Coamplification at Lower Denaturation Temperature-PCR Increases Mutation-Detection Selectivity of TaqMan-Based Real-Time PCR

Abstract Background: DNA genotyping with mutation-specific TaqMan® probes (Applied Biosystems) is broadly used in detection of single-nucleotide polymorphisms but is less so for somatic mutations because of its limited selectivity for low-level mutations. We recently described coamplification at lower denaturation temperature-PCR (COLD-PCR), a method that amplifies minority alleles selectively from mixtures of wild-type and mutation-containing sequences during the PCR. We demonstrate that combining COLD-PCR with TaqMan technology provides TaqMan genotyping with the selectivity needed to detect low-level somatic mutations. Methods: Minor-groove binder-based or common TaqMan probes were designed to contain a nucleotide that matches the desired mutation approximately in the middle of the probe. The critical denaturation temperature (Tc) of each amplicon was then experimentally determined. COLD-PCR/TaqMan genotyping was performed in 2 steps: denaturation at the Tc, followed by annealing and extension at a single temperature (fast COLD-PCR). The threshold cycle was used to identify mutations on the basis of serial dilutions of mutant DNA into wild-type DNA and to identify TP53 (tumor protein p53) and EGFR [epidermal growth factor receptor (erythroblastic leukemia viral (v-erb-b) oncogene homolog, avian)] mutations in tumors. Results: COLD-PCR/TaqMan genotyping identified G>A mutations within TP53 exon 8 (codon 273 mutation hot spot) and C>T mutations within the EGFR gene (drug-resistance mutation T790M) with a selectivity improvement of 15- to 30-fold over regular PCR/TaqMan genotyping. A second round of COLD-PCR/TaqMan genotyping improved the selectivity by another 15- to 30-fold and enabled detection of 1 mutant in 2000 wild-type alleles. Use of COLD-PCR/TaqMan genotyping allowed quantitative identification of low-level TP53 and T790 mutations in colon tumor samples and in non-small-cell lung cancer cell lines treated with kinase inhibitors. Conclusions: The major improvement in selectivity provided by COLD-PCR enables the popular TaqMan genotyping method to become a powerful tool for detecting low-level mutations in clinical samples.

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Closed-Tube PCR with Nested Serial Invasion Probe Visualization Using Gold Nanoparticles

Clinical Chemistry ◽

10.1373/clinchem.2016.263996 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 63 (4) ◽

pp. 852-860 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Jianping Wang ◽

Bingjie Zou ◽

Yinjiao Ma ◽

Xueping Ma ◽

Nan Sheng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Personalized Medicine ◽

Gold Nanoparticle ◽

Somatic Mutations ◽

Dna Analysis ◽

Circulating Tumor Dna ◽

Clinical Samples ◽

Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Biomarker Analysis ◽

Closed Tube ◽

Signal Readout

Abstract BACKGROUND Detecting DNA biomarkers related to personalized medicine could improve the outcome of drug therapy. However, personalized medicine in a resource-restrained hospital is very difficult because DNA biomarker detection should be performed by well-trained staff and requires expensive laboratory facilities. METHODS We developed a gold nanoparticle–based “Tube-Lab” to enable DNA analysis in a closed tube. Gold nanoparticle–modified probes (GNPs) were used to construct an inexpensive and simple DNA sensor for signal readout. The method consists of 3 steps (template amplification, sequence identification, and GNP-based signal readout), bridged by an invasive reaction. With temperature control at each step, the 3 reactions proceed sequentially and automatically in a closed tube without any liquid transfer. We used Tube-Lab to detect different biomarkers in blood, tissue, and plasma, including US Food and Drug Administration–approved pharmacogenomic biomarkers (single nucleotide polymorphisms, somatic mutations). RESULTS The combination of PCR-based template replication and invader-based signal amplification allowed detection of approximately 6 copies of input DNA and the selective pick up 0.1% mutants from large amounts of background DNA. This method highly discriminated polymorphisms and somatic mutations from clinical samples and allowed a “liquid biopsy” assay with the naked eye. CONCLUSIONS Tube-Lab provides a promising and cost-effective approach for DNA biomarker analysis, including polymorphisms and somatic mutations from blood DNA, tissue DNA, or circulating tumor DNA in plasma, which are critical for personalized medicine.

