Zhang Tongwu, Sang Jian, Hoang Phuc H, Zhao Wei, Rosenbaum Jennifer, Johnson Kofi Ennu, Klimczak Leszek J, McElderry John, Klein Alyssa, Wirth Christopher, Bergstrom Erik N, Díaz-Gay Marcos, Vangara Raviteja, Colon-Matos Frank, Hutchinson Amy, Lawrence Scott M, Cole Nathan, Zhu Bin, Przytycka Teresa M, Shi Jianxin, Caporaso Neil E, Homer Robert, Pesatori Angela C, Consonni Dario, Imielinski Marcin, Chanock Stephen J, Wedge David C, Gordenin Dmitry A, Alexandrov Ludmil B, Harris Reuben S, Landi Maria Teresa
Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Westat, Rockville, MD, USA.
Nat Commun. 2025 May 21;16(1):4711. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-59923-8.
Most solid tumors harbor somatic mutations attributed to off-target activities of APOBEC3A (A3A) and/or APOBEC3B (A3B). However, how APOBEC3A/B enzymes affect tumor evolution in the presence of exogenous mutagenic processes is largely unknown. Here, multi-omics profiling of 309 lung cancers from smokers identifies two subtypes defined by low (LAS) and high (HAS) APOBEC mutagenesis. LAS are enriched for A3B-like mutagenesis and KRAS mutations; HAS for A3A-like mutagenesis and TP53 mutations. Compared to LAS, HAS have older age at onset and high proportions of newly generated progenitor-like cells likely due to the combined tobacco smoking- and APOBEC3A-associated DNA damage and apoptosis. Consistently, HAS exhibit high expression of pulmonary healing signaling pathway, stemness markers, distal cell-of-origin, more neoantigens, slower clonal expansion, but no smoking-associated genomic/epigenomic changes. With validation in 184 lung tumor samples, these findings show how heterogeneity in mutational burden across co-occurring mutational processes and cell types contributes to tumor development.
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