Specific detection of methionine 27 mutation in histone 3 variants (H3K27M) in fixed tissue from high-grade astrocytomas

Studies in pediatric high-grade astrocytomas (HGA) by our group and others have uncovered recurrent somatic mutations affecting highly conserved residues in histone 3 (H3) variants. One of these mutations leads to analogous p.Lys27Met (K27M) mutations in both H3.3 and H3.1 variants, is associated with rapid fatal outcome, and occurs specifically in HGA of the midline in children and young adults. This includes diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (80 %) and thalamic or spinal HGA (>90 %), which are surgically challenging locations with often limited tumor material available and critical need for specific histopathological markers. Here, we analyzed formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues from 143 pediatric HGA and 297 other primary brain tumors or normal brain. Immunohistochemical staining for H3K27M was compared to tumor genotype, and also compared to H3 tri-methylated lysine 27 (H3K27me3) staining, previously shown to be drastically decreased in samples carrying this mutation. There was a 100 % concordance between genotype and immunohistochemical analysis of H3K27M in tumor samples. Mutant H3K27M was expressed in the majority of tumor cells, indicating limited intra-tumor heterogeneity for this specific mutation within the limits of our dataset. Both H3.1 and H3.3K27M mutants were recognized by this antibody while non-neoplastic elements, such as endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells or lymphocytes, did not stain. H3K27me3 immunoreactivity was largely mutually exclusive with H3K27M positivity. These results demonstrate that mutant H3K27M can be specifically identified with high specificity and sensitivity using an H3K27M antibody and immunohistochemistry. Use of this antibody in the clinical setting will prove very useful for diagnosis, especially in the context of small biopsies in challenging midline tumors and will help orient care in the context of the extremely poor prognosis associated with this mutation. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00401-014-1337-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Germline PDGFRB p.R987W pathogenic variant in two children with brain tumors

Platelet-Derived Growth Factor Receptor Beta (PDGFRB) is critically implicated in development. Constitutional pathogenic variants (CPVs) in the gene encoding this receptor result in several inherited syndromes, including primary familial brain calcifications (PFBC) or infantile myofibromatosis, but have not been associated with brain tumors. Here, we describe a 9-year-old male with a DCTN1-ALK fused inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of the brain and an 11-year-old female with a TRIM24-MET fused occipital glioneural tumor. Both probands carry the same constitutive PDGFRB c.2959C>T (p. Arg987Trp) CPV, raising the possibility that this variant, previously described in PFBC, may also promote tumor formation including in the brain

A Compendium of Syngeneic, Transplantable Pediatric High-Grade Glioma Models Reveals Subtype-Specific Therapeutic Vulnerabilities.

Pediatric high-grade gliomas (pHGGs) are lethal, incurable brain tumors frequently driven by clonal mutations in histone genes. They often harbor a range of additional genetic alterations that correlate with different ages, anatomical locations, and tumor subtypes. We developed models representing 16 pHGG subtypes driven by different combinations of alterations targeted to specific brain regions. Tumors developed with varying latencies and cell lines derived from these models engrafted in syngeneic, immunocompetent mice with high penetrance. Targeted drug screening revealed unexpected selective vulnerabilities- H3.3G34R/PDGFRAC235Y to FGFR inhibition, H3.3K27M/PDGFRAWT to PDGFRA inhibition, and H3.3K27M/PDGFRAWT and H3.3K27M/PPM1DC/PIK3CAE545K to combined inhibition of MEK and PIK3CA. Moreover, H3.3K27M tumors with PIK3CA, NF1 and FGFR1 mutations were more invasive and harbored distinct additional phenotypes, such as exophytic spread, cranial nerve invasion and spinal dissemination. Collectively, these models reveal that different partner alterations produce distinct effects on pHGG cellular composition, latency, invasiveness, and treatment sensitivity

Pediatric glioblastoma cell line shows different patterns of expression of transmembrane ABC transporters after in vitro exposure to vinblastine

Resistance to drug is a major cause of treatment failure in pediatric brain cancer. The multidrug resistance (MDR) phenotype can be mediated by the superfamily of adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette (ABC) transporters. The dynamics of expression of the MDR genes after exposure to chemotherapy, especially the comparison between pediatric brain tumors of different histology, is poorly described. To compare the expression profiles of the multidrug resistance genes ABCB1, ABCC1, and ABCG2 in different neuroepithelial pediatric brain tumor cell lines prior and following short-term culture with vinblastine. Immortalized lineages from pilocytic astrocytoma (R286), anaplasic astrocytoma (UW467), glioblastoma (SF188), and medulloblastoma (UW3) were exposed to vinblastine sulphate at different schedules (10 and 60 nM for 24 and 72 h). Relative amounts of mRNA expression were analyzed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Protein expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry for ABCB1, ABCC1, and ABCG2. mRNA expression of ABCB1 increased together with augmenting concentration and time of exposure to vinblastine for R286, UW467, and UW3 cell lines. Interestingly, ABCB1 levels of expression diminished in SF188. Following chemotherapy, mRNA expression of ABCC1 decreased in all cell lines other than glioblastoma. ABCG2 expression was influenced by vinblastine only for UW3. The mRNA levels showed consistent association to protein expression in the selected sets of cell lines analyzed. The pediatric glioblastoma cell line SF188 shows different pattern of expression of multidrug resistance genes when exposed to vinblastine. These preliminary findings may be useful in determining novel strategies of treatment for neuroepithelial pediatric brain tumors.Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo-FAPESP[2007/04065-9

