Mitogenic and progenitor gene programmes in single pilocytic astrocytoma cells.

Pilocytic astrocytoma (PA), the most common childhood brain tumor, is a low-grade glioma with a single driver BRAF rearrangement. Here, we perform scRNAseq in six PAs using methods that enabled detection of the rearrangement. When compared to higher-grade gliomas, a strikingly higher proportion of the PA cancer cells exhibit a differentiated, astrocyte-like phenotype. A smaller proportion of cells exhibit a progenitor-like phenotype with evidence of proliferation. These express a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) programme that was absent from higher-grade gliomas. Immune cells, especially microglia, comprise 40% of all cells in the PAs and account for differences in bulk expression profiles between tumor locations and subtypes. These data indicate that MAPK signaling is restricted to relatively undifferentiated cancer cells in PA, with implications for investigational therapies directed at this pathway.

Population Control: Cortical Interneurons Modulate Oligodendrogenesis.

During central nervous system development, oligodendrocytes must be formed in proportion to the number of neurons requiring their services. In this issue of Neuron, Voronova et al. (2017) show how cortical interneurons modulate oligodendrogenesis through a cytokine-mediated paracrine interaction.

A Sequentially Priming Phosphorylation Cascade Activates the Gliomagenic Transcription Factor Olig2.

During development of the vertebrate CNS, the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor Olig2 sustains replication competence of progenitor cells that give rise to neurons and oligodendrocytes. A pathological counterpart of this developmental function is seen in human glioma, wherein Olig2 is required for maintenance of stem-like cells that drive tumor growth. The mitogenic/gliomagenic functions of Olig2 are regulated by phosphorylation of a triple serine motif (S10, S13, and S14) in the amino terminus. Here, we identify a set of three serine/threonine protein kinases (glycogen synthase kinase 3α/ß [GSK3α/ß], casein kinase 2 [CK2], and cyclin-dependent kinases 1/2 [CDK1/2]) that are, collectively, both necessary and sufficient to phosphorylate the triple serine motif. We show that phosphorylation of the motif itself serves as a template to prime phosphorylation of additional serines and creates a highly charged "acid blob" in the amino terminus of Olig2. Finally, we show that small molecule inhibitors of this forward-feeding phosphorylation cascade have potential as glioma therapeutics.

Copy-number and gene dependency analysis reveals partial copy loss of wild-type SF3B1 as a novel cancer vulnerability.

Genomic instability is a hallmark of human cancer, and results in widespread somatic copy number alterations. We used a genome-scale shRNA viability screen in human cancer cell lines to systematically identify genes that are essential in the context of particular copy-number alterations (copy-number associated gene dependencies). The most enriched class of copy-number associated gene dependencies was CYCLOPS (Copy-number alterations Yielding Cancer Liabilities Owing to Partial losS) genes, and spliceosome components were the most prevalent. One of these, the pre-mRNA splicing factor SF3B1, is also frequently mutated in cancer. We validated SF3B1 as a CYCLOPS gene and found that human cancer cells harboring partial SF3B1 copy-loss lack a reservoir of SF3b complex that protects cells with normal SF3B1 copy number from cell death upon partial SF3B1 suppression. These data provide a catalog of copy-number associated gene dependencies and identify partial copy-loss of wild-type SF3B1 as a novel, non-driver cancer gene dependency.

Clinical targeted exome-based sequencing in combination with genome-wide copy number profiling: precision medicine analysis of 203 pediatric brain tumors.

