Academic literature on the topic 'Extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA)'

Examples of extrachromosomal circular DNAs (eccDNAs) are found in many organisms, but their impact on genetic variation at the genome scale has not been investigated. We mapped 1,756 eccDNAs in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome using Circle-Seq, a highly sensitive eccDNA purification method. Yeast eccDNAs ranged from an arbitrary lower limit of 1 kb up to 38 kb and covered 23% of the genome, representing thousands of genes. EccDNA arose both from genomic regions with repetitive sequences ≥15 bases long and from regions with short or no repetitive sequences. Some eccDNAs were identified in several yeast populations. These eccDNAs contained ribosomal genes, transposon remnants, and tandemly repeated genes (HXT6/7, ENA1/2/5, and CUP1-1/-2) that were generally enriched on eccDNAs. EccDNAs seemed to be replicated and 80% contained consensus sequences for autonomous replication origins that could explain their maintenance. Our data suggest that eccDNAs are common in S. cerevisiae, where they might contribute substantially to genetic variation and evolution.

Extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA) is a special class of circular DNA in eukaryotes. Recent studies have suggested that eccDNA is the product of genomic instability and has important biological functions to regulate many downstream biological processes. While NGS (Next-Generation Sequencing)-based eccDNA sequencing has led to the identification of many eccDNAs in both healthy and diseased tissues, the specific biological functions of individual eccDNAs have yet to be clearly elucidated. Synthesizing eccDNAs longer than 1 kb with specific sequences remains a major challenge in the field, which has hindered our ability to fully understand their functions. Current methods for synthesizing eccDNAs primarily rely on chemical oligo synthesis, ligation, or the use of a specific gene editing and recombination systems. Therefore, these methods are often limited by the length of eccDNAs and are complex, expensive, as well as time-consuming. In this study, we introduce a novel method named QuickLAMA (Ligase-Assisted Minicircle Accumulation) for rapidly synthesizing eccDNAs up to 2.6 kb using a simple PCR and ligation approach. To validate the efficacy of our method, we synthesized three eccDNAs of varying lengths from cancer tissue and PC3 cells and confirmed successful circularization through sequencing and restriction enzyme digestion. Additional analyses have demonstrated that this method is highly efficient, cost-effective, and time-efficient, with good reproducibility. Using the method, a well-trained molecular biologist can synthesize and purify multiple eccDNAs within a single day, and it can be easily standardized and processed in a high-throughput manner, indicating the potential of the method to produce a wide range of desired eccDNAs and promote the translation of eccDNA research into clinical applications.

Extrachromosomal circular DNAs (eccDNAs) are enigmatic DNA molecules that have been detected in a range of organisms. In plants, eccDNAs have various genomic origins and may be derived from transposable elements. The structures of individual eccDNA molecules and their dynamics in response to stress are poorly understood. In this study, we showed that nanopore sequencing is a useful tool for the detection and structural analysis of eccDNA molecules. Applying nanopore sequencing to the eccDNA molecules of epigenetically stressed Arabidopsis plants grown under various stress treatments (heat, abscisic acid, and flagellin), we showed that TE-derived eccDNA quantity and structure vary dramatically between individual TEs. Epigenetic stress alone did not cause eccDNA up-regulation, whereas its combination with heat stress triggered the generation of full-length and various truncated eccDNAs of the ONSEN element. We showed that the ratio between full-length and truncated eccDNAs is TE- and condition-dependent. Our work paves the way for further elucidation of the structural features of eccDNAs and their connections with various biological processes, such as eccDNA transcription and eccDNA-mediated TE silencing.

