Single Chromosomal Copy Research Articles

SDPS-18 RHABDOID TUMOR PREDISPOSITION SYNDROME IN TWO INFANT SIBLINGS WITH ATYPICAL TERATOID RHABDOID TUMORS DUE TO A GERMLINE SMARCB1 MUTATION

Abstract Atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumors (ATRT) are aggressive, malignant tumors of the central nervous system (CNS) that develop due to a loss-of-function mutation in the SMARCB1 gene. Rhabdoid tumor predisposition syndrome (RTPS) is characterized by familial cases as a result of pathogenic germline variants of this gene and an increased risk of developing ATRT within the first 2 years of life, which carries a poor prognosis. Genetic penetrance is incomplete with variable expressivity but the patient's age at time of diagnosis remains the most significant indicator of survival. We present a case of RTPS in a sibship born to unaffected parents, one of which was a carrier. The first sibling was diagnosed at 8 months of age after presenting with vomiting, developmental regression, and CN VI palsy for 3 months. Imaging revealed a posterior fossa mass, acquired obstructive hydrocephalus, and spinal metastasis. Four years later, her 3-month-old sister was brought in for evaluation due to vomiting, irritability, and macrocephaly for 2 months, along with a new vertical gaze palsy. Imaging findings also showed a posterior fossa mass and acquired obstructive hydrocephalus but without metastasis. Both siblings underwent craniotomy with subtotal tumor resection and ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement. Chemotherapy was promptly initiated but despite active treatment, they had rapid disease progression and ultimately passed away. Whole exome sequencing of both patients revealed an in-frame deletion involving the SNF5 homology domain of SMARCB1, with consistent findings on whole transcriptome sequencing, and evidence of loss of a single copy of chromosome 22. In this case report, we present a family faced with the devastating outcomes of RTPS and emphasize the importance of genetic testing and counseling for these families after diagnosis in the first child. Families should also be streamlined to a fertility specialist prior to subsequent pregnancies as an opportunity for familial screening.

Yeast Models of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Type 8 Mimic Phenotypes Seen in Mammalian Cells Expressing Mutant VAPBP56S.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a complex neurodegenerative disease that results in the loss of motor neurons and can occur sporadically or due to genetic mutations. Among the 30 genes linked to familial ALS, a P56S mutation in VAPB, an ER-resident protein that functions at membrane contact sites, causes ALS type 8. Mammalian cells expressing VAPBP56S have distinctive phenotypes, including ER collapse, protein and/or membrane-containing inclusions, and sensitivity to ER stress. VAPB is conserved through evolution and has two homologs in budding yeast, SCS2 and SCS22. Previously, a humanized version of SCS2 bearing disease-linked mutations was described, and it caused Scs2-containing inclusions when overexpressed in yeast. Here, we describe a yeast model for ALS8 in which the two SCS genes are deleted and replaced with a single chromosomal copy of either wild-type or mutant yeast SCS2 or human VAPB expressed from the SCS2 promoter. These cells display ER collapse, the formation of inclusion-like structures, and sensitivity to tunicamycin, an ER stress-inducing drug. Based on the phenotypic similarity to mammalian cells expressing VAPBP56S, we propose that these models can be used to study the molecular basis of cell death or dysfunction in ALS8. Moreover, other conserved ALS-linked genes may create opportunities for the generation of yeast models of disease.

Effect of chromosomal integration on catalytic performance of a multi-component P450 system in Escherichia coli.

