Adaptable and comprehensive approaches for long-read nanopore sequencing of polyadenylated and non-polyadenylated RNAs.

The advent of long-read (LR) sequencing technologies has provided a direct opportunity to determine the structure of transcripts with potential for end-to-end sequencing of full-length RNAs. LR methods that have been described to date include commercial offerings from Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) and Pacific Biosciences. These kits are based on selection of polyadenylated (polyA+) RNAs and/or oligo-dT priming of reverse transcription.

Rearrangements of viral and human genomes at human papillomavirus integration events and their allele-specific impacts on cancer genome regulation.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) integration has been implicated in transforming HPV infection into cancer. To resolve genome dysregulation associated with HPV integration, we performed Oxford Nanopore long-read sequencing on 72 cervical cancer genomes from an Ugandan dataset that was previously characterized using short-read sequencing. We found recurrent structural rearrangement patterns at HPV integration events, which we categorized as: del(etion)-like, dup(lication)-like, translocation, multibreakpoint, or repeat region integrations.

Mapping in silico genetic networks of the KMT2D tumour suppressor gene to uncover novel functional associations and cancer cell vulnerabilities.

Background: Loss-of-function (LOF) alterations in tumour suppressor genes cannot be directly targeted. Approaches characterising gene function and vulnerabilities conferred by such mutations are required.

Methods: Here, we computationally map genetic networks of KMT2D, a tumour suppressor gene frequently mutated in several cancer types.

Whole genome and transcriptome integrated analyses guide clinical care of pediatric poor prognosis cancers.

The role for routine whole genome and transcriptome analysis (WGTA) for poor prognosis pediatric cancers remains undetermined. Here, we characterize somatic mutations, structural rearrangements, copy number variants, gene expression, immuno-profiles and germline cancer predisposition variants in children and adolescents with relapsed, refractory or poor prognosis malignancies who underwent somatic WGTA and matched germline sequencing. Seventy-nine participants with a median age at enrollment of 8.

The genome sequence of the Loggerhead sea turtle, Linnaeus 1758.

We present a genome assembly of (the Loggerhead sea turtle; Chordata, Testudines, Cheloniidae), generated from genomic data from two unrelated females. The genome sequence is 2.13 gigabases in size.

A platform for oncogenomic reporting and interpretation.

Manual interpretation of variants remains rate limiting in precision oncology. The increasing scale and complexity of molecular data generated from comprehensive sequencing of cancer samples requires advanced interpretative platforms as precision oncology expands beyond individual patients to entire populations. To address this unmet need, we introduce a Platform for Oncogenomic Reporting and Interpretation (PORI), comprising an analytic framework that facilitates the interpretation and reporting of somatic variants in cancer.

A Scalable Strand-Specific Protocol Enabling Full-Length Total RNA Sequencing From Single Cells.

RNA sequencing (RNAseq) has been widely used to generate bulk gene expression measurements collected from pools of cells. Only relatively recently have single-cell RNAseq (scRNAseq) methods provided opportunities for gene expression analyses at the single-cell level, allowing researchers to study heterogeneous mixtures of cells at unprecedented resolution. Tumors tend to be composed of heterogeneous cellular mixtures and are frequently the subjects of such analyses.

A Distributed Whole Genome Sequencing Benchmark Study.

Population sequencing often requires collaboration across a distributed network of sequencing centers for the timely processing of thousands of samples. In such massive efforts, it is important that participating scientists can be confident that the accuracy of the sequence data produced is not affected by which center generates the data. A study was conducted across three established sequencing centers, located in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver, constituting Canada's Genomics Enterprise (www.

Uncovering Clinically Relevant Gene Fusions with Integrated Genomic and Transcriptomic Profiling of Metastatic Cancers.

Purpose: Gene fusions are important oncogenic drivers and many are actionable. Whole-genome and transcriptome (WGS and RNA-seq, respectively) sequencing can discover novel clinically relevant fusions.

Experimental Design: Using WGS and RNA-seq, we reviewed the prevalence of fusions in a cohort of 570 patients with cancer, and compared prevalence to that predicted with commercially available panels.

Genome and Transcriptome Biomarkers of Response to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Advanced Solid Tumors.

Purpose: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have revolutionized the treatment of solid tumors with dramatic and durable responses seen across multiple tumor types. However, identifying patients who will respond to these drugs remains challenging, particularly in the context of advanced and previously treated cancers.

Experimental Design: We characterized fresh tumor biopsies from a heterogeneous pan-cancer cohort of 98 patients with metastatic predominantly pretreated disease through the Personalized OncoGenomics program at BC Cancer (Vancouver, Canada) using whole genome and transcriptome analysis (WGTA).

Improved structural variant interpretation for hereditary cancer susceptibility using long-read sequencing.

Purpose: Structural variants (SVs) may be an underestimated cause of hereditary cancer syndromes given the current limitations of short-read next-generation sequencing. Here we investigated the utility of long-read sequencing in resolving germline SVs in cancer susceptibility genes detected through short-read genome sequencing.

