Relapsed neuroblastomas show frequent RAS-MAPK pathway mutations

Nat Genet. 2015 Aug;47(8):864-71. doi: 10.1038/ng.3333. Epub 2015 Jun 29.

Abstract

The majority of patients with neuroblastoma have tumors that initially respond to chemotherapy, but a large proportion will experience therapy-resistant relapses. The molecular basis of this aggressive phenotype is unknown. Whole-genome sequencing of 23 paired diagnostic and relapse neuroblastomas showed clonal evolution from the diagnostic tumor, with a median of 29 somatic mutations unique to the relapse sample. Eighteen of the 23 relapse tumors (78%) showed mutations predicted to activate the RAS-MAPK pathway. Seven of these events were detected only in the relapse tumor, whereas the others showed clonal enrichment. In neuroblastoma cell lines, we also detected a high frequency of activating mutations in the RAS-MAPK pathway (11/18; 61%), and these lesions predicted sensitivity to MEK inhibition in vitro and in vivo. Our findings provide a rationale for genetic characterization of relapse neuroblastomas and show that RAS-MAPK pathway mutations may function as a biomarker for new therapeutic approaches to refractory disease.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase
  • Animals
  • Benzimidazoles / pharmacology
  • Blotting, Western
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Chromosome Aberrations
  • Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16 / genetics
  • Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16 / metabolism
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • MAP Kinase Signaling System / genetics*
  • Male
  • Mice, SCID
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / genetics*
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / metabolism
  • Mutation*
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / genetics*
  • Neuroblastoma / drug therapy
  • Neuroblastoma / genetics*
  • Neuroblastoma / pathology
  • Phosphorylation / drug effects
  • Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / genetics
  • Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / metabolism
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
  • ras Proteins / genetics*
  • ras Proteins / metabolism

Substances

  • Benzimidazoles
  • Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16
  • binimetinib
  • Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase
  • Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases
  • ras Proteins