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PCR-Based Methods for the Enrichment of Minority Alleles and Mutations

Clinical Chemistry ◽

10.1373/clinchem.2008.113035 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 55 (4) ◽

pp. 632-640 ◽

Cited By ~ 112

Author(s):

Coren A Milbury ◽

Jin Li ◽

G Mike Makrigiorgos

Keyword(s):

Cancer Detection ◽

Technology Development ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Clinical Samples ◽

Wild Type ◽

High Background ◽

Low Level ◽

Dna Mutations ◽

Diagnostic Applications ◽

Promising Development

Abstract Background: The ability to identify low-level somatic DNA mutations and minority alleles within an excess wild-type sample is becoming essential for characterizing early and posttreatment tumor status in cancer patients. Over the past 2 decades, much research has focused on improving the selectivity of PCR-based technologies for enhancing the detection of minority (mutant) alleles in clinical samples. Routine application in clinical and diagnostic settings requires that these techniques be accurate and cost-effective and require little effort to optimize, perform, and analyze. Content: Enrichment methods typically segregate by their ability to enrich for, and detect, either known or unknown mutations. Although there are several robust approaches for detecting known mutations within a high background of wild-type DNA, there are few techniques capable of enriching and detecting low-level unknown mutations. One promising development is COLD-PCR (coamplification at lower denaturation temperature), which enables enrichment of PCR amplicons containing unknown mutations at any position, such that they can be subsequently sequenced to identify the exact nucleotide change. Summary: This review summarizes technologies available for detecting minority DNA mutations, placing an emphasis on newer methods that facilitate the enrichment of unknown low-level DNA variants such that the mutation can subsequently be sequenced. The enrichment of minority alleles is imperative in clinical and diagnostic applications, especially in those related to cancer detection, and continued technology development is warranted.

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TET 2 Alterations in Myeloid Malignancies, Impact on Clinical Characteristics, Outcome, and Disease Predisposition

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v126.23.1645.1645 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 126 (23) ◽

pp. 1645-1645 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Aziz Nazha ◽

Manja Meggendorfer ◽

Niroshan Nadarajah ◽

Kassy E Kneen ◽

Tomas Radivoyevitch ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Board Of Directors ◽

