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PubMed1979

Lymphoma development in mice and humans: diversity of initiation is followed by convergent cytogenetic evolution.

Human B cell lymphoma and murine T cell leukemia can be initiated by several agents. The present paper formulates some thoughts on the role of cytogenetic changes in the subsequent neoplastic process. Initiation creates long-lived preneoplastic cells. In some respects, they are comparable to in vitro-transformed ("immortalized") cell lines that maintain a diploid karyotype and are not tumorigenic in vivo. The development of a tumorigenic ("autonomous") clone is dependent on additional changes at the genetic level. In human B and murine T cell lymphoma, there are characteristic nonrandom chromosomal changes. The 14q+ marker appears to play a key role in human B cell lymphomas. The reciprocal 8;14 translocation in Burkitt lymphoma is a specialized subclass within this category. In murine T cell leukemia, trisomy 15 is the predominant change. The clustering of these nonrandom changes to tumors derived from a certain cell type rather than to tumors induced by a given etiological agent has important implications for the understanding of the genetic control of cellular responsiveness to growth-regulating forces in vivo.

AKR murine leukemia virus↗
PubMed2026

Global lessons from antibiotic resistance: Metformin-hydrolysing genes in transposable elements, a new threat for type II diabetic patients?

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the evolutionary origin, genomic mobility, and potential dissemination of metformin-hydrolysing genes (mfmAB), and to assess whether environmental selection by metformin pollution may drive the emergence of transferable pharmaceutical-degrading traits analogous to antibiotic resistance. METHODS: Large-scale comparative genomics was performed using publicly available bacterial genomes carrying mfmAB homologs. Phylogenomic reconstruction, average nucleotide identity analysis, genomic context comparison, plasmid characterization, and insertion sequence mapping were used to infer evolutionary history and identify mechanisms of horizontal gene transfer. RESULTS: mfmAB homologs were identified in twelve Aminobacter and three Pseudomonas genomes within a conserved ∼8.2 kb gene cluster. Phylogenomic analyses showed that metformin-degrading capacity emerged independently in multiple Aminobacter lineages across distinct continents, consistent with convergent evolution under anthropogenic selective pressure. Genomic comparisons indicated a chromosomal origin of mfmAB, followed by mobilization onto conjugative plasmids through IS1182-mediated transposition. In Pseudomonas, additional IS3/IS6-mediated transposition events integrated mfmAB into diverse plasmid backbones, frequently within composite transposons also encoding guanylurea and biguanide degradation pathways (guuH, bguH). These findings reveal a dynamic modular assembly of metabolic functions facilitating adaptation to pharmaceutical pollutants. CONCLUSIONS: Metformin pollution appears to promote the emergence and mobilization of pharmaceutical-degrading genes through mechanisms paralleling antibiotic resistance evolution. Although no clinical impact has yet been demonstrated, the potential spread of such genes into human-associated microbiomes and their possible co-selection with antibiotic resistance determinants represent an emerging One Health concern. Environmental surveillance of pharmaceutical-degrading genes is warranted to anticipate future threats to drug efficacy.

Convergent evolution↗
PubMed2026

A Comprehensive Review on the Biosynthesis of Tropane Alkaloids.

Tropane alkaloids (TA) constitute a class of plant specialized metabolites with important pharmaceutical applications, including the anticholinergic agents hyoscyamine and scopolamine and the local anesthetic cocaine. Over the past decade, advances in genomics, structural biology, and synthetic biology have substantially revised our understanding of TA biosynthesis, leading to the identification of numerous key biosynthetic enzymes and evolutionary mechanisms. This review comprehensively summarizes current knowledge of TA biosynthesis from precursor formation to structurally diverse end products. We describe the pathway from putrescine to tropinone, the stereoselective metabolic branching mediated by Tropinone Reductases, and the downstream biosynthesis of medicinal tropane alkaloids, calystegines, and cocaine. Particular emphasis is placed on recent discoveries concerning catalytic mechanisms, structural determinants of substrate specificity, metabolic compartmentalization, and the convergent evolution of TA biosynthesis in Solanaceae and Erythroxylaceae. We further integrate advances in genomics, evolutionary biology, and metabolic engineering to highlight emerging strategies for microbial production and pathway redesign. By providing a comprehensive synthesis of recent progress and critical perspectives on unresolved questions, this review offers an updated framework for understanding TA biosynthesis and supports future research in plant specialized metabolism, synthetic biology, and natural product engineering.

