Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is among the most lethal human cancers, in part because it is insensitive to many chemotherapeutic drugs. Studying a mouse model of PDA that is refractory to the clinically used drug gemcitabine, we found that the tumors in this model were poorly perfused and poorly vascularized, properties that are shared with human PDA. We tested whether the delivery and efficacy of gemcitabine in the mice could be improved by coadministration of IPI-926, a drug that depletes tumor-associated stromal tissue by inhibiting the † To whom correspondence should be addressed. david.tuveson@cancer.org.uk.

The telomeric amplicon at 8p12 is common in oestrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancers. Array-CGH and expression analyses of 1172 primary breast tumours revealed that ZNF703 was the single gene within the minimal amplicon and was amplified predominantly in the Luminal B subtype. Amplification was shown to correlate with increased gene and protein expression and was associated with a distinct expression signature and poor clinical outcome. ZNF703 transformed NIH 3T3 fibroblasts, behaving as a classical oncogene, and regulated proliferation in human luminal breast cancer cell lines and immortalized human mammary epithelial cells. Manipulation of ZNF703 expression in the luminal MCF7 cell line modified the effects of TGFβ on proliferation. Overexpression of ZNF703 in normal human breast epithelial cells enhanced the frequency of in vitro colony-forming cells from luminal progenitors. Taken together, these data strongly point to ZNF703 as a novel oncogene in Luminal B breast cancer.

SummaryBackgroundGermline pathogenic variants in the E-cadherin gene (CDH1) are strongly associated with the development of hereditary diffuse gastric cancer. There is a paucity of data to guide risk assessment and management of families with hereditary diffuse gastric cancer that do not carry a CDH1 pathogenic variant, making it difficult to make informed decisions about surveillance and risk-reducing surgery. We aimed to identify new candidate genes associated with predisposition to hereditary diffuse gastric cancer in affected families without pathogenic CDH1 variants.MethodsWe did whole-exome sequencing on DNA extracted from the blood of 39 individuals (28 individuals diagnosed with hereditary diffuse gastric cancer and 11 unaffected first-degree relatives) in 22 families without pathogenic CDH1 variants. Genes with loss-of-function variants were prioritised using gene-interaction analysis to identify clusters of genes that could be involved in predisposition to hereditary diffuse gastric cancer.FindingsProtein-affecting germline variants were identified in probands from six families with hereditary diffuse gastric cancer; variants were found in genes known to predispose to cancer and in lesser-studied DNA repair genes. A frameshift deletion in PALB2 was found in one member of a family with a history of gastric and breast cancer. Two different MSH2 variants were identified in two unrelated affected individuals, including one frameshift insertion and one previously described start-codon loss. One family had a unique combination of variants in the DNA repair genes ATR and NBN. Two variants in the DNA repair gene RECQL5 were identified in two unrelated families: one missense variant and a splice-acceptor variant.InterpretationThe results of this study suggest a role for the known cancer predisposition gene PALB2 in families with hereditary diffuse gastric cancer and no detected pathogenic CDH1 variants. We also identified new candidate genes associated with disease risk in these families.FundingUK Medical Research Council (Sackler programme), European Research Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (2007–13), National Institute for Health Research Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres, and Cancer Research UK.

Triple negative (TN) breast cancers make up some 15% of all breast cancers. Approximately 10–15% are mutant for the tumor suppressor, BRCA1. BRCA1 is required for homologous recombination‐mediated DNA repair and deficiency results in genomic instability. BRCA1‐mutated tumors have a specific pattern of genomic copy number aberrations that can be used to classify tumors as BRCA1‐like or non‐BRCA1‐like. BRCA1 mutation, promoter methylation, BRCA1‐like status and genome‐wide expression data was determined for 112 TN breast cancer samples with long‐term follow‐up. Mutation status for 21 known DNA repair genes and PIK3CA was assessed. Gene expression and mutation frequency in BRCA1‐like and non‐BRCA1‐like tumors were compared. Multivariate survival analysis was performed using the Cox proportional hazards model. BRCA1 germline mutation was identified in 10% of patients and 15% of tumors were BRCA1 promoter methylated. Fifty‐five percent of tumors classified as BRCA1‐like. The functions of genes significantly up‐regulated in BRCA1‐like tumors included cell cycle and DNA recombination and repair. TP53 was found to be frequently mutated in BRCA1‐like (P < 0.05), while PIK3CA was frequently mutated in non‐BRCA1‐like tumors (P < 0.05). A significant association with worse prognosis was evident for patients with BRCA1‐like tumors (adjusted HR = 3.32, 95% CI = 1.30–8.48, P = 0.01). TN tumors can be further divided into two major subgroups, BRCA1‐like and non‐BRCA1‐like with different mutation and expression patterns and prognoses. Based on these molecular patterns, subgroups may be more sensitive to specific targeted agents such as PI3K or PARP inhibitors.

