CARMA: CARM1 methylation of SWI/SNF in breast cancer

Research progress of SWI/SNF complex in breast cancer

In the past decade, numerous epigenetic mechanisms have been discovered to be associated with cancer. The mammalian SWI/SNF complex is an ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling complex whose mutations are associated with various malignancies including breast cancer. As the SWI/SNF complex has become one of the most commonly mutated complexes in cancer, targeting epigenetic mutations acquired during breast cancer progress is a potential means of improving clinical efficacy in treatment strategies. This article reviews the composition of the SWI/SNF complex, its main roles and research progress in breast cancer, and links these findings to the latest discoveries in cancer epigenomics to discuss the potential mechanisms and therapeutic potential of SWI/SNF in breast cancer.

Advances in the role of SWI/SNF complexes in tumours

Cancer development is a complex process involving both genetic and epigenetic changes. The SWI/SNF (switch/sucrose non-fermentable) chromatin remodelling complex, one of the most studied ATP-dependent complexes, plays an important role in coordinating chromatin structural stability, gene expression and post-translational modifications. The SWI/SNF complex can be classified into BAF, PBAF and GBAF according to their constituent subunits. Cancer genome sequencing studies have shown a high incidence of mutations in genes encoding subunits of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodelling complex, with abnormalities in one or more of these genes present in nearly 25% of all cancers, which indicating that stabilizing normal expression of genes encoding subunits in the SWI/SNF complex may prevent tumorigenesis. In this paper, we will review the relationship between the SWI/SNF complex and some clinical tumours and its mechanism of action. The aim is to provide a theoretical basis to guide the diagnosis and treatment of tumours caused by mutations or inactivation of one or more genes encoding subunits of the SWI/SNF complex in the clinical setting.

Ribosome production factor 2 homolog promotes migration and invasion of colorectal cancer cells by inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition via AKT/Gsk-3β signaling pathway

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignancies of the gastrointestinal tract, and its prognosis is closely related to the degree of tumor invasion and metastasis. Ribosome production factor 2 homolog (RPF2) plays an important role in the process of ribosome biogenesis; however, its biological function in the progression of malignant tumors including CRC remains unknown. It was found that RPF2 expression was significantly higher in CRC tissues than in the adjacent normal tissue, using mRNA chip technology. This study aimed to explore the role of RPF2 in the invasion and migration of CRC cells and investigate its probable molecular mechanism. The results demonstrated that RPF2 is not only highly expressed in CRC tissues and cell lines but can also activate the AKT/GSK-3β signaling pathway through direct interaction with CARM1, promoting epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and consequently enhancing the migration and invasion abilities of CRC cells in vitro and in vivo. Thus, we speculated that RPF2 may become a novel therapeutic target for suppression of local invasion and distant metastasis of CRC.

Endotoxin stabilizes protein arginine methyltransferase 4 (PRMT4) protein triggering death of lung epithelia

Lung epithelial cell death is a prominent feature of acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS), which results from severe pulmonary infection leading to respiratory failure. Multiple mechanisms are believed to contribute to the death of epithelia; however, limited data propose a role for epigenetic modifiers. In this study, we report that a chromatin modulator protein arginine N-methyltransferase 4/coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase 1 (PRMT4/CARM1) is elevated in human lung tissues with pneumonia and in experimental lung injury models. Here PRMT4 is normally targeted for its degradation by an E3 ubiquitin ligase, SCF^FBXO9, that interacts with PRMT4 via a phosphodegron to ubiquitinate the chromatin modulator at K228 leading to its proteasomal degradation. Bacterial-derived endotoxin reduced levels of SCF^FBXO9 thus increasing PRMT4 cellular concentrations linked to epithelial cell death. Elevated PRMT4 protein caused substantial epithelial cell death via caspase 3-mediated cell death signaling, and depletion of PRMT4 abolished LPS-mediated epithelial cell death both in cellular and murine injury models. These findings implicate a unique molecular interaction between SCF^FBXO9 and PRMT4 and its regulation by endotoxin that impacts the life span of lung epithelia, which may play a key role in the pathobiology of tissue injury observed during critical respiratory illness.

