The Transcriptomic Landscape of Pediatric Astrocytoma

Tumors of the central nervous system are the most common solid neoplasia during human childhood, representing one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality. Tumors that originate from astrocyte cells (astrocytoma) in the brain are the most frequently found. According to their histological and pathological features, these tumors are classified into four categories. However, recently an extra layer of molecular classification of the tumorigenesis-associated genes IDH1/2 and H3F3A has been incorporated into the classification guidelines. While mutations in H3F3A are exclusively found in a subtype of pediatric astrocytoma grade IV, mutations in IDH1/2 are very rare in children younger than 14 years old. The transcriptomic profiles of astrocytoma in adults and children have been extensively studied however focusing on the study of the transcriptomic profile of the different grades of astrocytoma (including the additional layer of molecular classification) in pediatric populations are scarce. Therefore, we have profiled the transcriptomic landscape of the four grades of pediatric astrocytoma by RNA sequencing. Overall design: Next Generation Sequencing of total RNA from 15 biopsies of pediatric astrocytoma from cerebrum and cerebellum and five healthy matching tissues