Project description:The morphogen and mitogen, Sonic Hedgehog, activates a Gli1-dependent transcription program that drives proliferation of granule neuron progenitors (GNPs) within the external germinal layer of the postnatally developing cerebellum. Medulloblastomas with mutations activating the Sonic Hedgehog signaling pathway preferentially arise within the external germinal layer, and the tumor cells closely resemble GNPs. Atoh1/Math1, a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor essential for GNP histogenesis, does not induce medulloblastomas when expressed in primary mouse GNPs that are explanted from the early postnatal cerebellum and transplanted back into the brains of naïve mice. However, enforced expression of Atoh1 in primary GNPs enhances the oncogenicity of cells overexpressing Gli1 by almost three orders of magnitude. Unlike Gli1, Atoh1 cannot support GNP proliferation in the absence of Sonic Hedgehog signaling and does not govern expression of canonical cell cycle genes. Instead, Atoh1 maintains GNPs in a Sonic Hedgehog-responsive state by regulating genes that trigger neuronal differentiation, including many expressed in response to bone morphogenic protein-4. Therefore, by targeting multiple genes regulating the differentiation state of GNPs, Atoh1 collaborates with the pro-proliferative Gli1-dependent transcriptional program to influence medulloblastoma development. Keywords: disease state analysis 14 samples, 1 time series, 2 engineered Medulloblastoma tumors
Project description:The morphogen and mitogen, Sonic Hedgehog, activates a Gli1-dependent transcription program that drives proliferation of granule neuron progenitors (GNPs) within the external germinal layer of the postnatally developing cerebellum. Medulloblastomas with mutations activating the Sonic Hedgehog signaling pathway preferentially arise within the external germinal layer, and the tumor cells closely resemble GNPs. Atoh1/Math1, a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor essential for GNP histogenesis, does not induce medulloblastomas when expressed in primary mouse GNPs that are explanted from the early postnatal cerebellum and transplanted back into the brains of naïve mice. However, enforced expression of Atoh1 in primary GNPs enhances the oncogenicity of cells overexpressing Gli1 by almost three orders of magnitude. Unlike Gli1, Atoh1 cannot support GNP proliferation in the absence of Sonic Hedgehog signaling and does not govern expression of canonical cell cycle genes. Instead, Atoh1 maintains GNPs in a Sonic Hedgehog-responsive state by regulating genes that trigger neuronal differentiation, including many expressed in response to bone morphogenic protein-4. Therefore, by targeting multiple genes regulating the differentiation state of GNPs, Atoh1 collaborates with the pro-proliferative Gli1-dependent transcriptional program to influence medulloblastoma development. Keywords: disease state analysis
Project description:Linked-read data from 25 medulloblastomas and their matching control. Dataset consists of 25 group 4 medulloblastomas (G4) as well as 2 sonic hedgehog medulloblastomas (SHH-MB) samples and 2 group 3 medulloblastomas.
The data consists of BAM files generated by the LongRanger pipeline developed by 10x Genomics
Project description:A subset of medulloblastomas, the most common brain tumor in children, is hypothesized to originate from granule neuron precursors (GNPs) in which the sonic hedgehog (SHH) pathway is over-activated. MXD3, a basic helix-look-helix zipper transcription factor of the MAD family, has been reported to be upregulated during postnatal cerebellar development and to promote GNP proliferation and MYCN expression. Mxd3 is upregulated in mouse models of medulloblastoma as well as in human medulloblastomas. Therefore, we hypothesize that MXD3 plays a role in the cellular events that lead to medulloblastoma biogenesis. The purpose of this study was to identify MXD3 target genes.
Project description:Using 10xGenomics single cell RNAseq library creation and Illumina sequencing, we generated single cell RNAseq data for 12 samples of myeloid cells in mouse sonic hedgehog medulloblastomas to characterize their heterogeneity in comparison to control peripheral myeloids cells and homeostatic cerebellar myeloid cells from young mice without significant tumors. We then sequenced myeloid cells in tumors that were treated with two modalities, sonic hedgehog inhibition and radiation, to determine the differential recruitment of myeloid cells. Finally we sequenced samples of myeloid cells from irradiated Ccr2 knockout mice to further determine the change in recruitment of myeloid cells and their heterogeneity when monocyte-derived macrophages are reduced.
Project description:Medulloblastoma, the most common malignant pediatric brain tumor, is highly heterogeneous with distinct molecular subtypes and cellular origins. Although current treatments improve survival rates, patients suffer severe treatment-related side effects and often relapse of tumors carrying resistance mutations, underscoring an urgent need for alternative targeted therapies. Currently, the genetic alterations underlying this disease are not fully understood. Here we identify GNAS, encoding the G-protein Gs-alpha, as a potent tumor suppressor gene in medulloblastoma. GNAS specifically defines a subset of aggressive Sonic Hedgehog (Shh)-group medulloblastomas. Gnas loss-of-function in distinct lineage progenitors of the developing hindbrain suffices to initiate medulloblastoma. We find that Gs-alpha is highly enriched at primary cilia of granule neuron precursors and suppresses Shh signaling not only by regulating classic cAMP-dependent pathway but also controlling ciliary trafficking of Smoothened. Concurrent cAMP elevation and Smoothened inhibition robustly arrests tumor cell growth in Gnas mutants. We further reveal oligodendrocyte progenitors as a novel cellular origin for anatomically-distinct Shh-associated medulloblastomas. Together, we identify a previously unrecognized tumor suppressor function of Gs-alpha in medulloblastoma partially mediated through inhibiting Shh signaling, and uncover Gs-alpha as a molecular link across disparate cells of origin among Shh-group medulloblastomas, pointing to G- protein modulation as a potential therapeutic avenue.
Project description:Medulloblastoma, the most common malignant pediatric brain tumor, is highly heterogeneous with distinct molecular subtypes and cellular origins. Although current treatments improve survival rates, patients suffer severe treatment-related side effects and often relapse of tumors carrying resistance mutations, underscoring an urgent need for alternative targeted therapies. Currently, the genetic alterations underlying this disease are not fully understood. Here we identify GNAS, encoding the G-protein Gs-alpha, as a potent tumor suppressor gene in medulloblastoma. GNAS specifically defines a subset of aggressive Sonic Hedgehog (Shh)-group medulloblastomas. Gnas loss-of-function in distinct lineage progenitors of the developing hindbrain suffices to initiate medulloblastoma. We find that Gs-alpha is highly enriched at primary cilia of granule neuron precursors and suppresses Shh signaling not only by regulating classic cAMP-dependent pathway but also controlling ciliary trafficking of Smoothened. Concurrent cAMP elevation and Smoothened inhibition robustly arrests tumor cell growth in Gnas mutants. We further reveal oligodendrocyte progenitors as a novel cellular origin for anatomically-distinct Shh-associated medulloblastomas. Together, we identify a previously unrecognized tumor suppressor function of Gs-alpha in medulloblastoma partially mediated through inhibiting Shh signaling, and uncover Gs-alpha as a molecular link across disparate cells of origin among Shh-group medulloblastomas, pointing to G- protein modulation as a potential therapeutic avenue. We isolated genomic DNAs from the cerebellum of adult wildtype mice and tumor tissue from individual GFAP-Gnas or Olig1-Gnas mutants and performed the Copy number variation analysis.