Showing papers by "Jo Vandesompele published in 2014"

A comprehensive assessment of RNA-seq accuracy, reproducibility and information content by the Sequencing Quality Control Consortium

Abstract: We present primary results from the Sequencing Quality Control (SEQC) project, coordinated by the US Food and Drug Administration. Examining Illumina HiSeq, Life Technologies SOLiD and Roche 454 platforms at multiple laboratory sites using reference RNA samples with built-in controls, we assess RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) performance for junction discovery and differential expression profiling and compare it to microarray and quantitative PCR (qPCR) data using complementary metrics. At all sequencing depths, we discover unannotated exon-exon junctions, with >80% validated by qPCR. We find that measurements of relative expression are accurate and reproducible across sites and platforms if specific filters are used. In contrast, RNA-seq and microarrays do not provide accurate absolute measurements, and gene-specific biases are observed for all examined platforms, including qPCR. Measurement performance depends on the platform and data analysis pipeline, and variation is large for transcript-level profiling. The complete SEQC data sets, comprising >100 billion reads (10Tb), provide unique resources for evaluating RNA-seq analyses for clinical and regulatory settings.

The impact of disparate isolation methods for extracellular vesicles on downstream RNA profiling

Abstract: Despite an enormous interest in the role of extracellular vesicles, including exosomes, in cancer and their use as biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis, drug response and recurrence, there is no consensus on dependable isolation protocols. We provide a comparative evaluation of 4 exosome isolation protocols for their usability, yield and purity, and their impact on downstream omics approaches for biomarker discovery. OptiPrep density gradient centrifugation outperforms ultracentrifugation and ExoQuick and Total Exosome Isolation precipitation in terms of purity, as illustrated by the highest number of CD63-positive nanovesicles, the highest enrichment in exosomal marker proteins and a lack of contaminating proteins such as extracellular Argonaute-2 complexes. The purest exosome fractions reveal a unique mRNA profile enriched for translation, ribosome, mitochondrion and nuclear lumen function. Our results demonstrate that implementation of high purification techniques is a prerequisite to obtain reliable omics data and identify exosome-specific functions and biomarkers.

Evaluation of quantitative miRNA expression platforms in the microRNA quality control (miRQC) study

Abstract: MicroRNAs are important negative regulators of protein-coding gene expression and have been studied intensively over the past years. Several measurement platforms have been developed to determine relative miRNA abundance in biological samples using different technologies such as small RNA sequencing, reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and (microarray) hybridization. In this study, we systematically compared 12 commercially available platforms for analysis of microRNA expression. We measured an identical set of 20 standardized positive and negative control samples, including human universal reference RNA, human brain RNA and titrations thereof, human serum samples and synthetic spikes from microRNA family members with varying homology. We developed robust quality metrics to objectively assess platform performance in terms of reproducibility, sensitivity, accuracy, specificity and concordance of differential expression. The results indicate that each method has its strengths and weaknesses, which help to guide informed selection of a quantitative microRNA gene expression platform for particular study goals.

Selection of Reliable Reference Genes for RT-qPCR Analysis

Abstract: Reference genes have become the method of choice for normalization of qPCR data. It has been demonstrated in many studies that reference gene validation is essential to ensure accurate and reliable results. This chapter describes how a pilot study can be set up to identify the best set of reference genes to be used for normalization of qPCR data. The data from such a pilot study should be analyzed with dedicated algorithms such as geNorm to rank genes according to their stability--a measure for how well they are suited for normalization. geNorm also provides insights into the optimal number of reference genes and the overall quality of the selected set of reference genes. Importantly, these results are always in function of the sample type being studied. Guidelines are provided on the interpretation of the results from geNorm pilot studies as well as for the continued monitoring of reference gene quality in subsequent studies. For screening studies including a large, unbiased set of genes (e.g., complete miRNome) an alternative normalization method can be used: global mean normalization. This chapter also describes how the data from such studies can be used to identify reference genes for subsequent validation studies on smaller sets of selected genes.

Cancer-associated adipose tissue promotes breast cancer progression by paracrine Oncostatin M and Jak/STAT3 signaling.

