DSpace Repository :: Browsing by Author "Armisén, Ricardo"

Browsing by Author "Armisén, Ricardo"

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A case-control study of a combination of single nucleotide polymorphisms and clinical parameters to predict clinically relevant toxicity associated with fluoropyrimidine and platinum-based chemotherapy in gastric cancer
(2021) Cordova-Delgado, Miguel; Bravo, María Loreto; Cumsille, Elisa; Hill, Charlotte N.; Muñoz-Medel, Matías; Pinto, Mauricio P.; Retamal, Ignacio N.; Lavanderos, María A.; Miquel, Juan Francisco; Rodriguez-Fernandez, Maria; Liao, Yuwei; Li, Zhiguang; Corvalán, Alejandro H.; Armisén, Ricardo; Garrido, Marcelo; Quiñones, Luis A.; Owen, Gareth I.
Background: Fluoropyrimidine plus platinum chemotherapy remains the standard first line treatment for gastric cancer (GC). Guidelines exist for the clinical interpretation of four DPYD genotypes related to severe fluoropyrimidine toxicity within European populations. However, the frequency of these single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the Latin American population is low (< 0.7%). No guidelines have been development for platinum. Herein, we present association between clinical factors and common SNPs in the development of grade 3–4 toxicity. Methods: Retrospectively, 224 clinical records of GC patient were screened, of which 93 patients were incorporated into the study. Eleven SNPs with minor allelic frequency above 5% in GSTP1, ERCC2, ERCC1, TP53, UMPS, SHMT1, MTHFR, ABCC2 and DPYD were assessed. Association between patient clinical characteristics and toxicity was estimated using logistic regression models and classification algorithms. Results: Reported grade ≤ 2 and 3–4 toxicities were 64.6% (61/93) and 34.4% (32/93) respectively. Selected DPYD SNPs were associated with higher toxicity (rs1801265; OR = 4.20; 95% CI = 1.70–10.95, p = 0.002), while others displayed a trend towards lower toxicity (rs1801159; OR = 0.45; 95% CI = 0.19–1.08; p = 0.071). Combination of paired SNPs demonstrated significant associations in DPYD (rs1801265), UMPS (rs1801019), ABCC2 (rs717620) and SHMT1 (rs1979277). Using multivariate logistic regression that combined age, sex, peri-operative chemotherapy, 5-FU regimen, the binary combination of the SNPs DPYD (rs1801265) + ABCC2 (rs717620), and DPYD (rs1801159) displayed the best predictive performance. A nomogram was constructed to assess the risk of developing overall toxicity. Conclusion: Pending further validation, this model could predict chemotherapy associated toxicity and improve GC patient quality of life.
A Comprehensive Analysis of the Effect of A>I(G) RNA-Editing Sites on Genotoxic Drug Response and Progression in Breast Cancer
(2024) Bernal, Yanara; Blanco, Alejandro; Sagredo, Eduardo; Oróstica, Karen; Alfaro, Ivan; Marcelain, Katherine; Armisén, Ricardo
Dysregulated A>I(G) RNA editing, which is mainly catalyzed by ADAR1 and is a type of post-transcriptional modification, has been linked to cancer. A low response to therapy in breast cancer (BC) is a significant contributor to mortality. However, it remains unclear if there is an association between A>I(G) RNA-edited sites and sensitivity to genotoxic drugs. To address this issue, we employed a stringent bioinformatics approach to identify differentially RNA-edited sites (DESs) associated with low or high sensitivity (FDR 0.1, log2 fold change 2.5) according to the IC50 of PARP inhibitors, anthracyclines, and alkylating agents using WGS/RNA-seq data in BC cell lines. We then validated these findings in patients with basal subtype BC. These DESs are mainly located in non-coding regions, but a lesser proportion in coding regions showed predicted deleterious consequences. Notably, some of these DESs are previously reported as oncogenic variants, and in genes related to DNA damage repair, drug metabolism, gene regulation, the cell cycle, and immune response. In patients with BC, we uncovered DESs predominantly in immune response genes, and a subset with a significant association (log-rank test p < 0.05) between RNA editing level in LSR, SMPDL3B, HTRA4, and LL22NC03-80A10.6 genes, and progression-free survival. Our findings provide a landscape of RNA-edited sites that may be involved in drug response mechanisms, highlighting the value of A>I(G) RNA editing in clinical outcomes for BC.