Tropanes↗
PubMed2025

Global Environmental Factors Impact the Evolution of Adult Hemoglobins in Squamata Reptiles (Lizards and Snakes) and Terrestrial Turtles.

Convergent evolution of oxygen transport mechanisms arises from respiratory proteins adapting to similar environmental pressures. We examined this relationship between adult hemoglobin subunits (Hbs: HBA1, HBAD, HBB1, and HBB2) found in land reptiles (lizards, snakes, and turtles) with their global distribution variables: Altitude, latitude, ambient temperature, and biomass production. We found that biomass was positively associated with the synonymous substitution rate (dS) of HBAD, while it showed the opposite trend for HBB2 in snakes. Additionally, latitude was negatively related to the dS of HBB2 in snakes, but nonsignificant with other Hbs. Altitude was negatively associated with ω = dN/dS of HBA1 and HBAD, whereas temperature showed a similar negative trend with the ω of HBAD across reptiles and in HBB2 of snakes. At amino acid sites, we found most were conserved except for 11 (two near the heme-binding pocket) across Hbs. These fast-changing sites shifted from polar to nonpolar residues, showing a pattern seen in high-altitude mammals. Our results highlight that in reptiles (i) Hbs are diversifying at individual amino acid sites while generally some subunits exhibiting lower ω rates at higher altitudes and hotter temperatures, with the later and higher biomass ecosystems also linked to increases in dS; (ii) HBBs are the most conserved of the Hbs; (iii) latitudinal gradients only show a significant association with the dS of HBB2 in snakes; and (iv) gene conversion events occurred across HBBs in reptiles, which confound their homology assignation, except for snakes that evidenced a single major duplication in their HBBs.

Animals↗
PubMed2026

Balancing under constraint: Structural insights into norovirus evolution and antigenic innovation.

Norovirus is the leading cause of acute viral gastroenteritis worldwide. While genomic studies have revealed its diversity and evolutionary patterns, the structural mechanisms driving viral adaptation remain poorly understood. Here, we establish a comprehensive structural database of norovirus VP1 P-domains across nine genogroups (GI-GIX) through large-scale AlphaFold2 predictions. By integrating phylogenetic analysis of VP1 sequences and structures, we demonstrate that sequence and structural evolution show overall concordance under purifying selection, yet significant local discrepancies reveal distinct patterns of convergent evolution shaped by structural constraints and functional divergence. Focusing on the predominant GII.4 genotype, we found that compared to near-full-genome and nucleotide trees, only the VP1 amino acid tree reliably clustered GII.4 variants in chronological order as monophyletic groups. We further identify a hierarchical evolutionary strategy: positive selection may drive structural hypervariability in major antigenic epitopes D and C for immune escape, with epitope D exhibiting pronounced structural flexibility that complicates its structural characterization, whereas coevolutionary analysis uncovers a broad network of compensatory interactions spanning multiple epitopes, with striking enrichment in epitope A. These epitopes exhibited a pattern of "sequence plasticity with structural conservation", maintained by coevolutionary constraints that preserve conformational integrity. Together, these findings suggest that norovirus vaccine strategies targeting the structurally conserved conformations of epitopes A and G could overcome the limitations of traditional strain-specific approaches, offering a pathway toward broad protection against evolving viral diversity.

Norovirus↗
PubMed1979

Contrasted modes of evolution in the same genome: allozymes and adaptive change in Heliconius.

Butterflies in the South American genus Heliconius have undergone a spectacular adaptive radiation (with convergent evolution between some lines) in their color patterns; this has been produced by natural selection for muellerian mimicry. The genetic basis of this radiation, shown by crossing highly differentiated races within two of the species, is homozygosity for alternative alleles at some half dozen loci. In complete contrast, allozyme loci in these butterflies are strongly heterozygous and show only frequency differences (never amounting to homozygosity of alternative alleles) between races; the amount of allozyme divergence is the same between races of H. erato and H. sara, although in color pattern the first forms marked races and the other does not. For the allozymes, there is a strong correlation over loci for rate of divergence between species and average heterozygosity. This is not true of the genes controlling color pattern. Heterozygosity of the enzymes is correlated with subunit molecular weight. Thus, different parts of the genome can evolve in different ways simultaneously; genes controlling color pattern in the "classical" mode, and allozymes in a different mode in which the rate of evolution is related to their heterozygosity (a "balance" or "neutral" mode).