Abstract Background Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) are chronic multifactorial disorders, which affect the gastrointestinal tract, including Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and Crohn’s Disease (CD). The existence of extrachromosomal circular DNA fragments (eccDNA) is well established, and it arises from all parts of the genome. eccDNA has mainly been studied in the context of cancer and not in relation to other diseases, and it has become a promising diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for different types of cancer. Herein, we investigate for the first time the role of eccDNA in IBD. Methods Forty consecutive IBD patients (19 CD, 21 UC) and 13 HC were enrolled, who underwent screening colonoscopy were prospectively enrolled at our center in this observational, case-controlled study. In IBD patients, disease activity was assessed using PMS and MES for UC, and HBI and SES-CD for CD. Colonic biopsies were collected from both inflamed and healthy mucosa in IBD patients and from HC. eccDNA was enriched, sequenced, and identified with Circle Finder from intestinal biopsies. Results Colonic mucosal samples from IBD patients showed increased average of eccDNAs, across all chromosomes than samples from HC. Furthermore, there was a slight yet significant tendency for larger eccDNAs in IBDs compared to HCs. Focusing on eccDNA coming from genic elements ("genic eccDNAs"), approximately 60% were fragments from protein coding genes, 32% from non-coding RNAs and 8% from pseudogenes. IBD patients had, on average, significantly more genic eccDNAs in their intestines as compared to HC. Moreover, IBD in remission had fewer eccDNAs in their intestines than active disease, although not statistically significant. eccDNAs from phosphodiesterase genes and genes involved in lipid metabolism were enriched in patients with active IBD than patients in remission. eccDNA from inflamed mucosa (both in UC and in CD) show an enrichment of genes related to inflammatory and immune pathways, such as MAPK, mTOR, ErB, Rap-1 and cGMP (SPOKE3, GRID2, DLEU1, ITGA8, NRG1). Conclusion We are the first to uncover an IBD-specific pattern of eccDNA production. Furthermore, we identified genic hotspots which characterize active vs. inactive disease and inflamed vs. healthy colonic tissue. We propose that eccDNA identification could be a promising new diagnostic marker for IBD patients.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) develops through multiple mechanisms. While recent studies have shown the presence of extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA) in most cancer types, the eccDNA expression pattern and its association with HCC remain obscure. We aimed to investigate this problem. The genome-wide eccDNA profiles of eight paired HCC and adjacent non-tumor tissue samples were comprehensively elucidated based on Circle-seq, and they were further cross-analyzed with the RNA sequencing data to determine the association between eccDNA expression and transcriptome dysregulation. A total of 60,423 unique eccDNA types were identified. Most of the detected eccDNAs were smaller than 1 kb, with a length up to 182,363 bp and a mean sizes of 674 bp (non-tumor) and 813 bp (tumor), showing a greater association with gene-rich rather than with gene-poor regions. Although there was no statistical difference in length and chromosome distribution, the eccDNA patterns between HCC and adjacent non-tumor tissues showed significant differences at both the chromosomal and single gene levels. Five of the eight HCC tissues showed significantly higher amounts of chromosome 22-derived eccDNA expression compared to the non-tumor tissue. Furthermore, two genes, SLC16A3 and BAIAP2L2, with a higher transcription level in tumor tissues, were related to eccDNAs exclusively detected in three HCC samples and were negatively associated with survival rates in HCC cohorts from public databases. These results indicate the existence and massive heterogeneity of eccDNAs in HCC and adjacent liver tissues, and suggest their potential association with dysregulated gene expression.

Abstract Background Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD), comprising Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and Crohn’s Disease (CD), are chronic, relapsing-remitting disorders of the gastrointestinal tract with unclear etiology. Identifying reliable biomarkers for predicting disease progression and treatment response remains a priority. Extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA) has shown promise as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in oncology, but its potential in IBD patients, including the gene fragments involved, has not been extensively studied. Methods This monocentric, observational case-control study enrolled IBD patients and healthy controls (HC) undergoing colonoscopy for colorectal cancer screening at our center. IBD disease activity was assessed using the Partial Mayo Score and Mayo Endoscopic Subscore (MES) for UC, and the Harvey-Bradshaw Index and Simple Endoscopic Score (SES-CD) for CD. Colonic biopsies were collected from both inflamed and healthy mucosa of IBD patients, and from HCs. eccDNA was purified using the Circle-Seq method; detection was performed with the Circle Finder pipeline. The study analyzed differences in eccDNA abundances between IBD patients and HCs, focusing on Differentially Produced per Gene eccDNAs (DPpGCs). Results In total, 93 IBD patients (38 CD, 39 UC) and 16 HC were included. IBD patients showed a significantly higher abundance of eccDNAs compared to HC, with this increase observed across all chromosomes, suggesting a global upregulation of eccDNA production throughout the human genome. There was also a statistically significant trend towards larger eccDNA fragments in IBD biopsies. Notably, even when considering only eccDNA derived from genic elements ("genic eccDNAs") IBD patients exhibited a significantly higher abundance of eccDNA compared to HCs. Analysis of DPpGCs (fold change >1 log2, p < 0.01) identified 152 genes enriched in IBD, including GRID2 and NRG1. In CD patients, 70 genes, such as FGF14, SOX5, and ZBTB20, were enriched, while UC patients had 123 enriched genes, including NRG1, SPOCK3, and ATP13A4. Patients in endoscopic remission (SES-CD< 3, MES 0-1) exhibited fewer eccDNAs, though this reduction was not statistically significant. Among identified DPpGCs, key genes included FARS2, HERC3, and PNK2. When analyzing UC and CD seperately, we found a statistically significant increase of eccDNA production in active UC, but not in CD, with NRG1 being notably overrepresented, suggesting its potential as a UC-specific biomarker. Conclusion Our study unveils a unique pattern of eccDNA production in IBD. We showed that circles harboring specific genes can distinguish UC and CD from HCs with statistical significance (p<0.01), indicating that eccDNA profiling may represent a novel diagnostic tool for IBD patients.

