Cathie Garnis

High resolution analysis of non-small cell lung cancer cell lines by whole genome tiling path array CGH.

Chromosomal regions harboring tumor suppressors and oncogenes are often deleted or amplified. Array comparative genomic hybridization detects segmental DNA copy number alterations in tumor DNA relative to a normal control. The recent development of a bacterial artificial chromosome array, which spans the human genome in a tiling path manner with >32,000 clones, has facilitated whole genome profiling at an unprecedented resolution. Using this technology, we comprehensively describe and compare the genomes of 28 commonly used non‐small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) cell models, derived from 18 adenocarcinomas (AC), 9 squamous cell carcinomas and 1 large cell carcinoma. Analysis at such resolution not only provided a detailed genomic alteration template for each of these model cell lines, but revealed novel regions of frequent duplication and deletion. Significantly, a detailed analysis of chromosome 7 identified 6 distinct regions of alterations across this chromosome, implicating the presence of multiple novel oncogene loci on this chromosome. As well, a comparison between the squamous and AC cells revealed alterations common to both subtypes, such as the loss of 3p and gain of 5p, in addition to multiple hotspots more frequently associated with only 1 subtype. Interestingly, chromosome 3q, which is known to be amplified in both subtypes, showed 2 distinct regions of alteration, 1 frequently altered in squamous and 1 more frequently altered in AC. In summary, our data demonstrate the unique information generated by high resolution analysis of NSCLC genomes and uncover the presence of genetic alterations prevalent in the different NSCLC subtypes.

Multiple Microalterations Detected at High Frequency in Oral Cancer

The development of array comparative genomic hybridization (array CGH) at tiling-path resolution has enabled the detection of gene-sized segmental DNA copy number gains and losses. Here, we present the first application of whole genome tiling-path array CGH to archival clinical specimens for the detailed analysis of oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC). We describe the genomes of 20 OSCCs as well as a selection of matched normal DNA in unprecedented detail. Examination of their whole genome profiles enabled the identification of alterations ranging in size from whole-arm, segmental, to gene size alterations. Tiling-path resolution enabled the detection of many more alterations within each tumor than previously reported, many of which include narrow alterations found to be frequent events among the 20 OSCCs. We report the presence of several novel frequent submegabase alterations, such as the 0.58 Mb gain at 5p15.2 containing triple functional domain (TRIO), detected in 45% of cases. We also report the first coamplification of two gene clusters, by fine-mapping the precise base pair boundaries of the high-level amplification at 11q22.2-22.3 containing both matrix metalloproteinase and baculoviral IAP repeat-containing protein 2 (BIRC) gene clusters. These results show the large improvement in detection sensitivity and resolution compared with genome interval marker arrays and the utility of tiling resolution array CGH for the detection of both submegabase and single copy gains and losses in cancer gene discovery.

Integrative Genomic Analyses Identify BRF2 as a Novel Lineage-Specific Oncogene in Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma

William Lockwood and colleagues show that the focal amplification of a gene, BRF2, on Chromosome 8p12 plays a key role in squamous cell carcinoma of the lung.

Genetic alteration and gene expression modulation during cancer progression

Cancer progresses through a series of histopathological stages. Progression is thought to be driven by the accumulation of genetic alterations and consequently gene expression pattern changes. The identification of genes and pathways involved will not only enhance our understanding of the biology of this process, it will also provide new targets for early diagnosis and facilitate treatment design. Genomic approaches have proven to be effective in detecting chromosomal alterations and identifying genes disrupted in cancer. Gene expression profiling has led to the subclassification of tumors. In this article, we will describe the current technologies used in cancer gene discovery, the model systems used to validate the significance of the genes and pathways, and some of the genes and pathways implicated in the progression of preneoplastic and early stage cancer.

Novel Regions of Amplification on 8q Distinct from the MYC Locus and Frequently Altered in Oral Dysplasia and Cancer

Genetic studies aimed at identifying key alterations in oral cancers have focused on analysis of tumors, with few such studies using early oral premalignant lesions (OPLs) because of limitations in both sample availability and size. In this study, we used a randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)‐PCR approach to fingerprint DNA from microdissected normal and dysplastic cells and identified two recurrent genetic alterations on the long arm of chromosome 8 in OPLs, one mapping to 8q22 and the other to 8q24 near the MYC locus. We constructed a high‐resolution bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) comparative genomic hybridization array consisting of 166 overlapping BAC clones that spans about 52 Mbp, from 8q21 to 8q24. Hybridization of DNA from microdissected oral tumors to the array revealed alteration at 8q24, with amplification of the BAC containing MYC. Strikingly, at least two other novel regions of amplification at 8q22 were identified. Microsatellite analysis of 93 oral dysplasias and tumors confirmed the presence of one of the alterations at 8q22. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at D8S1830, mapping within one of the regions of amplification, was observed in high frequency in both OPLs and tumors. Of the 37 cases with LOH at D8S1830, 23 (62%) showed retention at D8S1793, which maps 1.6 Mbp centromeric to MYC. This is further support for the alteration at 8q22 being distinct from MYC. These data raise the possibility of additional oncogenes on 8q near the MYC locus that are potentially involved in OPL disease progression.

Overexpression of LRP12, a gene contained within an 8q22 amplicon identified by high-resolution array CGH analysis of oral squamous cell carcinomas.

