Mutations in the RAS/MAPK Pathway Drive Replication Repair-Deficient Hypermutated Tumors and Confer Sensitivity to MEK Inhibition.

The RAS/MAPK pathway is an emerging targeted pathway across a spectrum of both adult and pediatric cancers. Typically, this is associated with a single, well-characterized point mutation in an oncogene. Hypermutant tumors that harbor many somatic mutations may obscure the interpretation of such targetable genomic events. We find that replication repair-deficient (RRD) cancers, which are universally hypermutant and affect children born with RRD cancer predisposition, are enriched for RAS/MAPK mutations (P = 10-8). These mutations are not random, exist in subclones, and increase in allelic frequency over time. The RAS/MAPK pathway is activated both transcriptionally and at the protein level in patient-derived RRD tumors, and these tumors responded to MEK inhibition in vitro and in vivo. Treatment of patients with RAS/MAPK hypermutant gliomas reveals durable responses to MEK inhibition. Our observations suggest that hypermutant tumors may be addicted to oncogenic pathways, resulting in favorable response to targeted therapies. SIGNIFICANCE: Tumors harboring a single RAS/MAPK driver mutation are targeted individually for therapeutic purposes. We find that in RRD hypermutant cancers, mutations in the RAS/MAPK pathway are enriched, highly expressed, and result in sensitivity to MEK inhibitors. Targeting an oncogenic pathway may provide therapeutic options for these hypermutant polyclonal cancers.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 1307.

DNA Polymerase and Mismatch Repair Exert Distinct Microsatellite Instability Signatures in Normal and Malignant Human Cells.

Although replication repair deficiency, either by mismatch repair deficiency (MMRD) and/or loss of DNA polymerase proofreading, can cause hypermutation in cancer, microsatellite instability (MSI) is considered a hallmark of MMRD alone. By genome-wide analysis of tumors with germline and somatic deficiencies in replication repair, we reveal a novel association between loss of polymerase proofreading and MSI, especially when both components are lost. Analysis of indels in microsatellites (MS-indels) identified five distinct signatures (MS-sigs). MMRD MS-sigs are dominated by multibase losses, whereas mutant-polymerase MS-sigs contain primarily single-base gains. MS deletions in MMRD tumors depend on the original size of the MS and converge to a preferred length, providing mechanistic insight. Finally, we demonstrate that MS-sigs can be a powerful clinical tool for managing individuals with germline MMRD and replication repair-deficient cancers, as they can detect the replication repair deficiency in normal cells and predict their response to immunotherapy. SIGNIFICANCE: Exome- and genome-wide MSI analysis reveals novel signatures that are uniquely attributed to mismatch repair and DNA polymerase. This provides new mechanistic insight into MS maintenance and can be applied clinically for diagnosis of replication repair deficiency and immunotherapy response prediction.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 995.

Cancers from Novel Pole-Mutant Mouse Models Provide Insights into Polymerase-Mediated Hypermutagenesis and Immune Checkpoint Blockade.

POLE mutations are a major cause of hypermutant cancers, yet questions remain regarding mechanisms of tumorigenesis, genotype-phenotype correlation, and therapeutic considerations. In this study, we establish mouse models harboring cancer-associated POLE mutations P286R and S459F, which cause rapid albeit distinct time to cancer initiation in vivo, independent of their exonuclease activity. Mouse and human correlates enabled novel stratification of POLE mutations into three groups based on clinical phenotype and mutagenicity. Cancers driven by these mutations displayed striking resemblance to the human ultrahypermutation and specific signatures. Furthermore, Pole-driven cancers exhibited a continuous and stochastic mutagenesis mechanism, resulting in intertumoral and intratumoral heterogeneity. Checkpoint blockade did not prevent Pole lymphomas, but rather likely promoted lymphomagenesis as observed in humans. These observations provide insights into the carcinogenesis of POLE-driven tumors and valuable information for genetic counseling, surveillance, and immunotherapy for patients. SIGNIFICANCE: Two mouse models of polymerase exonuclease deficiency shed light on mechanisms of mutation accumulation and considerations for immunotherapy.See related commentary by Wisdom and Kirsch p. 5459.

Comprehensive Analysis of Hypermutation in Human Cancer.

We present an extensive assessment of mutation burden through sequencing analysis of >81,000 tumors from pediatric and adult patients, including tumors with hypermutation caused by chemotherapy, carcinogens, or germline alterations. Hypermutation was detected in tumor types not previously associated with high mutation burden. Replication repair deficiency was a major contributing factor. We uncovered new driver mutations in the replication-repair-associated DNA polymerases and a distinct impact of microsatellite instability and replication repair deficiency on the scale of mutation load. Unbiased clustering, based on mutational context, revealed clinically relevant subgroups regardless of the tumors' tissue of origin, highlighting similarities in evolutionary dynamics leading to hypermutation. Mutagens, such as UV light, were implicated in unexpected cancers, including sarcomas and lung tumors. The order of mutational signatures identified previous treatment and germline replication repair deficiency, which improved management of patients and families. These data will inform tumor classification, genetic testing, and clinical trial design.