Animals↗
PubMed2025

Tracking Nongenetic Evolution from Primary to Metastatic ccRCC: TRACERx Renal.

While the key aspects of genetic evolution and their clinical implications in clear cell renal-cell carcinoma (ccRCC) are well-documented, how genetic features co-evolve with the phenotype and tumor microenvironment (TME) remains elusive. Here, through joint genomic-transcriptomic analysis of 243 samples from 79 patients recruited to the TRACERx Renal study, we identify pervasive non-genetic intratumor heterogeneity, with over 40% not attributable to genetic alterations. By integrating tumor transcriptomes and phylogenetic structures, we observe convergent evolution to specific phenotypic traits, including cell proliferation, metabolic reprogramming and overexpression of putative cGAS-STING repressors amid high aneuploidy. We also uncover a co-evolution between the tumor and the T cell repertoire, as well as a longitudinal shift in the TME from an anti-tumor to an immunosuppressive state, linked to the acquisition of recurrently late ccRCC drivers 9p loss and SETD2 mutations. Our study reveals clinically-relevant and hitherto underappreciated non-genetic evolution patterns in ccRCC.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2025

Tracing the evolution and genomic dynamics of mating-type loci in Cryptococcus pathogens and closely related species.

Sexual reproduction in basidiomycete fungi is governed by MAT loci (P/R and HD), which exhibit remarkable evolutionary plasticity, characterized by expansions, rearrangements, and gene losses often associated with mating system transitions. The sister genera Cryptococcus and Kwoniella provide a powerful framework for studying MAT loci evolution owing to their diverse reproductive strategies and distinct architectures, spanning bipolar and tetrapolar systems with either linked or unlinked MAT loci. Building on recent comparative genomic analyses, we generated additional chromosome-level assemblies, uncovering distinct trajectories shaping MAT loci organization. Contrasting with the small-scale expansions and gene acquisitions observed in Kwoniella, our analyses revealed independent expansions of the P/R locus in tetrapolar Cryptococcus, possibly driven by pheromone gene duplications. Notably, these expansions coincided with a pronounced GC-content reduction best explained by reduced GC-biased gene conversion following recombination suppression, rather than relaxed codon usage selection. Diverse modes of MAT locus linkage were also identified, including three previously unrecognized transitions: one resulting in a pseudobipolar arrangement and two leading to bipolarity. All three transitions involved translocations. In the pseudobipolar configuration, the P/R and HD loci remained on the same chromosome but genetically unlinked, whereas the bipolar transitions additionally featured rearrangements that fused the two loci into a nonrecombining region. Mating assays confirmed a sexual cycle in C. decagattii, demonstrating its ability to undergo mating and sporulation. Progeny analysis in K. mangrovensis revealed substantial ploidy variation and aneuploidy, likely stemming from haploid-diploid mating, yet evidence of recombination and loss of heterozygosity indicates that meiotic exchange occurs despite irregular chromosome segregation. Our findings underscore the importance of continued diversity sampling and provide further evidence for convergent evolution of fused MAT loci in basidiomycetes, offering new insights into the genetic and chromosomal changes driving reproductive transitions.

MAT genes↗
PubMed2025

The complex evolution and genomic dynamics of mating-type loci in Cryptococcus and Kwoniella.

Sexual reproduction in basidiomycete fungi is governed by MAT loci (P/R and HD), which exhibit remarkable evolutionary plasticity, characterized by expansions, rearrangements, and gene losses often associated with mating system transitions. The sister genera Cryptococcus and Kwoniella provide a powerful framework for studying MAT loci evolution owing to their diverse reproductive strategies and distinct architectures, spanning bipolar and tetrapolar systems with either linked or unlinked MAT loci. Building on recent comparative genomic analyses, we generated additional chromosome-level assemblies, uncovering distinct trajectories shaping MAT loci organization. Contrasting with the small-scale expansions and gene acquisitions observed in Kwoniella, our analyses revealed independent expansions of the P/R locus in tetrapolar Cryptococcus, possibly driven by pheromone gene duplications. Notably, these expansions coincided with a pronounced GC-content reduction best explained by reduced GC-biased gene conversion following recombination suppression, rather than relaxed codon usage selection. Diverse modes of MAT locus linkage were also identified, including three previously unrecognized transitions: one resulting in a pseudobipolar arrangement and two leading to bipolarity. All three transitions involved translocations. In the pseudobipolar configuration, the P/R and HD loci remained on the same chromosome but genetically unlinked, whereas the bipolar transitions additionally featured rearrangements that fused the two loci into a nonrecombining region. Mating assays confirmed a sexual cycle in Cryptococcus decagattii, demonstrating its ability to undergo mating and sporulation. Progeny analysis in Kwoniella mangrovensis revealed substantial ploidy variation and aneuploidy, likely stemming from haploid-diploid mating, yet evidence of recombination and loss of heterozygosity indicates that meiotic exchange occurs despite irregular chromosome segregation. Our findings underscore the importance of continued diversity sampling and provide further evidence for convergent evolution of fused MAT loci in basidiomycetes, offering new insights into the genetic and chromosomal changes driving reproductive transitions.

