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Agbana S, McIlroy M. Extra-nuclear and cytoplasmic steroid receptor signalling in hormone dependent cancers. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2024; 243:106559. [PMID: 38823459 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2024.106559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024]
Abstract
Steroid hormone receptors are key mediators in the execution of hormone action through a combination of genomic and non-genomic action. Since their isolation and characterisation in the early 20th Century much of our understanding of the biological actions of steroid hormones are underpinned by their activated receptor activity. Over the past two decades there has been an acceleration of more omics-based research which has resulted in a major uptick in our comprehension of genomic steroid action. However, it is well understood that steroid hormones can induce very rapid signalling events in tandem with their genomic actions wherein they exert their influence through alterations in gene expression. Thus the totality of genomic and non-genomic steroid action occurs in a simultaneous and reciprocal manner and a greater appreciation of whole cell action is required to fully evaluate steroid hormone activity in vivo. In this mini-review we outline the most recent developments in non-genomic steroid action and cytoplasmic steroid hormone receptor biology in endocrine-related cancers with a focus on the 3-keto steroid receptors, in particular the androgen receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Agbana
- Androgens in Health and Disease research group, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin, Ireland; Department of Surgery, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ireland
| | - Marie McIlroy
- Androgens in Health and Disease research group, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin, Ireland; Department of Surgery, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ireland.
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2
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Han D, Labaf M, Zhao Y, Owiredu J, Zhang S, Patel K, Venkataramani K, Steinfeld JS, Han W, Li M, Liu M, Wang Z, Besschetnova A, Patalano S, Mulhearn MJ, Macoska JA, Yuan X, Balk SP, Nelson PS, Plymate SR, Gao S, Siegfried KR, Liu R, Stangis MM, Foxa G, Czernik PJ, Williams BO, Zarringhalam K, Li X, Cai C. Androgen receptor splice variants drive castration-resistant prostate cancer metastasis by activating distinct transcriptional programs. J Clin Invest 2024; 134:e168649. [PMID: 38687617 PMCID: PMC11142739 DOI: 10.1172/jci168649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
One critical mechanism through which prostate cancer (PCa) adapts to treatments targeting androgen receptor (AR) signaling is the emergence of ligand-binding domain-truncated and constitutively active AR splice variants, particularly AR-V7. While AR-V7 has been intensively studied, its ability to activate distinct biological functions compared with the full-length AR (AR-FL), and its role in regulating the metastatic progression of castration-resistant PCa (CRPC), remain unclear. Our study found that, under castrated conditions, AR-V7 strongly induced osteoblastic bone lesions, a response not observed with AR-FL overexpression. Through combined ChIP-seq, ATAC-seq, and RNA-seq analyses, we demonstrated that AR-V7 uniquely accesses the androgen-responsive elements in compact chromatin regions, activating a distinct transcription program. This program was highly enriched for genes involved in epithelial-mesenchymal transition and metastasis. Notably, we discovered that SOX9, a critical metastasis driver gene, was a direct target and downstream effector of AR-V7. Its protein expression was dramatically upregulated in AR-V7-induced bone lesions. Moreover, we found that Ser81 phosphorylation enhanced AR-V7's pro-metastasis function by selectively altering its specific transcription program. Blocking this phosphorylation with CDK9 inhibitors impaired the AR-V7-mediated metastasis program. Overall, our study has provided molecular insights into the role of AR splice variants in driving the metastatic progression of CRPC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Han
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy
- Department of Biology, and
| | - Maryam Labaf
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy
- Department of Mathematics, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Hematology-Oncology Division, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Yawei Zhao
- Department of Cell and Cancer Biology, College of Medicine and Life Sciences, The University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, USA
| | - Jude Owiredu
- Department of Cell & Developmental Biology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
| | - Songqi Zhang
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy
- Department of Biology, and
| | - Krishna Patel
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy
- Department of Biology, and
| | | | | | - Wanting Han
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Muqing Li
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy
- Department of Biology, and
| | - Mingyu Liu
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy
- Department of Biology, and
| | - Zifeng Wang
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy
- Department of Biology, and
| | | | - Susan Patalano
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy
- Department of Biology, and
| | | | - Jill A. Macoska
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy
- Department of Biology, and
| | - Xin Yuan
- Hematology-Oncology Division, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Steven P. Balk
- Hematology-Oncology Division, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Peter S. Nelson
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Stephen R. Plymate
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Geriatric Research and Education Clinical Center (VAPSHCS-GRECC), Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Shuai Gao
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy and
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, USA
| | | | - Ruihua Liu
- Department of Cell and Cancer Biology, College of Medicine and Life Sciences, The University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, USA
| | - Mary M. Stangis
- Department of Cell and Cancer Biology, College of Medicine and Life Sciences, The University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, USA
| | - Gabrielle Foxa
- Department of Cell Biology, and Core Technologies and Services, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
| | - Piotr J. Czernik
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, MicroCT and Skeletal Research Core Facility, College of Medicine and Life Sciences, The University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, USA
| | - Bart O. Williams
- Department of Cell Biology, and Core Technologies and Services, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
| | - Kourosh Zarringhalam
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy
- Department of Mathematics, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Xiaohong Li
- Department of Cell and Cancer Biology, College of Medicine and Life Sciences, The University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, USA
| | - Changmeng Cai
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy
- Department of Biology, and
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Guzman J, Weigelt K, Neumann A, Tripal P, Schmid B, Winter Z, Palmisano R, Culig Z, Cronauer MV, Muschler P, Wullich B, Taubert H, Wach S. NanoLuc Binary Technology as a methodological approach: an important new tool for studying the localization of androgen receptor and androgen receptor splice variant V7 homo and heterodimers. BMC Cancer 2024; 24:346. [PMID: 38500100 PMCID: PMC10949640 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-024-12110-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The androgen/androgen receptor (AR)-signaling axis plays a central role in prostate cancer (PCa). Upon androgen-binding the AR dimerizes with another AR, and translocates into the nucleus where the AR-dimer activates/inactivates androgen-dependent genes. Consequently, treatments for PCa are commonly based on androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). The clinical benefits of ADT are only transitory and most tumors develop mechanisms allowing the AR to bypass its need for physiological levels of circulating androgens. Clinical failure of ADT is often characterized by the synthesis of a constitutively active AR splice variant, termed AR-V7. AR-V7 mRNA expression is considered as a resistance mechanism following ADT. AR-V7 no longer needs androgenic stimuli for nuclear entry and/or dimerization. METHODS Our goal was to mechanistically decipher the interaction between full-length AR (AR-FL) and AR-V7 in AR-null HEK-293 cells using the NanoLuc Binary Technology under androgen stimulation and deprivation conditions. RESULTS Our data point toward a hypothesis that AR-FL/AR-FL homodimers form in the cytoplasm, whereas AR-V7/AR-V7 homodimers localize in the nucleus. However, after androgen stimulation, all the AR-FL/AR-FL, AR-FL/AR-V7 and AR-V7/AR-V7 dimers were localized in the nucleus. CONCLUSIONS We showed that AR-FL and AR-V7 form heterodimers that localize to the nucleus, whereas AR-V7/AR-V7 dimers were found to localize in the absence of androgens in the nucleus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Guzman
- Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, Uniklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, 91054, Germany
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN (CCC ER-EMN), Erlangen, 91054, Germany
| | - Katrin Weigelt
- Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, Uniklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, 91054, Germany
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN (CCC ER-EMN), Erlangen, 91054, Germany
| | - Angela Neumann
- Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, Uniklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, 91054, Germany
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN (CCC ER-EMN), Erlangen, 91054, Germany
| | - Philipp Tripal
- Optical Imaging Centre Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, 91054, Germany
| | - Benjamin Schmid
- Optical Imaging Centre Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, 91054, Germany
| | - Zoltán Winter
- Optical Imaging Centre Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, 91054, Germany
| | - Ralph Palmisano
- Optical Imaging Centre Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, 91054, Germany
| | - Zoran Culig
- Department of Urology, Division of Experimental Urology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria
| | - Marcus V Cronauer
- Institute of Pathology, Universitätsklinikum Bonn, Universität Bonn, Bonn, 53127, Germany
| | | | - Bernd Wullich
- Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, Uniklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, 91054, Germany
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN (CCC ER-EMN), Erlangen, 91054, Germany
| | - Helge Taubert
- Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, Uniklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, 91054, Germany.
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN (CCC ER-EMN), Erlangen, 91054, Germany.
| | - Sven Wach
- Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, Uniklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, 91054, Germany
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN (CCC ER-EMN), Erlangen, 91054, Germany
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4
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Shukla S, Li D, Nguyen H, Conner J, Bayshtok G, Cho WH, Pachai M, Teri N, Campeau E, Attwell S, Trojer P, Ostrovnaya I, Gopalan A, Corey E, Chi P, Chen Y. BET inhibitors as a therapeutic intervention in gastrointestinal gene signature-positive castration-resistant prostate cancer. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.09.584256. [PMID: 38559135 PMCID: PMC10979872 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.09.584256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
A subgroup of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) aberrantly expresses a gastrointestinal (GI) transcriptome governed by two GI-lineage-restricted transcription factors, HNF1A and HNF4G. In this study, we found that expression of GI transcriptome in CRPC correlates with adverse clinical outcomes to androgen receptor signaling inhibitor treatment and shorter overall survival. Bromo- and extra-terminal domain inhibitors (BETi) downregulated HNF1A, HNF4G, and the GI transcriptome in multiple CRPC models, including cell lines, patient-derived organoids, and patient-derived xenografts, while AR and the androgen-dependent transcriptome were largely spared. Accordingly, BETi selectively inhibited growth of GI transcriptome-positive preclinical models of prostate cancer. Mechanistically, BETi inhibited BRD4 binding at enhancers globally, including both AR and HNF4G bound enhancers while gene expression was selectively perturbed. Restoration of HNF4G expression in the presence of BETi rescued target gene expression without rescuing BRD4 binding. This suggests that inhibition of master transcription factors expression underlies the selective transcriptional effects of BETi. SIGNIFICANCE GI transcriptome expression in CRPC is regulated by the HNF1A-HNF4G-BRD4 axis and correlates with worse clinical outcomes. Accordingly, BET inhibitors significantly reduce tumor cell growth in multiple GI-transcriptome-positive preclinical models of CRPC. Our studies point that expression of GI transcriptome could serve as a predictive biomarker to BETi therapy response.
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Helminen L, Huttunen J, Tulonen M, Aaltonen N, Niskanen E, Palvimo J, Paakinaho V. Chromatin accessibility and pioneer factor FOXA1 restrict glucocorticoid receptor action in prostate cancer. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:625-642. [PMID: 38015476 PMCID: PMC10810216 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad1126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Treatment of prostate cancer relies predominantly on the inhibition of androgen receptor (AR) signaling. Despite the initial effectiveness of the antiandrogen therapies, the cancer often develops resistance to the AR blockade. One mechanism of the resistance is glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-mediated replacement of AR function. Nevertheless, the mechanistic ways and means how the GR-mediated antiandrogen resistance occurs have remained elusive. Here, we have discovered several crucial features of GR action in prostate cancer cells through genome-wide techniques. We detected that the replacement of AR by GR in enzalutamide-exposed prostate cancer cells occurs almost exclusively at pre-accessible chromatin sites displaying FOXA1 occupancy. Counterintuitively to the classical pioneer factor model, silencing of FOXA1 potentiated the chromatin binding and transcriptional activity of GR. This was attributed to FOXA1-mediated repression of the NR3C1 (gene encoding GR) expression via the corepressor TLE3. Moreover, the small-molecule inhibition of coactivator p300's enzymatic activity efficiently restricted GR-mediated gene regulation and cell proliferation. Overall, we identified chromatin pre-accessibility and FOXA1-mediated repression as important regulators of GR action in prostate cancer, pointing out new avenues to oppose steroid receptor-mediated antiandrogen resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Helminen
- Institute of Biomedicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Jasmin Huttunen
- Institute of Biomedicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Melina Tulonen
- Institute of Biomedicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Niina Aaltonen
- Institute of Biomedicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Einari A Niskanen
- Institute of Biomedicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Jorma J Palvimo
- Institute of Biomedicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Ville Paakinaho
- Institute of Biomedicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
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Poluben L, Nouri M, Liang J, Varkaris A, Ersoy-Fazlioglu B, Voznesensky O, Lee II, Qiu X, Cato L, Seo JH, Freedman ML, Sowalsky AG, Lack NA, Corey E, Nelson PS, Brown M, Long HW, Balk SP, Russo JW. Increased chromatin accessibility drives transition to androgen receptor splice variant dependence in castration-resistant prostate cancer. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.10.575110. [PMID: 38260576 PMCID: PMC10802579 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.10.575110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Androgen receptor (AR) splice variants, of which ARv7 is the most common, are increased in prostate cancer (PC) that develops resistance to androgen signaling inhibitor drugs, but the extent to which these variants drive AR activity, and whether they have novel functions or dependencies, remain to be determined. We generated a subline of VCaP PC cells (VCaP16) that is resistant to the AR inhibitor enzalutamide (ENZ) and found that AR activity was independent of the full-length AR (ARfl), despite its continued high-level expression, and was instead driven by ARv7. The ARv7 cistrome and transcriptome in VCaP16 cells mirrored that of the ARfl in VCaP cells, although ARv7 chromatin binding was weaker, and strong ARv7 binding sites correlated with higher affinity ARfl binding sites across multiple models and clinical samples. Notably, although ARv7 expression in VCaP cells increased rapidly in response to ENZ, there was a long lag before it gained chromatin binding and transcriptional activity. This lag was associated with an increase in chromatin accessibility, with the AR and nuclear factor I (NFI) motifs being most enriched at these more accessible sites. Moreover, the transcriptional effects of combined NFIB and NFIX knockdown versus ARv7 knockdown were highly correlated. These findings indicate that ARv7 can drive the AR program, but that its activity is dependent on adaptations that increase chromatin accessibility to enhance its intrinsically weak chromatin binding.