A Molecular Stratification of Chilean Gastric Cancer Patients with Potential Clinical Applicability
(MDPI, Basel Sz., 2020) Pinto, Mauricio; Córdova-Delgado, Miguel; Retamal, Ignacio; Muñoz-Medel, Matías; Bravo, Loreto; Durán, Doris; Villanueva, Francisco; Sánchez, César; Acevedo, Francisco; Mondaca, Sebastián; Érica, Koch; Ibáñez, Carolina; Galindo, Héctor; Madrid, Jorge; Nervi, Bruno; Peña, José; Torres, Javiera; Garrido, Marcelo; Owen, Gareth I.; Corvalán, Alejandro H.; Armisén, Ricardo
Gastric cancer (GC) is a complex and heterogeneous disease. In recent decades, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Asian Cancer Research Group (ACRG) defined GC molecular subtypes. Unfortunately, these systems require high-cost and complex techniques and consequently their impact in the clinic has remained limited. Additionally, most of these studies are based on European, Asian, or North American GC cohorts. Herein, we report a molecular classification of Chilean GC patients into five subtypes, based on immunohistochemical (IHC) and in situ hybridization (ISH) methods. These were Epstein–Barr virus positive (EBV+), mismatch repair-deficient (MMR-D), epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT)-like, and accumulated (p53+) or undetected p53 (p53−). Given its lower costs this system has the potential for clinical applicability. Our results confirm relevant molecular alterations previously reported by TCGA and ACRG. We confirm EBV+ and MMR-D patients had the best prognosis and could be candidates for immunotherapy. Conversely, EMT-like displayed the poorest prognosis; our data suggest FGFR2 or KRAS could serve as potential actionable targets for these patients. Finally, we propose a low-cost step-by-step stratification system for GC patients. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first Latin American report on a molecular classification for GC. Pending further validation, this stratification system could be implemented into the routine clinic
ADAR-Mediated A>I(G) RNA Editing in the Genotoxic Drug Response of Breast Cancer
(2024) Bernal, Yanara; Durán, Eduardo; Solar, Isidora; Sagredo, Eduardo; Armisén, Ricardo
Epitranscriptomics is a field that delves into post-transcriptional changes. Among these modifications, the conversion of adenosine to inosine, traduced as guanosine (A>I(G)), is one of the known RNA-editing mechanisms, catalyzed by ADARs. This type of RNA editing is the most common type of editing in mammals and contributes to biological diversity. Disruption in the A>I(G) RNA-editing balance has been linked to diseases, including several types of cancer. Drug resistance in patients with cancer represents a significant public health concern, contributing to increased mortality rates resulting from therapy non-responsiveness and disease progression, representing the greatest challenge for researchers in this field. The A>I(G) RNA editing is involved in several mechanisms over the immunotherapy and genotoxic drug response and drug resistance. This review investigates the relationship between ADAR1 and specific A>I(G) RNA-edited sites, focusing particularly on breast cancer, and the impact of these sites on DNA damage repair and the immune response over anti-cancer therapy. We address the underlying mechanisms, bioinformatics, and in vitro strategies for the identification and validation of A>I(G) RNA-edited sites. We gathered databases related to A>I(G) RNA editing and cancer and discussed the potential clinical and research implications of understanding A>I(G) RNA-editing patterns. Understanding the intricate role of ADAR1-mediated A>I(G) RNA editing in breast cancer holds significant promise for the development of personalized treatment approaches tailored to individual patients' A>I(G) RNA-editing profiles.