We explored the presence of extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA) in the plasma of pregnant women. Through sequencing following either restriction enzyme or Tn5 transposase treatment, we identified eccDNA molecules in the plasma of pregnant women. These eccDNA molecules showed bimodal size distributions peaking at ∼202 and ∼338 bp with distinct 10-bp periodicity observed throughout the size ranges within both peaks, suggestive of their nucleosomal origin. Also, the predominance of the 338-bp peak of eccDNA indicated that eccDNA had a larger size distribution than linear DNA in human plasma. Moreover, eccDNA of fetal origin were shorter than the maternal eccDNA. Genomic annotation of the overall population of eccDNA molecules revealed a preference of these molecules to be generated from 5′-untranslated regions (5′-UTRs), exonic regions, and CpG island regions. Two sets of trinucleotide repeat motifs flanking the junctional sites of eccDNA supported multiple possible models for eccDNA generation. This work highlights the topologic analysis of plasma DNA, which is an emerging direction for circulating nucleic acid research and applications.

Extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA) is a circular DNA molecule outside of eukaryotic staining, in which DNA forms in the genome or exogenous DNA in the cell. eccDNA is a special class of genetic material that can carry complete genes encoding functional proteins or RNA. Studies have shown that eccDNA can participate in various physiological and pathological processes in a special way, such as aging and the occurrence of tumors. This paper reviews the latest research progress of eccDNA and further expounds on the relationship between eccDNA and tumors.

Extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA), a double-stranded circular DNA molecule found in multiple organisms, has garnered an increasing amount of attention in recent years due to its close association with the initiation, malignant progression, and heterogeneous evolution of cancer. The presence of eccDNA in serum assists in non-invasive tumor diagnosis as a biomarker that can be assessed via liquid biopsies. Furthermore, the specific expression patterns of eccDNA provide new insights into personalized cancer therapy. EccDNA plays a pivotal role in tumorigenesis, development, diagnosis, and treatment. In this review, we comprehensively outline the research trajectory of eccDNA, discuss its role as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker, and elucidate its regulatory mechanisms in cancer. In particular, we emphasize the potential application value of eccDNA in cancer diagnosis and treatment and anticipate the development of novel tumor diagnosis strategies based on serum eccDNA in the future.

During a survey for new viruses affecting hop plants, a circular DNA molecule was identified via rolling circle amplification (RCA) and later characterized. A small region of the 5.7-kb long molecule aligned with a microsatellite region in the Humulus lupulus genome, and no coding sequence was identified. Sequence analysis and literature review suggest that the small DNA molecule is an extranuclear DNA element, specifically, an extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA), and its presence was confirmed by electron microscopy. This work is the first report of eccDNAs in the family Cannabaceae. Additionally, this work highlights the advantages of using RCA to study extrachromosomal DNA in higher plants.