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7
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Senapati D, Sharma V, Rath SK, Rai U, Panigrahi N. Functional implications and therapeutic targeting of androgen response elements in prostate cancer. Biochimie 2023; 214:188-198. [PMID: 37460038 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2023.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
The androgen receptor (AR) plays an essential role in the growth and progression of prostate cancer (CaP). Ligand-activated AR inside the nucleus binds to the androgen response element (ARE) of the target genes in dimeric form and recruits transcriptional machinery to facilitate gene transcription. Pharmacological compounds that inhibit the AR action either bind to the ligand binding domain (LBD) or interfere with the interactions of AR with other co-regulatory proteins, slowing the progression of the disease. However, the emergence of resistance to conventional treatment makes clinical management of CaP difficult. Resistance has been associated with activation of androgen/AR axis that restores AR transcriptional activity. Activated AR signaling in resistance cases can be mediated by several mechanisms including AR amplification, gain-of-function AR mutations, androgen receptor variant (ARVs), intracrine androgen production, and overexpression of AR coactivators. Importantly, in castration resistant prostate cancer, ARVs lacking the LBD become constitutively active and promote hormone-independent development, underlining the need to concentrate on the other domain or the AR-DNA interface for the identification of novel actionable targets. In this review, we highlight the plasticity of AR-DNA binding and explain how fine-tuning AR's cooperative interactions with DNA translate into developing an alternative strategy to antagonize AR activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhirodatta Senapati
- GITAM School of Pharmacy, GITAM (Deemed to be University), Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India.
| | - Vikas Sharma
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Santosh Kumar Rath
- School of Pharmaceuticals and Population Health Informatics, DIT University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Uddipak Rai
- School of Pharmaceuticals and Population Health Informatics, DIT University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Naresh Panigrahi
- GITAM School of Pharmacy, GITAM (Deemed to be University), Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India
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8
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Zhang X, Wang Y, Lu J, Xiao L, Chen H, Li Q, Li YY, Xu P, Ruan C, Zhou H, Zhao Y. A conserved ZFX/WNT3 axis modulates the growth and imatinib response of chronic myeloid leukemia stem/progenitor cells. Cell Mol Biol Lett 2023; 28:83. [PMID: 37864206 PMCID: PMC10589942 DOI: 10.1186/s11658-023-00496-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Zinc finger protein X-linked (ZFX) has been shown to promote the growth of tumor cells, including leukemic cells. However, the role of ZFX in the growth and drug response of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) stem/progenitor cells remains unclear. METHODS Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and immunofluorescence were used to analyze the expression of ZFX and WNT3 in CML CD34+ cells compared with normal control cells. Short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/dead CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/dCas9) technologies were used to study the role of ZFX in growth and drug response of CML cells. Microarray data were generated to compare ZFX-silenced CML CD34+ cells with their controls. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and luciferase reporter assays were performed to study the molecular mechanisms of ZFX to regulate WNT3 expression. RT-qPCR and western blotting were used to study the effect of ZFX on β-catenin signaling. RESULTS We showed that ZFX expression was significantly higher in CML CD34+ cells than in control cells. Overexpression and gene silencing experiments indicated that ZFX promoted the in vitro growth of CML cells, conferred imatinib mesylate (IM) resistance to these cells, and enhanced BCR/ABL-induced malignant transformation. Microarray data and subsequent validation revealed that WNT3 transcription was conservatively regulated by ZFX. WNT3 was highly expressed in CML CD34+ cells, and WNT3 regulated the growth and IM response of these cells similarly to ZFX. Moreover, WNT3 overexpression partially rescued ZFX silencing-induced growth inhibition and IM hypersensitivity. ZFX silencing decreased WNT3/β-catenin signaling, including c-MYC and CCND1 expression. CONCLUSION The present study identified a novel ZFX/WNT3 axis that modulates the growth and IM response of CML stem/progenitor cells.
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MESH Headings
- Humans
- Imatinib Mesylate/pharmacology
- Imatinib Mesylate/metabolism
- beta Catenin/metabolism
- Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/drug therapy
- Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/genetics
- Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/metabolism
- Stem Cells/metabolism
- Signal Transduction
- Drug Resistance, Neoplasm/genetics
- Neoplastic Stem Cells/metabolism
- Wnt3 Protein/metabolism
- Wnt3 Protein/pharmacology
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuyan Zhang
- Cyrus Tang Medical Institute, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China.
- Jiangsu Institute of Hematology, NHC Key Laboratory of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China.
| | - Yu Wang
- Cyrus Tang Medical Institute, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Jinchang Lu
- Cyrus Tang Medical Institute, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Lun Xiao
- Department of Vascular Surgery, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, 210008, China
| | - Hui Chen
- Cyrus Tang Medical Institute, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Quanxue Li
- Shanghai-MOST Key Laboratory of Health and Disease Genomics, Shanghai Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Yuan-Yuan Li
- Shanghai-MOST Key Laboratory of Health and Disease Genomics, Shanghai Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Peng Xu
- Cyrus Tang Medical Institute, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Changgeng Ruan
- Jiangsu Institute of Hematology, NHC Key Laboratory of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases, Suzhou, 215006, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China
- MOE Engineering Center of Hematological Disease, Soochow University, Suzhou, 21513, China
| | - Haixia Zhou
- Jiangsu Institute of Hematology, NHC Key Laboratory of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China.
- National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases, Suzhou, 215006, China.
- MOE Engineering Center of Hematological Disease, Soochow University, Suzhou, 21513, China.
| | - Yun Zhao
- Cyrus Tang Medical Institute, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China.
- National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases, Suzhou, 215006, China.
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China.
- MOE Engineering Center of Hematological Disease, Soochow University, Suzhou, 21513, China.
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9
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Katleba KD, Ghosh PM, Mudryj M. Beyond Prostate Cancer: An Androgen Receptor Splice Variant Expression in Multiple Malignancies, Non-Cancer Pathologies, and Development. Biomedicines 2023; 11:2215. [PMID: 37626712 PMCID: PMC10452427 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11082215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Multiple studies have demonstrated the importance of androgen receptor (AR) splice variants (SVs) in the progression of prostate cancer to the castration-resistant phenotype and their utility as a diagnostic. However, studies on AR expression in non-prostatic malignancies uncovered that AR-SVs are expressed in glioblastoma, breast, salivary, bladder, kidney, and liver cancers, where they have diverse roles in tumorigenesis. AR-SVs also have roles in non-cancer pathologies. In granulosa cells from women with polycystic ovarian syndrome, unique AR-SVs lead to an increase in androgen production. In patients with nonobstructive azoospermia, testicular Sertoli cells exhibit differential expression of AR-SVs, which is associated with impaired spermatogenesis. Moreover, AR-SVs have been identified in normal cells, including blood mononuclear cells, neuronal lipid rafts, and the placenta. The detection and characterization of AR-SVs in mammalian and non-mammalian species argue that AR-SV expression is evolutionarily conserved and that AR-SV-dependent signaling is a fundamental regulatory feature in multiple cellular contexts. These discoveries argue that alternative splicing of the AR transcript is a commonly used mechanism that leads to an expansion in the repertoire of signaling molecules needed in certain tissues. Various malignancies appropriate this mechanism of alternative AR splicing to acquire a proliferative and survival advantage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberley D. Katleba
- Veterans Affairs-Northern California Health Care System, 10535 Hospital Way, Mather, CA 95655, USA; (K.D.K.); (P.M.G.)
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, 1 Shields Avenue, UC Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Paramita M. Ghosh
- Veterans Affairs-Northern California Health Care System, 10535 Hospital Way, Mather, CA 95655, USA; (K.D.K.); (P.M.G.)
- Department of Urologic Surgery, 4860 Y Street, UC Davis, Sacramento, CA 95718, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, 1 Shields Avenue, UC Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Maria Mudryj
- Veterans Affairs-Northern California Health Care System, 10535 Hospital Way, Mather, CA 95655, USA; (K.D.K.); (P.M.G.)
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, 1 Shields Avenue, UC Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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10
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Li X, Li F, Ye F, Guo H, Chen W, Jin J, Wang Y, Dai P, Shi H, Tao H, Dang W, Ding Y, Wang M, Jiang H, Chen K, Zhang N, Gao D, Zhang Y, Luo C. Spermine is a natural suppressor of AR signaling in castration-resistant prostate cancer. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112798. [PMID: 37453063 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
In castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), clinical response to androgen receptor (AR) antagonists is limited mainly due to AR-variants expression and restored AR signaling. The metabolite spermine is most abundant in prostate and it decreases as prostate cancer progresses, but its functions remain poorly understood. Here, we show spermine inhibits full-length androgen receptor (AR-FL) and androgen receptor splice variant 7 (AR-V7) signaling and suppresses CRPC cell proliferation by directly binding and inhibiting protein arginine methyltransferase PRMT1. Spermine reduces H4R3me2a modification at the AR locus and suppresses AR binding as well as H3K27ac modification levels at AR target genes. Spermine supplementation restrains CRPC growth in vivo. PRMT1 inhibition also suppresses AR-FL and AR-V7 signaling and reduces CRPC growth. Collectively, we demonstrate spermine as an anticancer metabolite by inhibiting PRMT1 to transcriptionally inhibit AR-FL and AR-V7 signaling in CRPC, and we indicate spermine and PRMT1 inhibition as powerful strategies overcoming limitations of current AR-based therapies in CRPC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Li
- School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China; State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Fei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Fei Ye
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China; College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang SciTech University, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Haotian Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China; China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, P.R. China
| | - Wentao Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jia Jin
- College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang SciTech University, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Yiran Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China; State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Pengfei Dai
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China; State Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Huili Shi
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China; State Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Hongru Tao
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Wenzhen Dang
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Yiluan Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Mingchen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Hualiang Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Kaixian Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Naixia Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Dong Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.
| | - Yuanyuan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Cheng Luo
- School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China; State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China; China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, P.R. China; Zhongshan Institute for Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongshan 528437, China.
