Biology subjects

Vichas, A.

Publications and source records attributed to Vichas, A..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

ALPINE: A Scalable Pipeline for Comprehensive Classification of Gene-Editing Outcomes from Long-Read Amplicon Sequencing

CRISPR genome editing has enabled precise genetic modification for gene and cell therapies, but edits often produce heterogeneous on-target outcomes, including homology-directed repair (HDR) knock-ins, DNA repair template integrations, and structural variants. Existing tools are frequently limited to short reads or lack viral vector-specific integration categories needed for therapeutic development. Here, we present ALPINE (Amplicon Long-read Pipeline for INtegration Evaluation), a scalable and reproducible pipeline for classifying and quantifying gene-editing outcomes from long-read amplicon sequencing. ALPINE classifies reads into 10+ categories, including DNA repair vector integration subtypes, and performs variant calling near the gene-edited site with batch, multi-sample reporting. Uniquely, ALPINE can distinguish between cells treated with multiple DNA repair vectors and identify distinct molecular features, such as inverted terminal repeats (ITRs), enabling comprehensive characterization of complex gene editing outcomes. Benchmarking on simulated datasets showed high accuracy, and application to edited T cell samples demonstrated comprehensive gene-editing outcome profiling. Supplementary data are available online. AvailabilityALPINE is implemented in Python and distributed as Docker containers with Common Workflow Language (CWL) support for cloud deployment. The pipeline is available under MIT license at https://github.com/Maggi-Chen/ALPINE.

bioinformatics↗

bioRxiv2023

The deubiquitinase USP9X regulates RIT1 protein abundance and oncogenic phenotypes

RIT1 is a rare and understudied oncogene in lung cancer. Despite structural similarity to other RAS GTPase proteins such as KRAS, oncogenic RIT1 activity does not appear to be tightly regulated by nucleotide exchange or hydrolysis. Instead, there is a growing understanding that the protein abundance of RIT1 is important for its regulation and function. We previously identified the deubiquitinase USP9X as a RIT1 dependency in RIT1-mutant cells. Here, we demonstrate that both wild-type and mutant forms of RIT1 are substrates of USP9X. Depletion of USP9X leads to decreased RIT1 protein stability and abundance and resensitizes cells to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Our work expands upon the current understanding of RIT1 protein regulation and presents USP9X as a key regulator of RIT1-driven oncogenic phenotypes.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2020

An integrative oncogene-dependency map identifies unique vulnerabilities of oncogenic RIT1 in lung cancer

ABSTRACTAdvances in precision oncology have transformed cancer therapy from broadly-applied cytotoxic therapy to personalized treatments based on each tumor’s unique molecular alterations. Here we investigate the oncogene-specific dependencies conferred by lung cancer driver variants of KRAS, EGFR, and RIT1. Integrative analysis of genome-wide CRISPR screens in isogenic cell lines identified shared and unique vulnerabilities of each oncogene. The non-identical landscape of dependencies underscores the importance of genotype-guided therapies to maximize tumor responses. Combining genetic screening data with small molecule sensitivity profiling, we identify a unique vulnerability of RIT1-mutant cells to loss of spindle assembly checkpoint regulators. This sensitivity may be related to a novel role of RIT1 in mitosis; we find that oncogenic RIT1M90I alters mitotic timing via weakening of the spindle assembly checkpoint. In addition, we uncovered a specific cooperation of mutant RIT1 with loss of Hippo pathway genes. In human lung cancer, RIT1 mutations and amplifications frequently co-occur with loss of Hippo pathway gene expression. These results provide the first genome-wide atlas of oncogenic RIT1-cooperating factors and genetic dependencies and identify components of the RAS pathway, spindle assembly checkpoint, and Hippo/YAP1 network as candidate therapeutic targets in RIT1-mutant lung cancer.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.View Full Text

cancer biology↗