Abstract: Increasing evidence supports the critical roles played by adipose tissue in breast cancer progression. Yet, the mediators and mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we show that breast cancer-associated adipose tissue from freshly isolated tumors promotes F-actin remodeling, cellular scattering, invasiveness, and spheroid reorganization of cultured breast cancer cells. A combination of techniques, including transcriptomics, proteomics, and kinomics enabled us to identify paracrine secretion of oncostatin M (OSM) by cancer-associated adipose tissue. Specifically, OSM, expressed by CD45(+) leucocytes in the stromal vascular fraction, induced phosphorylation of STAT3 (pSTAT3-) Y705 and S727 in breast cancer cells and transcription of several STAT3-dependent genes, including S100 family members S100A7, S100A8, and S100A9. Autocrine activation of STAT3 in MCF-7 cells ectopically expressing OSM-induced cellular scattering and peritumoral neovascularization of orthotopic xenografts. Conversely, selective inhibition of OSM by neutralizing antibody and Jak family kinases by tofacitinib inhibited STAT3 signaling, peritumoral angiogenesis, and cellular scattering. Importantly, nuclear staining of pSTAT3-Y705 identified at the tumor invasion front in ductal breast carcinomas correlates with increased lymphovascular invasion. Our work reveals the potential of novel therapeutic strategies targeting the OSM and STAT3 axis in patients with breast cancer harboring nuclear pSTAT3-Y705.

miRBase Tracker: keeping track of microRNA annotation changes

Abstract: Since 2002, information on individual microRNAs (miRNAs), such as reference names and sequences, has been stored in miRBase, the reference database for miRNA annotation. As a result of progressive insights into the miRNome and its complexity, miRBase underwent addition and deletion of miRNA records, changes in annotated miRNA sequences and adoption of more complex naming schemes over time. Unfortunately, miRBase does not allow straightforward assessment of these ongoing miRNA annotation changes, which has resulted in substantial ambiguity regarding miRNA identity and sequence in public literature, in target prediction databases and in content on various commercially available analytical platforms. As a result, correct interpretation, comparison and integration of miRNA study results are compromised, which we demonstrate here by assessing the impact of ignoring sequence annotation changes. To address this problem, we developed miRBase Tracker (www.mirbasetracker.org), an easy-to-use online database that keeps track of all historical and current miRNA annotation present in the miRBase database. Three basic functionalities allow researchers to keep their miRNA annotation up-to-date, reannotate analytical miRNA platforms and link published results with outdated annotation to the latest miRBase release. We expect miRBase Tracker to increase the transparency and annotation accuracy in the field of miRNA research. Database URL: www.mirbasetracker.org

Cancer-associated adipose tissue promotes breast cancer progression by paracrine Oncostatin M and JAK3/STAT3 signaling

Abstract: Increasing evidence supports the critical roles played by adipose tissue in breast cancer progression. Yet, the mediators and mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we show that breast cancer-associated adipose tissue from freshly isolated tumors promotes F-actin remodeling, cellular scattering, invasiveness, and spheroid reorganization of cultured breast cancer cells. A combination of techniques, including transcriptomics, proteomics, and kinomics enabled us to identify paracrine secretion of oncostatin M (OSM) by cancer-associated adipose tissue. Specifically, OSM, expressed by CD45(+) leucocytes in the stromal vascular fraction, induced phosphorylation of STAT3 (pSTAT3-) Y705 and S727 in breast cancer cells and transcription of several STAT3-dependent genes, including S100 family members S100A7, S100A8, and S100A9. Autocrine activation of STAT3 in MCF-7 cells ectopically expressing OSM-induced cellular scattering and peritumoral neovascularization of orthotopic xenografts. Conversely, selective inhibition of OSM by neutralizing antibody and Jak family kinases by tofacitinib inhibited STAT3 signaling, peritumoral angiogenesis, and cellular scattering. Importantly, nuclear staining of pSTAT3-Y705 identified at the tumor invasion front in ductal breast carcinomas correlates with increased lymphovascular invasion. Our work reveals the potential of novel therapeutic strategies targeting the OSM and STAT3 axis in patients with breast cancer harboring nuclear pSTAT3-Y705.

MicroRNA-128-3p is a novel oncomiR targeting PHF6 in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Abstract: T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia arises from the leukemic transformation of developing thymocytes and results from cooperative genetic lesions. Inactivation of the PHF6 gene is frequently observed in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, suggesting an important tumor suppressive role for PHF6 in the pathobiology of this leukemia. Although the precise function of PHF6 is still unknown, this gene is most likely involved in chromatin regulation, a strongly emerging theme in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. In this context, our previous description of a cooperative microRNA regulatory network controlling several well-known T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia tumor suppressor genes, including PHF6, is of great importance. Given the high frequency of PHF6 lesions in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and the integration of PHF6 in this microRNA regulatory network, we aimed to identify novel oncogenic microRNAs in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia which suppress PHF6. To this end, we performed an unbiased PHF6 3'UTR-microRNA library screen and combined the results with microRNA profiling data of samples from patients with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and normal thymocyte subsets. We selected miR-128-3p as a candidate PHF6-targeting, oncogenic microRNA and demonstrated regulation of PHF6 expression upon modulation of this microRNA in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell lines. In vivo evidence of an oncogenic role of this microRNA in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia was obtained through accelerated leukemia onset in a NOTCH1-induced T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia mouse model upon miR-128-3p over-expression. We conclude that miR-128-3p is a strong novel candidate oncogenic microRNA in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia which targets the PHF6 tumor suppressor gene.

