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Katainen R, Dave K, Pitkänen E, Palin K, Kivioja T, Välimäki N, Gylfe AE, Ristolainen H, Hänninen UA, Cajuso T, Kondelin J, Tanskanen T, Mecklin JP, Järvinen H, Renkonen-Sinisalo L, Lepistö A, Kaasinen E, Kilpivaara O, Tuupanen S, Enge M, Taipale J, Aaltonen LA
Nat. Genet. 47 (7) 818-821 [2015-07-00; online 2015-06-09]
Cohesin is present in almost all active enhancer regions, where it is associated with transcription factors. Cohesin frequently colocalizes with CTCF (CCCTC-binding factor), affecting genomic stability, expression and epigenetic homeostasis. Cohesin subunits are mutated in cancer, but CTCF/cohesin-binding sites (CBSs) in DNA have not been examined for mutations. Here we report frequent mutations at CBSs in cancers displaying a mutational signature where mutations in A•T base pairs predominate. Integration of whole-genome sequencing data from 213 colorectal cancer (CRC) samples and chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-exo) data identified frequent point mutations at CBSs. In contrast, CRCs showing an ultramutator phenotype caused by defects in the exonuclease domain of DNA polymerase ɛ (POLE) displayed significantly fewer mutations at and adjacent to CBSs. Analysis of public data showed that multiple cancer types accumulate CBS mutations. CBSs are a major mutational hotspot in the noncoding cancer genome.
Karolinska High Throughput Center (KHTC)
PubMed 26053496
DOI 10.1038/ng.3335
Crossref 10.1038/ng.3335
pii: ng.3335