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Liu A, Wu Q, Peng D, Ares I, Anadón A, Lopez-Torres B, Martínez-Larrañaga MR, Wang X, Martínez MA. A novel strategy for the diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, and chemoresistance of hepatocellular carcinoma: DNA methylation. Med Res Rev 2020; 40:1973-2018. [PMID: 32525219 DOI: 10.1002/med.21696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Revised: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The cancer mortality rate of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second highest in the world and the therapeutic options are limited. The incidence of this deadly cancer is rising at an alarming rate because of the high degree of resistance to chemo- and radiotherapy, lack of proper, and adequate vaccination to hepatitis B, and lack of consciousness and knowledge about the disease itself and the lifestyle of the people. DNA methylation and DNA methylation-induced epigenetic alterations, due to their potential reversibility, open the access to develop novel biomarkers and therapeutics for HCC. The contribution to these epigenetic changes in HCC development still has not been thoroughly summarized. Thus, it is necessary to better understand the new molecular targets of HCC epigenetics in HCC diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. This review elaborates on recent key findings regarding molecular biomarkers for HCC early diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. Currently emerging epigenetic drugs for the treatment of HCC are summarized. In addition, combining epigenetic drugs with nonepigenetic drugs for HCC treatment is also mentioned. The molecular mechanisms of DNA methylation-mediated HCC resistance are reviewed, providing some insights into the difficulty of treating liver cancer and anticancer drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aimei Liu
- National Reference Laboratory of Veterinary Drug Residues and MAO Key Laboratory for Detection of Veterinary Drug Residues, Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU), Wuhan, China
| | - Qinghua Wu
- College of Life Science, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China.,Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Hradec Kralove, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
| | - Dapeng Peng
- National Reference Laboratory of Veterinary Drug Residues and MAO Key Laboratory for Detection of Veterinary Drug Residues, Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU), Wuhan, China
| | - Irma Ares
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Research Institute Hospital 12 de Octubre (i+12), Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Arturo Anadón
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Research Institute Hospital 12 de Octubre (i+12), Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Bernardo Lopez-Torres
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Research Institute Hospital 12 de Octubre (i+12), Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Madrid, Spain
| | - María-Rosa Martínez-Larrañaga
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Research Institute Hospital 12 de Octubre (i+12), Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Xu Wang
- National Reference Laboratory of Veterinary Drug Residues and MAO Key Laboratory for Detection of Veterinary Drug Residues, Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU), Wuhan, China.,Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Research Institute Hospital 12 de Octubre (i+12), Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Madrid, Spain
| | - María-Aránzazu Martínez
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Research Institute Hospital 12 de Octubre (i+12), Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Madrid, Spain
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Toh TB, Lim JJ, Chow EKH. Epigenetics of hepatocellular carcinoma. Clin Transl Med 2019; 8:13. [PMID: 31056726 PMCID: PMC6500786 DOI: 10.1186/s40169-019-0230-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Accepted: 04/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, large scale genomics and genome-wide studies using comprehensive genomic tools have reshaped our understanding of cancer evolution and heterogeneity. Hepatocellular carcinoma, being one of the most deadly cancers in the world has been well established as a disease of the genome that harbours a multitude of genetic and epigenetic aberrations during the process of liver carcinogenesis. As such, in depth understanding of the cancer epigenetics in cancer specimens and biopsy can be useful in clinical settings for molecular subclassification, prognosis, and prediction of therapeutic responses. In this review, we present a concise discussion on recent progress in the field of liver cancer epigenetics and some of the current works that contribute to the progress of liver cancer therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tan Boon Toh
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, 14 Medical Drive, MD6 #12-01, Singapore, 117599, Singapore
| | - Jhin Jieh Lim
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, 14 Medical Drive, MD6 #12-01, Singapore, 117599, Singapore
| | - Edward Kai-Hua Chow
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, 14 Medical Drive, MD6 #12-01, Singapore, 117599, Singapore. .,Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 10 Medical Drive, Level 5, Singapore, 117597, Singapore.
