Abstract 3604: Identification of genes involved in pathogenesis of esophageal adenocarcinoma using RNA sequencing from laser capture micro-dissected formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue specimens

Author(s):  
Matthew Guggenbiller ◽  
Md Sazzad Hassan ◽  
Min Yan ◽  
Jun Li ◽  
Victoria Makuru ◽  
...  
Author(s):  
Lou Romanens ◽  
Prasad Chaskar ◽  
Jean-Christophe Tille ◽  
Stephan Ryser ◽  
Nicolas Liaudet ◽  
...  

AbstractTumor samples are conserved in clinical practice in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) blocks. Formalin fixation chemically alters nucleic acids, rendering transcriptomic analysis challenging. RNA-sequencing is usually performed on tumor bulk, without distinction of cell subtypes or location. Here we describe the development of a robust method for RNA extraction and exome-capture RNA-sequencing of laser-capture microdissected tumor cells (TC) and stromal immune cells (TIL) based on their morphology. We applied this method on 7 tumor samples (surgical or core needle biopsy) of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) stored in FFPE blocks over 3-10 years. Unsupervised clustering and principal component analysis showed a clear separation between gene-expression profile of TIL and TC. TIL were enriched in markers of B cells (CD79B, PAX5 and BLNK) and T cells (CD2, CD3D and CD8B) whereas tumor cells expressed epithelial markers (EPCAM, MUC1 and KRT8). Microenvironment cell populations-counter (MCP)-counter deconvolution showed an enrichment in adaptive immune cell signatures in microdissected TIL. Transcripts of immune checkpoints were differentially expressed in TIL and TC. We further validated our results by qRT-PCR and multispectral immunohistochemistry. In conclusion, we showed that combining laser-capture microdissection and RNA-sequencing on archived FFPE blocks is feasible and allows spatial transcriptional characterization of tumor microenvironment.


BMC Cancer ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Marczyk ◽  
Chunxiao Fu ◽  
Rosanna Lau ◽  
Lili Du ◽  
Alexander J. Trevarton ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Utilization of RNA sequencing methods to measure gene expression from archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumor samples in translational research and clinical trials requires reliable interpretation of the impact of pre-analytical variables on the data obtained, particularly the methods used to preserve samples and to purify RNA. Methods Matched tissue samples from 12 breast cancers were fresh frozen (FF) and preserved in RNAlater or fixed in formalin and processed as FFPE tissue. Total RNA was extracted and purified from FF samples using the Qiagen RNeasy kit, and in duplicate from FFPE tissue sections using three different kits (Norgen, Qiagen and Roche). All RNA samples underwent whole transcriptome RNA sequencing (wtRNAseq) and targeted RNA sequencing for 31 transcripts included in a signature of sensitivity to endocrine therapy. We assessed the effect of RNA extraction kit on the reliability of gene expression levels using linear mixed-effects model analysis, concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) and differential analysis. All protein-coding genes in the wtRNAseq and three gene expression signatures for breast cancer were assessed for concordance. Results Despite variable quality of the RNA extracted from FFPE samples by different kits, all had similar concordance of overall gene expression from wtRNAseq between matched FF and FFPE samples (median CCC 0.63–0.66) and between technical replicates (median expression difference 0.13–0.22). More than half of genes were differentially expressed between FF and FFPE, but with low fold change (median |LFC| 0.31–0.34). Two out of three breast cancer signatures studied were highly robust in all samples using any kit, whereas the third signature was similarly discordant irrespective of the kit used. The targeted RNAseq assay was concordant between FFPE and FF samples using any of the kits (CCC 0.91–0.96). Conclusions The selection of kit to purify RNA from FFPE did not influence the overall quality of results from wtRNAseq, thus variable reproducibility of gene signatures probably relates to the reliability of individual gene selected and possibly to the algorithm. Targeted RNAseq showed promising performance for clinical deployment of quantitative assays in breast cancer from FFPE samples, although numerical scores were not identical to those from wtRNAseq and would require calibration.


2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (11) ◽  
pp. 2798-2803 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elham Salehi ◽  
Mohammad T. Hedayati ◽  
Jan Zoll ◽  
Haleh Rafati ◽  
Maryam Ghasemi ◽  
...  

In a retrospective multicenter study, 102 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue specimens with histopathology results were tested. Two 4- to 5-μm FFPE tissue sections from each specimen were digested with proteinase K, followed by automated nucleic acid extraction. Multiple real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays targeting the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region of ribosomal DNA, using fluorescently labeled primers, was performed to identify clinically important genera and species of Aspergillus , Fusarium , Scedosporium , and the Mucormycetes . The molecular identification was correlated with results from histological examination. One of the main findings of our study was the high sensitivity of the automated DNA extraction method, which was estimated to be 94%. The qPCR procedure that was evaluated identified a range of fungal genera/species, including Aspergillus fumigatus , Aspergillus flavus , Aspergillus terreus , Aspergillus niger , Fusarium oxysporum , Fusarium solani , Scedosporium apiospermum , Rhizopus oryzae , Rhizopus microsporus , Mucor spp., and Syncephalastrum . Fusarium oxysporum and F. solani DNA was amplified from five specimens from patients initially diagnosed by histopathology as having aspergillosis. Aspergillus flavus , S. apiospermum , and Syncephalastrum were detected from histopathological mucormycosis samples. In addition, examination of four samples from patients suspected of having concomitant aspergillosis and mucormycosis infections resulted in the identification of two A. flavus isolates, one Mucor isolate, and only one sample having both R. oryzae and A. flavus . Our results indicate that histopathological features of molds may be easily confused in tissue sections. The qPCR assay used in this study is a reliable tool for the rapid and accurate identification of fungal pathogens to the genus and species levels directly from FFPE tissues.


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