LGG-13. PILOCYTIC ASTROCYTOMAS WITH NOVEL BRAF FUSIONS DEMONSTRATE MAPK PATHWAY ACTIVATION

Pilocytic astrocytomas (PAs) are the most common pediatric low-grade glioma subtype. Oftentimes, PAs demonstrate somatic genetic alterations, the most common being the BRAF-KIAA1549 fusion, which results in constitutive activation of the MAPK pathway. Better understanding of the effects of other RAF fusions is necessary to determine the potential utility of MAPK-targeting therapies.

Three patients presented to Children’s Hospital Colorado and were ultimately diagnosed with PAs harboring previously unreported gene fusions identified as FYCO-RAF1, CCTTNNBP2-BRAF, and SLC44A1-BRAF. Utilizing immunohistochemistry, we stained novel samples and controls for ERK and pERK (phosphorylated ERK) to assess the activation of the MAPK pathway. PAs with known BRAF-KIAA1549 fusions (4 samples) and normal brain tissue (5 samples) were used as positive and negative controls, respectively. We additionally performed RNA sequencing to better understand expression changes associated with these fusions, utilizing Metascape and GSEA (Gene Set Enrichment Analysis) for analysis.

Immunohistochemistry of negative control samples demonstrated less p-ERK than ERK (ratios of 0.6–0.9, mean 0.8). All samples with novel fusions demonstrated statistically significantly higher p-ERK expression compared to negative controls (ratios of 1.3–1.7, mean 1.4). These experimental samples also all fell within the p-ERK to ERK expression range of the positive control samples, which demonstrated the widest range of expression (ratios of 1.1–4.5, mean 2.2). Our molecular analysis further confirmed these results, with GSEA demonstrating positively upregulated MAPK and ERK pathways in 2 positive controls and 1 novel fusion sample. Metascape analysis emphasized overall similar gene expression between these samples, demonstrating many shared genes and functional pathways.

We identified 3 previously unreported RAF fusions in PA that demonstrate activation of the MAPK pathway, although not as extensively as seen in some positive control samples with BRAF-KIAA1549 fusions. MEK inhibition may be a useful therapeutic strategy in these tumors if targeted therapy is indicated.