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11
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Li M, Liu M, Han W, Wang Z, Han D, Patalano S, Macoska JA, Balk SP, He HH, Corey E, Gao S, Cai C. LSD1 Inhibition Disrupts Super-Enhancer-Driven Oncogenic Transcriptional Programs in Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer. Cancer Res 2023; 83:1684-1698. [PMID: 36877164 PMCID: PMC10192194 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-22-2433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Revised: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2023]
Abstract
The lysine demethylase LSD1 (also called KDM1A) plays important roles in promoting multiple malignancies including both hematologic cancers and solid tumors. LSD1 targets histone and nonhistone proteins and can function as a transcriptional corepressor or coactivator. LSD1 has been reported to act as a coactivator of androgen receptor (AR) in prostate cancer and to regulate the AR cistrome via demethylation of its pioneer factor FOXA1. A deeper understanding of the key oncogenic programs targeted by LSD1 could help stratify prostate cancer patients for treatment with LSD1 inhibitors, which are currently under clinical investigation. In this study, we performed transcriptomic profiling in an array of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) xenograft models that are sensitive to LSD1 inhibitor treatment. Impaired tumor growth by LSD1 inhibition was attributed to significantly decreased MYC signaling, and MYC was found to be a consistent target of LSD1. Moreover, LSD1 formed a network with BRD4 and FOXA1 and was enriched at super-enhancer regions exhibiting liquid-liquid phase separation. Combining LSD1 inhibitors with BET inhibitors exhibited strong synergy in disrupting the activities of multiple drivers in CRPC, thereby inducing significant growth repression of tumors. Importantly, the combination treatment showed superior effects than either inhibitor alone in disrupting a subset of newly identified CRPC-specific super-enhancers. These results provide mechanistic and therapeutic insights for cotargeting two key epigenetic factors and could be rapidly translated in the clinic for CRPC patients. SIGNIFICANCE LSD1 drives prostate cancer progression by activating super-enhancer-mediated oncogenic programs, which can be targeted with the combination of LSD1 and BRD4 inhibitors to suppress the growth of CRPC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muqing Li
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02125, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02125, USA
| | - Mingyu Liu
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02125, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02125, USA
| | - Wanting Han
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02125, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02125, USA
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Washington 98109, USA
| | - Zifeng Wang
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02125, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02125, USA
| | - Dong Han
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02125, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02125, USA
| | - Susan Patalano
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02125, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02125, USA
| | - Jill A. Macoska
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02125, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02125, USA
| | - Steven P. Balk
- Hematology-Oncology Division, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
| | - Housheng Hansen He
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5G1L7, Canada
- Princess Margaret Cancer Center, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, M5G1L7, Canada
| | - Eva Corey
- Department of Urology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Shuai Gao
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02125, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02125, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York 10595, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York 10595, USA
| | - Changmeng Cai
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02125, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02125, USA
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12
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Mandl A, Markowski MC, Carducci MA, Antonarakis ES. Role of bromodomain and extraterminal (BET) proteins in prostate cancer. Expert Opin Investig Drugs 2023; 32:213-228. [PMID: 36857796 DOI: 10.1080/13543784.2023.2186851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The bromodomain and extraterminal (BET) family of proteins are epigenetic readers of acetylated histones and are critical activators of oncogenic networks across many cancers. Therapeutic targeting of BET proteins has been an attractive area of clinical development for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. In recent years, many structurally diverse BET inhibitors have been discovered and tested. Preclinical studies have demonstrated significant antiproliferative activity of BET inhibitors against prostate cancer. However, their clinical success as monotherapies has been limited by treatment-associated toxicities, primary and acquired drug resistance, and a lack of predictive biomarkers of benefit. AREAS COVERED This review provides an overview of advancements in BET inhibitor design, preclinical research, and conclusions from clinical trials in prostate cancer. We speculate on incorporating BET inhibitors into combination regimens with other agents to improve the therapeutic index of BET inhibition in treating prostate cancer. EXPERT OPINION The therapeutic potential of BET inhibitors for prostate cancer has been demonstrated in preclinical studies. However, further research is needed to identify biomarkers that can predict sensitivity to BET inhibitors and to develop novel, highly selective inhibitors to reduce toxicities. Finally, BET inhibitors are likely to hold the most clinical potential in combination with other agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adel Mandl
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Mark C Markowski
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Michael A Carducci
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Emmanuel S Antonarakis
- Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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13
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Yu X, Wang J, Gong W, Ma A, Shen Y, Zhang C, Liu X, Cai L, Liu J, Wang GG, Jin J. Dissecting and targeting noncanonical functions of EZH2 in multiple myeloma via an EZH2 degrader. Oncogene 2023; 42:994-1009. [PMID: 36747009 PMCID: PMC10040430 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-023-02618-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Revised: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common hematological malignancy with poor prognosis. Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) is the enzymatic subunit of polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), which catalyzes trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3) for transcriptional repression. EZH2 have been implicated in numerous hematological malignancies, including MM. However, noncanonical functions of EZH2 in MM tumorigenesis are not well understood. Here, we uncovered a noncanonical function of EZH2 in MM malignancy. In addition to the PRC2-mediated and H3K27me3-dependent canonical function, EZH2 interacts with cMyc and co-localizes with gene activation-related markers, promoting MM tumorigenesis in a PRC2- and H3K27me3-independent manner. Both canonical EZH2-PRC2 and noncanonical EZH2-cMyc complexes can be effectively depleted in MM cells by MS177, an EZH2 degrader we reported previously, leading to profound activation of EZH2-PRC2-associated genes and simultaneous suppression of EZH2-cMyc oncogenic nodes. The MS177-induced degradation of both canonical EZH2-PRC2 and noncanonical EZH2-cMyc complexes also reactivated immune response genes in MM cells. Phenotypically, targeting of EZH2's both canonical and noncanonical functions by MS177 effectively suppressed the proliferation of MM cells both in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, this study uncovers a new noncanonical function of EZH2 in MM tumorigenesis and provides a novel therapeutic strategy, pharmacological degradation of EZH2, for treating EZH2-dependent MM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xufen Yu
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Departments of Pharmacological Sciences, Oncological Sciences and Neuroscience, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
| | - Jun Wang
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Weida Gong
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Anqi Ma
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Departments of Pharmacological Sciences, Oncological Sciences and Neuroscience, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Yudao Shen
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Departments of Pharmacological Sciences, Oncological Sciences and Neuroscience, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Chengwei Zhang
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Departments of Pharmacological Sciences, Oncological Sciences and Neuroscience, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Xijuan Liu
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Ling Cai
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Jing Liu
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Departments of Pharmacological Sciences, Oncological Sciences and Neuroscience, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Gang Greg Wang
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
| | - Jian Jin
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Departments of Pharmacological Sciences, Oncological Sciences and Neuroscience, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
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14
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Dhital B, Santasusagna S, Kirthika P, Xu M, Li P, Carceles-Cordon M, Soni RK, Li Z, Hendrickson RC, Schiewer MJ, Kelly WK, Sternberg CN, Luo J, Lujambio A, Cordon-Cardo C, Alvarez-Fernandez M, Malumbres M, Huang H, Ertel A, Domingo-Domenech J, Rodriguez-Bravo V. Harnessing transcriptionally driven chromosomal instability adaptation to target therapy-refractory lethal prostate cancer. Cell Rep Med 2023; 4:100937. [PMID: 36787737 PMCID: PMC9975292 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2023.100937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Revised: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
Metastatic prostate cancer (PCa) inevitably acquires resistance to standard therapy preceding lethality. Here, we unveil a chromosomal instability (CIN) tolerance mechanism as a therapeutic vulnerability of therapy-refractory lethal PCa. Through genomic and transcriptomic analysis of patient datasets, we find that castration and chemotherapy-resistant tumors display the highest CIN and mitotic kinase levels. Functional genomics screening coupled with quantitative phosphoproteomics identify MASTL kinase as a survival vulnerability specific of chemotherapy-resistant PCa cells. Mechanistically, MASTL upregulation is driven by transcriptional rewiring mechanisms involving the non-canonical transcription factors androgen receptor splice variant 7 and E2F7 in a circuitry that restrains deleterious CIN and prevents cell death selectively in metastatic therapy-resistant PCa cells. Notably, MASTL pharmacological inhibition re-sensitizes tumors to standard therapy and improves survival of pre-clinical models. These results uncover a targetable mechanism promoting high CIN adaptation and survival of lethal PCa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittiny Dhital
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA; Urology Department, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA; Thomas Jefferson University, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - Sandra Santasusagna
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA; Urology Department, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Perumalraja Kirthika
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA; Urology Department, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Michael Xu
- Thomas Jefferson University, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - Peiyao Li
- Thomas Jefferson University, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | | | - Rajesh K Soni
- Microchemistry and Proteomics Laboratory, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Zhuoning Li
- Microchemistry and Proteomics Laboratory, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Ronald C Hendrickson
- Microchemistry and Proteomics Laboratory, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Matthew J Schiewer
- Thomas Jefferson University, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - William K Kelly
- Thomas Jefferson University, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - Cora N Sternberg
- Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Department of Medicine, Meyer Cancer Center, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Jun Luo
- Urology Department, Brady Urological Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Amaia Lujambio
- Oncological Sciences Department, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Carlos Cordon-Cardo
- Pathology Department, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Monica Alvarez-Fernandez
- Head & Neck Cancer Department, Institute de Investigación Sanitaria Principado de Asturias (ISPA), Institute Universitario de Oncología Principado de Asturias (IUOPA), 33011 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Marcos Malumbres
- Cell Division & Cancer Group, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), 28029 Madrid, Spain; Cancer Cell Cycle group, Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO), 08035 Barcelona, Spain. Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Haojie Huang
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA; Urology Department, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Adam Ertel
- Thomas Jefferson University, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - Josep Domingo-Domenech
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA; Urology Department, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
| | - Veronica Rodriguez-Bravo
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA; Urology Department, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
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15
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Miller KJ, Henry I, Maylin Z, Smith C, Arunachalam E, Pandha H, Asim M. A compendium of Androgen Receptor Variant 7 target genes and their role in Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1129140. [PMID: 36937454 PMCID: PMC10014620 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1129140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Persistent androgen receptor (AR) signalling is the main driver of prostate cancer (PCa). Truncated isoforms of the AR called androgen receptor variants (AR-Vs) lacking the ligand binding domain often emerge during treatment resistance against AR pathway inhibitors such as Enzalutamide. This review discusses how AR-Vs drive a more aggressive form of PCa through the regulation of some of their target genes involved in oncogenic pathways, enabling disease progression. There is a pressing need for the development of a new generation of AR inhibitors which can repress the activity of both the full-length AR and AR-Vs, for which the knowledge of differentially expressed target genes will allow evaluation of inhibition efficacy. This review provides a detailed account of the most common variant, AR-V7, the AR-V7 regulated genes which have been experimentally validated, endeavours to understand their relevance in aggressive AR-V driven PCa and discusses the utility of the downstream protein products as potential drug targets for PCa treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Zoe Maylin
- *Correspondence: Zoe Maylin, ; Mohammad Asim,
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16
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Labaf M, Li M, Ting L, Karno B, Zhang S, Gao S, Patalano S, Macoska JA, Zarringhalam K, Han D, Cai C. Increased AR expression in castration-resistant prostate cancer rapidly induces AR signaling reprogramming with the collaboration of EZH2. Front Oncol 2022; 12:1021845. [PMID: 36408179 PMCID: PMC9669968 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.1021845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Elevated androgen receptor (AR) expression is a hallmark of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and contributes to the restoration of AR signaling under the conditions of androgen deprivation. However, whether overexpressed AR alone with the stimulation of castrate levels of androgens can be sufficient to induce the reprogramming of AR signaling for the adaptation of prostate cancer (PCa) cells remains unclear. In this study, we used a PCa model with inducible overexpression of AR to examine the acute effects of AR overexpression on its cistrome and transcriptome. Our results show that overexpression of AR alone in conjunction with lower androgen levels can rapidly redistribute AR chromatin binding and activates a distinct transcription program that is enriched for DNA damage repair pathways. Moreover, using a recently developed bioinformatic tool, we predicted the involvement of EZH2 in this AR reprogramming and subsequently identified a subset of AR/EZH2 co-targeting genes, which are overexpressed in CRPC and associated with worse patient outcomes. Mechanistically, we found that AR-EZH2 interaction is impaired by the pre-castration level of androgens but can be recovered by the post-castration level of androgens. Overall, our study provides new molecular insights into AR signaling reprogramming with the engagement of specific epigenetic factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Labaf
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Mathematics, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Muqing Li
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Lily Ting
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Breelyn Karno
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Songqi Zhang
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Shuai Gao
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, United States
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, United States
| | - Susan Patalano
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Jill A. Macoska
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Kourosh Zarringhalam
- Department of Mathematics, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Dong Han
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, United States
- *Correspondence: Changmeng Cai, ; Dong Han,
| | - Changmeng Cai
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, United States
- *Correspondence: Changmeng Cai, ; Dong Han,
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17
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Wang J, Park KS, Yu X, Gong W, Earp HS, Wang G, Jin J, Cai L. A cryptic transactivation domain of EZH2 binds AR and AR's splice variant, promoting oncogene activation and tumorous transformation. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:10929-10946. [PMID: 36300627 PMCID: PMC9638897 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 (EZH2) and androgen receptor (AR) are crucial chromatin/gene regulators involved in the development and/or progression of prostate cancer, including advanced castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). To sustain prostate tumorigenicity, EZH2 establishes non-canonical biochemical interaction with AR for mediating oncogene activation, in addition to its canonical role as a transcriptional repressor and enzymatic subunit of Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2). However, the molecular basis underlying non-canonical activities of EZH2 in prostate cancer remains elusive, and a therapeutic strategy for targeting EZH2:AR-mediated oncogene activation is also lacking. Here, we report that a cryptic transactivation domain of EZH2 (EZH2TAD) binds both AR and AR spliced variant 7 (AR-V7), a constitutively active AR variant enriched in CRPC, mediating assembly and/or recruitment of transactivation-related machineries at genomic sites that lack PRC2 binding. Such non-canonical targets of EZH2:AR/AR-V7:(co-)activators are enriched for the clinically relevant oncogenes. We also show that EZH2TAD is required for the chromatin recruitment of EZH2 to oncogenes, for EZH2-mediated oncogene activation and for CRPC growth in vitro and in vivo. To completely block EZH2's multifaceted oncogenic activities in prostate cancer, we employed MS177, a recently developed proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) of EZH2. Strikingly, MS177 achieved on-target depletion of both EZH2's canonical (EZH2:PRC2) and non-canonical (EZH2TAD:AR/AR-V7:co-activators) complexes in prostate cancer cells, eliciting far more potent antitumor effects than the catalytic inhibitors of EZH2. Overall, this study reports a previously unappreciated requirement for EZH2TAD for mediating EZH2's non-canonical (co-)activator recruitment and gene activation functions in prostate cancer and suggests EZH2-targeting PROTACs as a potentially attractive therapeutic for the treatment of aggressive prostate cancer that rely on the circuits wired by EZH2 and AR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Wang
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Kwang-Su Park
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Xufen Yu
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Weida Gong
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - H Shelton Earp
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Gang Greg Wang
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jian Jin
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Ling Cai
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
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18
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Dong HY, Ding L, Zhou TR, Yan T, Li J, Liang C. FOXA1 in prostate cancer. Asian J Androl 2022; 25:287-295. [PMID: 36018068 DOI: 10.4103/aja202259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Most prostate cancers initially respond to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). With the long-term application of ADT, localized prostate cancer will progress to castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), metastatic CRPC (mCRPC), and neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC), and the transcriptional network shifted. Forkhead box protein A1 (FOXA1) may play a key role in this process through multiple mechanisms. To better understand the role of FOXA1 in prostate cancer, we review the interplay among FOXA1-targeted genes, modulators of FOXA1, and FOXA1 with a particular emphasis on androgen receptor (AR) function. Furthermore, we discuss the distinct role of FOXA1 mutations in prostate cancer and clinical significance of FOXA1. We summarize possible regulation pathways of FOXA1 in different stages of prostate cancer. We focus on links between FOXA1 and AR, which may play different roles in various types of prostate cancer. Finally, we discuss FOXA1 mutation and its clinical significance in prostate cancer. FOXA1 regulates the development of prostate cancer through various pathways, and it could be a biomarker for mCRPC and NEPC. Future efforts need to focus on mechanisms underlying mutation of FOXA1 in advanced prostate cancer. We believe that FOXA1 would be a prognostic marker and therapeutic target in prostate cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui-Yu Dong
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China.,Department of Clinical Medicine, Suzhou Vocational Health College, Suzhou 215009, China
| | - Lei Ding
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Tian-Ren Zhou
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Tao Yan
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Jie Li
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Chao Liang
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China
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19
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Gao L, Guo Y, Biswal M, Lu J, Yin J, Fang J, Chen X, Shao Z, Huang M, Wang Y, Wang GG, Song J. Structure of DNMT3B homo-oligomer reveals vulnerability to impairment by ICF mutations. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4249. [PMID: 35869095 PMCID: PMC9307851 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31933-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA methyltransferase DNMT3B plays an essential role in establishment of DNA methylation during embryogenesis. Mutations of DNMT3B are associated with human diseases, notably the immunodeficiency, centromeric instability and facial anomalies (ICF) syndrome. How ICF mutations affect DNMT3B activity is not fully understood. Here we report the homo-oligomeric structure of DNMT3B methyltransferase domain, providing insight into DNMT3B-mediated DNA methylation in embryonic stem cells where the functional regulator DNMT3L is dispensable. The interplay between one of the oligomer interfaces (FF interface) and the catalytic loop renders DNMT3B homo-oligomer a conformation and activity distinct from the DNMT3B-DNMT3L heterotetramer, and a greater vulnerability to certain ICF mutations. Biochemical and cellular analyses further reveal that the ICF mutations of FF interface impair the DNA binding and heterochromatin targeting of DNMT3B, leading to reduced DNA methylation in cells. Together, this study provides a mechanistic understanding of DNMT3B-mediated DNA methylation and its dysregulation in disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linfeng Gao
- Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program, University of California, Riverside, 92521, CA, USA
| | - Yiran Guo
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, 27599, NC, USA
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, 27599, NC, USA
| | - Mahamaya Biswal
- Department of Biochemistry, University of California, Riverside, 92521, CA, USA
| | - Jiuwei Lu
- Department of Biochemistry, University of California, Riverside, 92521, CA, USA
| | - Jiekai Yin
- Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program, University of California, Riverside, 92521, CA, USA
| | - Jian Fang
- Department of Biochemistry, University of California, Riverside, 92521, CA, USA
| | - Xinyi Chen
- Department of Biochemistry, University of California, Riverside, 92521, CA, USA
| | - Zengyu Shao
- Department of Biochemistry, University of California, Riverside, 92521, CA, USA
| | - Mengjiang Huang
- Department of Biochemistry, University of California, Riverside, 92521, CA, USA
| | - Yinsheng Wang
- Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program, University of California, Riverside, 92521, CA, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, 92521, CA, USA
| | - Gang Greg Wang
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, 27599, NC, USA.