Somatic Mutations ◽

Catalytic Domain ◽

Germ Line ◽

Hot Spot ◽

Prognostic Impact ◽

Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Advisory Committees ◽

Myeloid Neoplasms ◽

Increased Risk

Abstract TET2 mutations are the most common somatic genetic lesions in myeloid neoplasms. TET2 mutant clones have been found also in healthy individuals, increase with age, and convey an increased risk for myeloid clonal diseases. The TET2 gene is very polymorphic, with hundreds of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of unknown clinical impact, but with some variants that may be pathogenically important. Similarly, somatic mutations affect all portions of the gene, and can be missense or truncating, homo-, hemi- and heterozygous. While the majority of TET2 mutations are ancestral, they can also be subclonal, implicating the clonal architecture in the consequences of TET2 lesions. This diversity may be hampering establishment of the clear prognostic impact of TET2 mutations. Taking advantage of a large cohort of patients (pts, N=4985 including 1616 MDS, 871 MDS/MPN, 1782 pAML, 304 sAML, 333 MPN, and 79 therapy-related MDS/AML/MDS-MPN) analyzed by targeted deep sequencing for TET2 and other common myeloid lesions, we examined the distribution and impact of TET2 mutations. DNA sequencing of all coding exons of TET2 and 61 other genes representing the most common somatic mutations in myeloid neoplasms. Nonsynonymous alterations not present in SNP database (dbSNP) were annotated as somatic mutations or SNPs if present in myeloid and T cells whenever available. Nonsynonymous alterations not in dbSNP or ExAC databases and not confirmed to be somatic were excluded. Overall, TET2 somatic mutations (TET2mut) were present in 920 pts (18%); 38% of MDS/MPN, 19% pAML, 16% MPN, 16% sAML, 12% MDS, and 13% of therapy related MDS/AML/MDS-MPN. Mutations included 16% missense, 33% frameshift deletions, 18% frameshift insertions, and 33% nonsense. TET2mut pts were older than those with TET2 wild type (TET2wt, 72 vs. 67 yrs, p<.001), had a higher presenting WBC (6 vs. 4 x103 /uL, p <.001), and lower blast % (3 vs. 7%, p =.03). Similar findings were observed in each myeloid subtype. Overall, median OS for TET2mut pts was similar to TET2wt (12 vs. 17 mo, p =.20). Median OS was similar in TET2mut pts compared to TET2wt in pts with MDS (23 vs. 23 mo, p =.77), MDS/MPN (15 vs. 21 mo, p=.1), pAML (9 vs. 14 mo, p =.77), sAML (6 vs. 9 mo, p =.07), and MPN (30 vs. 35 mo, p =.66). Neither the type of mutation (mis-, nonsense vs. truncating) nor location (catalytic domain vs. other) impacted the OS. Using variant allelic frequencies (VAF), we established a clonal hierarchy in individual cases; 24% of TET2 mutations were ancestral, 17% subclonal, and 59% codominant. TET2 mutations were ancestral in 23% of MDS samples, 29% of MDS/MPN, 25% of pAML, and 19% of sAML. Whether the mutation was ancestral or subclonal did not impact OS. The presence of TET2mut was associated with different mutations in each myeloid subtype. In MDS, TET2mut were associated with APC (p<.001), ASXL1 (p<.001), BCOR (p<.001), BCORL1 (p<.001), ETV6 (p<.04), SUZ12 (p<.001), RAD21 (p<.02), NF1 (p<.001), KDM6A (p<.001), ZRSR2 (p<.001), and U2AF1 (p=.02), in MDS/MPD correlated with ASXL1 (p<.04), NRAS (p<.02), and SRSF2 (p<.05), in pAML with JAK2 (p<.001), RUNX1 (p =.05), and CBL (p=.05), and in sAML with RUNX1 (p<.001), ASXL1 (p<.001), BCORL1 (p=.01), SUZ12 (p=.02), STAG2 (p=.05), and JAK2 (p<.001). When we next focused on germ line variants, we identified 2518 SNPs of TET2. All recurring SNPs were ranked according to the difference in their frequencies between pts and healthy controls. A large number of these SNPs were more common in our pts compared to controls, among them we identified 2 SNPs (both located in the dioxygenase domain) with a significantly higher frequency: SNP1 (OR 10.6, p<.0001), and SNP2 (OR 6.7, p=.02). We further investigated whether these SNPs were mutually exclusive or increased the risk for acquisition of somatic TET2 mutations; 91% of cases with SNP1 and 67% with SNP2 also acquired somatic mutations in TET2. In silico and crystallographic analyses showed that SNP1 is adjacent to the iron binding site (7th beta stand in the jelly roll motif) and is predicted to change the orientation of a-KG binding and thereby to be hypomorphic. SNP2 is located in a hot spot area known to be targeted by 3 recurrent somatic mutations. In conclusion, both somatic mutations as well as germ line variants affect TET2 in myeloid neoplasia. The interaction between clonal mutations and germ line lesions may lead to gain of function and thus a growth advantage. These mechanisms are currently being explored. Disclosures Meggendorfer: MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Employment. Nadarajah:MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Employment. Sekeres:TetraLogic: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene Corporation: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

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An algorithm to evaluate the efficacy of detecting somatic mutations

Journal of Solid Tumors ◽

10.5430/jst.v8n2p25 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 25

Author(s):

