb was further demonstrated in 12 additional patients by FISH. The majority of cases harboring this deletion were diagnosed as chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) (75%), particularly atypical CLL, and were frequently associated with trisomy 12 (40%) and unmutated VH region (75%). Further analysis of the 14q32.33 breakpoints showed clustering in the constant region of IGH, proximal to the 5’ (Eµ) enhancer sequences. These findings therefore suggest that the del(14)(q24.1q32.33), and other analogous IGH-involving del(14)(q), might represent a novel aberration leading to activation of unknown oncogene(s) at 14q by its juxtaposition with regulatory elements of IGH. Extensive expression analysis via quantitative PCR and microarray profiling, however, failed to identify a gene uniformly upregulated in cases with del(14)(q24.1q32.33). Further investigations are needed to unravel the mechanism(s) and role of IGH-involving del(14)(q) in B-cell malignancies. Keywords: comparative genomic hybridization
Project description:Cytogenetic profiles of 50 meningiomas using high-density GeneChip Mapping 500K set and Genome-Wide Human SNP 6.0 Array in the tumor tissues and in the peripheral blood of the same patients. A total of two hundred 500k arrays (100 tumor samples and 100 blood samples) and 14 SNP6.0 arrays (7 tumour samples and 7 peripheral blood samples) were studied to explore the most common recurrent chromosomal abnormalities (gains and losses) in meningiomas. Our results confirm that del(22q) (52%) and del(1p) (16%) (common deleted regions: 22q11.21-22q13.3. and 1p31.2-p36.33) are the most frequent abnormalities. Additionally, recurrent monosomy 14 (8%), del(6p) (10%), del(7p) (10%) and del(19p) (6%) were also observed, while copy number variation (CNV) patterns consistent with recurrent chromosome gains, gene amplification was absent or rare. Based on their overall SNP profiles meningiomas could be classified into: i) diploid cases, ii) meningiomas with a single chromosome change (e.g. monosomy 22/del(22q) and iii) tumours with ≥2 altered chromosomes.
Project description:Cytogenetic profiles of 50 meningiomas using high-density GeneChip Mapping 500K set and Genome-Wide Human SNP 6.0 Array in the tumor tissues and in the peripheral blood of the same patients. A total of two hundred 500k arrays (100 tumor samples and 100 blood samples) and 14 SNP6.0 arrays (7 tumour samples and 7 peripheral blood samples) were studied to explore the most common recurrent chromosomal abnormalities (gains and losses) in meningiomas. Our results confirm that del(22q) (52%) and del(1p) (16%) (common deleted regions: 22q11.21-22q13.3. and 1p31.2-p36.33) are the most frequent abnormalities. Additionally, recurrent monosomy 14 (8%), del(6p) (10%), del(7p) (10%) and del(19p) (6%) were also observed, while copy number variation (CNV) patterns consistent with recurrent chromosome gains, gene amplification was absent or rare. Based on their overall SNP profiles meningiomas could be classified into: i) diploid cases, ii) meningiomas with a single chromosome change (e.g. monosomy 22/del(22q) and iii) tumours with M-bM-^IM-%2 altered chromosomes. 500K SNP mapping set array and Genome-Wide Human SNP 6.0 Array were used to profile 50 meningiomas with matched blood DNA samples. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and copy number abnormality (CNA) profiles were derived from each tumour-blood pair. In seven tumors, both types of arrays were assessed.
Project description:We provide a novel gene fusion (ETV6-IgH) involving a truncation of ETV6 and leading to haploinsuffiency of ETV6 expression. ETV6-IgH is a new potential surrogate marker of PCNSL with favorable prognosis
Project description:Immunogenetic studies in CLL revealed clonal expansions of T cells and shared T cell clonotypes between different patients, strongly implying clonal selection by antigens. Recurrent genomic aberrations associated with distinct abnormal expression profiles could represent an alternative source of potent immunogenic neoepitopes that might shape the T cell receptor (TR) gene repertoire in CLL. On these grounds, here we interrogated the TR gene repertoire of CLL patients with different genomic aberration profiles with the aim to identify unique signatures that would allude to distinct antigen selection pressures.The study group included 44 untreated CLL patients with who were categorized in 5 subgroups defined by a unique genomic aberration, as follows: +12, n=17; del(11q), n=10; del(13q), n=7; TP53mut, n=5; NOTCH1mut, n=5. Starting material was RNA extracted from blood mononuclear cells. TRBV-TRBD-TRBJ gene rearrangements were RT-PCR amplified and subjected to paired-end next generation sequencing (NGS). Bioinformatics analysis with a purpose-build pipeline and in silico prediction models were used for the profiling of the TR gene repertoire and the identification of neoepitope-specific TR clonotypes, respectively.