Genes, Mating Type, Fungal↗
PubMed1977

Convergent and parallel evolution: a model illustrating selection, phylogeny and phenetic similarity.

A model is proposed which considers the structural relationships of body characteristics and their role in a concept wherein the phylogenetic relationship of the organisms under study is interpreted as constituting degrees of convergent or parallel evolution. The model also accounts for the relationships between selection pressures, phylogeny, and phenetic expression. The phenomena of convergent and parallel evolution are based upon the observations of similar characteristics, the geometric concept, magnitude and similarity of selection pressures, and the phylogenetic relationship of the groups in question.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Four-fold structural repeat in the acid proteases.

The observation that the acid proteases contain two structurally equivalent lobes related by a dyad through the active centre has been extended to show that in endothiapepsin each lobe contains two similar halves related by a further local dyad. In lobe 1 22 pairs of alpha-carbons are equivalent with a root mean square deviation of 1.92 A. In lobe 2 17 pairs match within 2.31 A. Convergent evolution or gene quadruplication may have occurred.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2026

Disruption of GxxxG motifs in pATOM36 impairs biogenesis of the mitochondrial protein translocase of the outer membrane in Trypanosoma brucei.

Mitochondrial biogenesis requires efficient import of cytosolically produced proteins and correct segregation of the mitochondrial genome during cytokinesis. In Trypanosoma brucei, a parasitic protozoan with a single mitochondrion harboring a single-unit mitochondrial genome, protein import across the outer membrane is mediated by the ATOM complex. An important, yet poorly understood role is played by the integral membrane protein pATOM36 of the outer mitochondrial membrane, which is essential for both ATOM complex assembly and mitochondrial DNA segregation. Here, we combined in vivo functional mutational analysis and structural modeling to investigate the function of pATOM36. AlphaFold3-based models predict five highly tilted helices forming a funnel-shaped cavity open toward the cytoplasm, reminiscent of membrane protein insertases. In the model, the protein is sealed towards the mitochondrial intermembrane space by tight helix packing, with conserved GxxxG motifs potentially facilitating these helix-helix interactions. Progressive replacement of these glycines by isoleucines does not affect protein production or correct localization but leads to defective ATOM complex biogenesis and arrest of growth, while mitochondrial DNA segregation is largely unaffected. Based on the predicted structure, these effects can be rationalized by hydrophobic bulking that interferes with associated electrostatic interactions. This hypothesis is supported by experimental mutational analysis of the respective electrostatic interactions in the presence of native GxxxG motifs. Together, our data support the hypothesis that pATOM36 functions as an outer mitochondrial insertase and arose by convergent evolution. The GxxxG motifs, also found in unrelated yeast and human outer membrane insertases, are crucial for protein activity.

Trypanosoma brucei brucei↗
PubMed1979

Comparison of glyoxalase I purified from yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) with the enzyme from mammalian sources.