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, 27599, NC, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, 27599, NC, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, 27599, NC, USA.
| | - Jikui Song
- Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program, University of California, Riverside, 92521, CA, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry, University of California, Riverside, 92521, CA, USA.
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20
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Wu Z, Yu X, Zhang S, He Y, Guo W. The role of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in gallbladder carcinoma. Am J Transl Res 2022; 14:4426-4442. [PMID: 35958463 PMCID: PMC9360899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The prognosis of gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) is poor, with a less than 5% five-year survival rate. Identifying the mechanisms underlying GBC occurrence and advancement is necessary to improve GBC patient prognosis and survival rates. The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/serine-threonine kinase (AKT) pathway is involved in cancer deterioration, tumor growth, cell proliferation, and distant metastasis. Studying the impacts of the PI3K/AKT pathway has resulted in the identification of key factors involved in GBC progression that might serve as therapeutic targets, promoting the development of new treatments. METHODS We reviewed recent literature exploring abnormal regulation of the PI3K/AKT pathway in gallbladder cancer, with a focus on abnormal RNA levels, protein level regulation, and drug treatment advances. RESULTS Further investigation of the regulation of small molecules and proteins by the PI3K/AKT pathway might ultimately provide new diagnostic or prognostic markers or cancer treatment targets. Recent studies have focused on RNA and proteins involved in the regulation of the cell cycle or cell movement in cancer progression via PI3K/AKT pathway, the use of anticancer drug combinations, or the anticancer effects of drugs not currently utilized for cancer treatment. CONCLUSIONS We herein review the known available molecules that affect the PI3K/AKT pathway in patients with GBC and the mechanisms of drug action associated with this pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeyu Wu
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
- Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation of Henan Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
- Open and Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation at Henan UniversitiesZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
- Henan Key Laboratory of Digestive Organ TransplantationZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
| | - Xiao Yu
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
- Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation of Henan Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
- Open and Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation at Henan UniversitiesZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
- Henan Key Laboratory of Digestive Organ TransplantationZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
| | - Shuijun Zhang
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
- Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation of Henan Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
- Open and Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation at Henan UniversitiesZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
- Henan Key Laboratory of Digestive Organ TransplantationZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
| | - Yuting He
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
- Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation of Henan Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
- Open and Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation at Henan UniversitiesZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
- Henan Key Laboratory of Digestive Organ TransplantationZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
| | - Wenzhi Guo
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
- Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation of Henan Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
- Open and Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation at Henan UniversitiesZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
- Henan Key Laboratory of Digestive Organ TransplantationZhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
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21
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Nevedomskaya E, Haendler B. From Omics to Multi-Omics Approaches for In-Depth Analysis of the Molecular Mechanisms of Prostate Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23116281. [PMID: 35682963 PMCID: PMC9181488 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23116281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer arises following alterations at different cellular levels, including genetic and epigenetic modifications, transcription and translation dysregulation, as well as metabolic variations. High-throughput omics technologies that allow one to identify and quantify processes involved in these changes are now available and have been instrumental in generating a wealth of steadily increasing data from patient tumors, liquid biopsies, and from tumor models. Extensive investigation and integration of these data have led to new biological insights into the origin and development of multiple cancer types and helped to unravel the molecular networks underlying this complex pathology. The comprehensive and quantitative analysis of a molecule class in a biological sample is named omics and large-scale omics studies addressing different prostate cancer stages have been performed in recent years. Prostate tumors represent the second leading cancer type and a prevalent cause of cancer death in men worldwide. It is a very heterogenous disease so that evaluating inter- and intra-tumor differences will be essential for a precise insight into disease development and plasticity, but also for the development of personalized therapies. There is ample evidence for the key role of the androgen receptor, a steroid hormone-activated transcription factor, in driving early and late stages of the disease, and this led to the development and approval of drugs addressing diverse targets along this pathway. Early genomic and transcriptomic studies have allowed one to determine the genes involved in prostate cancer and regulated by androgen signaling or other tumor-relevant signaling pathways. More recently, they have been supplemented by epigenomic, cistromic, proteomic and metabolomic analyses, thus, increasing our knowledge on the intricate mechanisms involved, the various levels of regulation and their interplay. The comprehensive investigation of these omics approaches and their integration into multi-omics analyses have led to a much deeper understanding of the molecular pathways involved in prostate cancer progression, and in response and resistance to therapies. This brings the hope that novel vulnerabilities will be identified, that existing therapies will be more beneficial by targeting the patient population likely to respond best, and that bespoke treatments with increased efficacy will be available soon.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bernard Haendler
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-30-2215-41198; Fax: +49-30-468-18069
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22
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Li D, Yu X, Kottur J, Gong W, Zhang Z, Storey AJ, Tsai YH, Uryu H, Shen Y, Byrum SD, Edmondson RD, Mackintosh SG, Cai L, Liu Z, Aggarwal AK, Tackett AJ, Liu J, Jin J, Wang GG. Discovery of a dual WDR5 and Ikaros PROTAC degrader as an anti-cancer therapeutic. Oncogene 2022; 41:3328-3340. [PMID: 35525905 PMCID: PMC9189076 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-022-02340-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
WD repeat domain 5 (WDR5), an integral component of the MLL/KMT2A lysine methyltransferase complex, is critically involved in oncogenesis and represents an attractive onco-target. Inhibitors targeting protein-protein interactions (PPIs) between WDR5 and its binding partners, however, do not inhibit all of WDR5-mediated oncogenic functions and exert rather limited antitumor effects. Here, we report a cereblon (CRBN)-recruiting proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) of WDR5, MS40, which selectively degrades WDR5 and the well-established neo-substrates of immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs):CRBN, the Ikaros zinc finger (IKZF) transcription factors IKZF1 and IKZF3. MS40-induced WDR5 degradation caused disassociation of the MLL/KMT2A complex off chromatin, resulting in decreased H3K4me2. Transcriptomic profiling revealed that targets of both WDR5 and IMiDs:CRBN were significantly repressed by treatment of MS40. In MLL-rearranged leukemias, which exhibit IKZF1 high expression and dependency, co-suppression of WDR5 and Ikaros by MS40 is superior in suppressing oncogenesis to the WDR5 PPI inhibitor, to MS40's non-PROTAC analog controls (MS40N1 and MS40N2, which do not bind CRBN and WDR5, respectively), and to a matched VHL-based WDR5 PROTAC (MS169, which degrades WDR5 but not Ikaros). MS40 suppressed the growth of primary leukemia patient cells in vitro and patient-derived xenografts in vivo. Thus, dual degradation of WDR5 and Ikaros is a promising anti-cancer strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongxu Li
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Xufen Yu
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.,Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jithesh Kottur
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.,Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Weida Gong
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Zhao Zhang
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Mays Cancer Center, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Aaron J Storey
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Yi-Hsuan Tsai
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Hidetaka Uryu
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Yudao Shen
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.,Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Stephanie D Byrum
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Rick D Edmondson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Samuel G Mackintosh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Ling Cai
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.,Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Zhijie Liu
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Mays Cancer Center, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Aneel K Aggarwal
- Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Alan J Tackett
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Jing Liu
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.,Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jian Jin
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA. .,Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Gang Greg Wang
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. .,Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. .,Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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23
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Targeting CDCP1 gene transcription coactivated by BRD4 and CBP/p300 in castration-resistant prostate cancer. Oncogene 2022; 41:3251-3262. [PMID: 35513563 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-022-02327-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
CUB domain-containing protein 1 (CDCP1), a transmembrane protein with tumor pro-metastatic activity, is highly expressed in late-stage and castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). However, the molecular mechanism driving CDCP1 overexpression in CRPC progress remains elusive. Here we report that transcription cofactors BRD4 and CBP/p300 co-regulate transcriptional expression of CDCP1 in CRPC tumorigenesis. In contrast to androgen receptor (AR) in CRPC, increased expression of BRD4 and CBP/p300 is strongly correlated with CDCP1 gene amplification. Combined knockdown or dual-inhibition of BRD4 and CBP/p300 down-regulated CDCP1 transcription and downstream PI3K/AKT and/or SRC/MAPK signaling pathways in CRPC cells much more so than single-protein perturbation. Our biochemical and structural analyses further showed that NEO2734, a dual-inhibitor targeting BRD4 and p300 bromodomains exhibits greater efficacy than single inhibitors for BRD4 or CBP/p300 in suppressing CDCP1 transcriptional expression and its downstream signaling pathways in CRPC cell proliferation and metastasis. Our study illustrates that targeting CDCP1 through dual-inhibition of BRD4 and CBP/p300 represents a synergistic therapeutic strategy for new treatment of CRPC.
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24
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Cistrome and transcriptome analysis identifies unique androgen receptor (AR) and AR-V7 splice variant chromatin binding and transcriptional activities. Sci Rep 2022; 12:5351. [PMID: 35354884 PMCID: PMC8969163 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-09371-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The constitutively active androgen receptor (AR) splice variant, AR-V7, plays an important role in resistance to androgen deprivation therapy in castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Studies seeking to determine whether AR-V7 is a partial mimic of the AR, or also has unique activities, and whether the AR-V7 cistrome contains unique binding sites have yielded conflicting results. One limitation in many studies has been the low level of AR variant compared to AR. Here, LNCaP and VCaP cell lines in which AR-V7 expression can be induced to match the level of AR, were used to compare the activities of AR and AR-V7. The two AR isoforms shared many targets, but overall had distinct transcriptomes. Optimal induction of novel targets sometimes required more receptor isoform than classical targets such as PSA. The isoforms displayed remarkably different cistromes with numerous differential binding sites. Some of the unique AR-V7 sites were located proximal to the transcription start sites (TSS). A de novo binding motif similar to a half ARE was identified in many AR-V7 preferential sites and, in contrast to conventional half ARE sites that bind AR-V7, FOXA1 was not enriched at these sites. This supports the concept that the AR isoforms have unique actions with the potential to serve as biomarkers or novel therapeutic targets.
