Genetic and epigenetic aberrations occurring in colorectal tumors associated with serrated pathway

Abstract

To clarify molecular alterations in serrated pathway of colorectal cancer (CRC), we performed epigenetic and genetic analyses in sessile serrated adenoma/polyps (SSA/P), traditional serrated adenomas (TSAs) and high‐methylation CRC. The methylation levels of six Group‐1 and 14 Group‐2 markers, established in our previous studies, were analyzed quantitatively using pyrosequencing. Subsequently, we performed targeted exon sequencing analyses of 126 candidate driver genes and examined molecular alterations that are associated with cancer development. SSA/P showed high methylation levels of both Group‐1 and Group‐2 markers, frequent BRAF mutation and occurrence in proximal colon, which were features of high‐methylation CRC. But TSA showed low‐methylation levels of Group‐1 markers, less frequent BRAF mutation and occurrence at distal colon. SSA/P, but not TSA, is thus considered to be precursor of high‐methylation CRC. High‐methylation CRC had even higher methylation levels of some genes, e.g., MLH1, than SSA/P, and significant frequency of somatic mutations in nonsynonymous mutations ( p < 0.0001) and insertion/deletions ( p = 0.002). MLH1‐methylated SSA/P showed lower methylation level of MLH1 compared with high‐methylation CRC, and rarely accompanied silencing of MLH1 expression. The mutation frequencies were not different between MLH1‐methylated and MLH1‐unmethylated SSA/P, suggesting that MLH1 methylation might be insufficient in SSA/P to acquire a hypermutation phenotype. Mutations of mismatch repair genes, e.g., MSH3 and MSH6, and genes in PI3K, WNT, TGF‐β and BMP signaling (but not in TP53 signaling) were significantly involved in high‐methylation CRC compared with adenoma, suggesting importance of abrogation of these genes in serrated pathway.

Abstract

What's new?

The serrated pathway of colorectal cancer (CRC) development is characterized by the presence of saw‐toothed colonic crypts and by a high‐methylation epigenotype. Not all serrated lesions, however, give rise to CRC. Here, only sessile serrated adenoma/polyps, a potentially malignant serrated polyp subtype, were identified as precursors of high‐methylation CRC. Moreover, MLH1 expression, silencing of which previously was linked to microsatellite instability in CRC, was found to be preserved in most serrated adenoma/polyp samples. The findings suggest that the acquisition of a hypermutation phenotype in serrated CRC likely depends on extensive MLH1 methylation and mutation of additional mismatch repair genes.