Detection and genomic analysis of BRAF fusions in Juvenile Pilocytic Astrocytoma through the combination and integration of multi-omic data

Abstract Background Juvenile Pilocytic Astrocytomas (JPAs) are one of the most common pediatric brain tumors, and they are driven by aberrant activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. RAF-fusions are the most common genetic alterations identified in JPAs, with the prototypical KIAA1549-BRAF fusion leading to loss of BRAF’s auto-inhibitory domain and subsequent constitutive kinase activation. JPAs are highly vascular and show pervasive immune infiltration, which can lead to low tumor cell purity in clinical samples. This can result in gene fusions that are difficult to detect with conventional omics approaches including RNA-Seq. Methods To this effect, we applied RNA-Seq as well as linked-read whole-genome sequencing and in situ Hi-C as new approaches to detect and characterize low-frequency gene fusions at the genomic, transcriptomic and spatial level. Results Integration of these datasets allowed the identification and detailed characterization of two novel BRAF fusion partners, PTPRZ1 and TOP2B, in addition to the canonical fusion with partner KIAA1549. Additionally, our Hi-C datasets enabled investigations of 3D genome architecture in JPAs which showed a high level of correlation in 3D compartment annotations between JPAs compared to other pediatric tumors, and high similarity to normal adult astrocytes. We detected interactions between BRAF and its fusion partners exclusively in tumor samples containing BRAF fusions. Conclusions We demonstrate the power of integrating multi-omic datasets to identify low frequency fusions and characterize the JPA genome at high resolution. We suggest that linked-reads and Hi-C could be used in clinic for the detection and characterization of JPAs

Genome-wide profiling using single-nucleotide polymorphism arrays identifies novel chromosomal imbalances in pediatric glioblastomas

Available data on genetic events in pediatric grade IV astrocytomas (glioblastoma [pGBM]) are scarce. This has traditionally been a major impediment in understanding the pathogenesis of this tumor and in developing ways for more effective management. Our aim is to chart DNA copy number aberrations (CNAs) and get insight into genetic pathways involved in pGBM. Using the Illumina Infinium Human-1 bead-chip-array (100K single-nucleotide polymorphisms [SNPs]), we genotyped 18 pediatric and 6 adult GBMs. Results were compared to BAC-array profiles harvested on 16 of the same pGBM, to an independent data set of 9 pediatric high-grade astrocytomas (HGAs) analyzed on Affymetrix 250K-SNP arrays, and to existing data sets on HGAs. CNAs were additionally validated by real-time qPCR in a set of genes in pGBM. Our results identify with nonrandom clustering of CNAs in several novel, previously not reported, genomic regions, suggesting that alterations in tumor suppressors and genes involved in the regulation of RNA processing and the cell cycle are major events in the pathogenesis of pGBM. Most regions were distinct from CNAs in aGBMs and show an unexpectedly low frequency of genetic amplification and homozygous deletions and a high frequency of loss of heterozygosity for a high-grade I rapidly dividing tumor. This first, complete, high-resolution profiling of the tumor cell genome fills an important gap in studies on pGBM. It ultimately guides the mapping of oncogenic networks unique to pGBM, identification of the related therapeutic predictors and targets, and development of more effective therapies. It further shows that, despite commonalities in a few CNAs, pGBM and aGBMs are two different diseases

Genetic aberrations leading to MAPK pathway activation mediate oncogene-induced senescence in sporadic pilocytic astrocytomas

PURPOSE Oncogenic BRAF/Ras or NF1 loss can potentially trigger oncogene-induced senescence (OIS) through activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Somatic genetic abnormalities affecting this pathway occur in the majority of pilocytic astrocytomas (PA), the most prevalent brain neoplasm in children. We investigated whether OIS is induced in PA. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN We tested expression of established senescence markers in three independent cohorts of sporadic PA. We also assessed for OIS in vitro, using forced expression of wild-type and V600E-mutant BRAF in two astrocytic cell lines: human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT)-immortalized astrocytes and fetal astrocytes. RESULTS Our results indicate that PAs are senescent as evidenced by marked senescence-associated acidic β-galactosidase activity, low KI-67 index, and induction of p16(INK4a) but not p53 in the majority of 52 PA samples (46 of 52; 88.5%). Overexpression of a number of senescence-associated genes [CDKN2A (p16), CDKN1A (p21), CEBPB, GADD45A, and IGFBP7] was shown at the mRNA level in two independent PA tumor series. In vitro, sustained activation of wild-type or mutant BRAF induced OIS in both astrocytic cell lines. Loss of p16(INK4a) in immortalized astrocytes abrogated OIS, indicative of the role of this pathway in mediating this phenomenon in astrocytes. OIS is a mechanism of tumor suppression that restricts the progression of benign tumors. We show that it is triggered in PAs through p16(INK4a) pathway induction following aberrant MAPK activation. CONCLUSIONS OIS may account for the slow growth pattern in PA, the lack of progression to higher-grade astrocytomas, and the high overall survival of affected patients