Qiaoyi Liang1, Xiaotian Yao2, Senwei Tang2, Jingwan Zhang1, Tung On Yau1, Xiaoxing Li1, Ceen-Ming Tang3, Wei Kang4, Raymond W M Lung4, Jing Woei Li5, Ting Fung Chan5, Rui Xing6, Youyong Lu6, Kwok Wai Lo4, Nathalie Wong4, Ka Fai To4, Chang Yu2, Francis K L Chan1, Joseph J Y Sung1, Jun Yu7. 1. Institute of Digestive Disease and Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, State Key Laboratory of Digestive Disease, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; The Chinese University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, China. 2. BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China. 3. Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom. 4. Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. 5. School of Life Sciences, Hong Kong Bioinformatics Centre, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. 6. Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Peking University Cancer Hospital/Institute, Beijing, China. 7. Institute of Digestive Disease and Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, State Key Laboratory of Digestive Disease, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; The Chinese University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, China. Electronic address: junyu@cuhk.edu.hk.
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS: The mechanisms by which Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) contributes to the development of gastric cancer are unclear. We investigated EBV-associated genomic and epigenomic variations in gastric cancer cells and tumors. METHODS: We performed whole-genome, transcriptome, and epigenome sequence analyses of a gastric adenocarcinoma cell line (AGS cells), before and after EBV infection. We then looked for alterations in gastric tumor samples, with (n = 34) or without (n = 100) EBV infection, collected from patients at the Prince of Wales Hospital, Chinese University of Hong Kong (from 1998 through 2004), or the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China (from 1999 through 2006). RESULTS: Transcriptome analysis showed that infected cells expressed 9 EBV genes previously detected in EBV-associated gastric tumors and 71 EBV genes not previously reported in gastric tumors. Ten viral genes that had not been reported previously in gastric cancer but were expressed most highly in EBV-infected cells also were expressed in primary EBV-positive gastric tumors. Whole-genome sequence analysis identified 45 EBV-associated nonsynonymous mutations. These mutations, in genes such as AKT2, CCNA1, MAP3K4, and TGFBR1, were associated significantly with EBV-positive gastric tumors, compared with EBV-negative tumors. An activating mutation in AKT2 was associated with reduced survival times of patients with EBV-positive gastric cancer (P = .006); this mutation was found to dysregulate mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling. Integrated epigenome and transcriptome analyses identified 216 genes transcriptionally down-regulated by EBV-associated hypermethylation; methylation of ACSS1, FAM3B, IHH, and TRABD increased significantly in EBV-positive tumors. Overexpression of Indian hedgehog (IHH) and TraB domain containing (TRABD) increased proliferation and colony formation of gastric cancer cells, whereas knockdown of these genes reduced these activities. We found 5 signaling pathways (axon guidance, focal adhesion formation, interactions among cytokines and receptors, mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling, and actin cytoskeleton regulation) to be affected commonly by EBV-associated genomic and epigenomic alterations. CONCLUSIONS: By using genomic, transcriptome, and epigenomic comparisons of EBV infected vs noninfected gastric cancer cells and tumor samples, we identified alterations in genes, gene expression, and methylation that affect different signaling networks. These might be involved in EBV-associated gastric carcinogenesis.
BACKGROUND & AIMS: The mechanisms by which Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) contributes to the development of gastric cancer are unclear. We investigated EBV-associated genomic and epigenomic variations in gastric cancer cells and tumors. METHODS: We performed whole-genome, transcriptome, and epigenome sequence analyses of a gastric adenocarcinoma cell line (AGS cells), before and after EBV infection. We then looked for alterations in gastric tumor samples, with (n = 34) or without (n = 100) EBV infection, collected from patients at the Prince of Wales Hospital, Chinese University of Hong Kong (from 1998 through 2004), or the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China (from 1999 through 2006). RESULTS: Transcriptome analysis showed that infected cells expressed 9 EBV genes previously detected in EBV-associated gastric tumors and 71 EBV genes not previously reported in gastric tumors. Ten viral genes that had not been reported previously in gastric cancer but were expressed most highly in EBV-infected cells also were expressed in primary EBV-positive gastric tumors. Whole-genome sequence analysis identified 45 EBV-associated nonsynonymous mutations. These mutations, in genes such as AKT2, CCNA1, MAP3K4, and TGFBR1, were associated significantly with EBV-positive gastric tumors, compared with EBV-negative tumors. An activating mutation in AKT2 was associated with reduced survival times of patients with EBV-positive gastric cancer (P = .006); this mutation was found to dysregulate mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling. Integrated epigenome and transcriptome analyses identified 216 genes transcriptionally down-regulated by EBV-associated hypermethylation; methylation of ACSS1, FAM3B, IHH, and TRABD increased significantly in EBV-positive tumors. Overexpression of Indian hedgehog (IHH) and TraB domain containing (TRABD) increased proliferation and colony formation of gastric cancer cells, whereas knockdown of these genes reduced these activities. We found 5 signaling pathways (axon guidance, focal adhesion formation, interactions among cytokines and receptors, mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling, and actin cytoskeleton regulation) to be affected commonly by EBV-associated genomic and epigenomic alterations. CONCLUSIONS: By using genomic, transcriptome, and epigenomic comparisons of EBV infected vs noninfected gastric cancer cells and tumor samples, we identified alterations in genes, gene expression, and methylation that affect different signaling networks. These might be involved in EBV-associated gastric carcinogenesis.
Authors: Zenobia C Cofer; Shuang Cui; Steven F EauClaire; Cecilia Kim; John W Tobias; Hakon Hakonarson; Kathleen M Loomes; Randolph P Matthews Journal: PLoS One Date: 2016-03-24 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Aldo Giudice; Giovanni D'Arena; Anna Crispo; Mario Felice Tecce; Flavia Nocerino; Maria Grimaldi; Emanuela Rotondo; Anna Maria D'Ursi; Mario Scrima; Massimiliano Galdiero; Gennaro Ciliberto; Mario Capunzo; Gianluigi Franci; Antonio Barbieri; Sabrina Bimonte; Maurizio Montella Journal: Oxid Med Cell Longev Date: 2016-02-10 Impact factor: 6.543