Cytochromes P450 are useful biocatalysts in synthetic chemistry and important bio-bricks in synthetic biology. Almost all bacterial P450s require separate redox partners for their activity, which are often expressed in recombinant Escherichia coli using multiple plasmids. However, the application of CRISPR/Cas recombineering facilitated chromosomal integration of heterologous genes which enables more stable and tunable expression of multi-component P450 systems for whole-cell biotransformations. Herein, we compared three E. coli strains W3110, JM109, and BL21(DE3) harboring three heterologous genes encoding a P450 and two redox partners either on plasmids or after chromosomal integration in two genomic loci. Both loci proved to be reliable and comparable for the model regio- and stereoselective two-step oxidation of (S)-ketamine. Furthermore, the CRISPR/Cas-assisted integration of the T7 RNA polymerase gene enabled an easy extension of T7 expression strains. Higher titers of soluble active P450 were achieved in E. coli harboring a single chromosomal copy of the P450 gene compared to E. coli carrying a medium copy pET plasmid. In addition, improved expression of both redox partners after chromosomal integration resulted in up to 80% higher (S)-ketamine conversion and more than fourfold increase in total turnover numbers.

E. coli chromosomal-driven expression of NADK2 from A. thaliana: A preferable alternative to plasmid-driven expression for challenging proteins

The expression and purification of large recombinant proteins or protein complexes is problematic for some biotechnology laboratories. Indeed, it is often difficult to obtain enough active proteins to perform biological characterization or reach commercialization, when large proteins or protein complexes are expressed in E. coli via the popular T7-based plasmid-driven expression system.There is also an industrial demand to decrease our dependence on plasmid-driven expression, because of its drawbacks, such as: i) the common use of antibiotics to maintain the plasmid, ii) the issue of plasmid copy number, and iii) the risk of overloading the expression system. Despite all these issues, alternative solutions, such as gene integration in the bacterial chromosome, are rarely employed and their advantages are still a matter of debate.Plant plastidial NAD kinases (NADK; ATP:NAD 2′-phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.23) are a classic example of proteins with high molecular weight, that are difficult to express and purify with traditional T7-based technology. We therefore compared plasmid-driven and chromosomal-driven expression of the Arabidopsis thaliana NADK2 protein, using a proprietary counter-selection tool, COLIBELT®, that allows scar-free and marker-free chromosomal modifications.Here we show that chromosomal-driven expression allowed recovery of more active NADK2 protein than classic T7 expression systems, as well as better production, thus confirming that expression from one single chromosomal copy is preferable to plasmid-driven expression and might be appealing for both basic and applied research.

Gene Amplification as a Mechanism of Yeast Adaptation to Nonsense Mutations in Release Factor Genes.

Protein synthesis (translation) is one of the fundamental processes occurring in the cells of living organisms. Translation can be divided into three key steps: initiation, elongation, and termination. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, there are two translation termination factors, eRF1 and eRF3. These factors are encoded by the SUP45 and SUP35 genes, which are essential; deletion of any of them leads to the death of yeast cells. However, viable strains with nonsense mutations in both the SUP35 and SUP45 genes were previously obtained in several groups. The survival of such mutants clearly involves feedback control of premature stop codon readthrough; however, the exact molecular basis of such feedback control remain unclear. To investigate the genetic factors supporting the viability of these SUP35 and SUP45 nonsense mutants, we performed whole-genome sequencing of strains carrying mutant sup35-n and sup45-n alleles; while no common SNPs or indels were found in these genomes, we discovered a systematic increase in the copy number of the plasmids carrying mutant sup35-n and sup45-n alleles. We used the qPCR method which confirmed the differences in the relative number of SUP35 and SUP45 gene copies between strains carrying wild-type or mutant alleles of SUP35 and SUP45 genes. Moreover, we compare the number of copies of the SUP35 and SUP45 genes in strains carrying different nonsense mutant variants of these genes as a single chromosomal copy. qPCR results indicate that the number of mutant gene copies is increased compared to the wild-type control. In case of several sup45-n alleles, this was due to a disomy of the entire chromosome II, while for the sup35-218 mutation we observed a local duplication of a segment of chromosome IV containing the SUP35 gene. Taken together, our results indicate that gene amplification is a common mechanism of adaptation to nonsense mutations in release factor genes in yeast.

Efficient Incorporation of Clickable Unnatural Amino Acids Enables Rapid and Biocompatible Labeling of Proteins in Vitro and in Bacteria.