ADAR1 Transcriptome editing promotes breast cancer progression through the regulation of cell cycle and DNA damage response
(Elsevier B.V., 2020) Sagredo, Eduardo; Sagredo, Alfredo; Blanco, Alejandro; Rojas, Pamela; Rivas, Solange; Assar, Rodrigo; Pérez, Paola; Marcelain, Katherine; Armisén, Ricardo
RNA editing has emerged as a novel mechanism in cancer progression. The double stranded RNA-specific adenosine deaminase (ADAR) modifies the expression of an important proportion of genes involved in cell cycle control, DNA damage response (DDR) and transcriptional processing, suggesting an important role of ADAR in transcriptome regulation. Despite the phenotypic implications of ADAR deregulation in several cancer models, the role of ADAR on DDR and proliferation in breast cancer has not been fully addressed. Here, we show that ADAR expression correlates significantly with clinical outcomes and DDR, cell cycle and proliferation mRNAs of previously reported edited transcripts in breast cancer patients. ADAR's knock-down in a breast cancer cell line produces stability changes of mRNAs involved in DDR and DNA replication. Breast cancer cells with reduced levels of ADAR show a decreased viability and an increase in apoptosis, displaying a significant decrease of their DDR activation, compared to control cells. These results suggest that ADAR plays an important role in breast cancer progression through the regulation of mRNA stability and expression of those genes involved in proliferation and DDR impacting the viability of breast cancer cells.
ALS-linked protein disulfide isomerase variants cause motor dysfunction
(European Molecular Biology Organization by IRL Press, 2016) Woehlbier, Ute; Colombo, Alicia; Saaranen, Mirva; Pérez, Viviana; Ojeda, Jorge; Bustos, Fernando; Andreu, Catherine; Torres, mauricio; Valenzuela, Vicente; Medinas, Danilo; Rozas, Pablo; Vidal, René; López-González, Rodrigo; Salameh, Johnny; Fernández-Collemann, Sara; Muñoz, Natalia; Matus, Soledad; Armisén, Ricardo; Sagredo, Alfredo; Palma, Karina; Irrazabal, Thergiory; Almeida, Sandra; González-Pérez, Paloma; Campero, Mario
Disturbance of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) proteostasis is a common feature of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Protein disulfide isomerases (PDIs) areERfoldases identified as possibleALSbiomarkers, as well as neuroprotective factors. However, no functional studies have addressed their impact on the disease process. Here, we functionally characterized fourALS-linked mutations recently identified in two majorPDIgenes,PDIA1 andPDIA3/ERp57. Phenotypic screening in zebrafish revealed that the expression of thesePDIvariants induce motor defects associated with a disruption of motoneuron connectivity. Similarly, the expression of mutantPDIs impaired dendritic outgrowth in motoneuron cell culture models. Cellular and biochemical studies identified distinct molecular defects underlying the pathogenicity of thesePDImutants. Finally, targetingERp57 in the nervous system led to severe motor dysfunction in mice associated with a loss of neuromuscular synapses. This study identifiesERproteostasis imbalance as a risk factor forALS, driving initial stages of the disease.
Beyond tobacco: genomic disparities in lung cancer between smokers and never-smokers
(2024) Garrido, Javiera; Bernal, Yanara; González, Evelin; Blanco, Alejandro; Sepúlveda, Gonzalo; Freire, Matías; Oróstica, Karen; Rivas, Solange; Marcelain, Katherine; Owen, Gareth; Ibañez, Carolina; Corvalan, Alejandro; Garrido, Marcelo; Assar, Rodrigo; Lizana, Rodrigo; Cáceres, Javier; Ampuero, Diego; Ramos, Liliana; Pérez, Paola; Aren, Osvaldo; Chernilo, Sara; Fernández, Cristina; Spencer, María; Flores, Jacqueline; Bernal, Giuliano; Ahumada, Mónica; Rasse, Germán; Sánchez, Carolina; De Amorim, Maria; Bartelli, Thais; Noronha, Diana; Dias, Emmanuel; Freitas, Helano; Armisén, Ricardo