The Notch driven long non-coding RNA repertoire in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Abstract: Genetic studies in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia have uncovered a remarkable complexity of oncogenic and loss-of-function mutations. Amongst this plethora of genetic changes, NOTCH1 activating mutations stand out as the most frequently occurring genetic defect, identified in more than 50% of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemias, supporting a role as an essential driver for this gene in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia oncogenesis. In this study, we aimed to establish a comprehensive compendium of the long non-coding RNA transcriptome under control of Notch signaling. For this purpose, we measured the transcriptional response of all protein coding genes and long non-coding RNAs upon pharmacological Notch inhibition in the human T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell line CUTLL1 using RNA-sequencing. Similar Notch dependent profiles were established for normal human CD34+ thymic T-cell progenitors exposed to Notch signaling activity in vivo. In addition, we generated long non-coding RNA expression profiles (array data) from ex vivo isolated Notch active CD34+ and Notch inactive CD4+CD8+ thymocytes and from a primary cohort of 15 T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients with known NOTCH1 mutation status. Integration of these expression datasets with publicly available Notch1 ChIP-sequencing data resulted in the identification of long non-coding RNAs directly regulated by Notch activity in normal and malignant T cells. Given the central role of Notch in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia oncogenesis, these data pave the way for the development of novel therapeutic strategies that target hyperactive Notch signaling in human T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Expressed Repeat Elements Improve RT-qPCR Normalization across a Wide Range of Zebrafish Gene Expression Studies

Abstract: The selection and validation of stably expressed reference genes is a critical issue for proper RT-qPCR data normalization. In zebrafish expression studies, many commonly used reference genes are not generally applicable given their variability in expression levels under a variety of experimental conditions. Inappropriate use of these reference genes may lead to false interpretation of expression data and unreliable conclusions. In this study, we evaluated a novel normalization method in zebrafish using expressed repetitive elements (ERE) as reference targets, instead of specific protein coding mRNA targets. We assessed and compared the expression stability of a number of EREs to that of commonly used zebrafish reference genes in a diverse set of experimental conditions including a developmental time series, a set of different organs from adult fish and different treatments of zebrafish embryos including morpholino injections and administration of chemicals. Using geNorm and rank aggregation analysis we demonstrated that EREs have a higher overall expression stability compared to the commonly used reference genes. Moreover, we propose a limited set of ERE reference targets (hatn10, dna15ta1 and loopern4), that show stable expression throughout the wide range of experiments in this study, as strong candidates for inclusion as reference targets for qPCR normalization in future zebrafish expression studies. Our applied strategy to find and evaluate candidate expressed repeat elements for RT-qPCR data normalization has high potential to be used also for other species.

Lung tumours reprogram pulmonary dendritic cell immunogenicity at the microRNA level

Abstract: Lung cancer arises in a context of tumour-induced immune suppression. Dendritic cells (DCs) are central players in the induction of anti-tumoural immunity, providing critical signals that drive the induction of cytotoxic T-cell responses. Meanwhile, microRNAs are associated with tumour development as well as immune regulation. We postulated that lung tumours escape immune control by reprogramming DC immunogenicity at the microRNA level. Using an orthotopic model of lung cancer, we first identified the DC population responsible for transport and cross-presentation of lung tumour-derived antigens to naive T cells in the draining mediastinal lymph nodes (LNs). Profiling the full microRNA repertoire of these DCs revealed a restricted set of microRNAs that was consistently dysregulated in the presence of lung tumours, with miR-301a as one of the top upregulated transcripts. Overexpression of miR-301a in DCs suppressed IL-12 secretion, decreased IFN-γ release from antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells, and shifted antigen-specific T helper cytokine profile away from IFN-γ towards IL-13 and IL-17A-secreting T cells. Strikingly, DC-selective Dicer1 gene deletion resulted in delayed lung tumour growth and a survival benefit. Taken together, our data reveal that lung tumours induce an immunosuppressive microRNA signature in pulmonary DCs. Interfering with the DC-intrinsic capacity to remodel microRNA repertoires affects lung tumour outcome.

