Discrepancy Between Clinical Diagnosis and Whole-exome Sequencing-based Clonality Analysis of Synchronous Multiple Oral Cancers.

BACKGROUND/AIM: The definition of multiple oral cancers is based on the distances between the tumors. However, it is not possible to accurately predict tumor origins based only on clinical criteria. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed whole-exome sequencing (WES) to analyze the genetic alterations in five tumors of two patients who underwent surgery in our hospital. RESULTS: In case 1, the distances between tumors on the right mandibular gingiva and buccal mucosa were more than 15 mm, leading to a clinical diagnosis of multiple primary tumors. WES revealed common mutations between tumors, suggesting that the tumors were derived from the same clone. In contrast, in case 2, the distance between tumors on the right side of the tongue was only 10 mm, but the tumors were diagnosed as double primary tumors because their mutations were completely different. CONCLUSION: WES, rather than the available clinical criteria, can clarify the clonal origins of multiple oral cancers.

Point mutation bias in SARS-CoV-2 variants results in increased ability to stimulate inflammatory responses.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection induces severe pneumonia and is the cause of a worldwide pandemic. Coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, have RNA proofreading enzymes in their genomes, resulting in fewer gene mutations than other RNA viruses. Nevertheless, variants of SARS-CoV-2 exist and may induce different symptoms; however, the factors and the impacts of these mutations are not well understood. We found that there is a bias to the mutations occurring in SARS-CoV-2 variants, with disproportionate mutation to uracil (U). These point mutations to U are mainly derived from cytosine (C), which is consistent with the substrate specificity of host RNA editing enzymes, APOBECs. We also found the point mutations which are consistent with other RNA editing enzymes, ADARs. For the C-to-U mutations, the context of the upstream uracil and downstream guanine from mutated position was found to be most prevalent. Further, the degree of increase of U in SARS-CoV-2 variants correlates with enhanced production of cytokines, such as TNF-α and IL-6, in cell lines when compared with stimulation by the ssRNA sequence of the isolated virus in Wuhan. Therefore, RNA editing is a factor for mutation bias in SARS-CoV-2 variants, which affects host inflammatory cytokines production.