Genomic profile of human meningioma cell lines

Meningiomas, derived from arachnoid cap cells, are the most common intracranial tumor. High-grade meningiomas, as well as those located at the skull base or near venous sinuses, frequently recur and are challenging to manage. Next-generation sequencing is identifying novel pharmacologic targets in meningiomas to complement surgery and radiation. However, due to the lack of in vitro models, the importance and implications of these genetic variants in meningioma pathogenesis and therapy remain unclear. We performed whole exome sequencing to assess single nucleotide variants and somatic copy number variants in four human meningioma cell lines, including two benign lines (HBL-52 and Ben-Men-1) and two malignant lines (IOMM-Lee and CH157-MN). The two malignant cell lines harbored an elevated rate of mutations and copy number alterations compared to the benign lines, consistent with the genetic profiles of high-grade meningiomas. In addition, these cell lines also harbored known meningioma driver mutations in neurofibromin 2 (NF2) and TNF receptor-associated factor 7 (TRAF7). These findings demonstrate the relevance of meningioma cell lines as a model system, especially as tools to investigate the signaling pathways of, and subsequent resistance to, therapeutics currently in clinical trials.