scholarly journals ECOA-5. Integrative 3D spatial characterization of genomic and epigenomic intratumoral heterogeneity in glioblastoma

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. ii2-ii2
Author(s):  
Radhika Mathur ◽  
Qixuan Wang ◽  
Patrick Schupp ◽  
Stephanie Hilz ◽  
Chibo Hong ◽  
...  

Abstract Treatment failure in glioblastoma is often attributed to intratumoral heterogeneity (ITH), which fosters tumor evolution and selection of therapy-resistant clones. While genomic alterations are known contributors to ITH, emerging studies highlight functional roles for epigenomic ITH which integrates differentiation status, stochastic events, and microenvironmental inputs. Here, we have established a novel platform for integrative characterization of genomic and epigenomic ITH of glioblastoma in three-dimensional (3-D) space. In collaboration with neurosurgeons and biomedical imaging experts, we utilize 3-D surgical neuro-navigation to safely acquire ~10 tumor samples per patient representing maximal anatomical diversity. We conduct whole-exome sequencing, RNA sequencing, and assay for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing (ATAC-Seq) on each sample. The spatial location of each sample is mapped by its 3-D coordinates, allowing 360-degree visualization of genomic and epigenomic ITH for each patient. We demonstrate this approach on 8 patients with primary IDH-WT glioblastoma (83 spatially mapped samples), providing unprecedented insight into their spatial organization at the genomic and epigenomic levels. We link genetically defined tumor subclones to patterns of open chromatin and gene regulation, revealing underlying transcription factor binding at active promoters and enhancers. We also identify ITH in whole-genome doubling and focal oncogene amplification events in multiple patients, which we then link with epigenomic ITH. Further, to study microenvironmental inputs and their contribution to epigenomic ITH, we conduct deconvolution of RNA sequencing and ATAC-Seq data by analyzing feature co-variation. We resolve the 3-D spatial organization of immune, neural, and other nontumor cell types present in glioblastoma, characterizing their functional states and interactions with tumor cells. This work provides the most comprehensive spatial characterization of genomic and epigenomic ITH to date in glioblastoma. As a resource for further investigation, we have developed an interactive data sharing platform – The 3D Glioma Atlas – that enables 360-degree visualization of both genomic and epigenomic ITH.

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. ii76-ii76
Author(s):  
Radhika Mathur ◽  
Sriranga Iyyanki ◽  
Stephanie Hilz ◽  
Chibo Hong ◽  
Joanna Phillips ◽  
...  

Abstract Treatment failure in glioblastoma is often attributed to intratumoral heterogeneity (ITH), which fosters tumor evolution and generation of therapy-resistant clones. While ITH in glioblastoma has been well-characterized at the genomic and transcriptomic levels, the extent of ITH at the epigenomic level and its biological and clinical significance are not well understood. In collaboration with neurosurgeons, neuropathologists, and biomedical imaging experts, we have established a novel topographical approach towards characterizing epigenomic ITH in three-dimensional (3-D) space. We utilize pre-operative MRI scans to define tumor volume and then utilize 3-D surgical neuro-navigation to intra-operatively acquire 10+ samples representing maximal anatomical diversity. The precise spatial location of each sample is mapped by 3-D coordinates, enabling tumors to be visualized in 360-degrees and providing unprecedented insight into their spatial organization and patterning. For each sample, we conduct assay for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing (ATAC-Seq), which provides information on the genomic locations of open chromatin, DNA-binding proteins, and individual nucleosomes at nucleotide resolution. We additionally conduct whole-exome sequencing and RNA sequencing for each spatially mapped sample. Integrative analysis of these datasets reveals distinct patterns of chromatin accessibility within glioblastoma tumors, as well as their associations with genetically defined clonal expansions. Our analysis further reveals how differences in chromatin accessibility within tumors reflect underlying transcription factor activity at gene regulatory elements, including both promoters and enhancers, and drive expression of particular gene expression sets, including neuronal and immune programs. Collectively, this work provides the most comprehensive characterization of epigenomic ITH to date, establishing its importance for driving tumor evolution and therapy resistance in glioblastoma. As a resource for further investigation, we have provided our datasets on an interactive data sharing platform – The 3D Glioma Atlas – that enables 360-degree visualization of both genomic and epigenomic ITH.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario ledesma-terron ◽  
Diego perez-dones ◽  
david G Miguez