BACKGROUND: Clinical genomics platforms are needed to identify targetable alterations, but implementation of these technologies and best practices in routine clinical pediatric oncology practice are not yet well established. METHODS: Profile is an institution-wide prospective clinical research initiative that uses targeted sequencing to identify targetable alterations in tumors. OncoPanel, a multiplexed targeted exome-sequencing platform that includes 300 cancer-causing genes, was used to assess single nucleotide variants and rearrangements/indels. Alterations were annotated (Tiers 1-4) based on clinical significance, with Tier 1 alterations having well-established clinical utility. OncoCopy, a clinical genome-wide array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) assay, was also performed to evaluate copy number alterations and better define rearrangement breakpoints. RESULTS: Cancer genomes of 203 pediatric brain tumors were profiled across histological subtypes, including 117 samples analyzed by OncoPanel, 146 by OncoCopy, and 60 tumors subjected to both methodologies. OncoPanel revealed clinically relevant alterations in 56% of patients (44 cancer mutations and 20 rearrangements), including BRAF alterations that directed the use of targeted inhibitors. Rearrangements in MYB-QKI, MYBL1, BRAF, and FGFR1 were also detected. Furthermore, while copy number profiles differed across histologies, the combined use of OncoPanel and OncoCopy identified subgroup-specific alterations in 89% (17/19) of medulloblastomas. CONCLUSION: The combination of OncoPanel and OncoCopy multiplex genomic assays can identify critical diagnostic, prognostic, and treatment-relevant alterations and represents an effective precision medicine approach for clinical evaluation of pediatric brain tumors.

A brain-penetrant RAF dimer antagonist for the noncanonical BRAF oncoprotein of pediatric low-grade astrocytomas.

Background: Activating mutations or structural rearrangements in BRAF are identified in roughly 75% of all pediatric low-grade astrocytomas (PLGAs). However, first-generation RAF inhibitors approved for adult melanoma have poor blood-brain penetrance and are only effective on tumors that express the canonical BRAFV600E oncoprotein, which functions as a monomer. These drugs (type I antagonists that target the "DFG-in" conformation of the kinase) fail to block signaling via KIAA1549:BRAF, a truncation/fusion BRAF oncoprotein which functions as a dimer and is found in the most common form of PLGA. Methods: A panel of small molecule RAF inhibitors (including type II inhibitors, targeting the "DFG-out" conformation of the kinase) was screened for drugs showing efficacy on murine models of PLGA and on authentic human PLGA cells expressing KIAA1549:BRAF. Results: We identify a type II RAF inhibitor that serves as an equipotent antagonist of BRAFV600E, KIAA1549:BRAF, and other noncanonical BRAF oncoproteins that function as dimers. This drug (MLN2480, also known as TAK-580) has good brain penetrance and is active on authentic human PLGA cells in brain organotypic cultures. Conclusion: MLN2480 may be an effective therapeutic for BRAF mutant pediatric astrocytomas.

Tyrosine receptor kinase B is a drug target in astrocytomas.

BACKGROUND: Astrocytomas are the most common primary human brain tumors. Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), including tyrosine receptor kinase B (TrkB, also known as tropomyosin-related kinase B; encoded by neurotrophic tyrosine kinase receptor type 2 [NTRK2]), are frequently mutated by rearrangement/fusion in high-grade and low-grade astrocytomas. We found that activated TrkB can contribute to the development of astrocytoma and might serve as a therapeutic target in this tumor type. METHODS: To identify RTKs capable of inducing astrocytoma formation, a library of human tyrosine kinases was screened for the ability to transform murine Ink4a-/-/Arf-/- astrocytes. Orthotopic allograft studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of RTKs on the development of astrocytoma. Since TrkB was identified as a driver of astrocytoma formation, the effect of the Trk inhibitors AZD1480 and RXDX-101 was assessed in astrocytoma cells expressing activated TrkB. RNA sequencing, real-time PCR, western blotting, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were conducted to characterize NTRK2 in astrocytomas. RESULTS: Activated TrkB cooperated with Ink4a/Arf loss to induce the formation of astrocytomas through a mechanism mediated by activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3). TrkB activation positively correlated with Ccl2 expression. TrkB-induced astrocytomas remained dependent on TrkB signaling for survival, highlighting a role of NTRK2 as an addictive oncogene. Furthermore, the QKI-NTRK2 fusion associated with human astrocytoma transformed Ink4a-/-/Arf-/- astrocytes, and this process was also mediated via STAT3 signaling. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide evidence that constitutively activated NTRK2 alleles, notably the human tumor-associated QKI-NTRK2 fusion, can cooperate with Ink4a/Arf loss to drive astrocytoma formation. Therefore, we propose NTRK2 as a potential therapeutic target in the subset of astrocytoma patients defined by QKI-NTRK2 fusion.