Site-specific incorporation of unnatural amino acids (uAAs) bearing a bioorthogonal group has enabled the attachment - typically at a single site or at a few sites per protein - of chemical groups at precise locations for protein and biomaterial labeling, conjugation, and functionalization. Herein, we report the evolution of chromosomal Methanocaldococcus jannaschii tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase (aaRS) for the alkyne-bearing uAA, 4-propargyloxy-l-phenylalanine (pPR), with ∼30-fold increased production of green fluorescent protein containing three instances of pPR compared with a previously described M. jannaschii-derived aaRS for pPR, when expressed from a single chromosomal copy. We show that when expressed from multicopy plasmids, the evolved aaRSs enable the production - using a genomically recoded Escherichia coli and the non-recoded BL21 E. coli strain - of elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) containing multiple pPR residues in high yields. We further show that the multisite incorporation of pPR in ELPs facilitates the rapid, robust, and nontoxic fluorescent labeling of these proteins in bacteria. The evolved variants described in this work can be used to produce a variety of protein and biomaterial conjugates and to create efficient minimal tags for protein labeling.

Genomic analyses reveal moderate levels of ploidy, high heterozygosity and structural variations in a Colombian isolate of Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis

Leishmania amazonensis is one of the causative agents of the different forms of cutaneous leishmaniasis present in Latin America. This species has been isolated from humans and animals (canine/feline) in some endemic regions of Colombia. Therefore, L. amazonensis is of great relevance at the clinical and epidemiological levels in medicine and veterinary science. Until now, very few genomes from this species are available. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of a laboratory-adapted L. amazonensis strain isolated from a human patient with clinical manifestation of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Colombia. The genome sequence not only allowed inter and intra-species comparative analyses to be performed with the sequenced genomes of L. amazonensis strains from different geographical regions, but also increased our knowledge about the genomic behavior of this L. amazonensis Colombian strain. This isolate was also characterized in terms of single nucleotide polymorphisms, chromosome and gene copy number variations (CNVs). The results revealed moderate aneuploidy, CNVs in genes involved in the virulence, growth, and survival of the parasite, and in the distributions of the multicopy genes on some chromosomes, as well as a high level of heterozygosity. The data confirmed previous reports that identified unique variations in L. amazonensis, suggesting aneuploidy may not have a high fitness cost and may allow the rapid generation of diversity in Leishmania parasites growing normally.

Cytoplasmic glycoengineering of Apx toxin fragments in the development of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae glycoconjugate vaccines

BackgroundActinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is the causative agent of porcine pleuropneumonia and represents a major burden to the livestock industry. Virulence can largely be attributed to the secretion of a series of haemolytic toxins, which are highly immunogenic. A. pleuropneumoniae also encodes a cytoplasmic N-glycosylation system, which involves the modification of high molecular weight adhesins with glucose residues. Central to this process is the soluble N-glycosyl transferase, ngt, which is encoded in an operon with a subsequent glycosyl transferase, agt. Plasmid-borne recombinant expression of these genes in E. coli results in the production of a glucose polymer on peptides containing the appropriate acceptor sequon, NX(S/T). However to date, there is little evidence to suggest that such a glucose polymer is formed on its target peptides in A. pleuropneumoniae. Both the toxins and glycosylation system represent potential targets for the basis of a vaccine against A. pleuropneumoniae infection.ResultsIn this study, we developed cytoplasmic glycoengineering to construct glycoconjugate vaccine candidates composed of soluble toxin fragments modified by glucose. We transferred ngt and agt to the chromosome of Escherichia coli in order to generate a native-like operon for glycoengineering. A single chromosomal copy of ngt and agt resulted in the glucosylation of toxin fragments by a short glycan, rather than a polymer.ConclusionsA vaccine candidate that combines toxin fragment with a conserved glycan offers a novel approach to generating epitopes important for both colonisation and disease progression.

Highly Active C8-Acyl-ACP Thioesterase Variant Isolated by a Synthetic Selection Strategy.