L’adaptation des organismes aux changements environnementaux est devenue une question fondamentale de la recherche, en particulier face aux impacts du réchauffement climatique. Un axe clé de recherche consiste à comprendre comment les éléments génétiques sous jacent, tels que les éléments transposables (ET). Les ET sont des séquences d'ADN répétés présentes chez tous les Eucaryotes, possédant la capacité unique de se déplacer au sein du génome, un phénomène appelé transposition active. Ainsi, ils peuvent provoquer des mutations en générant des insertions polymorphiques d'ET (TIPs) entre individus, voire des insertions somatiques. En général, les ET restent inactifs grâce à des mécanismes épigénétiques qui limitent leur prolifération incontrôlée. Cependant, ils peuvent être réactivés par divers stimuli environnementaux, rendant la transposition active relativement rare. Cette mobilité des ET peut être révélée en utilisant l'ADN circulaire extrachromosomique (ADNecc) comme marqueur de transposition. Le paysage transpostionnel des TEs et leur activité récente ont été décrits chez des organismes modèles, mais restent inexploités chez les espèces pérennes comme les arbres. Cette étude vise à explorer l’activité transpositionelle récente et la mobilité en cours des ET chez des espèces pérennes non modèles en utilisant le hêtre européen (Fagus sylvatica) comme notre modèle d’étude. Nous avons cherché à étudier l'activité récente des ET et leur mobilité continue en identifiant les variants causés par les ET au sein d'une population et chez un individu (à l'échelle somatique) en utilisant le séquençage du génome complet (WGS) et le séquençage du mobilome (ou ADNecc). Nous avons réalisé le séquençage WGS et du mobilome d'arbres de la forêt de Verzy, connue pour abriter des hêtres nains et tortillards, également appelés « mutants ». Ces arbres présentent des traits morphologiques instables, avec chez certains arbres de nouvelles branches qui se développent avec une forme normale. Nous avons identifié deux ET appartenant au type des Miniature Inverted Repeats Transposable Elements (MITEs), nommés SQUIRREL1 et SQUIRREL2, qui se mobilisent activement dans ces arbres, produisant une grande quantité dADNecc et causant même des variations somatiques. SQUIRREL1 et SQUIRREL2 sont également actifs dans les hêtres de la forêt de la Massane. De plus, dans tous ces arbres, plusieurs d’autres ET, principalement des MITEs, produisent une grande quantité dADNecc, bien que leur niveau d’activité semble varier en fonction des tissus, suggérant que l'activité des ET varie selon le stade de développement et indiquant une transposition dominée par les MITEs chez le hêtre. Parallèlement, nous avons étudié les TIPs dans une population de hêtres de la forêt de la Massane, une forêt ancienne classée au patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO. En séquençant 150 arbres, nous avons cherché à comprendre comment les ET contribuent à la diversité génétique de l'ensemble de la population en détectant les TIPs générés par les Long Terminal Repeats rétrotransposons (LTR RT) et les MITEs en utilisant le séquençage WGS. Nous avons détecté environ 30 000 TIPs de LTR-RT chez chaque individu, contre 70 000 TIPs de MITEs. La plupart de ces TIPs restent à faible fréquence mais de nombreux MITE-TIPs restent localisés près de gènes fonctionnels et conservés au sein de la population. À partir des TIPs, nous avons identifié plusieurs points chauds de variation et des régions conservées le long du génome du hêtre permettant d’abordant la structuration du génome chez cette espèce. Pour conclure, notre étude met en lumière l’importance des ET dans la structuration du paysage génomique des arbres, en particulier dans la manière dont ces éléments contribuent à l’évolution des espèces à longue durée de vie. Les recherches futures pourraient étendre ces travaux à d’autres espèces d'arbres et explorer si les schémas observés se retrouvent dans d’autres espèces d’arbres
The adaptation of organisms to environmental changes has become a fundamental research question,particularly in the context of climate change. A key area of this research is to identify underlying genetic elements, such as transposable elements (TEs), contributing to this process. TEs are repetitive DNA sequences found across all eukaryotes, possessing the unique ability to move within the genome, a phenomenon known as active transposition. They can cause mutations by generating transposable element insertion polymorphisms (TIPs) between individuals, and even somatic insertions. Generally, TEs remain inactive by epigenetic mechanisms that limit their uncontrolled proliferation. However, they can be reactivated upon various environmental stimuli, making active transposition relatively rare. TE mobility can be detected using extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA) as a marker of transposition. The transpositional landscape of TEs and their recent activity have been documented in model organisms but remain underexplored in perennial species such as trees. This study aims to investigate recent transpositional activity and ongoing mobility of TEs in non-model perennial species, using European beech (Fagus sylvatica) as our model. We sought to study recent TE activity and their continuous mobility byidentifying TE-induced variants within a population and in an individual (at the somatic scale) using whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and mobilome sequencing (eccDNA). We conducted WGS and mobilome sequencing of trees from the Verzy forest, known for its dwarf and tortuous beeches, also referred as "mutants." These trees exhibit unstable phenotypical traits, with some trees developing new normal branches. We identified two TEs belonging to the Miniature Inverted Repeat Transposable Elements (MITEs) type, named SQUIRREL1 and SQUIRREL2, which are actively mobilizing in these trees, producing large amounts of eccDNA and even causing somatic variations.SQUIRREL1 and SQUIRREL2 are also active in beech trees from the Massane forest. Furthermore, in all these trees, several other TEs,mainly MITEs, produce significant amounts of eccDNA, although their activity levels appear to vary depending on the tissues, suggesting that TE activity could be tissue-specific indicating MITE-dominated transposition in beech. Simultaneously, we investigated TIPs in a population of beech trees from the Massane forest, an ancient forest classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site. By sequencing 150 trees, we aimed to understand how TEs contribute to the genetic diversity of the entire population by detecting TIPs generated by Long Terminal Repeat retrotransposons (LTR-RTs) and MITEs using WGS. We detected approximately 30,000 LTR-RT TIPs in each individual, compared to 70,000 MITE TIPs. While most of these TIPs remain at low frequency, many MITE-TIPs are located near functional genes and more conserved within the population. Using these TIPs, we identified several hotspots of variation and conserved regions along the beech genome, providing insights into genome structure in this species. In conclusion, our study highlights the importance of TEs in shaping the genomic landscape of trees, particularly in understanding how these elements contribute to the evolution of long-lived species. Future research could expand this work to other tree species and explore whether the patterns observed in beeches are common in other types of trees