Establishment and application of a novel patient-derived KIAA1549:BRAF-driven pediatric pilocytic astrocytoma model for preclinical drug testing.

Pilocytic astrocytoma (PA) is the most frequent pediatric brain tumor. Activation of the MAPK pathway is well established as the oncogenic driver of the disease. It is most frequently caused by KIAA1549:BRAF fusions, and leads to oncogene induced senescence (OIS). OIS is thought to be a major reason for growth arrest of PA cells in vitro and in vivo, preventing establishment of PA cultures. Hence, valid preclinical models are currently very limited, but preclinical testing of new compounds is urgently needed. We transduced the PA short-term culture DKFZ-BT66 derived from the PA of a 2-year old patient with a doxycycline-inducible system coding for Simian Vacuolating Virus 40 Large T Antigen (SV40-TAg). SV40-TAg inhibits TP53/CDKN1A and CDKN2A/RB1, two pathways critical for OIS induction and maintenance. DNA methylation array and KIAA1549:BRAF fusion analysis confirmed pilocytic astrocytoma identity of DKFZ-BT66 cells after establishment. Readouts were analyzed in proliferating as well as senescent states, including cell counts, viability, cell cycle analysis, expression of SV40-Tag, CDKN2A (p16), CDKN1A (p21), and TP53 (p53) protein, and gene-expression profiling. Selected MAPK inhibitors (MAPKi) including clinically available MEK inhibitors (MEKi) were tested in vitro. Expression of SV40-TAg enabled the cells to bypass OIS and to resume proliferation with a mean doubling time of 45h allowing for propagation and long-term culture. Withdrawal of doxycycline led to an immediate decrease of SV40-TAg expression, appearance of senescent morphology, upregulation of CDKI proteins and a subsequent G1 growth arrest in line with the re-induction of senescence. DKFZ-BT66 cells still underwent replicative senescence that was overcome by TERT expression. Testing of a set of MAPKi revealed differential responses in DKFZ-BT66. MEKi efficiently inhibited MAPK signaling at clinically achievable concentrations, while BRAF V600E- and RAF Type II inhibitors showed paradoxical activation. Taken together, we have established the first patient-derived long term expandable PA cell line expressing the KIAA1549:BRAF-fusion suitable for preclinical drug testing.

Challenges in Targeting a Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factor with Hydrocarbon-Stapled Peptides.

Basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors play critical roles in organism development and disease by regulating cell proliferation and differentiation. Transcriptional activity, whether by bHLH homo- or heterodimerization, is dependent on protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions mediated by α-helices. Thus, α-helical decoys have been proposed as potential targeted therapies for pathologic bHLH transcription. Here, we developed a library of stabilized α-helices of OLIG2 (SAH-OLIG2) to test the capacity of hydrocarbon-stapled peptides to disrupt OLIG2 homodimerization, which drives the development and chemoresistance of glioblastoma multiforme, one of the deadliest forms of human brain cancer. Although stapling successfully reinforced the α-helical structure of bHLH constructs of varying length, sequence-specific dissociation of OLIG2 dimers from DNA was not achieved. Re-evaluation of the binding determinants for OLIG2 self-association and stability revealed an unanticipated role of the C-terminal domain. These data highlight potential pitfalls in peptide-based targeting of bHLH transcription factors given the liabilities of their positively charged amino acid sequences and multifactorial binding determinants.

Gliomas "Dope Up" for Growth.

An emerging body of data highlights trophic functions of neurotransmitters on proliferation and differentiation of normal neural progenitors. In this issue of Cancer Cell, Dolma et al. document pro-survival functions of a neurotransmitter receptor in glioma progenitor cells, with practical overtones for therapy.

MYB-QKI rearrangements in angiocentric glioma drive tumorigenicity through a tripartite mechanism.