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25
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Xu C, Meng F, Park KS, Storey AJ, Gong W, Tsai YH, Gibson E, Byrum SD, Li D, Edmondson RD, Mackintosh SG, Vedadi M, Cai L, Tackett AJ, Kaniskan HÜ, Jin J, Wang GG. A NSD3-targeted PROTAC suppresses NSD3 and cMyc oncogenic nodes in cancer cells. Cell Chem Biol 2022; 29:386-397.e9. [PMID: 34469831 PMCID: PMC8882712 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2021.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2021] [Revised: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Nuclear receptor binding SET domain protein 3 (NSD3), a gene located within the 8p11-p12 amplicon frequently detected in human cancers, encodes a chromatin modulator and an attractive onco-target. However, agents that effectively suppress NSD3-mediated oncogenic actions are currently lacking. We report the NSD3-targeting proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC), MS9715, which achieves effective and specific targeting of NSD3 and associated cMyc node in tumor cells. MS9715 is designed by linking BI-9321, a NSD3 antagonist, which binds NSD3's PWWP1 domain, with an E3 ligase VHL ligand. Importantly, MS9715, but not BI-9321, effectively suppresses growth of NSD3-dependent hematological cancer cells. Transcriptomic profiling demonstrates that MS9715, but not BI-9321, effectively suppresses NSD3-and cMyc-associated gene expression programs, resembling effects of the CRISPR-Cas9-mediated knockout of NSD3. Collectively, these results suggest that pharmacological degradation of NSD3 as an attractive therapeutic strategy, which co-suppresses NSD3- and cMyc-related oncogenic nodes, is superior to blocking the PWWP1 domain of NSD3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenxi Xu
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Fanye Meng
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Kwang-Su Park
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Aaron J Storey
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
| | - Weida Gong
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Yi-Hsuan Tsai
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Elisa Gibson
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Toronto, Toronto ON M5G 1L7, Canada
| | - Stephanie D Byrum
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
| | - Dongxu Li
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Rick D Edmondson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
| | - Samuel G Mackintosh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
| | - Masoud Vedadi
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Toronto, Toronto ON M5G 1L7, Canada; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto ON M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Ling Cai
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Alan J Tackett
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
| | - H Ümit Kaniskan
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.
| | - Jian Jin
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.
| | - Gang Greg Wang
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
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26
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EZH2 noncanonically binds cMyc and p300 through a cryptic transactivation domain to mediate gene activation and promote oncogenesis. Nat Cell Biol 2022; 24:384-399. [PMID: 35210568 PMCID: PMC9710513 DOI: 10.1038/s41556-022-00850-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Canonically, EZH2 serves as the catalytic subunit of PRC2, which mediates H3K27me3 deposition and transcriptional repression. Here, we report that in acute leukaemias, EZH2 has additional noncanonical functions by binding cMyc at non-PRC2 targets and uses a hidden transactivation domain (TAD) for (co)activator recruitment and gene activation. Both canonical (EZH2-PRC2) and noncanonical (EZH2-TAD-cMyc-coactivators) activities of EZH2 promote oncogenesis, which explains the slow and ineffective antitumour effect of inhibitors of the catalytic function of EZH2. To suppress the multifaceted activities of EZH2, we used proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) to develop a degrader, MS177, which achieved effective, on-target depletion of EZH2 and interacting partners (that is, both canonical EZH2-PRC2 and noncanonical EZH2-cMyc complexes). Compared with inhibitors of the enzymatic function of EZH2, MS177 is fast-acting and more potent in suppressing cancer growth. This study reveals noncanonical oncogenic roles of EZH2, reports a PROTAC for targeting the multifaceted tumorigenic functions of EZH2 and presents an attractive strategy for treating EZH2-dependent cancers.
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27
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Lu J, Zhong C, Luo J, Shu F, Lv D, Liu Z, Tan X, Wang S, Wu K, Yang T, Zhong W, Wang B, Chen Y, Li Y, Jia Z, Zou Y, Zhong W, Mao X. HnRNP-L-regulated circCSPP1/miR-520h/ EGR1 axis modulates autophagy and promotes progression in prostate cancer. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2021; 26:927-944. [PMID: 34760337 PMCID: PMC8560719 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2021.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2021] [Revised: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The circRNAs, a new subclass of non-coding RNAs that are catalyzed by RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), have been reported to be associated with the progression of multiple types of cancer. We previously discovered that heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein L (HnRNP-L), a multi-functional RBP, is associated with pro-proliferation and anti-apoptosis activities in prostate tumor cells. In this study, we aim to establish the biological relevance of circCSPP1 (a newly discovered signature circRNA in prostate cancer [PCa]) and HnRNP-L to prostate cancer progression. First, we demonstrated that circCSPP1 expression was higher in prostate cancer tissues than in benign tissues and higher in prostate cancer cells than in benign cells. Then, the in vitro gain- and loss-of-function experiments showed that the circCSPP1 expression in prostate cancer cells was regulated by HnRNP-L, and the increased circCSPP1 significantly induced autophagy, which led to an enhanced potential in proliferation, migration, and invasion of prostate cancer cells. These results were consistent with the in vivo experiment where increased or decreased circCSPP1 was associated with higher or slower growth rate in grafted tumors. Finally, we demonstrated the potential competing endogenous RNA network, involving circCSPP1, miR-520h, and early growth response factor 1 (EGR1), in prostate cancer cells, which may play an important role in prostate cancer progression. Our study indicated that the increase in circCSPP1 in prostate cancer, which may be catalyzed by HnRNP-L, can induce cellular autophagy through the circCSPP1-miR-520h-EGR1 axis, leading to the progression of prostate tumor. This newly discovered circRNA biomarker may be used for clinical prognosis of prostate cancer as well as for development of novel therapy plans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianming Lu
- Department of Urology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510282, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Chuanfan Zhong
- Department of Urology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510282, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Junqi Luo
- Department of Urology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510282, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Fangpeng Shu
- Department of Urology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510282, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Daojun Lv
- Department of Urology, Minimally Invasive Surgery Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Urology, Guangzhou Institute of Urology, Guangzhou 510120, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Zezhen Liu
- Department of Urology, Minimally Invasive Surgery Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Urology, Guangzhou Institute of Urology, Guangzhou 510120, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Xiao Tan
- Department of Urology, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, Sichuan, P.R. China
| | - Shuo Wang
- Department of Urology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510282, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Kaihui Wu
- Department of Urology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510282, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Taowei Yang
- Department of Urology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510282, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Weibo Zhong
- Department of Urology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510282, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Bin Wang
- Department of Urology, Affiliated Cancer Hospital & Institute of Guangzhou Medical University, 78 Hengzhigang Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510095, P.R. China
| | - Yanfei Chen
- Department of Urology, Affiliated Cancer Hospital & Institute of Guangzhou Medical University, 78 Hengzhigang Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510095, P.R. China
| | - Yuehan Li
- College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Zhenyu Jia
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Yaguang Zou
- Department of Stomatology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong, P.R. China
- Corresponding author: Yaguang Zou, Department of Stomatology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong, P.R. China.
| | - Weide Zhong
- Guangdong Provincial Institute of Nephrology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, P.R. China
- Corresponding author: Weide Zhong, Guangdong Provincial Institute of Nephrology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, P.R. China.E-mail:
| | - Xiangming Mao
- Department of Urology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510282, Guangdong, P.R. China
- Corresponding author: Xiangming Mao, Department of Urology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510282, Guangdong, P.R. China.
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Yu X, Li D, Kottur J, Shen Y, Kim HS, Park KS, Tsai YH, Gong W, Wang J, Suzuki K, Parker J, Herring L, Kaniskan HÜ, Cai L, Jain R, Liu J, Aggarwal AK, Wang GG, Jin J. A selective WDR5 degrader inhibits acute myeloid leukemia in patient-derived mouse models. Sci Transl Med 2021; 13:eabj1578. [PMID: 34586829 PMCID: PMC8500670 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abj1578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Interactions between WD40 repeat domain protein 5 (WDR5) and its various partners such as mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) and c-MYC are essential for sustaining oncogenesis in human cancers. However, inhibitors that block protein-protein interactions (PPIs) between WDR5 and its binding partners exhibit modest cancer cell killing effects and lack in vivo efficacy. Here, we present pharmacological degradation of WDR5 as a promising therapeutic strategy for treating WDR5-dependent tumors and report two high-resolution crystal structures of WDR5-degrader-E3 ligase ternary complexes. We identified an effective WDR5 degrader via structure-based design and demonstrated its in vitro and in vivo antitumor activities. On the basis of the crystal structure of an initial WDR5 degrader in complex with WDR5 and the E3 ligase von Hippel–Lindau (VHL), we designed a WDR5 degrader, MS67, and demonstrated the high cooperativity of MS67 binding to WDR5 and VHL by another ternary complex structure and biophysical characterization. MS67 potently and selectively depleted WDR5 and was more effective than WDR5 PPI inhibitors in suppressing transcription of WDR5-regulated genes, decreasing the chromatin-bound fraction of MLL complex components and c-MYC, and inhibiting the proliferation of cancer cells. In addition, MS67 suppressed malignant growth of MLL-rearranged acute myeloid leukemia patient cells in vitro and in vivo and was well tolerated in vivo. Collectively, our results demonstrate that structure-based design can be an effective strategy to identify highly active degraders and suggest that pharmacological degradation of WDR5 might be a promising treatment for WDR5-dependent cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xufen Yu
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.,Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Dongxu Li
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jithesh Kottur
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.,Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Yudao Shen
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.,Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Huen Suk Kim
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.,Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Kwang-Su Park
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.,Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Yi-Hsuan Tsai
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Weida Gong
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jun Wang
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Kyogo Suzuki
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Joel Parker
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.,Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Laura Herring
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - H. Ümit Kaniskan
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.,Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Ling Cai
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.,Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Rinku Jain
- Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Jing Liu
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.,Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Aneel K Aggarwal
- Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Gang Greg Wang
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.,Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.,Corresponding author. (J.J.); (G.G.W.)
| | - Jian Jin
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.,Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.,Corresponding author. (J.J.); (G.G.W.)
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29
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Goel S, Bhatia V, Kundu S, Biswas T, Carskadon S, Gupta N, Asim M, Morrissey C, Palanisamy N, Ateeq B. Transcriptional network involving ERG and AR orchestrates Distal-less homeobox-1 mediated prostate cancer progression. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5325. [PMID: 34493733 PMCID: PMC8423767 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25623-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Distal-less homeobox-1 (DLX1) is a well-established non-invasive biomarker for prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis, however, its mechanistic underpinnings in disease pathobiology are not known. Here, we reveal the oncogenic role of DLX1 and show that abrogating its function leads to reduced tumorigenesis and metastases. We observed that ~60% of advanced-stage and metastatic patients display higher DLX1 levels. Moreover, ~96% of TMPRSS2-ERG fusion-positive and ~70% of androgen receptor (AR)-positive patients show elevated DLX1, associated with aggressive disease and poor survival. Mechanistically, ERG coordinates with enhancer-bound AR and FOXA1 to drive transcriptional upregulation of DLX1 in ERG-positive background. However, in ERG-negative context, AR/AR-V7 and FOXA1 suffice to upregulate DLX1. Notably, inhibiting ERG/AR-mediated DLX1 transcription using BET inhibitor (BETi) or/and anti-androgen drugs reduce its expression and downstream oncogenic effects. Conclusively, this study establishes DLX1 as a direct-target of ERG/AR with an oncogenic role and demonstrates the clinical significance of BETi and anti-androgens for DLX1-positive patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sakshi Goel
- grid.417965.80000 0000 8702 0100Molecular Oncology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, U.P. India
| | - Vipul Bhatia
- grid.417965.80000 0000 8702 0100Molecular Oncology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, U.P. India
| | - Sushmita Kundu
- grid.417965.80000 0000 8702 0100Molecular Oncology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, U.P. India
| | - Tanay Biswas
- grid.417965.80000 0000 8702 0100Molecular Oncology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, U.P. India
| | - Shannon Carskadon
- grid.239864.20000 0000 8523 7701Vattikuti Urology Institute, Department of Urology, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI USA
| | - Nilesh Gupta
- grid.239864.20000 0000 8523 7701Department of Pathology, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI USA
| | - Mohammad Asim
- grid.5475.30000 0004 0407 4824Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
| | - Colm Morrissey
- grid.34477.330000000122986657Department of Urology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA
| | - Nallasivam Palanisamy
- grid.239864.20000 0000 8523 7701Vattikuti Urology Institute, Department of Urology, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI USA
| | - Bushra Ateeq
- grid.417965.80000 0000 8702 0100Molecular Oncology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, U.P. India ,grid.417965.80000 0000 8702 0100The Mehta Family Center for Engineering in Medicine, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, U.P. India
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30
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Xie J, Zhao C, Sun J, Li J, Yang F, Wang J, Nie Q. Prediction of Essential Genes in Comparison States Using Machine Learning. IEEE/ACM TRANSACTIONS ON COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY AND BIOINFORMATICS 2021; 18:1784-1792. [PMID: 32991286 DOI: 10.1109/tcbb.2020.3027392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Identifying essential genes in comparison states (EGS) is vital to understanding cell differentiation, performing drug discovery, and identifying disease causes. Here, we present a machine learning method termed Prediction of Essential Genes in Comparison States (PreEGS). To capture the alteration of the network in comparison states, PreEGS extracts topological and gene expression features of each gene in a five-dimensional vector. PreEGS also recruits a positive sample expansion method to address the problem of unbalanced positive and negative samples, which is often encountered in practical applications. Different classifiers are applied to the simulated datasets, and the PreEGS based on the random forests model (PreEGSRF) was chosen for optimal performance. PreEGSRF was then compared with six other methods, including three machine learning methods, to predict EGS in a specific state. On real datasets with four gene regulatory networks, PreEGSRF predicted five essential genes related to leukemia and five enriched KEGG pathways. Four of the predicted essential genes and all predicted pathways were consistent with previous studies and highly correlated with leukemia. With high prediction accuracy and generalization ability, PreEGSRF is broadly applicable for the discovery of disease-causing genes, driver genes for cell fate decisions, and complex biomarkers of biological systems.