Background: Tobacco use is one of the main risk factors for Lung Cancer (LC) development. However, about 10-20% of those diagnosed with the disease are never-smokers. For Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) there are clear differences in both the clinical presentation and the tumor genomic profiles between smokers and never-smokers. For example, the Lung Adenocarcinoma (LUAD) histological subtype in never-smokers is predominately found in young women of European, North American, and Asian descent. While the clinical presentation and tumor genomic profiles of smokers have been widely examined, never-smokers are usually underrepresented, especially those of a Latin American (LA) background. In this work, we characterize, for the first time, the difference in the genomic profiles between smokers and never-smokers LC patients from Chile. Methods: We conduct a comparison by smoking status in the frequencies of genomic alterations (GAs) including somatic mutations and structural variants (fusions) in a total of 10 clinically relevant genes, including the eight most common actionable genes for LC (EGFR, KRAS, ALK, MET, BRAF, RET, ERBB2, and ROS1) and two established driver genes for malignancies other than LC (PIK3CA and MAP2K1). Study participants were grouped as either smokers (current and former, n = 473) or never-smokers (n = 200) according to self-report tobacco use at enrollment. Results: Our findings indicate a higher overall GA frequency for never-smokers compared to smokers (58 vs. 45.7, p-value < 0.01) with the genes EGFR, KRAS, and PIK3CA displaying the highest prevalence while ERBB2, RET, and ROS1 the lowest. Never-smokers present higher frequencies in seven out of the 10 genes; however, smokers harbor a more complex genomic profile. The clearest differences between groups are seen for EGFR (15.6 vs. 21.5, p-value: < 0.01), PIK3CA (6.8 vs 9.5) and ALK (3.2 vs 7.5) in favor of never-smokers, and KRAS (16.3 vs. 11.5) and MAP2K1 (6.6 vs. 3.5) in favor of smokers. Alterations in these genes are comprised almost exclusively by somatic mutations in EGFR and mainly by fusions in ALK, and only by mutations in PIK3CA, KRAS and MAP2K1. Conclusions: We found clear differences in the genomic landscape by smoking status in LUAD patients from Chile, with potential implications for clinical management in these limited-resource settings.
El cáncer de pulmón de células no pequeñas en la era de la medicina de precisión
(2022) Rivas, Solange; Armisén, Ricardo
El cáncer se origina por mutaciones conductoras que entregan ventajas en el crecimiento celular, por medio de la inhibición de los puntos de control y la activación exacerbada de vías de señalización involucradas en la sobrevivencia y la proliferación. El cáncer de pulmón es la principal causa de muerte por cáncer en 89/185 países, y la medicina de precisión ha mejorado el diagnóstico y tratamiento de esta enfermedad, considerando la importancia del perfil mutacional del tumor. Los inhibidores de tirosina quinasa (TKIs) dirigidos a mutaciones conductoras en EGFR, uno de los genes más mutado en cáncer de pulmón de células no pequeñas (NSCLC), han demostrado una disminución significativa en la mortalidad al ser drogas más específicas y menos tóxicas. Los genes accionables en NSCLC son EGFR, ALK, ROS1, ERBB2, MET, MAP2K1, BRAF, KRAS, NTRK1/2/3 y RET, y combinados impactan al 64% de los pacientes. Sin embargo, el acceso a NGS (secuenciación de próxima generación por sus siglas en inglés) y a las drogas dirigidas es desigual por país y la ausencia de mutaciones en genes accionables y el desarrollo de mutaciones de resistencia a la terapia dirigida, son desafíos a nivel mundial. La incorporación de nuevos biomarcadores como PD-L1, la validación del DNA circulante en plasma, la medición de la carga mutacional del tumor, y el desarrollo de ensayos clínicos con combinación de terapias, son parte de las estrategias actuales en investigación. Esta revisión está enfocada en entregar a lectores de lengua española el estado actual de la medicina de precisión en NSCLC.