Angiocentric gliomas are pediatric low-grade gliomas (PLGGs) without known recurrent genetic drivers. We performed genomic analysis of new and published data from 249 PLGGs, including 19 angiocentric gliomas. We identified MYB-QKI fusions as a specific and single candidate driver event in angiocentric gliomas. In vitro and in vivo functional studies show that MYB-QKI rearrangements promote tumorigenesis through three mechanisms: MYB activation by truncation, enhancer translocation driving aberrant MYB-QKI expression and hemizygous loss of the tumor suppressor QKI. To our knowledge, this represents the first example of a single driver rearrangement simultaneously transforming cells via three genetic and epigenetic mechanisms in a tumor.

A Brain Tumor/Organotypic Slice Co-culture System for Studying Tumor Microenvironment and Targeted Drug Therapies.

Brain tumors are a major cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality. Developing new therapeutics for these cancers is difficult, as many of these tumors are not easily grown in standard culture conditions. Neurosphere cultures under serum-free conditions and orthotopic xenografts have expanded the range of tumors that can be maintained. However, many types of brain tumors remain difficult to propagate or study. This is particularly true for pediatric brain tumors such as pilocytic astrocytomas and medulloblastomas. This protocol describes a system that allows primary human brain tumors to be grown in culture. This quantitative assay can be used to investigate the effect of microenvironment on tumor growth, and to test new drug therapies. This protocol describes a system where fluorescently labeled brain tumor cells are grown on an organotypic brain slice from a juvenile mouse. The response of tumor cells to drug treatments can be studied in this assay, by analyzing changes in the number of cells on the slice over time. In addition, this system can address the nature of the microenvironment that normally fosters growth of brain tumors. This brain tumor organotypic slice co-culture assay provides a propitious system for testing new drugs on human tumor cells within a brain microenvironment.

Of Brains and Blood: Developmental Origins of Glioma Diversity?

The multiple cell types of brain and blood arise from pluripotent stem cells via progressively more committed downstream progenitors. In this issue of Cancer Cell, Alcantara Llaguno and colleagues show that identical genetic drivers give rise to distinct glioma subtypes within differentially committed neural progenitors-a paradigm well established for leukemias.

An amino terminal phosphorylation motif regulates intranuclear compartmentalization of Olig2 in neural progenitor cells.

The bHLH transcription factor Olig2 is expressed in cycling neural progenitor cells but also in terminally differentiated, myelinating oligodendrocytes. Sustained expression of Olig2 is counterintuitive because all known functions of the protein in expansion of neural progenitors and specification of oligodendrocyte progenitors are completed with the formation of mature white matter. How are the biological functions of Olig2 suppressed in terminally differentiated oligodendrocytes? In previous studies, we have shown that a triple serine motif in the amino terminus of Olig2 is phosphorylated in cycling neural progenitors but not in their differentiated progeny. We now show that phosphorylation of the triple serine motif regulates intranuclear compartmentalization of murine Olig2. Phosphorylated Olig2 is preferentially localized to a transcriptionally active "open" chromatin compartment together with coregulator proteins essential for regulation of gene expression. Unphosphorylated Olig2, as seen in mature white matter, is localized mainly within a transcriptionally inactive, chromatin fraction characterized by condensed and inaccessible DNA. Of special note is the observation that the p53 tumor suppressor protein is confined to the open chromatin fraction. Proximity ligation assays show that phosphorylation brings Olig2 within 30 nm of p53 within the open chromatin compartment. The data thus shed light on previously noted promitogenic functions of phosphorylated Olig2, which reflect, at least in part, an oppositional relationship with p53 functions.

Olig1 function is required to repress dlx1/2 and interneuron production in Mammalian brain.