Project description:Deregulated expression of cytokine receptor gene, CRLF2, is involved in lymphoid transformation in B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia We report two novel, cryptic chromosomal abnormalities in precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL): a translocation, either t(X;14)(p22;q32) or t(Y;14)(p11;q32), in 33 patients and an interstitial deletion, either del(X)(p22.33p22.33) or del(Y)(p11.32p11.32), in 64 patients, involving the pseudoautosomal region (PAR1) of the sex chromosomes. The incidence of these abnormalities was 5% in childhood ALL (0.8% with the translocation, 4.2% with the deletion). Patients with the translocation were older (median age 16 years), whilst the patients with the deletion were younger (median age 4 years). The two abnormalities result in deregulated expression of the cytokine receptor, cytokine receptor-like factor 2, CRLF2 (also known as thymic stromal-derived lymphopoietin receptor, TSLPR). Over-expression of CRLF2 was associated with activation of the JAK-STAT pathway in cell lines and transduced primary B-cell progenitors, sustaining their proliferation and indicating a causal role of CRLF2 over-expression in lymphoid transformation. In Down Syndrome (DS) ALL and two non DS BCP-ALL cell lines, CRLF2 deregulation was associated with mutations of the JAK2 pseudokinase domain suggesting oncogenic cooperation, as well as highlighting a link between non DS ALL and JAK2 mutations. Keyword(s): Global copy number analysis using Agilent oligonucleotide arrays DNA copy number analysis of 16 acute lymphoblastic leukaemia samples (13 diagnostic, 1 diagnostic and relapse pair and 2 cell-lines) was performed using Agilent 244K and 105K custom microarrays. These samples were hybridised against gender matched reference DNA.
Project description:Immunoglobulin light chain (AL) amyloidosis is characterized by deposition of abnormal amyloid fibrils in multiple organs impairing their function. CD138-purified plasma cells producing these fibrils are investigated regarding chromosomal alterations by interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (iFISH) using a multiple myeloma specific probe set for the IgH translocations as well as recurrent numerical aberrations. Aberrations genuine to AL amyloidosis cannot be detected due to the inherent limitation of this probe panel to known loci. We analyzed 118 AL amyloidosis patients by high-density copy number array to quantitatively detect genome-wide chromosomal imbalances. Most prevalent gains affected chromosomes 1q (37%), 9 (24%), 11q (24%), and 19 (16%). The most frequent deletion was monosomy 13 (28%) followed by partial deletions on 14q (21%), 16q (14%), and 13q (12%). The results were analyzed with respect to cytogenetic subgroups. In 88% of patients with translocation t(11;14) and concomitant gain of 11q22.3/11q23 detected by iFISH, the latter aberration was not due to trisomy of chromosome 11 but part of the unbalanced translocation der(14)t(11;14)(q13;q32) with breakpoint in the CCND1/MYEOV gene region. Partial loss of chromosomes 14q and 16q were significantly associated to patients with gain 1q. Our iFISH probe set is highly concordant with copy number results as it detects the most common cytogenetic aberrations present in AL amyloidosis. Beyond that, the probe panel is also the method of choice to detect translocations involving the IgH locus. In contrast to the results of our iFISH panel the frequency of hyperdiploidy detected by copy number array analysis is higher.