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31
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Liang J, Wang L, Poluben L, Nouri M, Arai S, Xie L, Voznesensky OS, Cato L, Yuan X, Russo JW, Long HW, Brown M, Chen S, Balk SP. Androgen receptor splice variant 7 functions independently of the full length receptor in prostate cancer cells. Cancer Lett 2021; 519:172-184. [PMID: 34256096 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2021.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Revised: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
One mechanism for reactivation of androgen receptor (AR) activity after androgen deprivation therapy in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is expression of splice variants such as ARv7 that delete the ligand binding domain and have constitutive activity. Exogenous overexpressed ARv7 can function as a homodimer or heterodimer with full length AR (ARfl), which is highly expressed with ARv7 in CRPC. However, the extent to which endogenous ARv7 function is dependent on heterodimerization with ARfl remains to be determined. We used double-crosslinking to stabilize AR complexes on chromatin in a CRPC cell line expressing endogenous ARfl and ARv7 (LN95 cells), and established that only trace levels of ARfl were associated with ARv7 on chromatin. Consistent with this result, depletion of ARfl with an AR degrader targeting the AR ligand binding domain did not decrease ARv7 binding to chromatin or its association with HOXB13, but did decrease overall AR transcriptional activity. Comparable results were obtained in CWR22RV1 cells, another CRPC cell line expressing ARfl and ARv7. These results indicate that ARv7 function in CRPC is not dependent on ARfl, and that both contribute independently to overall AR activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaqian Liang
- Department of Medicine and Cancer Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Wuhan No. 1 Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430022, China
| | - Liyang Wang
- Department of Medicine and Cancer Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Shaanxi Normal University School of Life Sciences, Shaanxi 710062, China
| | - Larysa Poluben
- Department of Medicine and Cancer Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Mannan Nouri
- Department of Medicine and Cancer Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Seiji Arai
- Department of Medicine and Cancer Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Department of Urology, Gunma University Hospital, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
| | - Lisha Xie
- Department of Medicine and Cancer Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430022, China
| | - Olga S Voznesensky
- Department of Medicine and Cancer Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Laura Cato
- Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Xin Yuan
- Department of Medicine and Cancer Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Joshua W Russo
- Department of Medicine and Cancer Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Henry W Long
- Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Myles Brown
- Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Shaoyong Chen
- Department of Medicine and Cancer Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Steven P Balk
- Department of Medicine and Cancer Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
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32
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Ahn JH, Davis ES, Daugird TA, Zhao S, Quiroga IY, Uryu H, Li J, Storey AJ, Tsai YH, Keeley DP, Mackintosh SG, Edmondson RD, Byrum SD, Cai L, Tackett AJ, Zheng D, Legant WR, Phanstiel DH, Wang GG. Phase separation drives aberrant chromatin looping and cancer development. Nature 2021; 595:591-595. [PMID: 34163069 PMCID: PMC8647409 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03662-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 184] [Impact Index Per Article: 61.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The development of cancer is intimately associated with genetic abnormalities that target proteins with intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs). In human haematological malignancies, recurrent chromosomal translocation of nucleoporin (NUP98 or NUP214) generates an aberrant chimera that invariably retains the nucleoporin IDR-tandemly dispersed repeats of phenylalanine and glycine residues1,2. However, how unstructured IDRs contribute to oncogenesis remains unclear. Here we show that IDRs contained within NUP98-HOXA9, a homeodomain-containing transcription factor chimera recurrently detected in leukaemias1,2, are essential for establishing liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) puncta of chimera and for inducing leukaemic transformation. Notably, LLPS of NUP98-HOXA9 not only promotes chromatin occupancy of chimera transcription factors, but also is required for the formation of a broad 'super-enhancer'-like binding pattern typically seen at leukaemogenic genes, which potentiates transcriptional activation. An artificial HOX chimera, created by replacing the phenylalanine and glycine repeats of NUP98 with an unrelated LLPS-forming IDR of the FUS protein3,4, had similar enhancing effects on the genome-wide binding and target gene activation of the chimera. Deeply sequenced Hi-C revealed that phase-separated NUP98-HOXA9 induces CTCF-independent chromatin loops that are enriched at proto-oncogenes. Together, this report describes a proof-of-principle example in which cancer acquires mutation to establish oncogenic transcription factor condensates via phase separation, which simultaneously enhances their genomic targeting and induces organization of aberrant three-dimensional chromatin structure during tumourous transformation. As LLPS-competent molecules are frequently implicated in diseases1,2,4-7, this mechanism can potentially be generalized to many malignant and pathological settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeong Hyun Ahn
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Eric S Davis
- Curriculum in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Timothy A Daugird
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Shuai Zhao
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Ivana Yoseli Quiroga
- Thurston Arthritis Research Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Hidetaka Uryu
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Jie Li
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Aaron J Storey
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Yi-Hsuan Tsai
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Daniel P Keeley
- UNC Neuroscience Center and Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Samuel G Mackintosh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Ricky D Edmondson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Stephanie D Byrum
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Ling Cai
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Alan J Tackett
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Deyou Zheng
- Departments of Genetics, Neurology, and Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Wesley R Legant
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Douglas H Phanstiel
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Curriculum in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Thurston Arthritis Research Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
| | - Gang Greg Wang
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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33
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Fan H, Guo Y, Tsai YH, Storey AJ, Kim A, Gong W, Edmondson RD, Mackintosh SG, Li H, Byrum SD, Tackett AJ, Cai L, Wang GG. A conserved BAH module within mammalian BAHD1 connects H3K27me3 to Polycomb gene silencing. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:4441-4455. [PMID: 33823544 PMCID: PMC8096256 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2020] [Revised: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3) is important for gene silencing and imprinting, (epi)genome organization and organismal development. In a prevalent model, the functional readout of H3K27me3 in mammalian cells is achieved through the H3K27me3-recognizing chromodomain harbored within the chromobox (CBX) component of canonical Polycomb repressive complex 1 (cPRC1), which induces chromatin compaction and gene repression. Here, we report that binding of H3K27me3 by a Bromo Adjacent Homology (BAH) domain harbored within BAH domain-containing protein 1 (BAHD1) is required for overall BAHD1 targeting to chromatin and for optimal repression of the H3K27me3-demarcated genes in mammalian cells. Disruption of direct interaction between BAHD1BAH and H3K27me3 by point mutagenesis leads to chromatin remodeling, notably, increased histone acetylation, at its Polycomb gene targets. Mice carrying an H3K27me3-interaction-defective mutation of Bahd1BAH causes marked embryonic lethality, showing a requirement of this pathway for normal development. Altogether, this work demonstrates an H3K27me3-initiated signaling cascade that operates through a conserved BAH ‘reader’ module within BAHD1 in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huitao Fan
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Yiran Guo
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.,Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Yi-Hsuan Tsai
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Aaron J Storey
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
| | - Arum Kim
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Weida Gong
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Ricky D Edmondson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
| | - Samuel G Mackintosh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
| | - Haitao Li
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, and Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Stephanie D Byrum
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
| | - Alan J Tackett
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
| | - Ling Cai
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.,Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Gang Greg Wang
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.,Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
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34
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Xu C, Tsai YH, Galbo PM, Gong W, Storey AJ, Xu Y, Byrum SD, Xu L, Whang YE, Parker JS, Mackintosh SG, Edmondson RD, Tackett AJ, Huang J, Zheng D, Earp HS, Wang GG, Cai L. Cistrome analysis of YY1 uncovers a regulatory axis of YY1:BRD2/4-PFKP during tumorigenesis of advanced prostate cancer. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:4971-4988. [PMID: 33849067 PMCID: PMC8136773 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is a terminal disease and the molecular underpinnings of CRPC development need to be better understood in order to improve its treatment. Here, we report that a transcription factor Yin Yang 1 (YY1) is significantly overexpressed during prostate cancer progression. Functional and cistrome studies of YY1 uncover its roles in promoting prostate oncogenesis in vitro and in vivo, as well as sustaining tumor metabolism including the Warburg effect and mitochondria respiration. Additionally, our integrated genomics and interactome profiling in prostate tumor show that YY1 and bromodomain-containing proteins (BRD2/4) co-occupy a majority of gene-regulatory elements, coactivating downstream targets. Via gene loss-of-function and rescue studies and mutagenesis of YY1-bound cis-elements, we unveil an oncogenic pathway in which YY1 directly binds and activates PFKP, a gene encoding the rate-limiting enzyme for glycolysis, significantly contributing to the YY1-enforced Warburg effect and malignant growth. Altogether, this study supports a master regulator role for YY1 in prostate tumorigenesis and reveals a YY1:BRD2/4-PFKP axis operating in advanced prostate cancer with implications for therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenxi Xu
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Yi-Hsuan Tsai
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Phillip M Galbo
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Weida Gong
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Aaron J Storey
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
| | - Yuemei Xu
- Department of Pathology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Department of Pathology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital and The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, 210008, China
| | - Stephanie D Byrum
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
| | - Lingfan Xu
- Department of Pathology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Young E Whang
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Joel S Parker
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Samuel G Mackintosh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
| | - Ricky D Edmondson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
| | - Alan J Tackett
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
| | - Jiaoti Huang
- Department of Pathology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Deyou Zheng
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
- Department of Neurology and Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - H Shelton Earp
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Gang Greg Wang
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Ling Cai
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
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35
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Porter LH, Bakshi A, Pook D, Clark A, Clouston D, Kourambas J, Goode DL, Risbridger GP, Taylor RA, Lawrence MG. Androgen receptor enhancer amplification in matched patient-derived xenografts of primary and castrate-resistant prostate cancer. J Pathol 2021; 254:121-134. [PMID: 33620092 DOI: 10.1002/path.5652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Revised: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Amplifications of the androgen receptor (AR) occur in up to 80% of men with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Recent studies highlighted that these amplifications not only span the AR gene but usually encompass a distal enhancer. This represents a newly recognised, non-coding mechanism of resistance to AR-directed therapies, including enzalutamide. To study disease progression before and after AR amplification, we used tumour samples from a castrate-sensitive primary tumour and castrate-resistant metastasis of the same patient. For subsequent functional and genomic studies, we established serially transplantable patient-derived xenografts (PDXs). Whole genome sequencing showed that alterations associated with poor prognosis, such as TP53 and PTEN loss, existed before androgen deprivation therapy, followed by co-amplification of the AR gene and enhancer after the development of metastatic CRPC. The PDX of the primary tumour, without the AR amplification, was sensitive to AR-directed treatments, including castration, enzalutamide, and apalutamide. The PDX of the metastasis, with the AR amplification, had higher AR and AR-V7 expression in castrate conditions, and was resistant to castration, apalutamide, and enzalutamide in vivo. Treatment with a BET inhibitor outperformed the AR-directed therapies for the metastasis, resulting in tumour regression for some, but not all, grafts. Therefore, this study provides novel matched PDXs to test potential treatments that target the overabundance of AR in tumours with AR enhancer amplifications. © 2021 The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura H Porter
- Monash Partners Comprehensive Cancer Consortium, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute Cancer Program, Prostate Cancer Research Group, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Andrew Bakshi
- Monash Partners Comprehensive Cancer Consortium, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute Cancer Program, Prostate Cancer Research Group, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.,Computational Cancer Biology Program, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - David Pook
- Monash Partners Comprehensive Cancer Consortium, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute Cancer Program, Prostate Cancer Research Group, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.,Medical Oncology, Monash Health, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Ashlee Clark
- Monash Partners Comprehensive Cancer Consortium, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute Cancer Program, Prostate Cancer Research Group, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | | | - John Kourambas
- Department of Medicine, Monash Health, Casey Hospital, Berwick, VIC, Australia
| | -
- Monash Partners Comprehensive Cancer Consortium, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute Cancer Program, Prostate Cancer Research Group, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.,Melbourne Urological Research Alliance (MURAL), Biomedicine Discovery Institute Cancer Program, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - David L Goode
- Computational Cancer Biology Program, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Gail P Risbridger
- Monash Partners Comprehensive Cancer Consortium, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute Cancer Program, Prostate Cancer Research Group, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.,Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Renea A Taylor
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Monash Partners Comprehensive Cancer Consortium, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute Cancer Program, Prostate Cancer Research Group, Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Mitchell G Lawrence
- Monash Partners Comprehensive Cancer Consortium, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute Cancer Program, Prostate Cancer Research Group, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.,Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
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36
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Nagandla H, Robertson MJ, Putluri V, Putluri N, Coarfa C, Weigel NL. Isoform-specific Activities of Androgen Receptor and its Splice Variants in Prostate Cancer Cells. Endocrinology 2021; 162:6029774. [PMID: 33300995 PMCID: PMC8253248 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqaa227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Androgen receptor (AR) signaling continues to drive castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) in spite of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Constitutively active shorter variants of AR, lacking the ligand binding domain, are frequently expressed in CRPC and have emerged as a potential mechanism for prostate cancer to escape ADT. ARv7 and ARv567es are 2 of the most commonly detected variants of AR in clinical samples of advanced, metastatic prostate cancer. It is not clear if variants of AR merely act as weaker substitutes for AR or can mediate unique isoform-specific activities different from AR. In this study, we employed LNCaP prostate cancer cell lines with inducible expression of ARv7 or ARv567es to delineate similarities and differences in transcriptomics, metabolomics, and lipidomics resulting from the activation of AR, ARv7, or ARv567es. While the majority of target genes were similarly regulated by the action of all 3 isoforms, we found a clear difference in transcriptomic activities of AR versus the variants, and a few differences between ARv7 and ARv567es. Some of the target gene regulation by AR isoforms was similar in the VCaP background as well. Differences in downstream activities of AR isoforms were also evident from comparison of the metabolome and lipidome in an LNCaP model. Overall our study implies that shorter variants of AR are capable of mediating unique downstream activities different from AR and some of these are isoform specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harika Nagandla
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor
College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Matthew J Robertson
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor
College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Vasanta Putluri
- Advanced Technology Core, Alkek Center for Molecular
Discovery
| | - Nagireddy Putluri
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor
College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Cristian Coarfa
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor
College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Correspondence: Nancy L. Weigel and
Cristian Coarfa, Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Baylor College
of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA. ,
| | - Nancy L Weigel
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor
College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Correspondence: Nancy L. Weigel and
Cristian Coarfa, Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Baylor College
of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA. ,
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37
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Li J, Galbo PM, Gong W, Storey AJ, Tsai YH, Yu X, Ahn JH, Guo Y, Mackintosh SG, Edmondson RD, Byrum SD, Farrar JE, He S, Cai L, Jin J, Tackett AJ, Zheng D, Wang GG. ZMYND11-MBTD1 induces leukemogenesis through hijacking NuA4/TIP60 acetyltransferase complex and a PWWP-mediated chromatin association mechanism. Nat Commun 2021; 12:1045. [PMID: 33594072 PMCID: PMC7886901 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21357-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Recurring chromosomal translocation t(10;17)(p15;q21) present in a subset of human acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients creates an aberrant fusion gene termed ZMYND11-MBTD1 (ZM); however, its function remains undetermined. Here, we show that ZM confers primary murine hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells indefinite self-renewal capability ex vivo and causes AML in vivo. Genomics profilings reveal that ZM directly binds to and maintains high expression of pro-leukemic genes including Hoxa, Meis1, Myb, Myc and Sox4. Mechanistically, ZM recruits the NuA4/Tip60 histone acetyltransferase complex to cis-regulatory elements, sustaining an active chromatin state enriched in histone acetylation and devoid of repressive histone marks. Systematic mutagenesis of ZM demonstrates essential requirements of Tip60 interaction and an H3K36me3-binding PWWP (Pro-Trp-Trp-Pro) domain for oncogenesis. Inhibitor of histone acetylation-'reading' bromodomain proteins, which act downstream of ZM, is efficacious in treating ZM-induced AML. Collectively, this study demonstrates AML-causing effects of ZM, examines its gene-regulatory roles, and reports an attractive mechanism-guided therapeutic strategy.