Glyoxalase I from yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) purified by affinity chromatography on S-hexylglutathione-Sepharose 6B was characterized and compared with the enzyme from rat liver, pig erythrocytes and human erythrocytes. The molecular weight of glyoxalase I from yeast was, like the enzyme from Rhodospirillum rubrum and Escherichia coli, significantly less (approx. 32000) than that of the enzyme from mammals (approx. 46000). The yeast enzyme is a monomer, whereas the mammalian enzymes are composed of two very similar or identical subunits. The enzymes contain 1Zn atom per subunit. The isoelectric points (at 4 degrees C) for the yeast and mammalian enzymes are at pH7.0 and 4.8 respectively; tryptic-peptide ;maps' display corresponding dissimilarities in structure. These and some additional data indicate that the microbial and the mammalian enzymes may have separate evolutionary origins. The similarities demonstrated in mechanistic and kinetic properties, on the other hand, indicate convergent evolution. The k(cat.) and K(m) values for the yeast enzyme were both higher than those for the enzyme from the mammalian sources with the hemimercaptal adduct of methylglyoxal or phenylglyoxal as the varied substrate and free glutathione at a constant and physiological concentration (2mm). Glyoxalase I from all sources investigated had a k(cat.)/K(m) value near 10(7)s(-1).m(-1), which is close to the theoretical diffusion-controlled rate of enzyme-substrate association. The initial-velocity data show non-Michaelian rate saturation and apparent non-linear inhibition by free glutathione for both yeast and mammalian enzyme. This rate behaviour may have physiological importance, since it counteracts the effects of fluctuations in total glutathione concentrations on the glyoxalase I-dependent metabolism of 2-oxoaldehydes.

Aldehydes↗
PubMed2024

A distinct, high-affinity, alkaline phosphatase facilitates occupation of P-depleted environments by marine picocyanobacteria.

Marine picocyanobacteria of the genera Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus, the two most abundant phototrophs on Earth, thrive in oligotrophic oceanic regions. While it is well known that specific lineages are exquisitely adapted to prevailing in situ light and temperature regimes, much less is known of the molecular machinery required to facilitate occupancy of these low-nutrient environments. Here, we describe a hitherto unknown alkaline phosphatase, Psip1, that has a substantially higher affinity for phosphomonoesters than other well-known phosphatases like PhoA, PhoX, or PhoD and is restricted to clade III Synechococcus and a subset of high light I-adapted Prochlorococcus strains, suggesting niche specificity. We demonstrate that Psip1 has undergone convergent evolution with PhoX, requiring both iron and calcium for activity and likely possessing identical key residues around the active site, despite generally very low sequence homology. Interrogation of metagenomes and transcriptomes from TARA oceans and an Atlantic Meridional transect shows that psip1 is abundant and highly expressed in picocyanobacterial populations from the Mediterranean Sea and north Atlantic gyre, regions well recognized to be phosphorus (P)-deplete. Together, this identifies psip1 as an important oligotrophy-specific gene for P recycling in these organisms. Furthermore, psip1 is not restricted to picocyanobacteria and is abundant and highly transcribed in some α-proteobacteria and eukaryotic algae, suggesting that such a high-affinity phosphatase is important across the microbial taxonomic world to occupy low-P environments.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1979

Ultrastructure of graniferous tracheary elements in the haustorium of Exocarpus bidwillii, a root hemi-parasite of the Santalaceae.

The xylem in the body of the haustorium of E. bidwillii has the shape of an inverted conical flask with the expanded portion being known as the vascular core. The tracheary elements of the vascular core are notable for the occurrence of numerous granules within their lumina and the presence of mostly imperforate walls. Elsewhere in the haustorium graniferous tracheary elements are absent and the cells are usually ordinary vessel elements. Thin sections for transmission electron microscopy, post-stained in potassium permanganate, show that the secondary wall thickenings of the graniferous tracheary elements consist of eccentric layers in which the microfibrils of each successive layer run alternately longitudinally and transversely. The granules of the tracheary elements average 2 micrometer in diameter and consist of a homogeneous matrix which shows a fine fibrillar structure on high resolution. The granules are naked and mostly remain as separate structures within the lumen of the cell, but occasionally they fuse into small groups or irregular masses. In some cells the granules become transformed into fibrillar material that disperses throughout the lumen. This dispersed material may accumulate in vessels of the interrupted zone proximal to the vascular core. Occasionally, the granules also change into compacted amorphous masses that adhere to the walls of the cell. Ultrastructural cytochemistry confirms that the granules are protein and not starch as was originally believed for the Santalaceae. The function of the vascular core and its graniferous tracheary elements is discussed and we suggest that it might help regulate the pressure and flow of xylem sap entering the parasite from the host. Graniferous tracheary elements in the Santalaceae and in root parasites of the Serophulariaceae are compared and it is concluded that they represent examples of convergent evolution.

Histocytochemistry↗
PubMed1979

The strategy of infection as a criterion for phylogenetic relationships of non-coli phages morphologically similar to phage T7.