We have developed an Object Segmentation, Counter and Analysis Resource (OSCAR) that is designed specifically to quantify densely packed biological samples with reduced signal-to-background ratio. OSCAR uses as input three dimensional images reconstructed from confocal 2D sections stained with dies such as nuclear marker and immunofluorescence labeling against specific antibodies to distinguish the cell types of interest. Taking advantage of a combination of arithmetic, geometric and statistical algorithms, OSCAR is able to reconstruct the objects in the 3D space bypassing segmentation errors due to the typical reduced signal to noise ration of biological tissues imaged in toto. When applied to the zebrafish developing retina, OSCAR is able to locate and identify the fate of each nuclei as a cycling progenitor or a terminally differentiated cell, providing a quantitative characterization of the dynamics of the developing vertebrate retina in space and time with unprecedented accuracy.


Author(s):  
Hanqing Liu ◽  
Jingtian Zhou ◽  
Wei Tian ◽  
Chongyuan Luo ◽  
Anna Bartlett ◽  
...  

SummaryMammalian brain cells are remarkably diverse in gene expression, anatomy, and function, yet the regulatory DNA landscape underlying this extensive heterogeneity is poorly understood. We carried out a comprehensive assessment of the epigenomes of mouse brain cell types by applying single nucleus DNA methylation sequencing to profile 110,294 nuclei from 45 regions of the mouse cortex, hippocampus, striatum, pallidum, and olfactory areas. We identified 161 cell clusters with distinct spatial locations and projection targets. We constructed taxonomies of these epigenetic types, annotated with signature genes, regulatory elements, and transcription factors. These features indicate the potential regulatory landscape supporting the assignment of putative cell types, and reveal repetitive usage of regulators in excitatory and inhibitory cells for determining subtypes. The DNA methylation landscape of excitatory neurons in the cortex and hippocampus varied continuously along spatial gradients. Using this deep dataset, an artificial neural network model was constructed that precisely predicts single neuron cell-type identity and brain area spatial location. Integration of high-resolution DNA methylomes with single-nucleus chromatin accessibility data allowed prediction of high-confidence enhancer-gene interactions for all identified cell types, which were subsequently validated by cell-type-specific chromatin conformation capture experiments. By combining multi-omic datasets (DNA methylation, chromatin contacts, and open chromatin) from single nuclei and annotating the regulatory genome of hundreds of cell types in the mouse brain, our DNA methylation atlas establishes the epigenetic basis for neuronal diversity and spatial organization throughout the mouse brain.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
M-M Aynaud ◽  
O Mirabeau ◽  
N Gruel ◽  
S Grossetête ◽  
V Boeva ◽  
...  

SummaryEWSR1-FLI1, the chimeric oncogene specific for Ewing sarcoma (EwS), induces a cascade of signaling events leading to cell transformation. However, it remains elusive how genetically homogeneous EwS cells can drive heterogeneity of transcriptional programs. Here, we combined independent component analysis of single cell RNA-sequencing data from diverse cell types and model systems with time-resolved mapping of EWSR1-FLI1 binding sites and of open chromatin regions to characterize dynamic cellular processes associated with EWSR1-FLI1 activity. We thus defined an exquisitely specific and direct, super-enhancer-driven EWSR1-FLI1 program. In EwS tumors, cell proliferation was associated with a well-defined range of EWSR1-FLI1 activity; moreover, cells with a high EWSR1-FLI1 activity presented a strong oxidative phosphorylation metabolism. In contrast, a subpopulation of cells from below and above optimal EWSR1-FLI1 activity was characterized by increased hypoxia. Overall, our study reveals sources of intratumoral heterogeneity within Ewing tumors.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fidel Ramírez ◽  
Vivek Bhardwaj ◽  
José Villaveces ◽  
Laura Arrigoni ◽  
Björn A. Grüning ◽  
...  

