Deep sequencing reveals clonal evolution patterns and mutation events associated with relapse in B-cell lymphomas.

TitleDeep sequencing reveals clonal evolution patterns and mutation events associated with relapse in B-cell lymphomas.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2014
AuthorsJiang Y, Redmond D, Nie K, Eng KW, Clozel T, Martin P, Tan LHc, Melnick AM, Tam W, Elemento O
JournalGenome Biol
Volume15
Issue8
Pagination432
Date Published2014 Aug 15
ISSN1474-760X
KeywordsClonal Evolution, DNA-Binding Proteins, Epigenesis, Genetic, Exome, High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing, Humans, Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse, Molecular Sequence Data, Mutation, Neoplasm Proteins, Neoplasm Recurrence, Local, Phylogeny, Sequence Analysis, DNA, V(D)J Recombination
Abstract

BACKGROUND: Molecular mechanisms associated with frequent relapse of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) are poorly defined. It is especially unclear how primary tumor clonal heterogeneity contributes to relapse. Here, we explore unique features of B-cell lymphomas - VDJ recombination and somatic hypermutation - to address this question.

RESULTS: We performed high-throughput sequencing of rearranged VDJ junctions in 14 pairs of matched diagnosis-relapse tumors, among which 7 pairs were further characterized by exome sequencing. We identify two distinctive modes of clonal evolution of DLBCL relapse: an early-divergent mode in which clonally related diagnosis and relapse tumors diverged early and developed in parallel; and a late-divergent mode in which relapse tumors developed directly from diagnosis tumors with minor divergence. By examining mutation patterns in the context of phylogenetic information provided by VDJ junctions, we identified mutations in epigenetic modifiers such as KMT2D as potential early driving events in lymphomagenesis and immune escape alterations as relapse-associated events.

CONCLUSIONS: Altogether, our study for the first time provides important evidence that DLBCL relapse may result from multiple, distinct tumor evolutionary mechanisms, providing rationale for therapies for each mechanism. Moreover, this study highlights the urgent need to understand the driving roles of epigenetic modifier mutations in lymphomagenesis, and immune surveillance factor genetic lesions in relapse.

DOI10.1186/s13059-014-0432-0
Alternate JournalGenome Biol.
PubMed ID25123191
PubMed Central IDPMC4158101