Target enrichment using parallel nanoliter quantitative PCR amplification.

Abstract: Next generation targeted resequencing is replacing Sanger sequencing at high pace in routine genetic diagnosis. The need for well validated, high quality enrichment platforms to complement the bench-top next generation sequencing devices is high. We used the WaferGen Smartchip platform to perform highly parallelized PCR based target enrichment for a set of known cancer genes in a well characterized set of cancer cell lines from the NCI60 panel. Optimization of PCR assay design and cycling conditions resulted in a high enrichment efficiency. We provide proof of a high mutation rediscovery rate and have included technical replicates to enable SNP calling validation demonstrating the high reproducibility of our enrichment platform. Here we present our custom developed quantitative PCR based target enrichment platform. Using highly parallel nanoliter singleplex PCR reactions makes this a flexible and efficient platform. The high mutation validation rate shows this platform’s promise as a targeted resequencing method for multi-gene routine sequencing diagnostics.

CASP8 SNP D302H (rs1045485) is associated with worse survival in MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma patients.

Abstract: Background: Neuroblastoma is a pediatric cancer that exhibits a wide clinical spectrum ranging from spontaneous regression in low-risk patients to fatal disease in high-risk patients. The identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) may help explain the heterogeneity of neuroblastoma and assist in identifying patients at higher risk for poor survival. SNPs in the TP53 pathway are of special importance, as several studies have reported associations between TP53 pathway SNPs and cancer. Of note, less than 2% of neuroblastoma tumors have a TP53 mutation at diagnosis. Patients and Methods: We selected 21 of the most frequently studied SNPs in the TP53 pathway and evaluated their association with outcome in 500 neuroblastoma patients using TaqMan allelic discrimination assays. Results and Conclusion: We investigated the impact of 21 SNPs on overall survival, event-free survival, age at diagnosis, MYCN status, and stage of the disease in 500 neuroblastoma patients. A missense SNP in exon 10 of the CASP8 gene SNP D302H was associated with worse overall and event-free survival in patients with MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma tumors.

Some cautionary notes on the petite "Holy Grail" of molecular diagnostics.

Abstract: The “Holy Grail” of molecular diagnostics is the sensitive and specific detection of a disease-associated stable biomarker in non-invasively-acquired patient material. Without realizing it, we may actually have found it. Since the seminal papers by Mitchell et al. [1][1] and Chim et al. [2][2]

Corrigendum: Evaluation of quantitative miRNA expression platforms in the microRNA quality control (miRQC) study

Abstract: Corrigendum: Evaluation of quantitative miRNA expression platforms in the microRNA quality control (miRQC) study

Lack of association between MDM2 promoter SNP309 and clinical outcome in patients with neuroblastoma.

Abstract: While a polymorphism located within the promoter region of the MDM2 proto-oncogene, SNP309 (T > G), has previously been associated with increased risk and aggressiveness of neuroblastoma and other tumor entities, a protective effect has also been reported in certain other cancers. In this study, we evaluated the association of MDM2 SNP309 with outcome in 496 patients with neuroblastoma and its effect on MDM2 expression. No significant difference in overall or event-free survival was observed among patients with neuroblastoma with or without MDM2 SNP309. The presence of SNP309 does not affect MDM2 expression in neuroblastoma. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2014; 61:1867–1870. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Illumina sequencing of 15 deafness genes using fragmented amplicons

Abstract: Background Resequencing of deafness related genes using GS FLX massive parallel sequencing of PCR amplicons spanning selected genes has previously been reported as a successful strategy to discover causal variants. The amplicon lengths were designed to be smaller than the sequencing read length of GS FLX technology, but are longer than Illumina sequencing technology read lengths. Fragmentation is thus required to sequence these amplicons using high throughput Illumina technology.