Concordance analysis of ALK gene fusion detection methods in patients with Non– Small-Cell Lung Cancer from Chile, Brazil, and Peru
(2021-06) Sepúlveda-Hermosilla, Gonzalo; Freire, Matías; Blanco, Alejandro; Cáceres, Javier; Lizana, Rodrigo; Ramos, Liliana; Assar, Rodrigo; Ampuero, Diego; Aren, Osvaldo; Chernilo, Sara; Spencer, María Loreto; Bernal, Giuliano; Flores, Jacqueline; Rasse, Germán; Sánchez, Carolina; Marcelain, Katherine; Rivas, Solange; Pereira Branco, Gabriela; Galli de Amorim, María; Noronha Nunes, Diana; Dias-Neto, Emmanuel; Freitas, Helano C.; Fernández, Cristina; Pérez, Paola; NIRVANA team; Armisén, Ricardo
About 4 to 7 % of the Non-small cell lung cancer patients have ALK rearrangements and specific target therapies improve patients’ outcomes significantly. ALK gene fusions are detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) or Fluorescent in situ Hybridization (FISH) as gold standards in South America. Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) based assays are a reliable alternative, able to perform simultaneous detection of multiple events from a single sample. We analyzed 4,240 Non-small cell lung cancer samples collected in 37 hospitals from Chile, Brazil, and Peru; where ALK rearrangements were determined as part of their standard of care (SofC) using either IHC or FISH. A subset of 1450 samples was sequenced with the Oncomine Focus Assay (OFA), and the concordance with the SofC tests was measured. An orthogonal analysis was performed using a qPCR EML4-ALK fusion detection kit. ALK fusion prevalence is very similar for Chile (3.67%, N=2142), Brazil (4.05%, N=1013) and Peru (4.59%, N=675). Whereas a comparison between OFA and SofC assays showed similar sensitivity, OFA had significantly higher specificity and higher positive predictive value, which opens new opportunities for a more specific determination of ALK gene rearrangements.
Distinct Driver Pathway Enrichments and a High Prevalence of TSC2 Mutations in Right Colon Cancer in Chile: A Preliminary Comparative Analysis
(2024) Tapia, Camilo; Valenzuela, Guillermo; González, Evelin; Maureira, Ignacio; Toro, Jessica; Freire, Matías; Sepúlveda, Gonzalo; Ampuero, Diego; Blanco, Alejandro; Gallegos, Iván; Morales, Fernanda; Erices, José; Barajas, Olga; Ahumada, Mónica; Contreras, Héctor; González, Jaime; Armisén, Ricardo; Marcelain, Katherine
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer deaths globally. While ethnic differences in driver gene mutations have been documented, the South American population remains understudied at the genomic level, despite facing a rising burden of CRC. We analyzed tumors of 40 Chilean CRC patients (Chp) using next-generation sequencing and compared them to data from mainly Caucasian cohorts (TCGA and MSK-IMPACT). We identified 388 mutations in 96 out of 135 genes, with TP53 (45%), KRAS (30%), PIK3CA (22.5%), ATM (20%), and POLE (20%) being the most frequently mutated. TSC2 mutations were associated with right colon cancer (44.44% in RCRC vs. 6.45% in LCRC, p-value = 0.016), and overall frequency was higher compared to TCGA (p-value = 1.847 × 10-5) and MSK-IMPACT cohorts (p-value = 3.062 × 10-2). Limited sample size restricts definitive conclusions, but our data suggest potential differences in driver mutations for Chilean patients, being that the RTK-RAS oncogenic pathway is less affected and the PI3K pathway is more altered in Chp compared to TCGA (45% vs. 25.56%, respectively). The prevalence of actionable pathways and driver mutations can guide therapeutic choices, but can also impact treatment effectiveness. Thus, these findings warrant further investigation in larger Chilean cohorts to confirm these initial observations. Understanding population-specific driver mutations can guide the development of precision medicine programs for CRC patients.
Immune-related IncRNA LINC00944 responds to variations in ADAR1 levels and it is associated with breast cancer prognosis
(Elsevier Inc., 2020) Blanco, Alejandro; Morales, Fernanda; Marcelain, Katherine; Harismendy, Olivier; Sjöberg, Marcela; Armisén, Ricardo; de Santiago, Pamela
Aims: Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of woman deaths worldwide, being a major public health problem. It has been reported that the expression of the RNA-editing enzyme Adenosine Deaminase Acting on RNAs 1 (ADAR1) is upregulated in breast cancer, predicting poor prognosis in patients. A few reports in literature examine ADAR1 and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) interplay in cancer and suggest key roles in cancer-related pathways. This study aimed to investigate whether ADAR1 could alter the expression levels of lncRNAs and explore how those changes are related to breast cancer biology. Main methods: ADAR1 overexpression and knockdown studies were performed in breast cancer cell lines to analyze the effects over lncRNAs expression. Guilt-by-Association correlation analysis of the TCGA-BRCA cohort was performed to predict the function of the lncRNA LINC00944. Key findings: Here, we show that LINC00944 is responsive to ADAR1 up- and downregulation in breast cancer cells. We found that LINC00944 expression has a strong relationship with immune signaling pathways. Further assessment of the TCGA-BRCA cohort showed that LINC00944 expression was positively correlated to tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes and pro-apoptotic markers. Moreover, we found that LINC00944 expression was correlated to the age at diagnosis, tumor size, and estrogen and progesterone receptor expression. Finally, we showed that the low expression of LINC00944 is correlated to poor prognosis in breast cancer patients. Significance: Our study provides further evidence of the effect of ADAR1 over lncRNA expression levels, and on the participation of LINC00944 in breast cancer, suggesting to further investigate its potential role as prognostic biomarker.