PurposeTo develop a sensitive analytical method to quantify gemcitabine (2′,2′-difluorodeoxycytidine, dFdC) and its metabolites 2′,2′-difluorodeoxyuridine (dFdU) and 2′,2′-difluorodeoxycytidine-5′-triphosphate (dFdCTP) simultaneously from tumour tissue.MethodsPancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma tumour tissue from genetically engineered mouse models of pancreatic cancer (KPFL/FLC and KPR172H/+C) was collected after dosing the mice with gemcitabine. 19F NMR spectroscopy and LC–MS/MS protocols were optimised to detect gemcitabine and its metabolites in homogenates of the tumour tissue.ResultsA 19F NMR protocol was developed, which was capable of distinguishing the three analytes in tumour homogenates. However, it required at least 100 mg of the tissue in question and a long acquisition time per sample, making it impractical for use in large PK/PD studies or clinical trials. The LC–MS/MS protocol was developed using porous graphitic carbon to separate the analytes, enabling simultaneous detection of all three analytes from as little as 10 mg of tissue, with a sensitivity for dFdCTP of 0.2 ng/mg tissue. Multiple pieces of tissue from single tumours were analysed, showing little intra-tumour variation in the concentrations of dFdC or dFdU (both intra- and extra-cellular). Intra-tumoural variation was observed in the concentration of dFdCTP, an intra-cellular metabolite, which may reflect regions of different cellularity within a tumour.ConclusionWe have developed a sensitive LC–MS/MS method capable of quantifying gemcitabine, dFdU and dFdCTP in pancreatic tumour tissue. The requirement for only 10 mg of tissue enables this protocol to be used to analyse multiple areas from a single tumour and to spare tissue for additional pharmacodynamic assays.

MicroRNAs are short (17-26) noncoding RNAs driving or modulating physiological and pathological cellular events. Overexpression of miR-155 is pathogenic in B-cell malignancy but was also reported in a number of solid tumors-in particular, in breast cancer, where its role remains unclear and often contradictory. Using representative cell line models, we sought to determine whether the discrepant miR-155 effects in breast cancer could be explained by the heterogeneity of the disease. The growth of six breast cancer cell lines transfected with several miRNA mimics was analyzed. We found MCF-7 cell growth to be inhibited by miR-155 and miR-145 mimics, both 23-nt long, but not by a number of shorter mimics, including a universal commercial negative control. Microarray and Western blot analyses revealed induction of apoptosis, associated with interferon-β after activation of the double-stranded RNA sensor pathway. 3 ′ Trimming of the miRNA mimics to 21 nt substantially reduced their growth-inhibitory potency. Mutating the canonical seed of the miR-155 mimic had no effect on the induced inhibition, which was abolished by mutating the miRNA seed of the artificial passenger strand. A panel of breast cancer cell lines showed a wide range of sensitivities to 23-mer mimics, broadly consistent with the sensitivity of the cell lines to Poly (I:C). We demonstrate two sources for nonspecific in vitro effects by miRNA mimics: duplex length and the artificial passenger strand. We highlight the danger of a universal 21-mer negative control and the importance of using matched seed mutants for reliable interpretation of phenotypes.

SummaryThe transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling pathway exerts opposing effects on cancer cells, acting as either a tumor promoter or a tumor suppressor. Here, we show that these opposing effects are a result of the synergy between SMAD3, a downstream effector of TGF-β signaling, and the distinct epigenomes of breast-tumor-initiating cells (BTICs). These effects of TGF-β are associated with distinct gene expression programs, but genomic SMAD3 binding patterns are highly similar in the BTIC-promoting and BTIC-suppressing contexts. Our data show cell-type-specific patterns of DNA and histone modifications provide a modulatory layer by determining accessibility of genes to regulation by TGF-β/SMAD3. LBH, one such context-specific target gene, is regulated according to its DNA methylation status and is crucial for TGF-β-dependent promotion of BTICs. Overall, these results reveal that the epigenome plays a central and previously overlooked role in shaping the context-specific effects of TGF-β in cancer.

Pathology archives with linked clinical data are an invaluable resource for translational research, with the limitation that most cancer samples are formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues. Therefore, FFPE tissues are an important resource for genomic profiling studies but are under-utilised due to the low amount and quality of extracted nucleic acids. We profiled the copy number landscape of 356 breast cancer patients using DNA extracted FFPE tissues by shallow whole genome sequencing. We generated a total of 491 sequencing libraries from 2 kits and obtained data from 98.4% of libraries with 86.4% being of good quality. We generated libraries from as low as 3.8 ng of input DNA and found that the success was independent of input DNA amount and quality, processing site and age of the fixed tissues. Since copy number alterations (CNA) play a major role in breast cancer, it is imperative that we are able to use FFPE archives and we have shown in this study that sWGS is a robust method to do such profiling.