An integrated inspection of the somatic mutations in a lung squamous cell carcinoma using next-generation sequencing

PLoS One. 2013 Nov 11;8(11):e78823. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0078823. eCollection 2013.

Abstract

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the lung kills over 350,000 people annually worldwide, and is the main lung cancer histotype with no targeted treatments. High-coverage whole-genome sequencing of the other main subtypes, small-cell and adenocarcinoma, gave insights into carcinogenic mechanisms and disease etiology. The genomic complexity within the lung SCC subtype, as revealed by The Cancer Genome Atlas, means this subtype is likely to benefit from a more integrated approach in which the transcriptional consequences of somatic mutations are simultaneously inspected. Here we present such an approach: the integrated analysis of deep sequencing data from both the whole genome and whole transcriptome (coding and non-coding) of LUDLU-1, a SCC lung cell line. Our results show that LUDLU-1 lacks the mutational signature that has been previously associated with tobacco exposure in other lung cancer subtypes, and suggests that DNA-repair efficiency is adversely affected; LUDLU-1 contains somatic mutations in TP53 and BRCA2, allelic imbalance in the expression of two cancer-associated BRCA1 germline polymorphisms and reduced transcription of a potentially endogenous PARP2 inhibitor. Functional assays were performed and compared with a control lung cancer cell line. LUDLU-1 did not exhibit radiosensitisation or an increase in sensitivity to PARP inhibitors. However, LUDLU-1 did exhibit small but significant differences with respect to cisplatin sensitivity. Our research shows how integrated analyses of high-throughput data can generate hypotheses to be tested in the lab.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / genetics*
  • Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / metabolism
  • Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / pathology
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • DNA Mutational Analysis
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic*
  • High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms
  • Mutation*
  • Neoplasm Proteins / biosynthesis
  • Neoplasm Proteins / genetics*
  • Transcription, Genetic*

Substances

  • Neoplasm Proteins

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Yorkshire Cancer Research, grant number L341PG to P.R. (http://yorkshirecancerresearch.org.uk), the Leeds Teaching Hospitals Charitable Foundation, and the Betty Woolsey Bequest for Thoracic Research. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.