Publications
Nature communicationsMay 2024 |
15
(
1
),
4319
DOI:
10.1038/s41467-024-48436-5

Determinants of gastric cancer immune escape identified from non-coding immune-landscape quantitative trait loci

Miliotis, Christos; Ma, Yuling; Katopodi, Xanthi-Lida; Karagkouni, Dimitra; Kanata, Eleni; Mattioli, Kaia; Kalavros, Nikolas; Pita-Juárez, Yered H; Batalini, Felipe; Ramnarine, Varune R; Nanda, Shivani; Slack, Frank J; Vlachos, Ioannis S
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Abstract
The landscape of non-coding mutations in cancer progression and immune evasion is largely unexplored. Here, we identify transcrptome-wide somatic and germline 3' untranslated region (3'-UTR) variants from 375 gastric cancer patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas. By performing gene expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) and immune landscape QTL (ilQTL) analysis, we discover 3'-UTR variants with cis effects on expression and immune landscape phenotypes, such as immune cell infiltration and T cell receptor diversity. Using a massively parallel reporter assay, we distinguish between causal and correlative effects of 3'-UTR eQTLs in immune-related genes. Our approach identifies numerous 3'-UTR eQTLs and ilQTLs, providing a unique resource for the identification of immunotherapeutic targets and biomarkers. A prioritized ilQTL variant signature predicts response to immunotherapy better than standard-of-care PD-L1 expression in independent patient cohorts, showcasing the untapped potential of non-coding mutations in cancer.
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Oligo Pools

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