Copy neutral loss of heterozygosity (cnLOH) patterns in synchronous colorectal cancer

Eur J Hum Genet. 2021 Apr;29(4):709-713. doi: 10.1038/s41431-020-00774-w. Epub 2020 Dec 2.

Abstract

Copy neutral loss of heterozygosity (cnLOH) is a common event in several human malignancies-positing this as a mechanism of carcinogenesis. However, the role of cnLOH in synchronous colorectal cancer (SCRC), a unique CRC subtype, is not well understood. The aim of this study was to establish a cnLOH profile of SCRC using a single-nucleotide polymorphism array (SNP-A), and to explore associations between cnLOH and the genomic landscape of frequently mutated genes in SCRC. Among 74 paired SCRC cases, the most frequently altered regions were 16p11.2-p11.1 (59.5%) and 11p11.2-p11.12 (28.4%). Notably, the 6q11.21-q11.22 region altered by cnLOH was uniquely associated with polyclonal SCRCs (p = 0.038). Together, our analysis suggests that inactivation of tumor suppressor genes and cnLOH are rare events among SCRC cases. This study defines distinct patterns of cnLOH in SCRC, and provides initial evidence of a role for cnLOH in SCRC etiology.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Chromosomes, Human, Pair 11 / genetics
  • Chromosomes, Human, Pair 6 / genetics
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / pathology
  • Gene Frequency
  • Genes, Tumor Suppressor
  • Humans
  • Loss of Heterozygosity*
  • Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / genetics*
  • Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / pathology
  • Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide