G-Quadruplex Forming DNA Sequence Context Is Enriched around Points of Somatic Mutations in a Subset of Multiple Myeloma Patients.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common hematological malignancy, which remains incurable despite recent advances in treatment strategies. Like other forms of cancer, MM is characterized by genomic instability, caused by defects in DNA repair. Along with mutations in DNA repair genes and genotoxic drugs used to treat MM, non-canonical secondary DNA structures (four-stranded G-quadruplex structures) can affect accumulation of somatic mutations and chromosomal abnormalities in the tumor cells of MM patients. Here, we tested the hypothesis that G-quadruplex structures may influence the distribution of somatic mutations in the tumor cells of MM patients. We sequenced exomes of normal and tumor cells of 11 MM patients and analyzed the data for the presence of G4 context around points of somatic mutations. To identify molecular mechanisms that could affect mutational profile of tumors, we also analyzed mutational signatures in tumor cells as well as germline mutations for the presence of specific SNPs in DNA repair genes or in genes regulating G-quadruplex unwinding. In several patients, we found that sites of somatic mutations are frequently located in regions with G4 context. This pattern correlated with specific germline variants found in these patients. We discuss the possible implications of these variants for mutation accumulation and specificity in MM and propose that the extent of G4 context enrichment around somatic mutation sites may be a novel metric characterizing mutational processes in tumors.

Boosted excitation of the fifth cyclotron harmonic based on frequency multiplication in conventional gyrotrons.

We discovered a specific property of the eigenmodes of a cylindrical waveguide, due to which efficient mode excitation at ultrahigh (s=4n+1, n is integer) multiples of the gyrofrequency can be provided by a polyhelical weakly relativistic electron beam, standardly used for gyrotron operation. In the proof-of-principle experiment with a V-band gyrotron driven by a 25-keV, 2-A beam, about 100 mW radiation power at the fifth cyclotron harmonic (0.22 THz) has been detected in the cw regime. Based on the gyrotron theory, we demonstrate in simulations that, using parameters of existing gyrotrons, this method can be applied for producing cw radiation at a power level of up to several watts in the terahertz gap.

Genome Instability in Multiple Myeloma: Facts and Factors.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a malignant neoplasm of terminally differentiated immunoglobulin-producing B lymphocytes called plasma cells. MM is the second most common hematologic malignancy, and it poses a heavy economic and social burden because it remains incurable and confers a profound disability to patients. Despite current progress in MM treatment, the disease invariably recurs, even after the transplantation of autologous hematopoietic stem cells (ASCT). Biological processes leading to a pathological myeloma clone and the mechanisms of further evolution of the disease are far from complete understanding. Genetically, MM is a complex disease that demonstrates a high level of heterogeneity. Myeloma genomes carry numerous genetic changes, including structural genome variations and chromosomal gains and losses, and these changes occur in combinations with point mutations affecting various cellular pathways, including genome maintenance. MM genome instability in its extreme is manifested in mutation kataegis and complex genomic rearrangements: chromothripsis, templated insertions, and chromoplexy. Chemotherapeutic agents used to treat MM add another level of complexity because many of them exacerbate genome instability. Genome abnormalities are driver events and deciphering their mechanisms will help understand the causes of MM and play a pivotal role in developing new therapies.

Formation of microwave frequency-chirped solitons of self-induced transparency under conditions of cyclotron resonance absorption.

We study the formation of solitons of microwave self-induced transparency (M/W-SIT) which occurs under cyclotron resonance interaction of an electromagnetic pulse with an initially rectilinear magnetized electron beam. Taking into account the relativistic dependence of the gyrofrequency on the particle energy for electromagnetic wave propagating with a phase velocity different from the speed of light (i.e., far from the autoresonance conditions), such a beam can be considered as a medium of nonisochronous unexcited oscillators. Thus, similar to passing light pulses in the two-level medium, for sufficiently large amplitude and duration the incident electromagnetic pulse decomposes into one or several solitons. We find analytically the generalized solution for the M/W-SIT soliton with amplitude and duration determined, besides the soliton velocity, by the frequency self-shift parameter. The feasibility and stability of the obtained solutions are confirmed in numerical simulations of a semibounded problem describing propagation and nonlinear interaction of an incident electromagnetic pulse.