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MESH Headings
- Acetylation
- Animals
- Carcinogenesis
- Cell Cycle Proteins/chemistry
- Cell Cycle Proteins/metabolism
- Cell Differentiation
- Cell Proliferation
- Cell Transformation, Neoplastic
- Chromatin/metabolism
- Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone/chemistry
- Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone/metabolism
- Co-Repressor Proteins/chemistry
- Co-Repressor Proteins/metabolism
- DNA-Binding Proteins/chemistry
- DNA-Binding Proteins/metabolism
- Disease Models, Animal
- Enhancer Elements, Genetic/genetics
- Gene Expression Regulation, Leukemic
- Genome, Human
- HEK293 Cells
- Hematopoietic Stem Cells/metabolism
- Histones/metabolism
- Humans
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/genetics
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/pathology
- Lysine Acetyltransferase 5/metabolism
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- Neoplastic Stem Cells/metabolism
- Neoplastic Stem Cells/pathology
- Oncogene Proteins, Fusion/metabolism
- Protein Binding
- Protein Domains
- Transcription Factors/metabolism
- Mice
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Li
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Phillip M Galbo
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Weida Gong
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Aaron J Storey
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Yi-Hsuan Tsai
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Xufen Yu
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jeong Hyun Ahn
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Yiran Guo
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Samuel G Mackintosh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Ricky D Edmondson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Stephanie D Byrum
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Jason E Farrar
- Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Arkansas Children's Research Institute, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Shenghui He
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Ling Cai
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Jian Jin
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Alan J Tackett
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
- Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Arkansas Children's Research Institute, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Deyou Zheng
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Department of Neurology and Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Gang Greg Wang
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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38
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MED19 alters AR occupancy and gene expression in prostate cancer cells, driving MAOA expression and growth under low androgen. PLoS Genet 2021; 17:e1008540. [PMID: 33513133 PMCID: PMC7875385 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Revised: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is a mainstay of prostate cancer treatment, given the dependence of prostate cells on androgen and the androgen receptor (AR). However, tumors become ADT-resistant, and there is a need to understand the mechanism. One possible mechanism is the upregulation of AR co-regulators, although only a handful have been definitively linked to disease. We previously identified the Mediator subunit MED19 as an AR co-regulator, and reported that MED19 depletion inhibits AR transcriptional activity and growth of androgen-insensitive LNCaP-abl cells. Therefore, we proposed that MED19 upregulation would promote AR activity and drive androgen-independent growth. Here, we show that stable overexpression of MED19 in androgen-dependent LNCaP cells promotes growth under conditions of androgen deprivation. To delineate the mechanism, we determined the MED19 and AR transcriptomes and cistromes in control and MED19-overexpressing LNCaP cells. We also examined genome-wide H3K27 acetylation. MED19 overexpression selectively alters AR occupancy, H3K27 acetylation, and gene expression. Under conditions of androgen deprivation, genes regulated by MED19 correspond to genes regulated by ELK1, a transcription factor that binds the AR N-terminus to induce select AR target gene expression and proliferation, and genomic sites occupied by MED19 and AR are enriched for motifs associated with ELK1. Strikingly, MED19 upregulates expression of monoamine oxidase A (MAOA), a factor that promotes prostate cancer growth. MAOA depletion reduces androgen-independent growth. MED19 and AR occupy the MAOA promoter, with MED19 overexpression enhancing AR occupancy and H3K27 acetylation. Furthermore, MED19 overexpression increases ELK1 occupancy at the MAOA promoter, and ELK1 depletion reduces MAOA expression and androgen-independent growth. This suggests that MED19 cooperates with ELK1 to regulate AR occupancy and H3K27 acetylation at MAOA, upregulating its expression and driving androgen independence in prostate cancer cells. This study provides important insight into the mechanisms of prostate cancer cell growth under low androgen, and underscores the importance of the MED19-MAOA axis in this process.
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39
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Welti J, Sharp A, Brooks N, Yuan W, McNair C, Chand SN, Pal A, Figueiredo I, Riisnaes R, Gurel B, Rekowski J, Bogdan D, West W, Young B, Raja M, Prosser A, Lane J, Thomson S, Worthington J, Onions S, Shannon J, Paoletta S, Brown R, Smyth D, Harbottle GW, Gil VS, Miranda S, Crespo M, Ferreira A, Pereira R, Tunariu N, Carreira S, Neeb AJ, Ning J, Swain A, Taddei D, Schiewer MJ, Knudsen KE, Pegg N, de Bono JS. Targeting the p300/CBP Axis in Lethal Prostate Cancer. Cancer Discov 2021; 11:1118-1137. [PMID: 33431496 DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-20-0751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Revised: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Resistance to androgen receptor (AR) blockade in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is associated with sustained AR signaling, including through alternative splicing of AR (AR-SV). Inhibitors of transcriptional coactivators that regulate AR activity, including the paralog histone acetyltransferase proteins p300 and CBP, are attractive therapeutic targets for lethal prostate cancer. Herein, we validate targeting p300/CBP as a therapeutic strategy for lethal prostate cancer and describe CCS1477, a novel small-molecule inhibitor of the p300/CBP conserved bromodomain. We show that CCS1477 inhibits cell proliferation in prostate cancer cell lines and decreases AR- and C-MYC-regulated gene expression. In AR-SV-driven models, CCS1477 has antitumor activity, regulating AR and C-MYC signaling. Early clinical studies suggest that CCS1477 modulates KLK3 blood levels and regulates CRPC biopsy biomarker expression. Overall, CCS1477 shows promise for the treatment of patients with advanced prostate cancer. SIGNIFICANCE: Treating CRPC remains challenging due to persistent AR signaling. Inhibiting transcriptional AR coactivators is an attractive therapeutic strategy. CCS1477, an inhibitor of p300/CBP, inhibits growth and AR activity in CRPC models, and can affect metastatic CRPC target expression in serial clinical biopsies.See related commentary by Rasool et al., p. 1011.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 995.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Welti
- The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Adam Sharp
- The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
- The Royal Marsden Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Wei Yuan
- The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Abhijit Pal
- The Royal Marsden Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Ruth Riisnaes
- The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Bora Gurel
- The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jan Rekowski
- The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Denisa Bogdan
- The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Barbara Young
- Sygnature Discovery Services, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Meera Raja
- Sygnature Discovery Services, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Amy Prosser
- Sygnature Discovery Services, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Jordan Lane
- Sygnature Discovery Services, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Stuart Thomson
- Sygnature Discovery Services, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | | | - Stuart Onions
- Sygnature Discovery Services, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Richard Brown
- Sygnature Discovery Services, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Don Smyth
- Sygnature Discovery Services, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | | | - Veronica S Gil
- The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Susana Miranda
- The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mateus Crespo
- The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ana Ferreira
- The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rita Pereira
- The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nina Tunariu
- The Royal Marsden Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Antje J Neeb
- The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jian Ning
- The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Amanda Swain
- The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - David Taddei
- Sygnature Discovery Services, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Neil Pegg
- CellCentric Ltd., Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Johann S de Bono
- The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom.
- The Royal Marsden Hospital, London, United Kingdom
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40
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A detailed characterization of stepwise activation of the androgen receptor variant 7 in prostate cancer cells. Oncogene 2020; 40:1106-1117. [PMID: 33323969 PMCID: PMC7880901 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-020-01585-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2020] [Revised: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Expression of the andrgogen receptor splice variant 7 (AR-V7) is frequently detected in castrate resistant prostate cancer and associated with resistance to AR-targeted therapies. While we have previously noted that homodimerization is required for the transcriptional activity of AR-V7 and that AR-V7 can also form heterodimers with the full-length AR (AR-FL), there are still many gaps of knowledge in AR-V7 stepwise activation. In the present study, we show that neither AR-V7 homodimerization nor AR-V7/AR-FL heterodimerization requires cofactors or DNA binding. AR-V7 can enter the nucleus as a monomer and drive a transcriptional program and DNA-damage repair as a homodimer. While forming a heterodimer with AR-FL to induce nuclear localization of unliganded AR-FL, AR-V7 does not need to interact with AR-FL to drive gene transcription or DNA-damage repair in prostate cancer cells that co-express AR-V7 and AR-FL. These data indicate that AR-V7 can function independently of its interaction with AR-FL in the true castrate state or “absence of ligand”, providing support for the utility of targeting AR-V7 in improving outcomes of patients with castrate resistant prostate cancer.
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41
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Wang Y, Chen J, Wu Z, Ding W, Gao S, Gao Y, Xu C. Mechanisms of enzalutamide resistance in castration-resistant prostate cancer and therapeutic strategies to overcome it. Br J Pharmacol 2020; 178:239-261. [PMID: 33150960 DOI: 10.1111/bph.15300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2020] [Revised: 10/18/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Prostate cancer is the second most common malignancy in men and androgen deprivation therapy is the first-line therapy. However, most cases will eventually develop castration-resistant prostate cancer after androgen deprivation therapy treatment. Enzalutamide is a second-generation androgen receptor antagonist approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer. Unfortunately, patients receiving enzalutamide treatment will ultimately develop resistance via various complicated mechanisms. This review examines the emerging information on these resistance mechanisms, including androgen receptor-related signalling pathways, glucocorticoid receptor-related pathways and metabolic effects. Notably, lineage plasticity and phenotype switching, gene polymorphisms and the relationship between microRNAs and drug resistance are addressed. Furthermore, potential therapeutic strategies for enzalutamide-resistant castration-resistant prostate cancer treatment are suggested, which can help discover more effective and specific regimens to overcome enzalutamide resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanyuan Wang
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Management, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiyuan Chen
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Management, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhengjie Wu
- Department of Urology, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Weihong Ding
- Department of Urology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shen Gao
- Department of Urology, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuan Gao
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Management, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chuanliang Xu
- Department of Urology, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
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42
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Fan H, Lu J, Guo Y, Li D, Zhang ZM, Tsai YH, Pi WC, Ahn JH, Gong W, Xiang Y, Allison DF, Geng H, He S, Diao Y, Chen WY, Strahl BD, Cai L, Song J, Wang GG. BAHCC1 binds H3K27me3 via a conserved BAH module to mediate gene silencing and oncogenesis. Nat Genet 2020; 52:1384-1396. [PMID: 33139953 PMCID: PMC8330957 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-020-00729-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Trimethylated histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3) regulates gene repression, cell-fate determination and differentiation. We report that a conserved bromo-adjacent homology (BAH) module of BAHCC1 (BAHCC1BAH) 'recognizes' H3K27me3 specifically and enforces silencing of H3K27me3-demarcated genes in mammalian cells. Biochemical, structural and integrated chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing-based analyses demonstrate that direct readout of H3K27me3 by BAHCC1 is achieved through a hydrophobic trimethyl-L-lysine-binding 'cage' formed by BAHCC1BAH, mediating colocalization of BAHCC1 and H3K27me3-marked genes. BAHCC1 is highly expressed in human acute leukemia and interacts with transcriptional corepressors. In leukemia, depletion of BAHCC1, or disruption of the BAHCC1BAH-H3K27me3 interaction, causes derepression of H3K27me3-targeted genes that are involved in tumor suppression and cell differentiation, leading to suppression of oncogenesis. In mice, introduction of a germline mutation at Bahcc1 to disrupt its H3K27me3 engagement causes partial postnatal lethality, supporting a role in development. This study identifies an H3K27me3-directed transduction pathway in mammals that relies on a conserved BAH 'reader'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huitao Fan
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Jiuwei Lu
- Department of Biochemistry, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Yiran Guo
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Dongxu Li
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Zhi-Min Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Yi-Hsuan Tsai
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Wen-Chieh Pi
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jeong Hyun Ahn
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Weida Gong
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Yu Xiang
- Department of Cell Biology and Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - David F Allison
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Huimin Geng
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Shenghui He
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Yarui Diao
- Department of Cell Biology and Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Wei-Yi Chen
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Brian D Strahl
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Ling Cai
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Jikui Song
- Department of Biochemistry, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA.
| | - Gang Greg Wang
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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43
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Super-enhancer in prostate cancer: transcriptional disorders and therapeutic targets. NPJ Precis Oncol 2020; 4:31. [PMID: 33299103 PMCID: PMC7677538 DOI: 10.1038/s41698-020-00137-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abnormal activity of oncogenic and tumor-suppressor signaling pathways contributes to cancer and cancer risk in humans. Transcriptional dysregulation of these pathways is commonly associated with tumorigenesis and the development of cancer. Genetic and epigenetic alterations may mediate dysregulated transcriptional activity. One of the most important epigenetic alternations is the non-coding regulatory element, which includes both enhancers and super-enhancers (SEs). SEs, characterized as large clusters of enhancers with aberrant high levels of transcription factor binding, have been considered as key drivers of gene expression in controlling and maintaining cancer cell identity. In cancer cells, oncogenes acquire SEs and the cancer phenotype relies on these abnormal transcription programs driven by SEs, which leads to cancer cells often becoming addicted to the SEs-related transcription programs, including prostate cancer. Here, we summarize recent findings of SEs and SEs-related gene regulation in prostate cancer and review the potential pharmacological inhibitors in basic research and clinical trials.