AbstractEukaryotic chromatin is partitioned into domains called TADs that are broadly conserved between species and virtually identical among cell types within the same species. Previous studies in mammals have shown that the DNA binding protein CTCF and cohesin contribute to a fraction of TAD boundaries. Apart from this, the molecular mechanisms governing this partitioning remain poorly understood. Using our new software, HiCExplorer, we annotated high-resolution (570 bp) TAD boundaries in flies and identified eight DNA motifs enriched at boundaries. Known insulator proteins bind five of these motifs while the remaining three motifs are novel. We find that boundaries are either at core promoters of active genes or at non-promoter regions of inactive chromatin and that these two groups are characterized by different sets of DNA motifs. Most boundaries are present at divergent promoters of constitutively expressed genes and the gene expression tends to be coordinated within TADs. In contrast to mammals, the CTCF motif is only present on 2% of boundaries in flies. We demonstrate that boundaries can be accurately predicted using only the motif sequences, along with open chromatin, suggesting that DNA sequence encodes the 3D genome architecture in flies. Finally, we present an interactive online database to access and explore the spatial organization of fly, mouse and human genomes, available at http://chorogeome.ie-freiburg.mpg.de.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-36
Author(s):  
Zhangqing Sun ◽  
Xingguo Huang ◽  
Hongliang Li ◽  
Anguai Lei ◽  
Nuno Vieira da Silva ◽  
...  

The current energetic transition policies reenabled the importance of producing nuclear energy in producing electricity. Uranium is the principal fuel used in nuclear power plants, and mineral deposits containing this element are of strategic importance. The successful development of sandstone uranium deposits benefits from three-dimensional (3D) geophysical characterization of sand bodies in uranium reservoir. To solve this problem, a method based on 3D geostatistical resistivity inversion is adopted. Firstly, we analyze the application of that method to the problem in hand and introduce a workflow for analyzing the data. Secondly, through petro-physical sensitivity analysis, we identify the logging parameters that can characterize sandstone in this context, and we use that as the parameter estimated by the geostatistical inversion outlined herein. Then, the 3D data of inversion representing the sandstone of uranium reservoir is obtained by the 3D geostatistical resistivity inversion, demonstrating an accuracy well within an acceptable level of accuracy. Finally, the 3D data of inversion is applied to 3D spatial characterization of a sand body in uranium reservoir inverting a field dataset. Our method is useful in determining the location of drilling wells for exploration and development of sandstone uranium deposits.


1987 ◽  
Vol 104 (6) ◽  
pp. 1471-1483 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Hochstrasser ◽  
J W Sedat

In the preceding article we compared the general organization of polytene chromosomes in four different Drosophila melanogaster cell types. Here we describe experiments aimed at testing for a potential role of three-dimensional chromosome folding and positioning in modulating gene expression and examining specific chromosome interactions with different nuclear structures. By charting the configurations of salivary gland chromosomes as the cells undergo functional changes, it is shown that loci are not repositioned within the nucleus when the pattern of transcription changes. Heterologous loci show no evidence of specific physical interactions with one another in any of the cell types. However, a specific subset of chromosomal loci is attached to the nuclear envelope, and this subset is extremely similar in at least two tissues. In contrast, no specific interactions between any locus and the nucleolus are found, but the base of the X chromosome, containing the nucleolar organizer, is closely linked to this organelle. These results are used to evaluate models of gene regulation that involve the specific intranuclear positioning of gene sequences. Finally, data are presented on an unusual class of nuclear envelope structures, filled with large, electron-dense particles, that are usually associated with chromosomes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (17) ◽  
pp. eabg4755
Author(s):  
Youjin Lee ◽  
Derek Bogdanoff ◽  
Yutong Wang ◽  
George C. Hartoularos ◽  
Jonathan M. Woo ◽  
...  

