Disruption of NCOA2 by recurrent fusion with LACTB2 in colorectal cancer

Whole-genome and transcriptome sequencing were used to discover novel gene fusions in a case of colon cancer. A tumor-specific LACTB2-NCOA2 fusion originating from intra-chromosomal rearrangement of chromosome 8 was identified at both DNA and RNA levels. Unlike conventional oncogenic chimeric proteins, the fusion product lacks functional domain from respective genes, indicative of an amorphic rearrangement. This chimeric LACTB2-NCOA2 transcript was detected in 6 out of 99 (6.1%) colorectal cancer (CRC) cases, where NCOA2 was significantly downregulated. Enforced expression of wild-type NCOA2 but not the LACTB2-NCOA2 fusion protein impaired the pro-tumorigenic phenotypes of CRC cells, whereas knockdown of endogenous NCOA2 in normal colonocytes had opposite effects. Mechanistically, NCOA2 inhibited Wnt/β-catenin signaling through simultaneously upregulating inhibitors and downregulating stimulators of Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Collectively, our data supports that NCOA2 is a novel negative growth regulatory gene repressing the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in CRC, where recurrent fusion with LACTB2 contributes to its disruption.