Thurai Moorthy

Keyword(s):

Lower Limit ◽

Late Stage ◽

Mutant Allele ◽

Somatic Mutations ◽

Limit Of Detection ◽

Clinical Samples ◽

Wild Type ◽

Copy Numbers ◽

Lower Copy ◽

Assay Conditions

Detection of somatic mutations from late stage solid tumors is a critical part of cancer treatment. Although tumor content is used as a convenient parameter to measure efficacy of detection, it fails to include two basic factors: the lower limit of detection (LLOD), and the ratio of the mutant and wild type allele frequencies. Recently, the detection of somatic mutations has expanded to liquid biopsy, early stages of cancer and population screening, which all generally carry lower copy numbers of somatic mutations compared to late stage tumors. With the growing importance of these mutations for targeted chemotherapy and other clinical applications, there is a need re-evaluate the efficacy of detection of somatic mutations. Hence, a new algorithm, Detection Index (DI), is proposed to standardize the efficacy of all molecular methods and is applicable to all types of clinical samples. Detection Index (DI) is based on two basic determinants: lower limit of detection of the mutant allele, and the ratio of the copies of the mutant allele to that of the wild-type. The benefits of DI include (a) standardization of methods detecting somatic mutations so that laboratory reports will have a uniform interpretation related to clinical picture, and (b) the flexibility to use appropriate amounts of DNA and assay conditions to achieve desired DI.

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EGFR Mutation Analysis of Circulating Tumor DNA Using an Improved PNA-LNA PCR Clamp Method

Canadian Respiratory Journal ◽

10.1155/2016/5297329 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2016 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Kana Watanabe ◽

Tatsuro Fukuhara ◽

Yoko Tsukita ◽

Mami Morita ◽

Aya Suzuki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Kinase Inhibitors ◽

Egfr Mutation ◽

Resistance Mutation ◽

Biological Data ◽

Egfr Mutations ◽

Plasma Samples ◽

Wild Type ◽

T790m Mutation ◽

Activating Mutations ◽

Tki Treatment

Introduction. Rebiopsies have become more crucial in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Instead of invasive biopsies, development of collecting biological data of the tumor from blood samples is expected. We conducted a prospective study to assess the feasibility of detection of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation in plasma samples.Method. NSCLC patients harboring EGFR activating mutations, who were going to receive EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) as first-line treatment, were enrolled in this study. Plasma EGFR activating mutations and the T790M resistance mutation were analyzed by an improved PNA-LNA PCR clamp method, characterized by a 10-fold or more sensitivity compared with the original methods.Result. Six patients with wild-type EGFR and 24 patients with EGFR mutations were enrolled in this study. Pretreatment plasma samples achieved sensitivity of 79%. The 6 patients with wild-type EGFR were all negative for plasma EGFR mutations. At the time of disease progression, plasma T790M mutation was detected in 8 of 16 cases. Absence of T790M before and during TKI treatment and disappearance of activating mutations during TKI treatment were considered as predictors of EGFR-TKIs efficacy.Conclusion. We were able to detect EGFR mutations in plasma samples by using an improved PNA-LNA PCR clamp method.

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COLD-PCR–Enhanced High-Resolution Melting Enables Rapid and Selective Identification of Low-Level Unknown Mutations

Clinical Chemistry ◽

10.1373/clinchem.2009.131029 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 55 (12) ◽

pp. 2130-2143 ◽

Cited By ~ 56

Author(s):

Coren A Milbury ◽

Jin Li ◽

G Mike Makrigiorgos

Keyword(s):

