A novel HMGA2::KITLG fusion in a dedifferentiated liposarcoma with amplification of MDM2 and HMGA2

Abstract

High-mobility group AT-hook 2 (HMGA2) is rearranged in various types of mesenchymal tumors, particularly lipomas. HMGA2 is also co-amplified with mouse double minute 2 (MDM2) in well-differentiated liposarcoma/dedifferentiated liposarcoma (WDLPS/DDLPS). We report a case of relapsed DDLPS with a novel in-frame fusion between HMGA2 and KITLG, which encodes the ligand for KIT kinase, a critical protein involved in gametogenesis, hematopoiesis, and melanogenesis. The HMGA2 breakpoint is in intron 3, a commonly observed location for HMGA2 rearrangements, while the KITLG breakpoint is in intron 2, leading to a fusion protein that contains almost the entire coding sequence of KITLG. By immunohistochemical staining, tumor cells expressed KIT and showed phosphorylated MAPK, a major KIT downstream target. We suggest an oncogenic mechanism that involves the overexpression of KITLG caused by its rearrangement with HMGA2, leading to the constitutive activation of KIT kinase. While MDM2 amplification was observed in both the primary tumor and the relapsed tumor, the HMGA2::KITLG was only present in the relapsed tumor, indicating the role of HMGA2::KITLG in disease progression.

Keywords: HMGA2; KITLG; SCF; liposarcoma.