Regulation of the Mammalian SWI/SNF Family of Chromatin Remodeling Enzymes by Phosphorylation during Myogenesis

Myogenesis is the biological process by which skeletal muscle tissue forms. Regulation of myogenesis involves a variety of conventional, epigenetic, and epigenomic mechanisms that control chromatin remodeling, DNA methylation, histone modification, and activation of transcription factors. Chromatin remodeling enzymes utilize ATP hydrolysis to alter nucleosome structure and/or positioning. The mammalian SWItch/Sucrose Non-Fermentable (mSWI/SNF) family of chromatin remodeling enzymes is essential for myogenesis. Here we review diverse and novel mechanisms of regulation of mSWI/SNF enzymes by kinases and phosphatases. The integration of classic signaling pathways with chromatin remodeling enzyme function impacts myoblast viability and proliferation as well as differentiation. Regulated processes include the assembly of the mSWI/SNF enzyme complex, choice of subunits to be incorporated into the complex, and sub-nuclear localization of enzyme subunits. Together these processes influence the chromatin remodeling and gene expression events that control myoblast function and the induction of tissue-specific genes during differentiation.

The Overexpression of CARM1 Promotes Human Osteosarcoma Cell Proliferation through the pGSK3β/β-Catenin/cyclinD1 Signaling Pathway

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a kind of malignant bone tumor that occurs frequently in the region surrounding the knee joint and poses a threat to the health of teenagers. Since the application of chemotherapy to treat OS, 5-year survival rate in patients has improved from 10% to 70%, but patient survival has not changed over the past four decades. Coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase 1 (CARM1) is a member of the PRMT protein family; it acts as an oncogene in many cancers, but its function in OS is still unknown. In this study, we found that CARM1 is overexpressed in OS and its expression is correlated with the Enneking stage. CCK-8 and colony forming assays showed that proliferation in OS cell lines was downregulated when siRNA was used to knockdown CARM1 expression. The cell cycle was inhibited in S phase after si-CARM1 transfection in OS cell lines. An antibody array indicated that Erk1/2 (Thr202/Tyr204), PARS40 (Thr246), and GSK3β (Ser9) expression are affected by CARM1, and western blotting verified that CARM1 promotes OS cell proliferation via pGSK3β/β-catenin/cyclinD1 signaling. Accordingly, CARM1 is a crucial gene in OS and is a potential new treatment target.

High-density array-CGH with targeted NGS unmask multiple noncontiguous minute deletions on chromosome 3p21 in mesothelioma

We used a custom-made comparative genomic hybridization array (aCGH; average probe interval 254 bp) to screen 33 malignant mesothelioma (MM) biopsies for somatic copy number loss throughout the 3p21 region (10.7 Mb) that harbors 251 genes, including BRCA1 (breast cancer 1)-associated protein 1 (BAP1), the most commonly mutated gene in MM. We identified frequent minute biallelic deletions (<3 kb) in 46 of 251 genes: four were cancer-associated genes: SETD2 (SET domain-containing protein 2) (7 of 33), BAP1 (8 of 33), PBRM1 (polybromo 1) (3 of 33), and SMARCC1 (switch/sucrose nonfermentable- SWI/SNF-related, matrix-associated, actin-dependent regulator of chromatin, subfamily c, member 1) (2 of 33). These four genes were further investigated by targeted next-generation sequencing (tNGS), which revealed sequence-level mutations causing biallelic inactivation. Combined high-density aCGH and tNGS revealed biallelic gene inactivation in SETD2 (9 of 33, 27%), BAP1 (16 of 33, 48%), PBRM1 (5 of 33, 15%), and SMARCC1 (2 of 33, 6%). The incidence of genetic alterations detected is much higher than reported in the literature because minute deletions are not detected by NGS or commercial aCGH. Many of these minute deletions were not contiguous, but rather alternated with segments showing oscillating copy number changes along the 3p21 region. In summary, we found that in MM: (i) multiple minute simultaneous biallelic deletions are frequent in chromosome 3p21, where they occur as distinct events involving multiple genes; (ii) in addition to BAP1, mutations of SETD2, PBRM1, and SMARCC1 are frequent in MM; and (iii) our results suggest that high-density aCGH combined with tNGS provides a more precise estimate of the frequency and types of genes inactivated in human cancer than approaches based exclusively on NGS strategy.