High Resolution ◽

High Resolution Melting ◽

Mutation Screening ◽

Clinical Samples ◽

Wild Type ◽

Conventional Pcr ◽

Scanning Method ◽

Low Level ◽

Mutation Scanning ◽

Hrm Analysis

Abstract Background: Analysis of clinical samples often necessitates identification of low-level somatic mutations within wild-type DNA; however, the selectivity and sensitivity of the methods are often limiting. COLD-PCR (coamplification at lower denaturation temperature–PCR) is a new form of PCR that enriches mutation-containing amplicons to concentrations sufficient for direct sequencing; nevertheless, sequencing itself remains an expensive mutation-screening approach. Conversely, high-resolution melting (HRM) is a rapid, inexpensive scanning method, but it cannot specifically identify the detected mutation. To enable enrichment, quick scanning, and identification of low-level unknown mutations, we combined COLD-PCR with HRM mutation scanning, followed by sequencing of positive samples. Methods: Mutation-containing cell-line DNA serially diluted into wild-type DNA and DNA samples from human lung adenocarcinomas containing low-level mutations were amplified via COLD-PCR and via conventional PCR for TP53 (tumor protein p53) exons 6–8, and the 2 approaches were compared. HRM analysis was used to screen amplicons for mutations; mutation-positive amplicons were sequenced. Results: Dilution experiments indicated an approximate 6- to 20-fold improvement in selectivity with COLD-PCR/HRM. Conventional PCR/HRM exhibited mutation-detection limits of approximately 2% to 10%, whereas COLD-PCR/HRM exhibited limits from approximately 0.1% to 1% mutant-to-wild-type ratio. After HRM analysis of lung adenocarcinoma samples, we detected 7 mutations by both PCR methods in exon 7; however, in exon 8 we detected 9 mutations in COLD-PCR amplicons, compared with only 6 mutations in conventional-PCR amplicons. Furthermore, 94% of the HRM-detected mutations were successfully sequenced with COLD-PCR amplicons, compared with 50% with conventional-PCR amplicons. Conclusions: COLD-PCR/HRM improves the mutation-scanning capabilities of HRM and combines high selectivity, convenience, and low cost with the ability to sequence unknown low-level mutations in clinical samples.

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Mutations in fbiD (Rv2983) as a Novel Determinant of Resistance to Pretomanid and Delamanid in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy ◽

10.1128/aac.01948-20 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 65 (1) ◽

pp. e01948-20

Author(s):

Dalin Rifat ◽

Si-Yang Li ◽

Thomas Ioerger ◽

Keshav Shah ◽

Jean-Philippe Lanoix ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽

Clinical Evidence ◽

Clinical Samples ◽

Loss Of Function ◽

Wild Type ◽

Content Type ◽

Solid Media ◽

High Level ◽

Level Resistance

ABSTRACTThe nitroimidazole prodrugs delamanid and pretomanid comprise one of only two new antimicrobial classes approved to treat tuberculosis (TB) in 50 years. Prior in vitro studies suggest a relatively low barrier to nitroimidazole resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, but clinical evidence is limited to date. We selected pretomanid-resistant M. tuberculosis mutants in two mouse models of TB using a range of pretomanid doses. The frequency of spontaneous resistance was approximately 10−5 CFU. Whole-genome sequencing of 161 resistant isolates from 47 mice revealed 99 unique mutations, of which 91% occurred in 1 of 5 genes previously associated with nitroimidazole activation and resistance, namely, fbiC (56%), fbiA (15%), ddn (12%), fgd (4%), and fbiB (4%). Nearly all mutations were unique to a single mouse and not previously identified. The remaining 9% of resistant mutants harbored mutations in Rv2983 (fbiD), a gene not previously associated with nitroimidazole resistance but recently shown to be a guanylyltransferase necessary for cofactor F420 synthesis. Most mutants exhibited high-level resistance to pretomanid and delamanid, although Rv2983 and fbiB mutants exhibited high-level pretomanid resistance but relatively small changes in delamanid susceptibility. Complementing an Rv2983 mutant with wild-type Rv2983 restored susceptibility to pretomanid and delamanid. By quantifying intracellular F420 and its precursor Fo in overexpressing and loss-of-function mutants, we provide further evidence that Rv2983 is necessary for F420 biosynthesis. Finally, Rv2983 mutants and other F420H2-deficient mutants displayed hypersusceptibility to some antibiotics and to concentrations of malachite green found in solid media used to isolate and propagate mycobacteria from clinical samples.

