Transcriptomic insights into adenoid cystic carcinoma via RNA sequencing

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the underlying mechanisms of adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) at the transcriptome level.Materials and methods: We obtained paired tumor and normal salivary gland tissues from 15 ACC patients, which were prepared for RNA sequencing.Results: Gene enrichment analysis revealed that the upregulated pathways were mainly involved in axonogenesis, and the downregulated pathways were mainly related to leukocyte migration, the adaptive immune response, lymphocyte-mediated immunity, and the humoral immune response. T-cells, B-cells and NK cells showed low infiltration in ACC tissues. In addition to the gene fusions MYB-NFIB and MYBL1-NFIB, a new gene fusion, TVP23C-CDRT4, was also detected in 3 ACC tissues. PRAME was significantly upregulated in ACC tissues, while antigen-presenting human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes were downregulated.Conclusion: We found a new gene fusion, TVP23C-CDRT4, that was highly expressed in ACC. PRAME may be an attractive target for ACC immunotherapy.

Automated summary

This study investigated the underlying mechanisms of adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) at the transcriptome level. A new gene fusion, TVP23C-CDRT4, was found to be highly expressed in ACC. PRAME may serve as a potential target for ACC immunotherapy.