Increase in ADAR1p110 activates the canonical Wnt signaling pathway associated with aggressive phenotype in triple negative breast cancer cells
(2022) Morales, Fernanda; Pérez, Paola; Tapia, Julio; Lobos-González, Lorena; Herranz, José Manuel; Guevara, Francisca; Rojas, Pamela; Palacios, Esteban; Andaur, Rodrigo; Sagredo, Eduardo; Marcelain, Katherine; Armisén, Ricardo
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents a challenge in the search for new therapeutic targets. TNBCs are aggressive and generate resistance to chemotherapy. Tumors of TNBC patients with poor prognosis present a high level of adenosine deaminase acting on RNA1 (ADAR1). We explore the connection of ADAR1 with the canonical Wnt signaling pathway and the effect of modulation of its expression in TNBC. Expression data from cell line sequencing (DepMap) and TCGA samples were downloaded and analyzed. We lentivirally generated an MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line that overexpress (OE) ADAR1p110 or an ADAR knockdown. Abundance of different proteins related to Wnt/β-catenin pathway and activity of nuclear β-catenin were analyzed by Western blot and luciferase TOP/FOP reporter assay, respectively. Cell invasion was analyzed by matrigel assay. In mice, we study the behavior of tumors generated from ADAR1p110 (OE) cells and tumor vascularization immunostaining were analyzed. ADAR1 connects to the canonical Wnt pathway in TNBC. ADAR1p110 overexpression decreased GSK-3β, while increasing active β-catenin. It also increased the activity of nuclear β-catenin and increased its target levels. ADAR1 knockdown has the opposite effect. MDA-MB-231 ADAR1 (OE) cells showed increased capacity of invasion. Subsequently, we observed that tumors derived from ADAR1p110 (OE) cells showed increased invasion towards the epithelium, and increased levels of Survivin and CD-31 expressed in vascular endothelial cells. These results indicate that ADAR1 overexpression alters the expression of some key components of the canonical Wnt pathway, favoring invasion and neovascularization, possibly through activation of the β-catenin, which suggests an unknown role of ADAR1p110 in aggressiveness of TNBC tumors.
Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I-Related Chain A (MICA) Allelic Variants Associate With Susceptibility and Prognosis of Gastric Cancer
(Frontiers Media SA, 2021) Toledo-Stuardo, Karen; Ribeiro, Carolina H.; Canals, Andrea; Morales, Marcela; Garate, Valentina; Rodríguez-Siza, José; Tello, Samantha; Bustamante, Marco; Armisén, Ricardo; Matthies, Douglas J.; Zapata-Torres, Gerald; González-Hormazabal, Patricio
Gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most prevalent type of cancer worldwide. Gastric tumor cells express MICA protein, a ligand to NKG2D receptor that triggers natural killer (NK) cells effector functions for early tumor elimination. MICA gene is highly polymorphic, thus originating alleles that encode protein variants with a controversial role in cancer. The main goal of this work was to study MICA gene polymorphisms and their relationship with the susceptibility and prognosis of GC. Fifty patients with GC and 50 healthy volunteers were included in this study. MICA alleles were identified using Sanger sequencing methods. The analysis of MICA gene sequence revealed 13 MICA sequences and 5 MICA-short tandem repeats (STR) alleles in the studied cohorts We identified MICA*002 (*A9) as the most frequent allele in both, patients and controls, followed by MICA*008 allele (*A5.1). MICA*009/049 allele was significantly associated with increased risk of GC (OR: 5.11 [95% CI: 1.39–18.74], p = 0.014). The analysis of MICA-STR alleles revealed a higher frequency of MICA*A5 in healthy individuals than GC patients (OR = 0.34 [95% CI: 0.12–0.98], p = 0.046). Survival analysis after gastrectomy showed that patients with MICA*002/002 or MICA*002/004 alleles had significantly higher survival rates than those patients bearing MICA*002/008 (p = 0.014) or MICA*002/009 (MICA*002/049) alleles (p = 0.040). The presence of threonine in the position MICA-181 (MICA*009/049 allele) was more frequent in GC patients than controls (p = 0.023). Molecular analysis of MICA-181 showed that the presence of threonine provides greater mobility to the protein than arginine in the same position (MICA*004), which could explain, at least in part, some immune evasion mechanisms developed by the tumor. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the study of MICA alleles is crucial to search for new therapeutic approaches and may be useful for the evaluation of risk and prognosis of GC and personalized therapy.