This thesis illustrates the work I have developed as a Ph.D. student in the computational genomics group lead by Dr. David Torrents at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center. The group’s expertise in the analysis of biological data and the detection of variants to gain more knowledge about the genetic and molecular implications of human diseases, such as cancer, has allowed me to learn and conduct my research. Focusing on the analysis of structural variation in cancer, I have been able to apply different methodologies for sequencing data, retrieving, filtering, and determining the mutational profile foreach ofthe studied samples.Moreover,I have characterized new patterns of genomic rearrangements related to transposase-derived genes and extrachromosomal circular DNA elements in cancer. Therefore, this thesis is centered in the study of the genomic variation and mechanisms associated with oncogenic processes together with the analysis of elements of the human genome that are not generally included in comprehensive cancer studies, such as circular DNA elements. In summary, starting with the introduction, I give an overview of the methodological aspects of the study of cancer through the impact of sequencing technologies, the biological and molecular causes and consequences of this disease, focusing on structural variation, and the description of the circular DNA genomic component and its known implications in cancer. Finally, I introduce neuroblastoma, an example of how structural variants and circular DNA drive tumorigenesis. Next, I present the results of this thesis in three blocks, all of which have in common the study of structural variation in cancer. Two of the blocks correspond to the PGBD5 and neuroblastoma publications, and one corresponds to the continuation of the PGBD5 analysis in ICGC-Pan-Cancer data. As an overview of the trajectory of this thesis, I started with my involvement in a project focused on analyzing the role of PGBD5 —a transposase-derived gene— as an oncogenic mutator with an associated mechanism for site-specific DNA rearrangements. In this study, we describe how the expression of this gene promotes cell transformation and the generation of recurrent rearrangements, presenting a conserved motif in cell lines and childhood tumors. As a logical continuation of this publication and thanks to the access of our group to ICGC-PCAWG data, we expanded the study of these characteristic PGBD5-motif-related rearrangements to different patients and tumor types. The following part of this thesis is focused on the analysis, description, and classification of the genomic somatic rearrangements in neuroblastoma. With the aim of better grouping the patients with different clinical outcomes, we searched for differential patterns of structural variants across the samples. From this analysis, we were able to describe a new phenomenon that connects circular DNA with different integration sites around the genome through complex rearrangement clusters providing evidence on how circular DNA can act as a driver of genomic remodeling in neuroblastoma. To finalize, I present the general discussion of the results and questions addressed in this work to, then, end up disclosing the final conclusions of this thesis.