Methods: Known or suspected deleterious germline SVs were identified using Illumina genome sequencing across a cohort of 669 advanced cancer patients with paired tumor genome and transcriptome sequencing.

Therapeutic Implication of Genomic Landscape of Adult Metastatic Sarcoma.

Purpose: This study investigated therapeutic potential of integrated genome and transcriptome profiling of metastatic sarcoma, a rare but extremely heterogeneous group of aggressive mesenchymal malignancies with few systemic therapeutic options.

Methods: Forty-three adult patients with advanced or metastatic non-GI stromal tumor sarcomas of various histology subtypes who were enrolled in the Personalized OncoGenomics program at BC Cancer were included in this study. Fresh tumor tissues along with blood samples underwent whole-genome and transcriptome sequencing.

Identification and Analyses of Extra-Cranial and Cranial Rhabdoid Tumor Molecular Subgroups Reveal Tumors with Cytotoxic T Cell Infiltration.

Extra-cranial malignant rhabdoid tumors (MRTs) and cranial atypical teratoid RTs (ATRTs) are heterogeneous pediatric cancers driven primarily by SMARCB1 loss. To understand the genome-wide molecular relationships between MRTs and ATRTs, we analyze multi-omics data from 140 MRTs and 161 ATRTs. We detect similarities between the MYC subgroup of ATRTs (ATRT-MYC) and extra-cranial MRTs, including global DNA hypomethylation and overexpression of HOX genes and genes involved in mesenchymal development, distinguishing them from other ATRT subgroups that express neural-like features.

The Genome of the Steller Sea Lion ().

The Steller sea lion is the largest member of the Otariidae family and is found in the coastal waters of the northern Pacific Rim. Here, we present the Steller sea lion genome, determined through DNA sequencing approaches that utilized microfluidic partitioning library construction, as well as nanopore technologies. These methods constructed a highly contiguous assembly with a scaffold N50 length of over 14 megabases, a contig N50 length of over 242 kilobases and a total length of 2.

The Genome of the North American Brown Bear or Grizzly: Ursus arctos ssp. horribilis.

The grizzly bear ( ssp. ) represents the largest population of brown bears in North America. Its genome was sequenced using a microfluidic partitioning library construction technique, and these data were supplemented with sequencing from a nanopore-based long read platform.

The whole-genome landscape of medulloblastoma subtypes.

Current therapies for medulloblastoma, a highly malignant childhood brain tumour, impose debilitating effects on the developing child, and highlight the need for molecularly targeted treatments with reduced toxicity. Previous studies have been unable to identify the full spectrum of driver genes and molecular processes that operate in medulloblastoma subgroups. Here we analyse the somatic landscape across 491 sequenced medulloblastoma samples and the molecular heterogeneity among 1,256 epigenetically analysed cases, and identify subgroup-specific driver alterations that include previously undiscovered actionable targets.

Divergent clonal selection dominates medulloblastoma at recurrence.

The development of targeted anti-cancer therapies through the study of cancer genomes is intended to increase survival rates and decrease treatment-related toxicity. We treated a transposon-driven, functional genomic mouse model of medulloblastoma with 'humanized' in vivo therapy (microneurosurgical tumour resection followed by multi-fractionated, image-guided radiotherapy). Genetic events in recurrent murine medulloblastoma exhibit a very poor overlap with those in matched murine diagnostic samples (<5%).

Comprehensive Molecular Characterization of Papillary Renal-Cell Carcinoma.

Background: Papillary renal-cell carcinoma, which accounts for 15 to 20% of renal-cell carcinomas, is a heterogeneous disease that consists of various types of renal cancer, including tumors with indolent, multifocal presentation and solitary tumors with an aggressive, highly lethal phenotype. Little is known about the genetic basis of sporadic papillary renal-cell carcinoma, and no effective forms of therapy for advanced disease exist.

Methods: We performed comprehensive molecular characterization of 161 primary papillary renal-cell carcinomas, using whole-exome sequencing, copy-number analysis, messenger RNA and microRNA sequencing, DNA-methylation analysis, and proteomic analysis.

Comprehensive, Integrative Genomic Analysis of Diffuse Lower-Grade Gliomas.

Background: Diffuse low-grade and intermediate-grade gliomas (which together make up the lower-grade gliomas, World Health Organization grades II and III) have highly variable clinical behavior that is not adequately predicted on the basis of histologic class. Some are indolent; others quickly progress to glioblastoma. The uncertainty is compounded by interobserver variability in histologic diagnosis.

Integrative analysis of 111 reference human epigenomes.

The reference human genome sequence set the stage for studies of genetic variation and its association with human disease, but epigenomic studies lack a similar reference. To address this need, the NIH Roadmap Epigenomics Consortium generated the largest collection so far of human epigenomes for primary cells and tissues. Here we describe the integrative analysis of 111 reference human epigenomes generated as part of the programme, profiled for histone modification patterns, DNA accessibility, DNA methylation and RNA expression.