Abstract 3795: Early seeding of Richter transformation in chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Authors: Nadeu Ferran , Royo Romina , Massoni-Badosa Ramon , Garcia-Torre Beatriz , Duran-Ferrer Martí , Dawson Kevin J. , Kulis Marta , Diaz-Navarro Ander , Villamor Neus , Melero Juan L. , Chapaprieta Vicente , Dueso-Barroso Ana , Delgado Julio , Moia Riccardo , Ruiz-Gil Sara , Marchese Domenica , Verdaguer-Dot Núria , Romo Mónica , Rozman Maria , Frigola Gerard , Rivas-Delgado Alfredo , Baumann Tycho , Alcoceba Miguel , González Marcos , Climent Fina , Abrisqueta Pau , Castellví Josep , Bosch Francesc , Aymerich Marta , Enjuanes Anna , Ruiz-Gaspà Sílvia , López-Guillermo Armando , Jares Pedro , Beà Sílvia , Colomer Dolors , López-Bigas Núria , LlGelpí Josep , Torrents David , Campbell Peter J. , Gut Ivo , Garcia-Roves Pablo M. , Rossi Davide , Gaidano Gianluca , Puente Xose S. , Heyn Holger , Maura Francesco , Martín-Subero José I. , Campo Elías 
Published: June 2022

Introduction: Clonal evolution drives cancer development due to the emergence and/or selection of proliferatively advantageous subclones. Its understanding may facilitate the design of anticipation-based management strategies. Richter transformation (RT) is a paradigmatic tumor evolution in which chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), an indolent neoplasia of mature B-cells, transforms into a high-grade lymphoma, usually diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), conferring a dismal prognosis. The evolutionary trajectories of RT and its driving (epi)genomic mechanisms remain largely unknown.

Aims: To reconstruct the evolutionary history of RT and to reveal the molecular processes underlying this transformation.

Methods: We characterized the whole genome (WGS), epigenome (DNA methylation, H3K27ac, ATAC-seq), and transcriptome (RNA-seq), combined with single-cell DNA and RNA sequencing analyses, of 19 CLL patients developing RT before (n=3) or after treatment with chemoimmunotherapy (n=6) and targeted therapies (BCR or BCL2 inhibitors, n=10). We analyzed 54 longitudinal samples covering up to 19 years of disease course.

Results: Our WGS analyses uncovered that RT is characterized by a remarkable structural complexity. We also identified a novel treatment-independent RT-specific mutational process, which we named SBS-RT. The genetic driver landscape of RT is a compendium of alterations in genes involved in cell cycle, MYC, and NF-κB pathways, frequently targeted in single catastrophic events including chromothripsis and chromoplexy. The WGS-based phylogenic reconstruction and single-cell DNA/RNA-seq analyses identified a very early diversification of CLL leading to emergence of RT-cells carrying specific genetic drivers and transcriptomic profiles of RT already at CLL diagnosis. These small subclones were dormant for 6-19 years until rapid expansion associated with the clinical transformation. While the DNA methylome kept track of the cell of origin and proliferative history of RT cells, their chromatin configuration and transcriptional program converged into the overexpression of cell cycle regulators, Toll-like receptors, MYC, MTORC1, and OXPHOS related transcripts, as well as downregulation of BCR pathway. This phenotypic shift was related to de novo activation of key transcription factors. In vitro experiments confirmed that RT cells have a 4-fold higher oxygen consumption at routine respiration and electron transfer system capacity compared to CLL. The resistance of RT to BCR inhibition is consistent with its high OXPHOS and low BCR signaling, which mimics de novo DLBCL-OXPHOS insensitive to BCR inhibition. This OXPHOShigh-BCRlow transcriptional axis of RT can be exploited therapeutically.

Conclusions: These findings demonstrate the early seeding of subclones driving advanced stages of cancer evolution and uncover therapeutic targets for the, once expanded, lethal Richter transformation.

Citation Format: Ferran Nadeu, Romina Royo, Ramon Massoni-Badosa, Beatriz Garcia-Torre, Martí Duran-Ferrer, Kevin J. Dawson, Marta Kulis, Ander Diaz-Navarro, Neus Villamor, Juan L. Melero, Vicente Chapaprieta, Ana Dueso-Barroso, Julio Delgado, Riccardo Moia, Sara Ruiz-Gil, Domenica Marchese, Núria Verdaguer-Dot, Mónica Romo, Maria Rozman, Gerard Frigola, Alfredo Rivas-Delgado, Tycho Baumann, Miguel Alcoceba, Marcos González, Fina Climent, Pau Abrisqueta, Josep Castellví, Francesc Bosch, Marta Aymerich, Anna Enjuanes, Sílvia Ruiz-Gaspà, Armando López-Guillermo, Pedro Jares, Sílvia Beà, Dolors Colomer, Núria López-Bigas, Josep LlGelpí, David Torrents, Peter J. Campbell, Ivo Gut, Pablo M. Garcia-Roves, Davide Rossi, Gianluca Gaidano, Xose S. Puente, Holger Heyn, Francesco Maura, José I. Martín-Subero, Elías Campo. Early seeding of Richter transformation in chronic lymphocytic leukemia [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 3795.