Allele-specific HLA loss and immune escape in lung cancer evolution
File(s)
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Immune evasion is a hallmark of cancer. Losing the ability to present neoantigens through human leukocyte antigen (HLA) loss may facilitate immune evasion. However, the polymorphic nature of the locus has precluded accurate HLA copy-number analysis. Here, we present loss of heterozygosity in human leukocyte antigen (LOHHLA), a computational tool to determine HLA allele-specific copy number from sequencing data. Using LOHHLA, we find that HLA LOH occurs in 40% of non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) and is associated with a high subclonal neoantigen burden, APOBEC-mediated mutagenesis, upregulation of cytolytic activity, and PD-L1 positivity. The focal nature of HLA LOH alterations, their subclonal frequencies, enrichment in metastatic sites, and occurrence as parallel events suggests that HLA LOH is an immune escape mechanism that is subject to strong microenvironmental selection pressures later in tumor evolution. Characterizing HLA LOH with LOHHLA refines neoantigen prediction and may have implications for our understanding of resistance mechanisms and immunotherapeutic approaches targeting neoantigens.
Date Issued
2017-11-30
Date Acceptance
2017-09-28
Citation
Cell, 2017, 171 (6), pp.1259-1270
ISSN
0092-8674
Publisher
Elsevier (Cell Press)
Start Page
1259
End Page
1270
Journal / Book Title
Cell
Volume
171
Issue
6
Copyright Statement
© 2017 The Francis Crick Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Identifier
http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000417362700010&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=1ba7043ffcc86c417c072aa74d649202
Subjects
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Cell Biology
COPY NUMBER
PD-1 BLOCKADE
MUTATIONAL PROCESSES
CTLA-4 BLOCKADE
DOWN-REGULATION
CELLS
NEOANTIGENS
SENSITIVITY
RESISTANCE
DISCOVERY
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2017-10-26