AUTHOR=Liu Minglu , Zhou Xiaoyu , Liu Jun , Lu Chelong , Zhang Guoqing , Zhang Jing , Jiao Shunchang 

TITLE=Predictive Biomarkers of Dicycloplatin Resistance or Susceptibility in Prostate Cancer

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Genetics

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/genetics/articles/10.3389/fgene.2021.669605

DOI=10.3389/fgene.2021.669605

ISSN=1664-8021

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Background</title><p>Prostate cancer (PCa) is among the leading causes of cancer mortality. Dicycloplatin is a newer generation platinum-based drug that has less side effects than cisplatin and carboplatin. However, its effects in PCa is mixed due to lack of appropriate stratifying biomarkers. Aiming to search for such biomarkers, here, we analyze a group of PCa patients with different responses to dicycloplatin.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>We carried out whole-exome sequencing on cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and matched leukocyte DNA from 16 PCa patients before treatment with dicycloplatin. We then compared the clinical characteristics, somatic mutations, copy number variants (CNVs), and mutational signatures between the dicycloplatin-sensitive (nine patients) and dicycloplatin-resistant (seven patients) groups and tested the identified mutations, CNV, and their combinations as marker of dicycloplatin response.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>The mutation frequency of seven genes (<italic>SP8</italic>, <italic>HNRNPCL1</italic>, <italic>FRG1</italic>, <italic>RBM25</italic>, <italic>MUC16</italic>, <italic>ASTE1</italic>, and <italic>TMBIM4</italic>) and CNV rate of four genes (<italic>CTAGE4</italic>, <italic>GAGE2E</italic>, <italic>GAGE2C</italic>, and <italic>HORMAD1</italic>) were higher in the resistant group than in the sensitive group, while the CNV rate in six genes (<italic>CDSN</italic>, <italic>DPCR1</italic>, <italic>MUC22</italic>, <italic>TMSB4Y</italic>, <italic>VARS</italic>, and <italic>HISTCH2AC</italic>) were lower in the resistant group than in the sensitive group. A combination of simultaneous mutation in two genes (<italic>SP8</italic>/<italic>HNRNPCL1</italic> or <italic>SP8</italic>/<italic>FRG1</italic>) and deletion of <italic>GAGE2C</italic> together were found capable to predict dicycloplatin resistance with 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>We successfully used cfDNA to monitor mutational profiles of PCa and designed an effective composite marker to select patients for dicycloplatin treatment based on their mutational profile.</p></sec>