Effect of fucoidan from Turbinaria conoides on human lung adenocarcinoma epithelial (A549) cells

Fucoidan was purified from seaweed, Turbinaria conoides. Isolated fragments were characterized with NMR ((13)C, (1)H), Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectronomy (GC-MS) and HPLC analysis. The autohydrolysate of fucoidans consisted of sulfated fuco-oligosaccharides having the backbone of α-(1, 3)-linked fuco-pyranose derivatives and minor components of galactose, glucose, mannose and xylose sugars. Fucoidan induced a dose-dependent reduction in cell survival of lung cancer A549 cells by MTT assay (GI50, 75μg/mL). However, it was not cytotoxic to a non-tumorigenic human keratinocyte cell line of skin tissue (HaCaT) (GI50>1.0mg/mL). The apoptotic cells in fucoidan-treated A549 cells were visualized by laser confocal microscopy and cell cycle analysis showed induction of G0/G1 phase arrest of the cell progression cycle. Further, CFSE labeling and flow cytometry highlighted that fucoidan significantly (P<0.05) inhibited the proliferation rate of A549 cells by up to 2-fold compared with the control cells. It is concluded that fucoidan has the potential to act as an anti-proliferative agent on lung carcinoma (A549) cells.

PRMT4-mediated arginine methylation negatively regulates retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein and promotes E2F-1 dissociation

The retinoblastoma protein (pRb/p105) tumor suppressor plays a pivotal role in cell cycle regulation by blockage of the G1-to-S-phase transition. pRb tumor suppressor activity is governed by a variety of posttranslational modifications, most notably phosphorylation by cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) complexes. Here we report a novel regulation of pRb through protein arginine methyltransferase 4 (PRMT4)-mediated arginine methylation, which parallels phosphorylation. PRMT4 specifically methylates pRb at the pRb C-terminal domain (pRb C(term)) on arginine (R) residues R775, R787, and R798 in vitro and R787 in vivo. Arginine methylation is important for efficient pRb C(term) phosphorylation, as manifested by the reduced phosphorylation of a methylation-impaired mutant, pRb (R3K). A methylmimetic form of pRb, pRb (R3F), disrupts the formation of the E2F-1/DP1-pRb complex in cells as well as in an isolated system. Finally, studies using a Gal4-E2F-1 reporter system show that pRb (R3F) expression reduces the ability of pRb to repress E2F-1 transcriptional activation, while pRb (R3K) expression further represses E2F-1 transcriptional activation relative to that for cells expressing wild-type pRb. Together, our results suggest that arginine methylation negatively regulates the tumor suppressor function of pRb during cell cycle control, in part by creating a better substrate for Cdk complex phosphorylation and disrupting the interaction of pRb with E2F-1.

DLG5 in cell polarity maintenance and cancer development

Failure in establishment and maintenance of epithelial cell polarity contributes to tumorigenesis. Loss of expression and function of cell polarity proteins is directly related to epithelial cell polarity maintenance. The polarity protein discs large homolog 5 (DLG5) belongs to a family of molecular scaffolding proteins called Membrane Associated Guanylate Kinases (MAGUKs). As the other family members, DLG5 contains the multi-PDZ, SH3 and GUK domains. DLG5 has evolved in the same manner as DLG1 and ZO1, two well-studied MAGUKs proteins. Just like DLG1 and ZO1, DLG5 plays a role in cell migration, cell adhesion, precursor cell division, cell proliferation, epithelial cell polarity maintenance, and transmission of extracellular signals to the membrane and cytoskeleton. Since the roles of DLG5 in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and Crohn's disease (CD) have been reviewed, here, our review focuses on the roles of DLG5 in epithelial cell polarity maintenance and cancer development.