Chromosome 8q amplification is a common event observed in cancer. In this study, we used high-resolution array comparative genomic hybridization to resolve two neighboring regions on 8q that are both amplified in oral cancer. One region (at 8q24) contains the MYC oncogene, which is frequently overexpressed in many cancers, while the other region (at 8q22) represents a novel amplicon. The alignment of array comparative genomic hybridization profiles of 20 microdissected oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) revealed a ∼5 Mbp region of frequent copy number alteration. This region harbors 16 known genes. Gene expression analysis comparing 15 microdissected OSCC with 16 normal epithelium samples revealed overexpression specific to LRP12 but not the neighboring genes, dihydropyrimidinase and FOG2, suggesting that LRP12 may function as an oncogene in oral tumors.

Chromosome 5p aberrations are early events in lung cancer: implication of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor in disease progression

Lung cancer is the most widely diagnosed malignancy in the world. Understanding early-stage disease will give insight into its pathogenesis. Despite the fact that pre-invasive lesions are challenging to isolate, and often yield insufficient DNA for the analysis of multiple loci, genomic profiling of such lesions will lead to the discovery of causal genetic alterations, which may be otherwise masked by the gross instability associated with tumors. In this study, we report the identification of multiple early genetic events on chromosome 5p in lung cancer progression. Using a high-resolution 5p-specific genomic array, which contains a tiling path of DNA segments for comparative genomic hybridization, nine novel minimal regions of loss and gain were discovered in bronchial carcinoma in situ (CIS) specimens. Within these regions we identified two candidate genes novel to lung cancer. The 0.27 Mbp region at 5p15.2 contains a single gene, Triple Functional Domain, which we determined to be differentially expressed in tumors. The 0.34 Mbp region at 5p13.2 contains Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (GDNF), which is a ligand for the RET oncogene product and is normally expressed during lung development (but absent in adult lung tissue). Our data showed not only that GDNF is overexpressed at the transcript level in squamous non-small-cell lung carcinoma, but also that the GDNF protein is present in early-stage lesions. Reactivation of the fetal lung expressed GDNF in early lesions and its amplification in CIS suggests an early role in tumorigenesis. These results highlight the value of examining the genomes of pre-invasive stages of cancer at tiling resolution.

Multiple pathways in the FGF signaling network are frequently deregulated by gene amplification in oral dysplasias.

Genetic alteration in oral premalignant lesions (OPLs), the precursors of oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs), may represent key changes in disease initiation and development. We ask if DNA amplification occurs at this early stage of cancer development and which oncogenic pathways are disrupted in OPLs. Here, we evaluated 50 high‐grade dysplasias and low‐grade dysplasias that later progressed to cancer for gene dosage aberrations using tiling‐path DNA microarrays. Early occurrences of DNA amplification and homozygous deletion were frequently detected, with 40% (20/50) of these early lesions exhibiting such features. Expression for 88 genes in 7 recurrent amplicons were evaluated in 5 independent head and neck cancer datasets, with 40 candidates found to be overexpressed relative to normal tissues. These genes were significantly enriched in the canonical ERK/MAPK, FGF, p53, PTEN and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways (p = 8.95 × 10−3 to 3.18 × 10−2). These identified pathways share interactions in one signaling network, and amplification‐mediated deregulation of this network was found in 30.0% of these preinvasive lesions. No such alterations were found in 14 low‐grade dysplasias that did not progress, whereas 43.5% (10/23) of OSCCs were found to have altered genes within the pathways with DNA amplification. Multitarget FISH showed that amplification of EGFR and CCND1 can coexist in single cells of an oral dysplasia, suggesting the dependence on multiple oncogenes for OPL progression. Taken together, these findings identify a critical biological network that is frequently disrupted in high‐risk OPLs, with different specific genes disrupted in different individuals.

High-resolution chromosome arm 5p array CGH analysis of small cell lung carcinoma cell lines

Genomic amplification of regions on chromosome arm 5p has been observed frequently in small cell lung cancer (SCLC), implying the presence of multiple oncogenes on this arm. Although conventional comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) detects gross chromosomal copy number changes, gene discovery requires a higher‐resolution approach in order to identify regions of alteration precisely. To identify candidate genes on this chromosome arm, we developed a high‐resolution, 10‐clone‐per‐megabase bacterial artificial chromosome CGH array for 5p and examined a panel of 15 SCLC cell lines. Utilization of this CGH array has allowed the fine‐mapping of breakpoints to regions as small as 200 kb in a single experiment. In addition to reporting our observations of aberrations at the well‐characterized SKP2 and TERT loci, we describe the identification of microdeletions that have escaped detection by conventional screens and the identification TRIO and ANKH as novel putative oncogenes.

Integrating the multiple dimensions of genomic and epigenomic landscapes of cancer

Advances in high-throughput, genome-wide profiling technologies have allowed for an unprecedented view of the cancer genome landscape. Specifically, high-density microarrays and sequencing-based strategies have been widely utilized to identify genetic (such as gene dosage, allelic status, and mutations in gene sequence) and epigenetic (such as DNA methylation, histone modification, and microRNA) aberrations in cancer. Although the application of these profiling technologies in unidimensional analyses has been instrumental in cancer gene discovery, genes affected by low-frequency events are often overlooked. The integrative approach of analyzing parallel dimensions has enabled the identification of (a) genes that are often disrupted by multiple mechanisms but at low frequencies by any one mechanism and (b) pathways that are often disrupted at multiple components but at low frequencies at individual components. These benefits of using an integrative approach illustrate the concept that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. As efforts have now turned toward parallel and integrative multidimensional approaches for studying the cancer genome landscape in hopes of obtaining a more insightful understanding of the key genes and pathways driving cancer cells, this review describes key findings disseminating from such high-throughput, integrative analyses, including contributions to our understanding of causative genetic events in cancer cell biology.