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of tissues has revealed remarkable heterogeneity of cell types and states but does not provide information on the spatial organization of cells. To better understand how individual cells function within an anatomical space, we developed XYZeq, a workflow that encodes spatial metadata into scRNA-seq libraries. We used XYZeq to profile mouse tumor models to capture spatially barcoded transcriptomes from tens of thousands of cells. Analyses of these data revealed the spatial distribution of distinct cell types and a cell migration-associated transcriptomic program in tumor-associated mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Furthermore, we identify localized expression of tumor suppressor genes by MSCs that vary with proximity to the tumor core. We demonstrate that XYZeq can be used to map the transcriptome and spatial localization of individual cells in situ to reveal how cell composition and cell states can be affected by location within complex pathological tissue.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. ii76-ii76
Author(s):  
Husam Babikir ◽  
Lin Wang ◽  
Karin Shamardani ◽  
Sweta Sudhir ◽  
Gary Kohanbash ◽  
...  

Abstract Recent single-cell RNA-sequencing studies have identified a hierarchy of cell types that is common to all isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) -mutant gliomas. This finding is somewhat paradoxical since the genetic differences between IDH-mutant astrocytomas and IDH-mutant oligodendrogliomas are prognostic, predictive of therapeutic response, and correlated with differences in immune infiltrates. To integrate these disparate findings, we constructed a single-cell atlas of 28 human IDH-mutant primary untreated grade-II/III gliomas. All specimens were profiled by single-cell assay for transposase-accessible chromatin, with additional cohorts profiled via single-cell RNA-sequencing and single-cell spatial proteomics. We determined the cell-type specific differences between IDH-mutant gliomas in transcription-factor utilization, associated targeting and cis-regulatory grammars. To elucidate the role of the chromatin remodeler ATRX (inactivated in over 86% of IDH-mutant astrocytomas) in shaping observed differences in open chromatin, we knocked out ATRX in an immunocompetent model of IDH-mutant glioma and subjected murine tumors to single-cell profiling. We found: 1. ATRX-deficient, IDH-mutant human and murine gliomas both upregulate an astrocytic regulatory program driven by Nuclear Factor I genes and downregulate an oligodendrocytic program driven by basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors. 2. Both human and mouse ATRX-deficient, IDH-mutant gliomas up-regulate genes that promote myeloid-cell chemotaxis and both have significantly higher percentages of myeloid-derived immune-suppressive cells than controls; 3. A transcription-factor program is conserved between human and murine ATRX-deficient tumors that shapes glial identity and promotes local immunosuppression. These studies elucidate how IDH-mutant gliomas from different subtypes can have distinct cellular morphologies and tumor micronenvironments despite a common lineage hierarchy.


Nature ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 598 (7879) ◽  
pp. 120-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanqing Liu ◽  
Jingtian Zhou ◽  
Wei Tian ◽  
Chongyuan Luo ◽  
Anna Bartlett ◽  
...  

AbstractMammalian brain cells show remarkable diversity in gene expression, anatomy and function, yet the regulatory DNA landscape underlying this extensive heterogeneity is poorly understood. Here we carry out a comprehensive assessment of the epigenomes of mouse brain cell types by applying single-nucleus DNA methylation sequencing1,2 to profile 103,982 nuclei (including 95,815 neurons and 8,167 non-neuronal cells) from 45 regions of the mouse cortex, hippocampus, striatum, pallidum and olfactory areas. We identified 161 cell clusters with distinct spatial locations and projection targets. We constructed taxonomies of these epigenetic types, annotated with signature genes, regulatory elements and transcription factors. These features indicate the potential regulatory landscape supporting the assignment of putative cell types and reveal repetitive usage of regulators in excitatory and inhibitory cells for determining subtypes. The DNA methylation landscape of excitatory neurons in the cortex and hippocampus varied continuously along spatial gradients. Using this deep dataset, we constructed an artificial neural network model that precisely predicts single neuron cell-type identity and brain area spatial location. Integration of high-resolution DNA methylomes with single-nucleus chromatin accessibility data3 enabled prediction of high-confidence enhancer–gene interactions for all identified cell types, which were subsequently validated by cell-type-specific chromatin conformation capture experiments4. By combining multi-omic datasets (DNA methylation, chromatin contacts, and open chromatin) from single nuclei and annotating the regulatory genome of hundreds of cell types in the mouse brain, our DNA methylation atlas establishes the epigenetic basis for neuronal diversity and spatial organization throughout the mouse cerebrum.


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