Renal angiomyolipoma (AML) harboring a missense mutation of TSC2 with copy-neutral loss of heterozygosity (CN-LOH)

ABSTRACT

Angiomyolipoma (AML) is classified as a perivascular epithelioid cell neoplasm, mostly occurring in the kidney. Twenty percent of patients with renal AML have tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) caused by germline variation in the TSC1 or TSC2 gene. In this paper, we report the first case of renal AML harboring somatic missense mutations of the TSC2 gene and concomitant copy-neutral loss of heterozygosity (CN-LOH). The patient presented with solitary renal AML and pulmonary lymphangiomyomatosis and without other findings suggestive of TSC. Exome sequencing analysis of the renal AML, however, identified a pathogenic somatic missense mutation in the TSC2 gene (NM_000548:c.5228G>A:p. R1743Q), although no other somatic mutation was detected. Furthermore, no germline mutation in TSC1 or TSC2 was detected. Interestingly, the mutant allele ratio was too high for a somatic heterozygous mutation without loss of heterozygosity (LOH). Furthermore, no copy number variation was detected around the TSC2 locus (16p13.3). To clarify the allelic status, we analyzed heterozygous single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in chromosome 16. In these SNPs, an unbalanced allele ratio was accumulated inside the 16p13.3 region. These results suggested copy-neutral LOH (CN-LOH). Consequently, we concluded that the missense mutation of the TSC2 gene and CN-LOH of the TSC2 locus caused renal AML.

KEYWORDS:

• Angiomyolipoma
• AML
• copy-neutral loss of heterozygosity
• CN-LOH
• tuberous sclerosis complex
• TSC
• exome sequencing
• TSC2