Abnormal GABAergic interneuron density, and imbalance of excitatory versus inhibitory tone, is thought to result in epilepsy, neurodevelopmental disorders, and psychiatric disease. Recent studies indicate that interneuron cortical density is determined primarily by the size of the precursor pool in the embryonic telencephalon. However, factors essential for regulating interneuron allocation from telencephalic multipotent precursors are poorly understood. Here we report that Olig1 represses production of GABAergic interneurons throughout the mouse brain. Olig1 deletion in mutant mice results in ectopic expression and upregulation of Dlx1/2 genes in the ventral medial ganglionic eminences and adjacent regions of the septum, resulting in an ∼30% increase in adult cortical interneuron numbers. We show that Olig1 directly represses the Dlx1/2 I12b intergenic enhancer and that Dlx1/2 functions genetically downstream of Olig1. These findings establish Olig1 as an essential repressor of Dlx1/2 and interneuron production in developing mammalian brain.

Molecular imaging of drug transit through the blood-brain barrier with MALDI mass spectrometry imaging.

Drug transit through the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is essential for therapeutic responses in malignant glioma. Conventional methods for assessment of BBB penetrance require synthesis of isotopically labeled drug derivatives. Here, we report a new methodology using matrix assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI MSI) to visualize drug penetration in brain tissue without molecular labeling. In studies summarized here, we first validate heme as a simple and robust MALDI MSI marker for the lumen of blood vessels in the brain. We go on to provide three examples of how MALDI MSI can provide chemical and biological insights into BBB penetrance and metabolism of small molecule signal transduction inhibitors in the brain - insights that would be difficult or impossible to extract by use of radiolabeled compounds.

Genomic analysis of diffuse pediatric low-grade gliomas identifies recurrent oncogenic truncating rearrangements in the transcription factor MYBL1.

Pediatric low-grade gliomas (PLGGs) are among the most common solid tumors in children but, apart from BRAF kinase mutations or duplications in specific subclasses, few genetic driver events are known. Diffuse PLGGs comprise a set of uncommon subtypes that exhibit invasive growth and are therefore especially challenging clinically. We performed high-resolution copy-number analysis on 44 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded diffuse PLGGs to identify recurrent alterations. Diffuse PLGGs exhibited fewer such alterations than adult low-grade gliomas, but we identified several significantly recurrent events. The most significant event, 8q13.1 gain, was observed in 28% of diffuse astrocytoma grade IIs and resulted in partial duplication of the transcription factor MYBL1 with truncation of its C-terminal negative-regulatory domain. A similar recurrent deletion-truncation breakpoint was identified in two angiocentric gliomas in the related gene v-myb avian myeloblastosis viral oncogene homolog (MYB) on 6q23.3. Whole-genome sequencing of a MYBL1-rearranged diffuse astrocytoma grade II demonstrated MYBL1 tandem duplication and few other events. Truncated MYBL1 transcripts identified in this tumor induced anchorage-independent growth in 3T3 cells and tumor formation in nude mice. Truncated transcripts were also expressed in two additional tumors with MYBL1 partial duplication. Our results define clinically relevant molecular subclasses of diffuse PLGGs and highlight a potential role for the MYB family in the biology of low-grade gliomas.

Separated at birth? The functional and molecular divergence of OLIG1 and OLIG2.

The basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors oligodendrocyte transcription factor 1 (OLIG1) and OLIG2 are structurally similar and, to a first approximation, coordinately expressed in the developing CNS and postnatal brain. Despite these similarities, it was apparent from early on after their discovery that OLIG1 and OLIG2 have non-overlapping developmental functions in patterning, neuron subtype specification and the formation of oligodendrocytes. Here, we summarize more recent insights into the separate roles of these transcription factors in the postnatal brain during repair processes and in neurological disease states, including multiple sclerosis and malignant glioma. We discuss how the unique functions of OLIG1 and OLIG2 may reflect their distinct genetic targets, co-regulator proteins and/or post-translational modifications.

Asleep at the switch: MEK kinases control transit to gliogenesis in developing cortex.

In this issue of Neuron, Li et al. (2012) show that the neuron/glia cell fate switch of cortical progenitors is regulated by MEK1 and MEK2. The observations resonate with recent studies on the genesis of low-grade astrocytomas and highlight neuronal support functions of astrocytes in the postnatal brain.