Microbial metabolism is an attractive route for producing medium chain length fatty acids, e.g., octanoic acid, used in the oleochemical industry. One challenge to this strategy is the lack of enzymes that are both highly active in a microbial host and selective toward substrates with desired chain length. Of the many steps in fatty acid biosynthesis, the thioesterase is the most widely used enzyme for controlling chain length. Thioesterases hydrolyze the thioester bond between fatty acids and the acyl-carrier protein (ACP) or coenzyme A (CoA) cofactor. The functional role of thioesterases varies between organisms ( i.e., bacteria vs plant) and therefore so do the substrate specificities. As a result, microbial biocatalysts that utilize a heterologous thioesterase either produce high titers of fatty acids with mixed chain lengths or low titers of products with a narrow chain length distribution. To search for highly active enzymes that selectively hydrolyze octanoyl-ACP, we developed a genetic selection based on the lipoic acid requirement of Escherichia coli. We used the selection to identify variants in a randomly mutagenized library of the C8-specific Cuphea palustris FatB1 thioesterase. After optimizing expression of the thioesterase, E.coli cultures produced 1.7 g/L of octanoic acid with >90% specificity from a single chromosomal copy of this thioesterase. In vitro studies confirmed the mutant thioesterase possessed a 15-fold increase in kcat compared to its native sequence. The high level of specific activity allowed for low levels of expression while maintaining fatty acid titer. The low expression requirement will allow metabolic engineers to use more cellular resources to address other limitations in the pathway and maximize overall productivity.

Accelerating pathway evolution by increasing the gene dosage of chromosomal segments.

Experimental evolution is a critical tool in many disciplines, including metabolic engineering and synthetic biology. However, current methods rely on the chance occurrence of a key step that can dramatically accelerate evolution in natural systems, namely increased gene dosage. Our studies sought to induce the targeted amplification of chromosomal segments to facilitate rapid evolution. Since increased gene dosage confers novel phenotypes and genetic redundancy, we developed a method, Evolution by Amplification and Synthetic Biology (EASy), to create tandem arrays of chromosomal regions. In Acinetobacter baylyi, EASy was demonstrated on an important bioenergy problem, the catabolism of lignin-derived aromatic compounds. The initial focus on guaiacol (2-methoxyphenol), a common lignin degradation product, led to the discovery of Amycolatopsis genes (gcoAB) encoding a cytochrome P450 enzyme that converts guaiacol to catechol. However, chromosomal integration of gcoAB in Pseudomonas putida or A. baylyi did not enable guaiacol to be used as the sole carbon source despite catechol being a growth substrate. In ∼1,000 generations, EASy yielded alleles that in single chromosomal copy confer growth on guaiacol. Different variants emerged, including fusions between GcoA and CatA (catechol 1,2-dioxygenase). This study illustrates the power of harnessing chromosomal gene amplification to accelerate the evolution of desirable traits.

Identification of parallel and divergent optimization solutions for homologous metabolic enzymes

Metabolic pathway assembly typically involves the expression of enzymes from multiple organisms in a single heterologous host. Ensuring that each enzyme functions effectively can be challenging, since many potential factors can disrupt proper pathway flux. Here, we compared the performance of two enzyme homologs in a pathway engineered to allow Escherichia coli to grow on 4-hydroxybenzoate (4-HB), a byproduct of lignocellulosic biomass deconstruction. Single chromosomal copies of the 4-HB 3-monooxygenase genes pobA and praI, from Pseudomonas putida KT2440 and Paenibacillus sp. JJ-1B, respectively, were introduced into a strain able to metabolize protocatechuate (PCA), the oxidation product of 4-HB. Neither enzyme initially supported consistent growth on 4-HB. Experimental evolution was used to identify mutations that improved pathway activity. For both enzymes, silent mRNA mutations were identified that increased enzyme expression. With pobA, duplication of the genes for PCA metabolism allowed growth on 4-HB. However, with praI, growth required a mutation in the 4-HB/PCA transporter pcaK that increased intracellular concentrations of 4-HB, suggesting that flux through PraI was limiting. These findings demonstrate the value of directed evolution strategies to rapidly identify and overcome diverse factors limiting enzyme activity.

