Pathway enrichment analysis in tumors with high mutation burdens and interferon-γ signature expression: A pancancer analysis.

Authors

null

Xuanyi Li

Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN

Xuanyi Li , Ben Ho Park , Justin M. Balko , Douglas Buckner Johnson

Organizations

Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN

Research Funding

No funding received
None.

Background: Tumor mutation burden (TMB) correlates with immunotherapy response, but outcomes still vary in high TMB cancers, and many high TMB tumors lack T cell infiltration. Here, we assessed gene expression signatures of high TMB, including both inflamed and non-inflamed tumors (defined by interferon-γ [IFN-γ] gene signatures). Methods: Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was assessed from RNA-sequencing data in tumors in TCGA. TMB and IFN-γ signature score were assessed by previously published methods. We performed GSEA on high vs low TMB tumors, and further stratified by high vs low IFN-γ signature expression within high TMB tumors. We validated results in Tempus RNA-sequencing data from 264 patients at Vanderbilt. Results: 4020 TCGA cases in non-small cell lung, melanoma, bladder, head and neck, kidney, and colorectal cancer were included. Major signatures upregulated in the high TMB group included cell cycle signaling, nuclear protein/mRNA export, cholesterol biosynthetics, and ubiquitin signaling. High TMB/high IFN-γ signature tumors were enriched in immune-related pathways (neutrophil and monocyte chemotaxis, T cell activation and proliferation, and interleukin-1 secretion), and non-immune pathways including cAMP metabolic process and phosphatidylinositol signaling. High TMB/low IFN-γ signature tumors had enriched pathways in nonsense mediated decay, electron transport chain/oxidative phosphorylation, and mitochondrial translational disassembly. 264 tumors from Vanderbilt were used for validation; pathways including cholesterol biosynthetics also correlated with immunotherapy response. Conclusions: High TMB tumors were enriched in pathways such as ubiquitin signaling, which could regulate immune cell function in antitumor immunity. Within high TMB cancers, tumors with higher IFN-γ signatures have enriched immune-related, and metabolic pathways, which could suggest novel therapeutic targets to make high TMB/ low IFN-γ tumors more immunogenic.

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Abstract Details

Meeting

2023 ASCO Annual Meeting

Session Type

Poster Session

Session Title

Developmental Therapeutics—Molecularly Targeted Agents and Tumor Biology

Track

Developmental Therapeutics—Molecularly Targeted Agents and Tumor Biology

Sub Track

Tissue-Based Biomarkers

Citation

J Clin Oncol 41, 2023 (suppl 16; abstr 3138)

DOI

10.1200/JCO.2023.41.16_suppl.3138

Abstract #

3138

Poster Bd #

336

Abstract Disclosures

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