Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York.
Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York.
J Mol Diagn. 2021 Feb;23(2):253-263. doi: 10.1016/j.jmoldx.2020.11.003. Epub 2020 Dec 5.
TERT gene promoter mutations are known in multiple cancer types. Other TERT alterations remain poorly characterized. Sequencing data from 30,773 tumors analyzed by a hybridization capture next-generation sequencing assay (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Integrated Mutation Profiling of Actionable Cancer Targets) were analyzed for the presence of TERT alterations. Promoter rearrangements (500 bases upstream of the transcriptional start site), hypermethylation (n = 57), and gene expression (n = 155) were evaluated for a subset of cases. Mutually exclusive and recurrent promoter mutations were identified at three hot spots upstream of the transcriptional start site in 11.3% of cases (-124: 74%; -146: 24%; and -138: <2%). Mutually exclusive amplification events were identified in another 2.3% of cases, whereas mutually exclusive rearrangements proximal to the TERT gene were seen in 24 cases. The highest incidence of TERT promoter mutations was seen in cutaneous melanoma (82%), whereas amplification events significantly outnumbered promoter mutations in well-differentiated/dedifferentiated liposarcoma (14.1% versus 2.4%) and adrenocortical carcinoma (13.6% versus 4.5%). Gene expression analysis suggests that the highest levels of gene expression are seen in cases with amplifications and rearrangements. Hypermethylation events upstream of the TERT coding sequence were not mutually exclusive with known pathogenic alterations. Studies aimed at defining the prevalence and prognostic impact of TERT alterations should incorporate other pathogenic TERT alterations as these may impact telomerase function.
TERT 基因启动子突变已在多种癌症类型中被发现。其他 TERT 改变仍未得到充分描述。通过杂交捕获下一代测序分析(纪念斯隆凯特琳癌症中心的可操作癌症靶标综合突变分析)对 30773 个肿瘤的测序数据进行了分析,以确定 TERT 改变的存在。对部分病例进行了启动子重排(转录起始位点上游 500 个碱基)、甲基化(n=57)和基因表达(n=155)的评估。在转录起始位点上游的三个热点处鉴定出相互排斥和反复出现的启动子突变,在 11.3%的病例中(-124:74%;-146:24%;和-138:<2%)。在另外 2.3%的病例中发现了相互排斥的扩增事件,而在 24 个病例中观察到了与 TERT 基因近端的相互排斥重排。TERT 启动子突变的最高发生率见于皮肤黑色素瘤(82%),而在分化良好/去分化脂肪肉瘤(14.1%对 2.4%)和肾上腺皮质癌(13.6%对 4.5%)中,扩增事件明显多于启动子突变。基因表达分析表明,基因表达水平最高的是存在扩增和重排的病例。TERT 编码序列上游的甲基化事件与已知的致病性改变并不相互排斥。旨在确定 TERT 改变的流行率和预后影响的研究应纳入其他致病性 TERT 改变,因为这些改变可能会影响端粒酶功能。