Relative stability of ploidy in a marine Synechococcus across various growth conditions.

Marine picocyanobacteria of the genus Synechococcus are ubiquitous phototrophs in oceanic systems. Consistent with these organisms occupying vast tracts of the nutrient impoverished ocean, most marine Synechococcus so far studied are monoploid, i.e., contain a single chromosome copy. The exception is the oligoploid strain Synechococcus sp. WH7803, which on average possesses around 4 chromosome copies. Here, we set out to understand the role of resource availability (through nutrient deplete growth) and physical stressors (UV, exposure to low and high temperature) in regulating ploidy level in this strain. Using qPCR to assay ploidy status we demonstrate the relative stability of chromosome copy number in Synechococcus sp. WH7803. Such robustness in maintaining an oligoploid status even under nutrient and physical stress is indicative of a fundamental role, perhaps facilitating recombination of damaged DNA regions as a result of prolonged exposure to oxidative stress, or allowing added flexibility in gene expression via possessing multiple alleles.

HU content and dynamics in Escherichia coli during the cell cycle and at different growth rates.

DNA-binding proteins play an important role in maintaining bacterial chromosome structure and functions. Heat-unstable (HU) histone-like protein is one of the most abundant of these proteins and participates in all major chromosome-related activities. Owing to its low sequence specificity, HU fusions with fluorescent proteins were used for general staining of the nucleoid, aiming to reveal its morphology and dynamics. We have exploited a single chromosomal copy of hupA-egfp fusion under the native promoter and used quantitative microscopy imaging to investigate the amount and dynamics of HUα in Escherichia coli cells. We found that in steady-state growing populations the cellular HUα content is proportional to the cell size, whereas its concentration is size independent. Single-cell live microscopy imaging confirmed that the amount of HUα exponentially increases during the cell cycle, but its concentration is maintained constant. This supports the existence of an auto-regulatory mechanism underlying the HUα cellular level, in addition to reflecting the gene copy number. Both the HUα amount and concentration strongly increase with the cell growth rate in different culture media. Unexpectedly, the HU/DNA stoichiometry also remarkably increases with the growth rate. This last finding may be attributed to a higher requirement for maintaining the chromosome structure in nucleoids with higher complexity.

Targeted gene sequencing panel for identifying actionable genomic alterations in Taiwanese lung cancer patients.

e20522 Background: Lung cancer boasts an arsenal of targeted therapies directed at various molecular aberrations such as EGFR mutations and fusion genes. Simultaneous assessment for genetic alterations provides biomarkers to assist clinicians in their treatment selections. Methods: A total of 43 FFPE (formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded) samples obtained from lung cancer patients in Taiwan were subjected to next-generation sequencing (NGS), using a compact panel encompassing 17 potentially actionable, lung cancer-associated genes. NGS was performed on the Ion Torrent PGM or Proton System with a targeted average depth of > 800x. Genomic alterations detected were categorized as single nucleotide variants (SNV) or chromosomal copy number alterations (CNA). Results: A total of 74 putatively actionable genomic alterations were detected across 38 patients (88.4%), which may predict sensitivity or resistance to established and/or therapies that are still in clinical development. 19 patients (44.2%) had tumors harboring activating EGFR mutations in the tyrosine kinase (TK) domain – L858R substitution or exon 19 deletion, which may suggest clinical benefit to first- and second-generation EGFR TK inhibitors (TKIs). Three patients (7.0%) whose tumor had acquired the EGFR T790M mutation were advised to switch to third-generation EGFR TKI. Possible resistance mechanisms to EGFR TKIs via increased copy number of EGFR (14.0%, n = 6) and MET (11.6%, n = 5) were observed. Deletion or loss of CDKN2A gene were detected in 14 patients (32.6%), which may confer sensitivity to CDK4/6 inhibitors. Inhibition of downstream effectors in the RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathways were suggested for patients whose tumor harbored PIK3CA and/or KRAS oncogenic mutations. Conclusions: Next-generation sequencing using a compact panel of genes may be sufficient to identify biomarkers for targeted therapies selection for most lung cancer patients in Taiwan.

