Beta2-microglobulin mutations in microsatellite unstable colorectal tumors.
Defects of DNA mismatch repair (MMR) cause the high level microsatellite instability (MSI-H) phenotype. MSI-H cancers may develop either sporadically or in the context of the hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) syndrome that is caused by germline mutations of MMR genes. In colorectal cancer (CRC), MSI-H is characterized by a dense lymphocytic infiltration, reflecting a high immunogenicity of these cancers. As a consequence of immunoselection, MSI-H CRCs frequently display a loss of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I antigen presentation caused by mutations of the beta2-microglobulin (beta2m) gene. To examine the implications of beta2m mutations during MSI-H colorectal tumor development, we analyzed the prevalence of beta2m mutations in MSI-H colorectal adenomas (n=38) and carcinomas (n=104) of different stages. Mutations were observed in 6/38 (15.8%) MSI-H adenomas and 29/104 (27.9%) MSI-H CRCs. A higher frequency of beta2m mutations was observed in MSI-H CRC patients with germline mutations of MMR genes MLH1 or MSH2 (36.4%) compared with patients without germline mutations (15.4%). The high frequency of beta2m mutations in HNPCC-associated MSI-H CRCs is in line with the hypothesis that immunoselection may be particularly pronounced in HNPCC patients with inherited predisposition to develop MSI-H cancers. beta2m mutations were positively related to stage in tumors without distant metastases (UICC I-III), suggesting that loss of beta2m expression may promote local progression of colorectal MSI-H tumors. However, no beta2m mutations were observed in metastasized CRCs (UICC stage IV, p=0.04). These results suggest that functional beta2m may be necessary for distant metastasis formation in CRC patients.
Kloor
Matthias
M
Department of Applied Tumor Biology, Institute of Pathology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. matthias.kloor@med.uni-heidelberg.de
Michel
Sara
S
Buckowitz
Boris
B
Rüschoff
Josef
J
Büttner
Reinhard
R
Holinski-Feder
Elke
E
Dippold
Wolfgang
W
Wagner
Rudolf
R
Tariverdian
Mirjam
M
Benner
Axel
A
Schwitalle
Yvette
Y
Kuchenbuch
Beate
B
von Knebel Doeberitz
Magnus
M
D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / Q000235:genetics; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D018095:Germ-Line Mutation; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D000070957:MutL Protein Homolog 1; D051718:MutS Homolog 2 Protein / Q000235:genetics; D009154:Mutation; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D001613:beta 2-Microglobulin / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; C501486:MLH1 protein, human; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D001613:beta 2-Microglobulin; C497172:MSH2 protein, human; D000070957:MutL Protein Homolog 1; D051718:MutS Homolog 2 Protein