RNA-sequencing of IDH-wild-type glioblastoma with chromothripsis identifies novel gene fusions with potential oncogenic properties

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most frequent and most aggressive form of glioma. It is characterized by marked genomic instability, which suggests that chromothripsis (CT) might be involved in GBM initiation. Recently, CT has emerged as an alternative mechanism of cancer development, involving massive chromosome rearrangements in a one-step catastrophic event. The aim of the study was to detect CT in GBM and identify novel gene fusions in CT regions. One hundred and seventy IDH-wild-type GBM were screened for CT patterns using whole-genome single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays. RNA sequencing was performed in 52 GBM with CT features to identify gene fusions within CT regions. Forty tumors (40/52, 77%) harbored at least one gene fusion within CT regions. We identified 120 candidate gene fusions, 30 of which with potential oncogenic activities. We validated 11 gene fusions, which involved the most recurrent fusion partners (EGFR, SEPT14, VOPP1 and CPM), by RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing. The occurrence of CT points to underlying gene fusions in IDH-wild-type GBM. CT provides exciting new research avenues in this highly aggressive cancer.