Bioinformatics Analysis for Circulating Cell-Free DNA in Cancer
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cancers Review Bioinformatics Analysis for Circulating Cell-Free DNA in Cancer Chiang-Ching Huang 1,*, Meijun Du 2 and Liang Wang 2,* 1 Zilber School of Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53205, USA 2 Department of Pathology and MCW Cancer Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] (C.-C.H.); [email protected] (L.W.); Tel.: +1-414-227-5006 (C.-C.H.); +1-414-955-2574 (L.W.) Received: 22 April 2019; Accepted: 6 June 2019; Published: 11 June 2019 Abstract: Molecular analysis of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) that circulates in plasma and other body fluids represents a “liquid biopsy” approach for non-invasive cancer screening or monitoring. The rapid development of sequencing technologies has made cfDNA a promising source to study cancer development and progression. Specific genetic and epigenetic alterations have been found in plasma, serum, and urine cfDNA and could potentially be used as diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers in various cancer types. In this review, we will discuss the molecular characteristics of cancer cfDNA and major bioinformatics approaches involved in the analysis of cfDNA sequencing data for detecting genetic mutation, copy number alteration, methylation change, and nucleosome positioning variation. We highlight specific challenges in sensitivity to detect genetic aberrations and robustness of statistical analysis. Finally, we provide perspectives regarding the standard and continuing development of bioinformatics analysis to move this promising screening tool into clinical practice. Keywords: bioinformatics; copy number variation; cell-free DNA; methylation; mutation; next generation sequencing 1. Introduction To date, tissue biopsy samples are widely used to characterize tumors. Although tissues allow the histological definition of the disease and can reveal details of the genetic profile of the tumor, enabling prediction of disease progression and response to therapies, the applications are limited on tissue availability, sampling frequency, and their genetic heterogeneity [1]. Therefore, attention is turning to liquid biopsies, which enable the analysis of tumor components, including circulating tumor cells (CTC) [2] and circulating tumor nucleic acids from various biological fluids, mostly blood but also other easily accessible fluids such as urine [3]. Compared to conventional tissue biopsy from a single tumor site, the main advantages of liquid biopsies include their non-invasive characteristics, multiple sampling capability, and comprehensive coverage to address issues of tumor heterogeneity [4,5]. Circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is defined as extracellular DNA occurring in blood or other body fluids. It is usually released as small fragments (150–200 bp in length [6]) from normal or tumor cells by apoptosis and necrosis [7], or shed from viable cells [8]. Levels of cfDNA are higher in diseased than healthy individuals [9]. cfDNA can track the evolutionary dynamics and heterogeneity of tumors and detect the early emergence of therapy resistance, residual disease, and recurrence [10–12]. Therefore, analysis of cfDNA has been considered as a potential screening approach for tumor diagnosis and prognosis by detecting tumor-associated aberrations in peripheral blood [13,14]. Next generation sequencing (NGS) has emerged as a powerful tool for cfDNA analysis, which allows the detection of cancer-related genetic and epigenetic alterations such as mutations, copy number Cancers 2019, 11, 805; doi:10.3390/cancers11060805 www.mdpi.com/journal/cancers Cancers 2019, 11, x 2 of 14 Cancers 2019, 11, 805 2 of 15 Next generation sequencing (NGS) has emerged as a powerful tool for cfDNA analysis, which allows the detection of cancer-related genetic and epigenetic alterations such as mutations, copy variationsnumber variations (CNVs), (CNVs), and DNA and methylation DNA methylation changes changes across wider across genomic wider genomic regions regions in many in cancer many typescancer [ 15types,16]. However,[15,16]. However, detection detection of cancer of with canc higher with specificity high andspecificity sensitivity and issensitivity still challenging, is still especiallychallenging, in especially early-stage in cancers, early-stage as there cancers, exist as many there barriersexist many to thebarriers utilization to the ofutilization cfDNA inof clinicalcfDNA applications,in clinical applications, including lackincluding of well-accepted lack of well sample-accepted collection sample protocolcollection and protocol sensitive and detectionsensitive approaches.detection approaches. Furthermore, Furthermore, analysis of cfDNA analysis sequencing of cfDNA data requiressequencing specialized data requires bioinformatics specialized tools tobioinformatics identify robust tools biomarkers to identify for robust clinical biomarkers practice. 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Most from circulating tumor ctDNAcells only. are 160–180The ctDNA base can pair be fragments, derived from roughly primary the size or ofmetastatic a mononucleosomal tumors [17]. Most unit [circulating18,19]. However, ctDNA recentare 160–180 studies base have pair shown fragments, that ctDNA roughly tends the size to beof shortera mononucleosomal than cfDNA fromunit [18,19]. normal However, cells [20,21 recent]. Therefore, studies ctDNA have shown may be that enriched ctDNA by tends excising to be smallershorter DNAthan cfDNA fragments from from normal cfDNA cells on [20,21]. polyacrylamide Therefore, gels ctDNA [22]. may Currently, be enriched cfDNA by fragmentation excising smaller patterns DNA andfragments their applications from cfDNA in on liquid polyacrylamide biopsy are an gels emerging [22]. 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Ever-increasing in cancer deve numberslopment of genomicand progression. alterations The are beingpresence tested or asabsence putative of a predictive single genetic biomarkers alteration in in clinical tumor trials DNA of is novel currently anticancer employed therapies to guide [29 clinical]. To detect decision the cancer-associatedmaking for a number alleles of targeted in the blood, agents real-time [25–28]. 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