Chromothripsis-associated chromosome 21 amplification orchestrates transformation to blast-phase MPN through targetable overexpression of DYRK1A

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Abstract
Chromothripsis, the chaotic shattering and repair of chromosomes, is common in cancer. Whether chromothripsis generates actionable therapeutic targets remains an open question. In a cohort of 64 patients in blast phase of a myeloproliferative neoplasm (BP-MPN), we describe recurrent amplification of a region of chromosome 21q (‘chr. 21amp’) in 25%, driven by chromothripsis in a third of these cases. We report that chr. 21amp BP-MPN has a particularly aggressive and treatment-resistant phenotype. DYRK1A, a serine threonine kinase, is the only gene in the 2.7-megabase minimally amplified region that showed both increased expression and chromatin accessibility compared with non-chr. 21amp BP-MPN controls. DYRK1A is a central node at the nexus of multiple cellular functions critical for BP-MPN development and is essential for BP-MPN cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo, and represents a druggable axis. Collectively, these findings define chr. 21amp as a prognostic biomarker in BP-MPN, and link chromothripsis to a therapeutic target.

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