Evolution of the RNase P RNA structural domain in Leptospira spp.

We have employed the RNase P RNA (RPR) gene, which is present as single copy in chromosome I of Leptospira spp. to investigate the phylogeny of structural domains present in the RNA subunit of the tRNA processing enzyme, RNase P. RPR gene sequences of 150 strains derived from NCBI database along with sequences determined from 8 reference strains were examined to fathom strain specific structural differences present in leptospiral RPR. Sequence variations in the RPR gene impacted on the configuration of loops, stems and bulges found in the RPR highlighting species and strain specific structural motifs. In vitro transcribed leptospiral RPR ribozymes are demonstrated to process pre-tRNA into mature tRNA in consonance with the positioning of Leptospira in the taxonomic domain of bacteria. RPR sequence datasets used to construct a phylogenetic tree exemplified the segregation of strains into their respective lineages with a (re)speciation of strain SH 9 to Leptospira borgpetersenii, strains Fiocruz LV 3954 and Fiocruz LV 4135 to Leptospira santarosai, strain CBC 613 to Leptospira kirschneri and strain HAI 1536 to Leptospira noguchii. Furthermore, it allowed characterization of an isolate P2653, presumptively characterized as either serovar Hebdomadis, Kremastos or Longnan to Leptospira weilii, serovar Longnan.

Algorithms to model single gene, single chromosome, and whole genome copy number changes jointly in tumor phylogenetics.

We present methods to construct phylogenetic models of tumor progression at the cellular level that include copy number changes at the scale of single genes, entire chromosomes, and the whole genome. The methods are designed for data collected by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), an experimental technique especially well suited to characterizing intratumor heterogeneity using counts of probes to genetic regions frequently gained or lost in tumor development. Here, we develop new provably optimal methods for computing an edit distance between the copy number states of two cells given evolution by copy number changes of single probes, all probes on a chromosome, or all probes in the genome. We then apply this theory to develop a practical heuristic algorithm, implemented in publicly available software, for inferring tumor phylogenies on data from potentially hundreds of single cells by this evolutionary model. We demonstrate and validate the methods on simulated data and published FISH data from cervical cancers and breast cancers. Our computational experiments show that the new model and algorithm lead to more parsimonious trees than prior methods for single-tumor phylogenetics and to improved performance on various classification tasks, such as distinguishing primary tumors from metastases obtained from the same patient population.

A Novel Function of the Bacterial Replication Initiator Protein DnaA

Proper cell division requires multiple molecular machineries to function in exquisite synchrony with each other. In bacteria, unlike eukaryotes, chromosome replication and chromosome segregation take place concurrently during cell division. Very importantly, however, chromosome segregation does not initiate before chromosome replication gets under way. How these two machineries communicate with each other during the initiation of replication and segregation are not well understood. To try to understand the mechanism involved in this communication, we analyzed the effects on chromosome segregation, in Caulobacter cresecentus, by varying the concentrations of the replication initiator protein, DnaA. Our data show that C. crescentus cells with limited levels of DnaA have aberrant cell division. These mutant cells release multiple mini-cells with stalks due to a flawed timing in chromosome segregation. These low concentrations of DnaA, although not sufficient to initiate replication, were sufficient to-directly or indirectly-trigger the initiation of chromosome segregation. In other words, these mutant cells had their single chromosome copy translocated to the opposite cellular pole in the absence of chromosome replication. Using DnaA mutants, we showed that this effect is not due to DnaA acting as a transcription factor.