Project description:Deregulated expression of cytokine receptor gene, CRLF2, is involved in lymphoid transformation in B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia We report two novel, cryptic chromosomal abnormalities in precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL): a translocation, either t(X;14)(p22;q32) or t(Y;14)(p11;q32), in 33 patients and an interstitial deletion, either del(X)(p22.33p22.33) or del(Y)(p11.32p11.32), in 64 patients, involving the pseudoautosomal region (PAR1) of the sex chromosomes. The incidence of these abnormalities was 5% in childhood ALL (0.8% with the translocation, 4.2% with the deletion). Patients with the translocation were older (median age 16 years), whilst the patients with the deletion were younger (median age 4 years). The two abnormalities result in deregulated expression of the cytokine receptor, cytokine receptor-like factor 2, CRLF2 (also known as thymic stromal-derived lymphopoietin receptor, TSLPR). Over-expression of CRLF2 was associated with activation of the JAK-STAT pathway in cell lines and transduced primary B-cell progenitors, sustaining their proliferation and indicating a causal role of CRLF2 over-expression in lymphoid transformation. In Down Syndrome (DS) ALL and two non DS BCP-ALL cell lines, CRLF2 deregulation was associated with mutations of the JAK2 pseudokinase domain suggesting oncogenic cooperation, as well as highlighting a link between non DS ALL and JAK2 mutations. Keyword(s): Global copy number analysis using Agilent oligonucleotide arrays
Project description:Background: Germinal center B-cell (GCB) lymphomas are common in children and adults. The prognosis strongly depends on age. Subgroups of GCB-lymphomas are characterized by chromosomal translocations affecting immunoglobulin (IG) loci leading to oncogene deregulation. Methods: Novel IG translocation partners were cloned within the network “Molecular Mechanisms in Malignant Lymphomas” (MMML) by long-distance inverse polymerase chain reaction. Mature aggressive B-cell lymphomas from the MMML as well as pediatric and adult lymphoma trials were analyzed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and immunhistochemistry. Data from 438 MMML cases characterized by gene expression profiling were mined. Results: Cloning of unknown IG partners identified a t(6;14)(p25;q32) juxtaposing the IRF4 oncogene with the IGH-locus as novel recurrent aberration in GCB lymphoma. FISH analyses of 427 mature B-cell lymphomas for IRF4 translocations revealed 20 IG/IRF4 positive lymphomas (17 IGH/IRF4, 2 IGL/IRF4, 1 IGΚ/IRF4). IG/IRF4-positive lymphomas were predominantly GCB-type diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL) or follicular lymphoma grade 3, shared overexpression of IRF4/MUM1 and BCL6 and lacked PRDM1/BLIMP1 expression and t(14;18)/BCL2 breaks. BCL6 aberrations were common. The gene expression profile of IG/IRF4-positive lymphomas was different from other subtypes of DLBCL and a classifier for IG/IRF4 positivity containing 27 genes allowed prediction of 3 additional MMML IG/IRF4-positive cases subsequently proven by FISH. IG/IRF4-positivity was associated with a favorable outcome likely due to significant enrichment of IG/IRF4-positive lymphomas in childhood and young adulthood. Conclusions: Our results suggest IRF4 translocations to be primary genetic alterations in a novel molecularly defined subset of GC-derived lymphomas predominantly affecting children. 271 diffuse large B-Cell lymphoma samples were hybridized to HGU133A Affymetrix GeneChips.
Project description:Mutations of TCF4, which encodes a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor, cause Pitt-Hopkins syndrome (PTHS) via multiple genetic mechanisms. TCF4 is a complex locus expressing multiple transcripts by alternative splicing and use of multiple promoters. We report a three-generation family segregating mild intellectual disability with an apparently balanced chromosomal translocation t(14;18)(q23.3;q21.2) that we characterized as a complex unbalanced karyotype 46,XY,der(14)del(14)(q23.3q23.3)t(14;18)(q23.3;q21.2)del(18)(q21.2q21.2) del(18)(q21.2q21.2)inv(18)(q21.2q21.2),der(18)t(14 ;18)(q23.3;q21.2) disrupting TCF4. Using whole genome sequencing, transcriptome sequencing, qRT-PCR and nCounter analysis, we characterized the breakpoint junctions from derivative chromosomes and gene expression at the TCF4 locus. Our analyses revealed that family members segregating mild intellectual disability with the complex chromosome aberration had normal expression of genes along chromosomes 14 or 18 and no marked changes in expression of genes other than TCF4. Affected individuals had 12-33 fold higher mRNA levels of TCF4 than did unaffected controls or individuals with PTHS. Increased levels of TCF4 transcript variants originating distal to the translocation breakpoint, not the fusion transcript generated by the derivative chromosome, contributed to this increased. Although validation in additional patients is required, our findings suggest that the dysmorphic features and severe intellectual disability characteristic of PTHS is partially rescued by overexpression of short TCF4 transcripts encoding a nuclear localization signal, a transcription activation domain, and the basic helix-loop-helix domain. Examination of TCF4 Isoform expression comparison between mutant and control skin fibroblast tissues