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44
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Kaczorowski A, Chen X, Kristiansen G, Bernemann C, Hohenfellner M, Cronauer MV, Duensing S. Detection of AR-V7 in primary prostate cancer. Cancer Treat Res Commun 2020; 28:100230. [PMID: 33139223 DOI: 10.1016/j.ctarc.2020.100230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Adam Kaczorowski
- Molecular Urooncology, Department of Urology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 517, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Xin Chen
- Molecular Urooncology, Department of Urology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 517, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Glen Kristiansen
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, D-53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Christof Bernemann
- Department of Urology, University Hospital Münster, Albert-Schweitzer Campus 1, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Markus Hohenfellner
- Department of Urology, University Hospital Heidelberg, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 110, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Marcus V Cronauer
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, D-53127 Bonn, Germany.
| | - Stefan Duensing
- Molecular Urooncology, Department of Urology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 517, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Urology, University Hospital Heidelberg, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 110, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
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45
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Obinata D, Lawrence MG, Takayama K, Choo N, Risbridger GP, Takahashi S, Inoue S. Recent Discoveries in the Androgen Receptor Pathway in Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer. Front Oncol 2020; 10:581515. [PMID: 33134178 PMCID: PMC7578370 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.581515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The androgen receptor (AR) is the main therapeutic target in advanced prostate cancer, because it regulates the growth and progression of prostate cancer cells. Patients may undergo multiple lines of AR-directed treatments, including androgen-deprivation therapy, AR signaling inhibitors (abiraterone acetate, enzalutamide, apalutamide, or darolutamide), or combinations of these therapies. Yet, tumors inevitably develop resistance to the successive lines of treatment. The diverse mechanisms of resistance include reactivation of the AR and dysregulation of AR cofactors and collaborative transcription factors (TFs). Further elucidating the nexus between the AR and collaborative TFs may reveal new strategies targeting the AR directly or indirectly, such as targeting BET proteins or OCT1. However, appropriate preclinical models will be required to test the efficacy of these approaches. Fortunately, an increasing variety of patient-derived models, such as xenografts and organoids, are being developed for discovery-based research and preclinical drug screening. Here we review the mechanisms of drug resistance in the AR signaling pathway, the intersection with collaborative TFs, and the use of patient-derived models for novel drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisuke Obinata
- Department of Urology, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute Cancer Program, Prostate Cancer Research Group, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Mitchell G. Lawrence
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute Cancer Program, Prostate Cancer Research Group, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
- Cancer Research Division, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Kenichi Takayama
- Department of Systems Aging Science and Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Nicholas Choo
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute Cancer Program, Prostate Cancer Research Group, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Gail P. Risbridger
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute Cancer Program, Prostate Cancer Research Group, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
- Cancer Research Division, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Satoru Takahashi
- Department of Urology, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Satoshi Inoue
- Department of Systems Aging Science and Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan
- Research Center for Genomic Medicine, Saitama Medical University, Saitama, Japan
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46
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Chen Y, Lan T. Molecular Origin, Expression Regulation, and Biological Function of Androgen Receptor Splicing Variant 7 in Prostate Cancer. Urol Int 2020; 105:337-353. [PMID: 32957106 DOI: 10.1159/000510124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The problem of resistance to therapy in prostate cancer (PCa) is multifaceted. Key determinants of drug resistance include tumor burden and growth kinetics, tumor heterogeneity, physical barriers, immune system and microenvironment, undruggable cancer drivers, and consequences of therapeutic pressures. With regard to the fundamental importance of the androgen receptor (AR) in all stages of PCa from tumorigenesis to progression, AR is postulated to have a continued critical role in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Suppression of AR signaling mediated by the full-length AR (AR-FL) is the therapeutic goal of all AR-directed therapies. However, AR-targeting agents ultimately lead to AR aberrations that promote PCa progression and drug resistance. Among these AR aberrations, androgen receptor variant 7 (AR-V7) is gaining attention as a potential predictive marker for as well as one of the resistance mechanisms to the most current anti-AR therapies in CRPC. Meanwhile, development of next-generation drugs that directly or indirectly target AR-V7 signaling is urgently needed. In the present review of the current literature, we have summarized the origin, alternative splicing, expression induction, protein conformation, interaction with coregulators, relationship with AR-FL, transcriptional activity, and biological function of AR-V7 in PCa development and therapeutic resistance. We hope this review will help further understand the molecular origin, expression regulation, and role of AR-V7 in the progression of PCa and provide insight into the design of novel selective inhibitors of AR-V7 in PCa treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Chen
- Department of Surgery and Anesthesiology, Joint Logistic Support 940 Hospital of CPLA, Lanzhou, China
| | - Tian Lan
- Department of Urology, Joint Logistic Support 940 Hospital of CPLA, Lanzhou, China,
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47
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The Role of Crosstalk between AR3 and E2F1 in Drug Resistance in Prostate Cancer Cells. Cells 2020; 9:cells9051094. [PMID: 32354165 PMCID: PMC7290672 DOI: 10.3390/cells9051094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Revised: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Drug resistance is one of the most prevalent causes of death in advanced prostate cancer patients. Combination therapies that target cancer cells via different mechanisms to overcome resistance have gained increased attention in recent years. However, the optimal drug combinations and the underlying mechanisms are yet to be fully explored. Aim and methods: The aim of this study is to investigate drug combinations that inhibit the growth of drug-resistant cells and determine the underlying mechanisms of their actions. In addition, we also established cell lines that are resistant to combination treatments and tested new compounds to overcome the phenomenon of double drug-resistance. Results: Our results show that the combination of enzalutamide (ENZ) and docetaxel (DTX) effectively inhibit the growth of prostate cancer cells that are resistant to either drug alone. The downregulation of transcription factor E2F1 plays a crucial role in cellular inhibition in response to the combined therapy. Notably, we found that the androgen receptor (AR) variant AR3 (a.k.a. AR-V7), but not AR full length (AR-FL), positively regulates E2F1 expression in these cells. E2F1 in turn regulates AR3 and forms a positive regulatory feedforward loop. We also established double drug-resistant cell lines that are resistant to ENZ+DTX combination therapy and found that the expression of both AR3 and E2F1 was restored in these cells. Furthermore, we identified that auranofin, an FDA-approved drug for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, overcame drug resistance and inhibited the growth of drug-resistant prostate cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo. Conclusion and significance: This proof-of-principle study demonstrates that targeting the E2F1/AR3 feedforward loop via a combination therapy or a multi-targeting drug could circumvent castration resistance in prostate cancer.
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48
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Roles and mechanisms of alternative splicing in cancer - implications for care. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 2020; 17:457-474. [PMID: 32303702 DOI: 10.1038/s41571-020-0350-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 355] [Impact Index Per Article: 88.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Removal of introns from messenger RNA precursors (pre-mRNA splicing) is an essential step for the expression of most eukaryotic genes. Alternative splicing enables the regulated generation of multiple mRNA and protein products from a single gene. Cancer cells have general as well as cancer type-specific and subtype-specific alterations in the splicing process that can have prognostic value and contribute to every hallmark of cancer progression, including cancer immune responses. These splicing alterations are often linked to the occurrence of cancer driver mutations in genes encoding either core components or regulators of the splicing machinery. Of therapeutic relevance, the transcriptomic landscape of cancer cells makes them particularly vulnerable to pharmacological inhibition of splicing. Small-molecule splicing modulators are currently in clinical trials and, in addition to splice site-switching antisense oligonucleotides, offer the promise of novel and personalized approaches to cancer treatment.
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49
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Modulation of androgen receptor DNA binding activity through direct interaction with the ETS transcription factor ERG. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:8584-8592. [PMID: 32220959 PMCID: PMC7165421 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1922159117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Progress in studying the androgen receptor (AR), the primary drug target in prostate cancer, has been hampered by challenges in expressing and purifying active multidomain AR for use in cell-free biochemical reconstitution assays. Here we successfully express full-length and truncated AR variants and demonstrate that the oncogenic ETS protein ERG, responsible for half of all prostate cancers, enhances the ability of AR to bind DNA through direct interaction with AR. In addition to providing a biochemical system to evaluate AR activity on different DNA templates, our findings provide insight into why ERG-positive prostate cancers have an expanded AR cistrome. The androgen receptor (AR) is a type I nuclear hormone receptor and the primary drug target in prostate cancer due to its role as a lineage survival factor in prostate luminal epithelium. In prostate cancer, the AR cistrome is reprogrammed relative to normal prostate epithelium and particularly in cancers driven by oncogenic ETS fusion genes. The molecular basis for this change has remained elusive. Using purified proteins, we report a minimal cell-free system that demonstrates interdomain cooperativity between the ligand (LBD) and DNA binding domains (DBD) of AR, and its autoinhibition by the N terminus of AR. Furthermore, we identify ERG as a cofactor that activates AR’s ability to bind DNA in both high and lower affinity contexts through direct interaction within a newly identified AR-interacting motif (AIM) in the ETS domain, independent of ERG’s own DNA binding ability. Finally, we present evidence that this interaction is conserved among ETS factors whose expression is altered in prostate cancer. Our work highlights, at a biochemical level, how tumor-initiating ETS translocations result in reprogramming of the AR cistrome.
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50
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Lu C, Brown LC, Antonarakis ES, Armstrong AJ, Luo J. Androgen receptor variant-driven prostate cancer II: advances in laboratory investigations. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis 2020; 23:381-397. [PMID: 32139878 PMCID: PMC7725416 DOI: 10.1038/s41391-020-0217-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2019] [Revised: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Background: The androgen receptor (AR) is a key prostate cancer drug target.
Suppression of AR signaling mediated by the full-length AR (AR-FL) is the
therapeutic goal of all existing AR-directed therapies. AR-targeting agents
impart therapeutic benefit, but lead to AR aberrations that underlie disease
progression and therapeutic resistance. Among the AR aberrations specific to
castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), AR variants (AR-Vs) have
emerged as important indicators of disease progression and therapeutic
resistance. Methods: We conducted a systemic review of the literature focusing on recent
laboratory studies on AR-Vs following our last review article published in
2016. Topics ranged from measurement and detection, molecular origin,
regulation, genomic function, and preclinical therapeutic targeting of
AR-Vs. We provide expert opinions and perspectives on these topics. Results: Transcript sequences for 22 AR-Vs have been reported in the
literature. Different AR-Vs may arise through different mechanisms, and can
be regulated by splicing factors and dictated by genomic rearrangements, but
a low-androgen environment is a prerequisite for generation of AR-Vs. The
unique transcript structures allowed development of in-situ and in-solution
measurement and detection methods, including mRNA and protein detection, in
both tissue and blood specimens. AR variant-7 (AR-V7) remains the main
measurement target and the most extensively characterized AR-V. Although
AR-V7 co-exists with AR-FL, genomic functions mediated by AR-V7 do not
require the presence of AR-FL. The distinct cistromes and transcriptional
programs directed by AR-V7 and their co-regulators are consistent with
genomic features of progressive disease in a low-androgen environment.
Preclinical development of AR-V-directed agents currently focuses on
suppression of mRNA expression and protein degradation as well as targeting
of the amino-terminal domain. Conclusions: Current literature continues to support AR-Vs as biomarkers and
therapeutic targets in prostate cancer. Laboratory investigations reveal
both challenges and opportunities in targeting AR-Vs to overcome resistance
to current AR-directed therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changxue Lu
- Department of Urology, James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Landon C Brown
- Departments of Medicine, Surgery, and Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Divisions of Medical Oncology and Urology, Duke Cancer Institute Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Emmanuel S Antonarakis
- Department of Urology, James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Departments of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Andrew J Armstrong
- Departments of Medicine, Surgery, and Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Divisions of Medical Oncology and Urology, Duke Cancer Institute Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Jun Luo
- Department of Urology, James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. .,Departments of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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