A novel mouse model for Down syndrome that harbor a single copy of human artificial chromosome (HAC) carrying a limited number of genes from human chromosome 21

Down syndrome (DS), also known as Trisomy 21, is the most common chromosome aneuploidy in live-born children and displays a complicated symptom. To date, several kinds of mouse models have been generated to understand the molecular pathology of DS, yet the gene dosage effects and gene(s)-phenotype(s) correlation are not well understood. In this study, we established a novel method to generate a partial trisomy mice using the mouse ES cells that harbor a single copy of human artificial chromosome (HAC), into which a small human DNA segment containing human chromosome 21 genes cloned in a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) was recombined. The produced mice were found to maintain the HAC carrying human genes as a mini-chromosome, hence termed as a Trans-Mini-Chromosomal (TMC) mouse, and HAC was transmitted for more than twenty generations independent from endogenous mouse chromosomes. The three human transgenes including cystathionine β-synthase, U2 auxiliary factor and crystalline alpha A were expressed in several mouse tissues with various expression levels relative to mouse endogenous genes. The novel system is applicable to any of human and/or mouse BAC clones. Thus, the TMC mouse carrying a HAC with a limited number of genes would provide a novel tool for studying gene dosage effects involved in the DS molecular pathogenesis and the gene(s)-phenotype(s) correlation.

Gene Amplifications In 84 Patients With Acute Myeloid Leukemia and 31 Patients With Myelodysplastic Syndrome Investigated By Array CGH

BackgroundGains and losses of chromosomal material are frequent in AML and MDS and usually lead to loss or gain of a single copy of a whole chromosome, a chromosome arm or small stretches of the chromosome that may be microscopically invisible. More rarely, amplifications of chromosomal regions (defined as the presence of more than 6 copies of a region per cell) are observed. These supernumerary copies are located either extrachromosomally as small acentric chromosomal structures - so called double-minutes (dmin) - or intrachromosomally as large contiguous stretches of amplified DNA, so called homogeneously staining regions (HSR). AimsCharacterize AML and MDS cases with gene amplifications with respect to size, affected genes and accompanying chromosomal abnormalities as well as TP53 status. Patients and Methods84 AML and 31 MDS cases with cytogenetically visible amplifications were selected for this study. All cases were analyzed by array CGH, chromosome banding analysis, sequencing for TP53 mutations as well as FISH for TP53 deletions. ResultsThe cohort comprised 55 (47.8%) males and 60 (52.2%) females with a median age of 72.0 years (range 38.0 - 90.3 years). A complex karyotype (≥4 aberrations) was present in 92/115 (80.0%) cases (AML=65/84 (77.4%); MDS=27/31 (87.1%)). In total, 385 amplified regions were identified by array CGH. In more detail: 3q26 (AML: n=6; MDS: n=3), 8q24 (AML: n=15; MDS: n=1), 11q21-25 (AML: n=42; MDS: n=13), 13q12 (AML: n=3; MDS: n=1), 13q31 (AML: n=3; MDS: n=2), 19p13 (AML: n=2; MDS: n=4), and 21q21-q22 (AML: n=24; MDS: n=5). The median number of amplified regions was 3 (range 1-18). In 14/115 (12.2%) cases, the amplification was located in dmins (AML: n=11; MDS: n=3) and in 101/115 (87.8%) patients in HSR (AML: n=73; MDS: n=28). In 40 of the latter 101 cases (39.6%) (AML: n=24; MDS: n=16) the amplification was located on a ring chromosome (rc). In patients with complex karyotypes we detected a significantly higher number of amplified regions as compared to non-complex karyotypes (3.5 vs. 2.8; p=0.015). No association between the complexity of the karyotype and the structural type of the amplification (dmin vs rc) was observed. Cases with non-complex karyotypes frequently harbored a 5q deletion (6/23; 26.1%) or chromosome 8 abnormalities (3/23; 13.0%). Within the subgroup of non-complex karyotypes del(5q) cases showed a tendency to a higher number of amplified regions (3.6 vs. 1.9; p=0.140). Further, amplifications of 11q genes were more frequent in complex karyotypes (54.4% vs. 21.7%; p=0.005), whereas 8q amplifications were more frequent in non-complex karyotypes (43.5% vs. 4.4%; p<0.001). We detected a large region on band 11q24, which was amplified in 41/53 (77.4%) cases. This commonly amplified region contains 1,575 genes including the MLL gene. Cases harboring dmins had shorter amplified regions compared to cases with rc (4,428,112.5 bp vs. 18,265,496.9 bp; p=0.028). Moreover, we detected a positive correlation of patients having a rc and gene amplification on chromosome 11q23-25 (p<0.05). On chromosome 3q, 8/9 (88.9%) cases shared a minimal amplified region covering the EVI1 gene. In comparison to samples obtained from healthy donors (n=47), the EVI1 expression was significantly higher in cases with EVI1 amplification (87.4 vs. 0.5; p=0.048). On chromosome 21q the regions of amplifications were heterogeneous. However, we detected a minimal region containing 11 genes including ERG which was amplified in 26/29 (89.7%) patients. ERG expression data was available in 8 cases and was significantly higher compared to a control cohort of AML with normal karyotype (n=331) (729.2 vs. 229.0; p=0.05). On chromosome 8 an amplified region was identified in 15/16 cases. In 14 of these cases (87.5%) the region included MYC. TP53mut were present in 93/115 (80.9%) patients, accompanied by a TP53del in 28/93 (30.1%) cases. Interestingly, cases harboring a TP53mut had more amplified regions compared to TP53wt (3.4 vs. 1.7; p<0.001). Conclusions1. MLL is the most frequently amplified gene in AML and MDS. 2. Patients with complex karyotypes or TP53mut harbored more amplified regions compared to patients with non-complex karyotypes and TP53wt. 3. Amplifications on 11q were more frequent in complex karyotype whereas gene amplifications on 8q were predominantly observed in non-complex karyotypes. 4. EVI1 and ERG gene amplifications lead to a higher expression of the respective genes. Disclosures:Roller:MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Employment. Weber:MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Employment. Kohlmann:MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Employment. Zenger:MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Employment. Staller:MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Employment. Kern:MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Employment, Equity Ownership. Schnittger:MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Employment, Equity Ownership. Haferlach:MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Employment, Equity Ownership. Haferlach:MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Employment, Equity Ownership.

