Ewa P. Malc

An APOBEC3A hypermutation signature is distinguishable from the signature of background mutagenesis by APOBEC3B in human cancers

Elucidation of mutagenic processes shaping cancer genomes is a fundamental problem whose solution promises insights into new treatment, diagnostic and prevention strategies. Single-strand DNA–specific APOBEC cytidine deaminase(s) are major source(s) of mutation in several cancer types. Previous indirect evidence implicated APOBEC3B as the more likely major mutator deaminase, whereas the role of APOBEC3A is not established. Using yeast models enabling the controlled generation of long single-strand genomic DNA substrates, we show that the mutation signatures of APOBEC3A and APOBEC3B are statistically distinguishable. We then apply three complementary approaches to identify cancer samples with mutation signatures resembling either APOBEC. Strikingly, APOBEC3A-like samples have over tenfold more APOBEC-signature mutations than APOBEC3B-like samples. We propose that APOBEC3A-mediated mutagenesis is much more frequent because APOBEC3A itself is highly proficient at generating DNA breaks, whose repair can trigger the formation of single-strand hypermutation substrates.

Tracking replication enzymology in vivo by genome-wide mapping of ribonucleotide incorporation.

Ribonucleotides are frequently incorporated into DNA during replication in eukaryotes. Here we map genome-wide distribution of these ribonucleotides as markers of replication enzymology in budding yeast, using a new 5′ DNA end–mapping method, hydrolytic end sequencing (HydEn-seq). HydEn-seq of DNA from ribonucleotide excision repair–deficient strains reveals replicase- and strand-specific patterns of ribonucleotides in the nuclear genome. These patterns support the roles of DNA polymerases α and δ in lagging-strand replication and of DNA polymerase ɛ in leading-strand replication. They identify replication origins, termination zones and variations in ribonucleotide incorporation frequency across the genome that exceed three orders of magnitude. HydEn-seq also reveals strand-specific 5′ DNA ends at mitochondrial replication origins, thus suggesting unidirectional replication of a circular genome. Given the conservation of enzymes that incorporate and process ribonucleotides in DNA, HydEn-seq can be used to track replication enzymology in other organisms.

Heterogeneous polymerase fidelity and mismatch repair bias genome variation and composition

Mutational heterogeneity must be taken into account when reconstructing evolutionary histories, calibrating molecular clocks, and predicting links between genes and disease. Selective pressures and various DNA transactions have been invoked to explain the heterogeneous distribution of genetic variation between species, within populations, and in tissue-specific tumors. To examine relationships between such heterogeneity and variations in leading- and lagging-strand replication fidelity and mismatch repair, we accumulated 40,000 spontaneous mutations in eight diploid yeast strains in the absence of selective pressure. We found that replicase error rates vary by fork direction, coding state, nucleosome proximity, and sequence context. Further, error rates and DNA mismatch repair efficiency both vary by mismatch type, responsible polymerase, replication time, and replication origin proximity. Mutation patterns implicate replication infidelity as one driver of variation in somatic and germline evolution, suggest mechanisms of mutual modulation of genome stability and composition, and predict future observations in specific cancers.

Break-Induced Replication Is a Source of Mutation Clusters Underlying Kataegis

Clusters of simultaneous multiple mutations can be a source of rapid change during carcinogenesis and evolution. Such mutation clusters have been recently shown to originate from DNA damage within long single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) formed at resected double-strand breaks and dysfunctional replication forks. Here, we identify double-strand break (DSB)-induced replication (BIR) as another powerful source of mutation clusters that formed in nearly half of wild-type yeast cells undergoing BIR in the presence of alkylating damage. Clustered mutations were primarily formed along the track of DNA synthesis and were frequently associated with additional breakage and rearrangements. Moreover, the base specificity, strand coordination, and strand bias of the mutation spectrum were consistent with mutations arising from damage in persistent ssDNA stretches within unconventional replication intermediates. Altogether, these features closely resemble kataegic events in cancers, suggesting that replication intermediates during BIR may be the most prominent source of mutation clusters across species.

APOBEC3A and APOBEC3B Preferentially Deaminate the Lagging Strand Template during DNA Replication

APOBEC family cytidine deaminases have recently been implicated as powerful mutators of cancer genomes. How APOBECs, which are ssDNA-specific enzymes, gain access to chromosomal DNA is unclear. To ascertain the chromosomal ssDNA substrates of the APOBECs, we expressed APOBEC3A and APOBEC3B, the two most probable APOBECs mediating cancer mutagenesis, in a yeast model system. We demonstrate, using mutation reporters and whole genome sequencing, that APOBEC3A- and APOBEC3B-induced mutagenesis primarily results from the deamination of the lagging strand template during DNA replication. Moreover, our results indicate that both genetic deficiencies in replication fork-stabilizing proteins and chemical induction of replication stress greatly augment the mutagenesis of APOBEC3A and APOBEC3B. Taken together, these results strongly indicate that ssDNA formed during DNA lagging strand synthesis is a major substrate for APOBECs and may be the principal substrate in human cancers experiencing replication stress.

