Identification of Somatic Genetic Alterations Using Whole-Exome Sequencing of Uterine Leiomyosarcoma Tumors.

BACKGROUND

The genomic abnormalities associated with uterine leiomyosarcoma (uLMS) have not been fully elucidated to date.

OBJECTIVE

To understand the pathogenesis of uLMS and to identify driver mutations and potential therapeutic targets in uLMS.

METHODS

Three matched tumor-constitutional DNA pairs from patients with recurrent uLMS were subjected to whole-exome capture and next-generation sequencing. The role of the selected gene in uLMS was analyzed by the CCK-8 assay and colony formation assay after specific siRNA knockdown.

RESULTS

We identified four genes with somatic SNVs, namely, SLC39A7, GPR19, ZNF717, and TP53, that could be driver mutations. We observed that 30.7% (4/13) of patients with uLMS had TP53 mutations as analyzed by direct sequencing. Analysis of somatic copy number variants (CNVs) showed regions of chromosomal gain at 1q21-23, 19p13, 17q21, and 17q25, whereas regions of chromosomal loss were observed at 2q35, 2q37, 1p36, 10q26, 6p22, 8q24, 11p15, 11q12, and 9p21. The gene was amplified in two patients and mutated in another (: NM_030974: exon2: c.G264C, p.E88D). Amplification of the gene was associated with shorter PFS and OS in soft tissue sarcoma, as shown by TCGA database analysis. Knockdown of expression was observed to decrease cell growth and colony formation in uterine sarcoma cell lines.

CONCLUSIONS

Exome sequencing revealed mutational heterogeneity of uLMS. The gene was amplified in uLMS and could be a candidate oncogene.