Five phages which are morphologically similar to coliphage T7 but attack other host bacteria have been compared to T7 and to its relative, T3, by the following criteria: (a) cross-reactivity with antisera against T7 and T3, (b) DNA base sequence homologies, as determined by the C0t technique, (c) synthesis of two phage-coded enzymes: RNA polymerase and SAMase, (d) patterns of phage-directed protein synthesis, as determined by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of phage coat subunits. As judged by all these criteria, Pseudomonas phage PX3 is not related to T7; thus, morphological similarity was attributed to convergent evolution. The other phages, i.e. Serratia phage IV, Psuedomonas phage gh-1, Citrobacter phage ViIII and Klebsiella phage No. 11, were considered to be related to T7 on the basis of similarities in the patterns of phage-coded proteins and because, early after infection, these phages induced, as T7 does, an RNA polymerase which specifically transcribes the DNA of thehomologous phage. Phages IV and No. 11 also induced the early synthesis of SAMase (previously only known to occur upon T3 infection). With the exception of phage IV, however, DNA base sequence homologies with T7 or T3 seem to be poor or non-existent. The tested phages, again with the exception of phage IV, did not react with antiserum against T3 or T7. It is concluded that a particular pattern of phage-directed protein synthesis (as characterized by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and enzyme tests) may provide evidence for phylogenetic relationships between phages, even in cases where other criteria, such as genetic recombination, serological cross-reaction, and DNA base sequence homologies, fail to indicate relatedness.

Adenosylmethionine Decarboxylase↗
PubMed2025

Genomic resources for comparative analyses of obligate avian brood parasitism.

Examples of convergent evolution, wherein distantly related organisms evolve similar traits, including behaviors, underscore the adaptive power of natural selection. In birds, obligate brood parasitism, and the associated loss of parental care behaviors, has evolved independently in seven different lineages, though little is known about the genetic basis of the complex suite of traits associated with this rare life history strategy. We generated genome assemblies for ten brood parasitic species plus eight species representatives of their parental/nesting outgroups. This includes nine long-read chromosome-level assemblies, with scaffold N50 sizes ranging from 38.1 to 72.6 MB, and gene representation completeness measures >97%. Leveraging this new catalog of avian genomes, we constructed clade-level alignments that reveal variation in chromosomal synteny, provide first-time or improved annotations of protein-coding and non-coding genes, and define cross-species ortholog reference sets. We also refine estimates for the timing of the seven independent origins of brood parasitism, ranging from recent events such as 1.6 to 4.5 million years ago in Molothrus cowbirds to much earlier origins over 30 million years ago in two of the three cuckoo lineages. These genomic resources lay the foundation for investigating the genetic and genomic underpinnings of brood parasitism, including the loss of parental care, shifts in mating systems, perhaps resulting in heightened sperm competition, elevated annual fecundity, improved spatial cognition related to nest-finding, and the diverse adaptations shaped by intense coevolution with host species.

assemblies↗
PubMed2025

Biallelic antigen escape is a mechanism of resistance to anti-CD38 antibodies in multiple myeloma.

Monoclonal antibodies targeting CD38 are a therapeutic mainstay in multiple myeloma (MM). Although they have contributed to improved outcomes, most patients still experience disease relapse, and little is known about tumor-intrinsic mechanisms of resistance to these drugs. Antigen escape has been implicated as a mechanism of tumor-cell evasion in immunotherapy. Yet, it is unknown whether MM cells can develop permanent resistance to anti-CD38 antibodies by acquiring genomic events leading to biallelic disruption of the CD38 gene locus. Here, we analyzed whole-genome and whole-exome sequencing data from patients 701 newly diagnosed MM, 67 patients at relapse with naivety to anti-CD38 antibodies, and 50 patients collected at relapse after anti-CD38 antibodies. We report a loss of CD38 in 10 of 50 patients (20%) after CD38 therapy, 3 of whom exhibited a loss of both copies. Two of these cases showed convergent evolution in which distinct subclones independently acquired similar advantageous variants. Functional studies on missense mutations involved in biallelic CD38 events revealed that 2 variants, L153H and C275Y, decreased binding affinity and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity of the commercial antibodies daratumumab and isatuximab. However, a third mutation, R140G, conferred selective resistance to daratumumab, while retaining sensitivity to isatuximab. Clinically, patients with MM are often rechallenged with CD38 antibodies after disease progression and these data suggest that next-generation sequencing may play a role in subsequent treatment selection for a subset of patients.

Humans↗