AmpliconReconstructor integrates NGS and optical mapping to resolve the complex structures of focal amplifications

Nat Commun. 2020 Sep 1;11(1):4374. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-18099-z.

Abstract

Oncogene amplification, a major driver of cancer pathogenicity, is often mediated through focal amplification of genomic segments. Recent results implicate extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) as the primary driver of focal copy number amplification (fCNA) - enabling gene amplification, rapid tumor evolution, and the rewiring of regulatory circuitry. Resolving an fCNA's structure is a first step in deciphering the mechanisms of its genesis and the fCNA's subsequent biological consequences. We introduce a computational method, AmpliconReconstructor (AR), for integrating optical mapping (OM) of long DNA fragments (>150 kb) with next-generation sequencing (NGS) to resolve fCNAs at single-nucleotide resolution. AR uses an NGS-derived breakpoint graph alongside OM scaffolds to produce high-fidelity reconstructions. After validating its performance through multiple simulation strategies, AR reconstructed fCNAs in seven cancer cell lines to reveal the complex architecture of ecDNA, a breakage-fusion-bridge and other complex rearrangements. By reconstructing the rearrangement signatures associated with an fCNA's generative mechanism, AR enables a more thorough understanding of the origins of fCNAs.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Chromosome Mapping / methods
  • Cytogenetic Analysis
  • Gene Amplification*
  • Genome, Human / genetics
  • Genomics / methods*
  • High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing / methods
  • Humans
  • Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Oncogenes / genetics*

Associated data

  • figshare/10.6084/m9.figshare.11691798
  • figshare/10.6084/m9.figshare.11691774