Les éléments transposables (TEs) sont des séquences d'ADN répétitives avec la capacité intrinsèque de se déplacer et de s’amplifier dans les génomes. La transposition active des TEs est liée à la formation d'ADN circulaire extrachromosomique (ADNecc). Cependant, le paysage complet de ce compartiment d’ADNecc ainsi que ces interactions avec le génome n’étaient pas bien définies. De plus, il n’existait au début de ma thèse aucun outil bioinformatique permettant d'identifier les ADNecc à partir de données de séquençage en lectures longues. Pour répondre à ces questions au cours de mon doctorat, nous avons tout d'abord développé un outil, appelé ecc_finder, pour automatiser la détection d'eccDNA à partir de séquences en lectures longues et optimisé la détection à partir de séquences de lecture courte pour caractériser la mobilité des TE. En appliquant ecc_finder aux données eccDNA-seq d'Arabidopsis, de l'homme et du blé (avec des tailles de génome allant de 120 Mb à 17 Gb), nous avons documenté l'applicabilité étendue d'ecc_finder ainsi que l’optimisation du temps de calcul, de la sensibilité et de la précision.Dans le deuxième projet, nous avons développé un outil de méta-assemblage appelé SASAR pour réconcilier les résultats de différents assemblages de génomes à partir de données de séquençage en lectures longues. Pour différentes espèces de plantes, SASAR a obtenu des assemblages de génome de haute qualité en un temps efficace et a résolu les variations structurales causées par les TE.Dans le dernier projet, nous avons utilisé le génome assemblé par SASAR et l'ADNecc détecté par ecc_finder pour caractériser les interactions entre les ADNecc et le génome. Dans les mutants épigénétiques hypométhylés d’Arabidopsis, nous avons mis en évidence le rôle de l'épigénome dans la protection de la stabilité du génome non seulement contre la mobilité des TE mais aussi envers les réarrangements génomiques et le chimérisme des gènes. Globalement, nos découvertes sur l'ADNecc, l'assemblage du génome et leurs interactions, ainsi que le développement d'outils, offrent de nouvelles perspectives pour comprendre le rôle des TE dans l'évolution adaptative des plantes à un changement rapide de l’environnement
Transposable elements (TEs) are repetitive DNA sequences with the intrinsic ability to move and amplify in genomes. Active transposition of TEs is linked to the formation of extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA). However, the complete landscape of this eccDNA compartment and its interactions with the genome were not well defined. In addition, at the beginning of my thesis, there were no bioinformatics tools available to identify eccDNAs from long-read sequencing data.To address these questions during my PhD, we first developed a tool, called ecc_finder, to automate eccDNA detection from long-read sequencing and optimized detection from short-read sequences to characterize TE mobility. By applying ecc_finder to Arabidopsis, human and wheat eccDNA-seq data (with genome sizes ranging from 120 Mb to 17 Gb), we documented the broad applicability of ecc_finder as well as optimization of computational time, sensitivity and accuracy.In the second project, we developed a meta-assembly tool called SASAR to reconcile the results of different genome assemblies from long-read sequencing data. For different plant species, SASAR obtained high quality genome assemblies in an efficient time and resolved structural variations caused by TEs.In the last project, we used SASAR-assembled genome and ecc_finder-detected eccDNA to characterize eccDNA-genome interactions. In Arabidopsis hypomethylated epigenetic mutants, we highlighted the role of the epigenome in protecting genome stability not only from TE mobility but also from genomic rearrangements and gene chimerism. Overall, our findings on eccDNA, genome assembly and their interactions, as well as the development of tools, offer new insights into the role of TEs in the adaptive evolution of plants to rapid environmental change