MET Signaling Pathways, Resistance Mechanisms, and Opportunities for Target Therapies
(2022) Rivas, Solange; Marín, Arnaldo; Samtani, Suraj; González, Evelin; Armisén, Ricardo
The MET gene, known as MET proto-oncogene receptor tyrosine kinase, was first identified to induce tumor cell migration, invasion, and proliferation/survival through canonical RAS-CDC42-PAK-Rho kinase, RAS-MAPK, PI3K-AKT-mTOR, and β-catenin signaling pathways, and its driver mutations, such as MET gene amplification (METamp) and the exon 14 skipping alterations (METex14), activate cell transformation, cancer progression, and worse patient prognosis, principally in lung cancer through the overactivation of their own oncogenic and MET parallel signaling pathways. Because of this, MET driver alterations have become of interest in lung adenocarcinomas since the FDA approval of target therapies for METamp and METex14 in 2020. However, after using MET target therapies, tumor cells develop adaptative changes, favoring tumor resistance to drugs, the main current challenge to precision medicine. Here, we review a link between the resistance mechanism and MET signaling pathways, which is not only limited to MET. The resistance impacts MET parallel tyrosine kinase receptors and signals shared hubs. Therefore, this information could be relevant in the patient’s mutational profile evaluation before the first target therapy prescription and follow-up to reduce the risk of drug resistance. However, to develop a resistance mechanism to a MET inhibitor, patients must have access to the drugs. For instance, none of the FDA approved MET inhibitors are registered as such in Chile and other developing countries. Constant cross-feeding between basic and clinical research will thus be required to meet future challenges imposed by the acquired resistance to targeted therapies
Ski Is Required for Tri-Methylation of H3K9 in Major Satellite and for Repression of Pericentromeric Genes: Mmp3, Mmp10 and Mmp13, in Mouse Fibroblasts
(Elsevier Ltd., 2020) Capelli, Claudio; Sepúlveda, Hugo; Rivas, Solange; Víctor, Paola; Urzúa, Ulises; Donoso, Gerardo; Sagredo, Eduardo; Carrero, David; Casanova-Ortiz, Emmanuel; Sagredo, Alfredo; González, Marisel; Manterola, Marcia; Nardocci, Gino; Armisén, Ricardo; Montecino, Martín; Marcelain, Katherine
Several mechanisms directing a rapid transcriptional reactivation of genes immediately after mitosis have been described. However, little is known about the maintenance of repressive signals during mitosis. In this work, we address the role of Ski in the repression of gene expression during M/G1 transition in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). We found that Ski localises as a distinct pair of dots at the pericentromeric region of mitotic chromosomes, and the absence of the protein is related to high acetylation and low tri-methylation of H3K9 in pericentromeric major satellite. Moreover, differential expression assays in early G1 cells showed that the presence of Ski is significantly associated with repression of genes localised nearby to pericentromeric DNA. In mitotic cells, chromatin immunoprecipitation assays confirmed the association of Ski to major satellite and the promoters of the most repressed genes: Mmp3, Mmp10 and Mmp13. These genes are at pericentromeric region of chromosome 9. In these promoters, the presence of Ski resulted in increased H3K9 tri-methylation levels. This Ski-dependent regulation is also observed during interphase. Consequently, Mmp activity is augmented in Ski −/− MEFs. Altogether, these data indicate that association of Ski with the pericentromeric region of chromosomes during mitosis is required to maintain the silencing bookmarks of underlying chromatin.