Elevated Tolerance to Aneuploidy in Cancer Cells: Estimating the Fitness Effects of Chromosome Number Alterations by In Silico Modelling of Somatic Genome Evolution

An unbalanced chromosome number (aneuploidy) is present in most malignant tumours and has been attributed to mitotic mis-segregation of chromosomes. However, recent studies have shown a relatively high rate of chromosomal mis-segregation also in non-neoplastic human cells, while the frequency of aneuploid cells remains low throughout life in most normal tissues. This implies that newly formed aneuploid cells are subject to negative selection in healthy tissues and that attenuation of this selection could contribute to aneuploidy in cancer. To test this, we modelled cellular growth as discrete time branching processes, during which chromosome gains and losses were generated and their host cells subjected to selection pressures of various magnitudes. We then assessed experimentally the frequency of chromosomal mis-segregation as well as the prevalence of aneuploid cells in human non-neoplastic cells and in cancer cells. Integrating these data into our models allowed estimation of the fitness reduction resulting from a single chromosome copy number change to an average of ≈30% in normal cells. In comparison, cancer cells showed an average fitness reduction of only 6% (p = 0.0008), indicative of aneuploidy tolerance. Simulations based on the combined presence of chromosomal mis-segregation and aneuploidy tolerance reproduced distributions of chromosome aberrations in >400 cancer cases with higher fidelity than models based on chromosomal mis-segregation alone. Reverse engineering of aneuploid cancer cell development in silico predicted that aneuploidy intolerance is a stronger limiting factor for clonal expansion of aneuploid cells than chromosomal mis-segregation rate. In conclusion, our findings indicate that not only an elevated chromosomal mis-segregation rate, but also a generalised tolerance to novel chromosomal imbalances contribute to the genomic landscape of human tumours.