Genregulation beeinflusst Phänotypen im Kontext von Gesundheit und Krankheit. In Krebszellen regulieren genetische und epigenetische Faktoren die Genexpression in cis. Das Neuroblastom ist eine Krebserkrankung, die häufig im Kindesalter auftritt. Es ist gekennzeichnet durch eine geringe Anzahl exonischer Mutationen und durch häufige Veränderungen der somatischen Kopienzahl, einschließlich Genamplifikationen auf extrachromosomaler zirkulärer DNA. Bisher ist wenig darüber bekannt, wie lokale genetische und epigenetische Faktoren Gene im Neuroblastom regulieren. In dieser Arbeit kombiniere ich die allelspezifische Analyse ganzer Genome (WGS), Transkriptome und zirkulärer DNA von Neuroblastom-Patienten, um genetische und cis-regulatorische Effekte zu charakterisieren. Ich zeige, dass somatische Dosis-Effekte der Kopienzahl andere lokale genetische Effekte dominieren und wichtige Signalwege regulieren. Genamplifikationen zeigen starke Dosis-Effekte und befinden sich häufig auf großen extrachromosomalen zirkulären DNAs. Die vorgestellte Analyse zeigt, dass der Verlust von 11q zu einer Hochregulation von Histonvarianten H3.3 und H2A in Tumoren mit alternativer Verlängerung der Telomere (ALT) führt, und dass erhöhte somatische Kopienzahl die Expression der TERT Gens verstärken können. Weitere Erkenntnisse sind, dass 17p-Ungleichgewichte und die damit verbundene Herunterregulierung neuronaler Gene sowie die Hochregulierung des genomisch geprägten Gens RTL1 durch Kopienzahl-unabhängige allelische Dosis-Effekte mit einer ungünstigen Prognose verbunden sind. Die cis-QTL-Analyse bestätigt eine zuvor beschriebene Regulation des LMO1 Gens durch einen Enhancer-Polymorphismus und charakterisiert das regulatorische Potenzial weiterer GWAS-Risiko-Loci. Die Arbeit unterstreicht die Bedeutung von Dosis-Effekten im Neuroblastom und liefert eine detaillierte Übersicht regulatorischer Varianten, die in dieser Krankheit aktiv sind.
Gene regulation controls phenotypes in health and disease. In cancer, the interplay between germline variation, genetic aberrations and epigenetic factors modulate gene expression in cis. The childhood cancer neuroblastoma originates from progenitor cells of the sympathetic nervous system. It is characterized by a sparsity of recurrent exonic mutations but frequent somatic copy-number alterations, including gene amplifications on extrachromosomal circular DNA. So far, little is known on how local genetic and epigenetic factors regulate genes in neuroblastoma to establish disease phenotypes. I here combine allele-specific analysis of whole genomes, transcriptomes and circular DNA from neuroblastoma patients to characterize genetic and cis-regulatory effects, and prioritize germline regulatory variants by cis-QTLs mapping and chromatin profiles. The results show that somatic copy-number dosage dominates local genetic effects and regulates pathways involved in telomere maintenance, genomic stability and neuronal processes. Gene amplifications show strong dosage effects and are frequently located on large but not small extrachromosomal circular DNAs. My analysis implicates 11q loss in the upregulation of histone variants H3.3 and H2A in tumors with alternative lengthening of telomeres and cooperative effects of somatic rearrangements and somatic copy-number gains in the upregulation of TERT. Both 17p copy-number imbalances and associated downregulation of neuronal genes as well as upregulation of the imprinted gene RTL1 by copy-number-independent allelic dosage effects is associated with an unfavorable prognosis. cis-QTL analysis confirms the previously reported regulation of the LMO1 gene by a super-enhancer risk polymorphism and characterizes the regulatory potential of additional GWAS risk loci. My work highlights the importance of dosage effects in neuroblastoma and provides a detailed map of regulatory variation active in this disease.

DNA within cells is either present in the form of long strands as in eukaryotes or circular shapes in Yeast plasmids, mitochondrial DNA, and double minutes in tumor cells. Apart from them, ribosomal or telomeric DNA has been found to produce specialized forms of extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA). eccDNA was discovered in both normal and cancer cells in recent times, indicating a much more significant role. The eccDNA has been found to promote tumor proliferation, survival, and aggressiveness in almost half of all cancers by increasing oncogene copy numbers. This chapter will discuss the biogenesis and function of eccDNA and how it promotes tumor adaption under changing microtumour environmental conditions, as in the case of drugs.

Abstract Apart from generating deletions, are recombinase also mediates the reverse, integrative reaction by recombining loxP-containing, incoming vectors with a transgene or endogenous sequences harboring loxP sites in the genome. Thus, the capacity of the Cre/loxP system for site specific integration could be used as an alternative for homologous recombination to generate secondary modifications in loxP containing loci in cultured cells. Possible applications of loxP-mediated integration could include, for example, the analysis of different promoter regions into the same genomic site for gene expression studies or the replacement of different mutated exons in structure/function studies. For targeted integration, the loxP containing integration vector must be introduced together with a vector for transient Cre expression, ensuring only limited recombinase activity, to avoid the subsequent excision of the integrated, loxP-flanked DNA segment. In plant cells it has been shown that the equilibrium of Cre¬ mediated inversion can be shifted to one side by using a pair of two different mutant lox sites (42). Certainly this technique will be also used in future to stabilize the products of Cre-mediated integration in ES cells by preventing reexcision. A circular vector containing a single loxP site will be integrated completely (Figure 8), whereas from a linear vector with two loxP sites in the same orientation only the loxP-flanked region will be inserted, probably after extrachromosomal resolution of the floxed segment into a circle with a single loxP site (Figure 8).