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Cooperative Blockade of CK2 and ATM Kinases Drives Apoptosis in VHL-Deficient Renal Carcinoma Cells through ROS Overproduction

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers13030576 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 576

Author(s):

Sofia Giacosa ◽

Catherine Pillet ◽

Irinka Séraudie ◽

Laurent Guyon ◽

Yann Wallez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Throughput Screening ◽

Renal Carcinoma ◽

Kinase Inhibitors ◽

Ex Vivo ◽

Cancer Therapeutics ◽

Carcinoma Cells ◽

Wild Type ◽

Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma ◽

Von Hippel Lindau ◽

Renal Carcinoma Cells

Kinase-targeted agents demonstrate antitumor activity in advanced metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), which remains largely incurable. Integration of genomic approaches through small-molecules and genetically based high-throughput screening holds the promise of improved discovery of candidate targets for cancer therapy. The 786-O cell line represents a model for most ccRCC that have a loss of functional pVHL (von Hippel-Lindau). A multiplexed assay was used to study the cellular fitness of a panel of engineered ccRCC isogenic 786-O VHL− cell lines in response to a collection of targeted cancer therapeutics including kinase inhibitors, allowing the interrogation of over 2880 drug–gene pairs. Among diverse patterns of drug sensitivities, investigation of the mechanistic effect of one selected drug combination on tumor spheroids and ex vivo renal tumor slice cultures showed that VHL-defective ccRCC cells were more vulnerable to the combined inhibition of the CK2 and ATM kinases than wild-type VHL cells. Importantly, we found that HIF-2α acts as a key mediator that potentiates the response to combined CK2/ATM inhibition by triggering ROS-dependent apoptosis. Importantly, our findings reveal a selective killing of VHL-deficient renal carcinoma cells and provide a rationale for a mechanism-based use of combined CK2/ATM inhibitors for improved patient care in metastatic VHL-ccRCC.

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Significant Associations of lncRNA H19 Genotypes with Susceptibility to Childhood Leukemia in Taiwan

Pharmaceuticals ◽

10.3390/ph14030235 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

pp. 235

Author(s):

Jen-Sheng Pei ◽

Chao-Chun Chen ◽

Wen-Shin Chang ◽

Yun-Chi Wang ◽

Jaw-Chyun Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Confidence Interval ◽

Childhood Leukemia ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Wild Type ◽

Single Nucleotide ◽

Genotypic Distribution ◽

Heterozygous Variant ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Difference

The purpose of our study was to investigate whether genetic variations in lncRNA H19 were associated with susceptibility to childhood leukemia. Two hundred and sixty-six childhood leukemia patients and 266 healthy controls were enrolled in Taiwan, and two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), rs2839698 and rs217727, in H19 were genotyped and analyzed. There was a significant difference in the genotypic distribution of rs2839698 between patients and healthy controls (p = 0.0277). Compared to the wild-type CC genotype, the heterozygous variant CT and homozygous variant TT genotypes were associated with significantly increased risks of childhood leukemia with an adjusted odd ratio (OR) of 1.46 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.08–2.14, p = 0.0429) and 1.94 (95%CI, 1.15–3.31, p = 0.0169), respectively (pfor tread = 0.0277). The difference in allelic frequencies between childhood leukemia patients and controls was also significant (T versus C, adjusted OR = 1.53, 95%CI, 1.13–1.79, p = 0.0077). There were no significant differences in the genotypic and allelic distributions of rs217727 between cases and controls. Interestingly, the average level of H19 rs2839698 was statistically significantly higher for patients with CT and TT genotypes than from those with the CC genotype (p < 0.0001). Our results indicate that H19 SNP rs2839698, but not rs217727, may serve as a novel susceptibility marker for childhood leukemia.

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