Total mutational load and clinical features as predictors of the metastatic status in lung adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma patients
(2022) Oróstica, Karen; Saez, Juan; De Santiago, Pamela; Rivas, Solange; Contreras, Sebastián; Navarro, Gonzalo; Asenjo, Juan; Olivera, Álvaro; Armisén, Ricardo
Abstract Background: Recently, extensive cancer genomic studies have revealed mutational and clinical data of large cohortsof cancer patients. For example, the Pan-Lung Cancer 2016 dataset (part of The Cancer Genome Atlas project), sum‑marises the mutational and clinical profles of diferent subtypes of Lung Cancer (LC). Mutational and clinical signa‑ tures have been used independently for tumour typifcation and prediction of metastasis in LC patients. Is it then possible to achieve better typifcations and predictions when combining both data streams? Methods: In a cohort of 1144 Lung Adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma (LSCC) patients, we studied the number of missense mutations (hereafter, the Total Mutational Load TML) and distribution of clinical variables, for diferent classes of patients. Using the TML and diferent sets of clinical variables (tumour stage, age, sex, smoking status, and packs of cigarettes smoked per year), we built Random Forest classifcation models that calculate the likelihood of developing metastasis. Results: We found that LC patients diferent in age, smoking status, and tumour type had signifcantly diferent mean TMLs. Although TML was an informative feature, its efect was secondary to the "tumour stage" feature. However, its contribution to the classifcation is not redundant with the latter; models trained using both TML and tumour stage performed better than models trained using only one of these variables. We found that models trained in the entire dataset (i.e., without using dimensionality reduction techniques) and without resampling achieved the highest perfor‑mance, with an F1 score of 0.64 (95%CrI [0.62, 0.66]). Conclusions: Clinical variables and TML should be considered together when assessing the likelihood of LC patients progressing to metastatic states, as the information these encode is not redundant. Altogether, we provide new evi‑ dence of the need for comprehensive diagnostic tools for metastasis.
Validation of an NGS Panel Designed for Detection of Actionable Mutations in Tumors Common in Latin America
(2021) Salvo, Mauricio; González‐Feliú, Evelin; Toro, Jessica; Gallegos, Iván; Maureira, Ignacio; Miranda‐González, Nicolás; Barajas, Olga; Bustamante, Eva; Ahumada, Mónica; Colombo, Alicia; Armisén, Ricardo; Villamán, Camilo; Ibáñez, Carolina; Bravo, María Loreto; Sanhueza, Verónica; Spencer, M. Loreto; Toro, Gonzalo de; Morales, Erik; Bizama, Carolina; García, Patricia; Carrasco, Ana María; Gutiérrez, Lorena; Bermejo, Justo Lorenzo; Verdugo, Ricardo A.; Marcelain, Katherine
Next‐generation sequencing (NGS) is progressively being used in clinical practice. How‐ ever, several barriers preclude using this technology for precision oncology in most Latin American countries. To overcome some of these barriers, we have designed a 25‐gene panel that contains pre‐ dictive biomarkers for most current and near‐future available therapies in Chile and Latin America. Library preparation was optimized to account for low DNA integrity observed in formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded tissue. The workflow includes an automated bioinformatic pipeline that ac‐ counts for the underrepresentation of Latin Americans in genome databases. The panel detected small insertions, deletions, and single nucleotide variants down to allelic frequencies of 0.05 with high sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility. The workflow was validated in 272 clinical samples from several solid tumor types, including gallbladder (GBC). More than 50 biomarkers were de‐ tected in these samples, mainly in BRCA1/2, KRAS, and PIK3CA genes. In GBC, biomarkers for PARP, EGFR, PIK3CA, mTOR, and Hedgehog signaling inhibitors were found. Thus, this small NGS panel is an accurate and sensitive method that may constitute a more cost‐efficient alternative to multiple non‐NGS assays and costly, large NGS panels. This kind of streamlined assay with au‐ tomated bioinformatics analysis may facilitate the implementation of precision medicine in Latin America.

Browsing by Author "Armisén, Ricardo"

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