High-Resolution Genome-Wide Analysis of Irradiated (UV and γ-Rays) Diploid Yeast Cells Reveals a High Frequency of Genomic Loss of Heterozygosity (LOH) Events

In diploid eukaryotes, repair of double-stranded DNA breaks by homologous recombination often leads to loss of heterozygosity (LOH). Most previous studies of mitotic recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae have focused on a single chromosome or a single region of one chromosome at which LOH events can be selected. In this study, we used two techniques (single-nucleotide polymorphism microarrays and high-throughput DNA sequencing) to examine genome-wide LOH in a diploid yeast strain at a resolution averaging 1 kb. We examined both selected LOH events on chromosome V and unselected events throughout the genome in untreated cells and in cells treated with either γ-radiation or ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Our analysis shows the following: (1) spontaneous and damage-induced mitotic gene conversion tracts are more than three times larger than meiotic conversion tracts, and conversion tracts associated with crossovers are usually longer and more complex than those unassociated with crossovers; (2) most of the crossovers and conversions reflect the repair of two sister chromatids broken at the same position; and (3) both UV and γ-radiation efficiently induce LOH at doses of radiation that cause no significant loss of viability. Using high-throughput DNA sequencing, we also detected new mutations induced by γ-rays and UV. To our knowledge, our study represents the first high-resolution genome-wide analysis of DNA damage-induced LOH events performed in any eukaryote.

Gene Copy-Number Variation in Haploid and Diploid Strains of the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The increasing ability to sequence and compare multiple individual genomes within a species has highlighted the fact that copy-number variation (CNV) is a substantial and underappreciated source of genetic diversity. Chromosome-scale mutations occur at rates orders of magnitude higher than base substitutions, yet our understanding of the mechanisms leading to CNVs has been lagging. We examined CNV in a region of chromosome 5 (chr5) in haploid and diploid strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We optimized a CNV detection assay based on a reporter cassette containing the SFA1 and CUP1 genes that confer gene dosage-dependent tolerance to formaldehyde and copper, respectively. This optimized reporter allowed the selection of low-order gene amplification events, going from one copy to two copies in haploids and from two to three copies in diploids. In haploid strains, most events involved tandem segmental duplications mediated by nonallelic homologous recombination between flanking direct repeats, primarily Ty1 elements. In diploids, most events involved the formation of a recurrent nonreciprocal translocation between a chr5 Ty1 element and another Ty1 repeat on chr13. In addition to amplification events, a subset of clones displaying elevated resistance to formaldehyde had point mutations within the SFA1 coding sequence. These mutations were all dominant and are proposed to result in hyperactive forms of the formaldehyde dehydrogenase enzyme.

Variant calling in low-coverage whole genome sequencing of a Native American population sample

BackgroundThe reduction in the cost of sequencing a human genome has led to the use of genotype sampling strategies in order to impute and infer the presence of sequence variants that can then be tested for associations with traits of interest. Low-coverage Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) is a sampling strategy that overcomes some of the deficiencies seen in fixed content SNP array studies. Linkage-disequilibrium (LD) aware variant callers, such as the program Thunder, may provide a calling rate and accuracy that makes a low-coverage sequencing strategy viable.ResultsWe examined the performance of an LD-aware variant calling strategy in a population of 708 low-coverage whole genome sequences from a community sample of Native Americans. We assessed variant calling through a comparison of the sequencing results to genotypes measured in 641 of the same subjects using a fixed content first generation exome array. The comparison was made using the variant calling routines GATK Unified Genotyper program and the LD-aware variant caller Thunder. Thunder was found to improve concordance in a coverage dependent fashion, while correctly calling nearly all of the common variants as well as a high percentage of the rare variants present in the sample.ConclusionsLow-coverage WGS is a strategy that appears to collect genetic information intermediate in scope between fixed content genotyping arrays and deep-coverage WGS. Our data suggests that low-coverage WGS is a viable strategy with a greater chance of discovering novel variants and associations than fixed content arrays for large sample association analyses.

The Impact of Environmental and Endogenous Damage on Somatic Mutation Load in Human Skin Fibroblasts

Accumulation of somatic changes, due to environmental and endogenous lesions, in the human genome is associated with aging and cancer. Understanding the impacts of these processes on mutagenesis is fundamental to understanding the etiology, and improving the prognosis and prevention of cancers and other genetic diseases. Previous methods relying on either the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells, or sequencing of single-cell genomes were inherently error-prone and did not allow independent validation of the mutations. In the current study we eliminated these potential sources of error by high coverage genome sequencing of single-cell derived clonal fibroblast lineages, obtained after minimal propagation in culture, prepared from skin biopsies of two healthy adult humans. We report here accurate measurement of genome-wide magnitude and spectra of mutations accrued in skin fibroblasts of healthy adult humans. We found that every cell contains at least one chromosomal rearrangement and 600–13,000 base substitutions. The spectra and correlation of base substitutions with epigenomic features resemble many cancers. Moreover, because biopsies were taken from body parts differing by sun exposure, we can delineate the precise contributions of environmental and endogenous factors to the accrual of genetic changes within the same individual. We show here that UV-induced and endogenous DNA damage can have a comparable impact on the somatic mutation loads in skin fibroblasts. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01087307

Cavitation Enhancing Nanodroplets Mediate Efficient DNA Fragmentation in a Bench Top Ultrasonic Water Bath

A perfluorocarbon nanodroplet formulation is shown to be an effective cavitation enhancement agent, enabling rapid and consistent fragmentation of genomic DNA in a standard ultrasonic water bath. This nanodroplet-enhanced method produces genomic DNA libraries and next-generation sequencing results indistinguishable from DNA samples fragmented in dedicated commercial acoustic sonication equipment, and with higher throughput. This technique thus enables widespread access to fast bench-top genomic DNA fragmentation.