EV DNA from pancreatic cancer patient-derived cells harbors molecular, coding, non-coding signatures and mutational hotspots

• DOI: 10.1038/s42003-025-07567-1
• Publication Date: 2025-03-05T09:43:11Z
• Authors: Appolinaire A. Olou; Wesley A. Tom; Gary Krzyzanowski; Chao Jiang; Dinesh S. Chandel; Nirmalee Fernando; Adrian W. Draney; Joel Destino; Danny R. Welch; M. Rohan Fernando
• Keywords: QH301-705.5; Biology (General); Article

DNA packaged into cancer cell-derived EV is not well appreciated. Here, we uncovered signatures of EV DNA secreted by pancreatic cancer cells. The cancer cells and non-cancer counterparts exhibit distinct low vs. high molecular weight (LMW vs. HMW) EV DNA fragments distribution, respectively. Genome sequencing and Single Nucleotide Variants analysis revealed that 95% of reads and 94% of SNVs map to noncoding regions of the genome. Given that ~1% of the human genome represents coding regions, the 5% mapping rate to coding regions suggests a non-random enrichment of certain coding regions and mutations. The LMW DNA fragments not only set cancer cells apart, but also harbor cancer specific enrichment of unique coding regions, the top nine being FAM135B, COL22A1, TSNARE1, KCNK9, ZFAT, JRK, MROH5, GSDMD, and MIR3667HG. Additionally, the cancer cells’ LMW DNA fragments exhibit dense centromeric mapping more strikingly on chromosomes 3, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 17, and 20. Mutational profiling turned up close to 200 mutations specific for the cancer cells. Altogether, our analyses suggest that centromeric regions might hold clues to EV DNA content from pancreatic cancer, the molecular, mutational signatures thereof, and rationalizes the need for a new approach to DNA biomarker research.