The MYCN/miR-26a-5p/LIN28B regulatory axis controls MYCN-driven LIN28B upregulation in neuroblastoma

Abstract: The RNA binding protein LIN28B is an essential regulator of stem cell self-renewal and has been identified as a bona fide oncogene in neuroblastoma. LIN28B is known to enhance MYCN expression through downregulation of let-7 microRNAs (miRNAs). As part of a broader study of dynamic miRNA/mRNA regulation during neuroblastoma development, we observed unexpected dynamic upregulation of LIN28B in MYCN-driven hyperplasia and tumors in mice. Hence, we hypothesized that MYCN and LIN28B are involved in a positive feedback loop through one or more miRNAs that are acting as regulatory switches between the hubs in this regulatory network. In order to fully explore this putative network, we experimentally studied all possible LIN28B-miRNA interactions through an unbiased LIN28B 3’UTR-miRNA library screen for a total of 470 miRNAs. This LIN28B 3’UTR-miRNA library screen identified 30 miRNAs potentially targeting LIN28B. Subsequently, integrated analyses with miRNA expression profiles of a large cohort of primary neuroblastoma tumors, yielded miR-26a-5p as top candidate miRNA for LIN28B targeting in neuroblastoma. Importantly, miR-26a-5p is directly downregulated by MYCN in the MYCN-inducible MYCN3 cell line, thus providing strong evidence for MYCN-driven LIN28B upregulation. In vivo assessment using xenograft experiments with miR-26a-5p modulated neuroblastoma cell lines is currently ongoing. The discovery of this MYCN/ miR-26a-5p/ LIN28B regulatory axis marks LIN28B as an important effector of the MYCN oncogenic phenotype and underlines once more the importance of MYCN-regulated miRNAs in establishing the MYCN-driven oncogenic process. Consequently, LIN28B can be regarded as a prominent therapeutic target for MYCN-driven neuroblastoma tumors. Finally, given the role of both MYCN and LIN28B as bona fide stem cell markers, these novel findings are of broader significance for normal development and cancer biology.

Genetisch geïnspireerde toekomstperspectieven voor de therapie van het neuroblastoom

Abstract: Recente genoomwijde mutatieanalysen van verschillende tumorentiteiten hebben een schat aan nieuwe informatie en vele verrassende ontdekkingen opgeleverd met vaak een directe impact op het therapeutische beleid. Voor pediatrische maligniteiten is echter gebleken dat de mutatiefre- quentie een stuk lager ligt dan bij tumoren bij volwassenen. Nochtans leiden deze nieuwe gegevens ook tot nieuwe inzichten in het ontstaansproces van tumoren bij kinderen en duiken er nieuwe mogelijkheden op voor therapeutisch ingrijpen. Het neuroblastoom, een vaste tumor van het ont- wikkelende sympathische zenuwstelsel, neemt hierbij een bijzondere plaats in. De prognose is immers – ondanks zeer intensieve multimodale therapie – nog steeds ongunstig voor kinderen met een hoogrisicotumor die ouder dan achttien maanden zijn bij de diagnose. De laatste jaren zijn er belangrijke nieuwe inzichten verworven in de genetische defecten die aan de basis liggen van het ontstaan van het neuroblastoom en werden ook op genoomwijde schaal de DNA-mutaties in kaart gebracht. Naast de reeds lang gekende amplificatie van het MYCN-gen en de typische patronen van structurele chromosomale afwijkingen blijken activerende mutaties in het ALK-gen de enige vaak voorkomende afwijkingen te zijn in het neuroblastoomgenoom. Andere, minder vaak voorkomende mutaties lijken zich echter te concentreren in een aantal biologische signaalwegen die belangrijk zijn voor de ontwikkelende zenuwcel. In dit artikel wordt er een over- zicht gegeven van de meest recente stand van zaken, alsook van de nieuwe perspectieven voor klinische interventie en therapie.

CASP8 SNP D302H (rs1045485) is associated with worse survival in MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma patients

Abstract: Background: Neuroblastoma is a pediatric cancer that exhibits a wide clinical spectrum ranging from spontaneous regression in low-risk patients to fatal disease in high-risk patients. The identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) may help explain the heterogeneity of neuroblastoma and assist in identifying patients at higher risk for poor survival. SNPs in the TP53 pathway are of special importance, as several studies have reported associations between TP53 pathway SNPs and cancer. Of note, less than 2% of neuroblastoma tumors have a TP53 mutation at diagnosis. Patients and Methods: We selected 21 of the most frequently studied SNPs in the TP53 pathway and evaluated their association with outcome in 500 neuroblastoma patients using TaqMan allelic discrimination assays. Results and Conclusion: We investigated the impact of 21 SNPs on overall survival, event-free survival, age at diagnosis, MYCN status, and stage of the disease in 500 neuroblastoma patients. A missense SNP in exon 10 of the CASP8 gene SNP D302H was associated with worse overall and event-free survival in patients with MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma tumors.