Evidence that extra copies of chromosome 1q play a role in the early phases of pancreatic neoplasia

Date: | February 20, 2026 |
PMCID: | |
Category: | N/A |
Authors: | Christopher Douville, Jeeun Parksong, Marco Dal Molin, Sarah Graham, Patricia T Greipp, Ryan Knudson, Samuel Curtis, Yuxuan Wang, Lisa Dobbyn, Maria Popoli, Janine Ptak, Natalie Silliman, Katharine Romans, Christine A Iacobuzio-Donahue, Alvin P Makoohon-Moore, Anne Marie Lennon, Michael Goggins, Ralph H Hruban, Ashley Kiemen, Chetan Bettegowda, Kenneth W Kinzler, Nickolas Papadopoulos, Laura D Wood, Bert Vogelstein |
Abstract: |
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We searched for oncogenes activated by copy number increases using whole-genome sequencing data of 535 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDACs). We found that gains of 1q were the second most common gain, occurring in 213 (39.8%) of PDACs. Single-cell analysis via fluorescence in situ hybridization on 33 cancers confirmed these results. A portion of 1q, rather than the entire 1q arm, was gained in 75 (14.0%) PDACs, allowing us to pinpoint two ~3-megabase regions of 1q that were nearly always gained. These two regions contained NCSTN and PSEN2, genes that code two subunits of the γ-secretase complex. Evaluation of 267 precancerous lesions revealed that extra copies of NCSTN and PSEN2 were common (49%) in noninvasive neoplasms (high-grade pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasms), which are at relatively high risk for progression to PDACs, but uncommon (6%) in low-grade pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia lesions, which have low malignant potential. We hypothesize that γ-secretase genes are genetically activated oncogenes in the early phases of pancreatic neoplasia.
Acknowledgements:
The content of this article is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Cancer Institute, or the National Institute of Health.
The Translational and Basic Science Research in Early Lesions (TBEL) Research Consortia is supported and funded by grants from the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health under the following award numbers:
Project Number: | Awardee Organization |
U54CA274374 | Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center |
U54CA274375 | Houston Methodist Research Institute |
U54CA274370 | Johns Hopkins University |
U54CA274371 | UT MD Anderson Cancer Center |
U54CA274367 | Vanderbilt University Medical Center |



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