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Gailhouste L, Liew LC, Yasukawa K, Hatada I, Tanaka Y, Nakagama H, Ochiya T. Differentiation Therapy by Epigenetic Reconditioning Exerts Antitumor Effects on Liver Cancer Cells. Mol Ther 2018; 26:1840-1854. [PMID: 29759938 PMCID: PMC6035736 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2018.04.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2018] [Revised: 04/17/2018] [Accepted: 04/20/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Primary liver tumors are mainly represented by hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the most aggressive and resistant forms of cancer. Liver tumorigenesis is characterized by an accumulation of epigenetic abnormalities, leading to gene extinction and loss of hepatocyte differentiation. The aim of this work was to investigate the feasibility of converting liver cancer cells toward a less aggressive and differentiated phenotype using a process called epigenetic reconditioning. Here, we showed that an epigenetic regimen with non-cytotoxic doses of the demethylating compound 5-azacytidine (5-AZA) promoted an anti-cancer response by inhibiting HCC cell tumorigenicity. Furthermore, epigenetic reconditioning improved sorafenib response. Remarkably, epigenetic treatment was associated with a significant restoration of differentiation, as attested by the increased expression of characteristic hepatocyte markers in reconditioned cells. In particular, we showed that reexpression of these epigenetically silenced liver genes following 5-AZA treatment or after knockdown of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) was the result of regional CpG demethylation. Lastly, we confirmed the efficacy of HCC differentiation therapy by epigenetic reconditioning using an in vivo tumor growth model. In summary, this work demonstrates that epigenetic reconditioning using the demethylating compound 5-AZA shows therapeutic significance for liver cancer and is potentially attractive for the treatment of solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luc Gailhouste
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Lee Chuen Liew
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan; Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ken Yasukawa
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Izuho Hatada
- Laboratory of Genome Science, Biosignal Genome Resource Center, Institute for Molecular and Cellular Regulation, Gunma University, Maebashi, Japan
| | - Yasuhito Tanaka
- Department of Virology and Liver Unit, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Nakagama
- Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan; National Cancer Center, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takahiro Ochiya
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan.
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Borghesan M, Fusilli C, Rappa F, Panebianco C, Rizzo G, Oben JA, Mazzoccoli G, Faulkes C, Pata I, Agodi A, Rezaee F, Minogue S, Warren A, Peterson A, Sedivy JM, Douet J, Buschbeck M, Cappello F, Mazza T, Pazienza V, Vinciguerra M. DNA Hypomethylation and Histone Variant macroH2A1 Synergistically Attenuate Chemotherapy-Induced Senescence to Promote Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression. Cancer Res 2016; 76:594-606. [PMID: 26772755 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-15-1336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2015] [Accepted: 11/02/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Aging is a major risk factor for progression of liver diseases to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Cellular senescence contributes to age-related tissue dysfunction, but the epigenetic basis underlying drug-induced senescence remains unclear. macroH2A1, a variant of histone H2A, is a marker of senescence-associated heterochromatic foci that synergizes with DNA methylation to silence tumor-suppressor genes in human fibroblasts. In this study, we investigated the relationship between macroH2A1 splice variants, macroH2A1.1 and macroH2A1.2, and liver carcinogenesis. We found that protein levels of both macroH2A1 isoforms were increased in the livers of very elderly rodents and humans, and were robust immunohistochemical markers of human cirrhosis and HCC. In response to the chemotherapeutic and DNA-demethylating agent 5-aza-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dC), transgenic expression of macroH2A1 isoforms in HCC cell lines prevented the emergence of a senescent-like phenotype and induced synergistic global DNA hypomethylation. Conversely, macroH2A1 depletion amplified the antiproliferative effects of 5-aza-dC in HCC cells, but failed to enhance senescence. Senescence-associated secretory phenotype and whole-transcriptome analyses implicated the p38 MAPK/IL8 pathway in mediating macroH2A1-dependent escape of HCC cells from chemotherapy-induced senescence. Furthermore, chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing revealed that this hepatic antisenescence state also required active transcription that could not be attributed to genomic occupancy of these histones. Collectively, our findings reveal a new mechanism by which drug-induced senescence is epigenetically regulated by macroH2A1 and DNA methylation and suggest macroH2A1 as a novel biomarker of hepatic senescence that could potentially predict prognosis and disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Borghesan
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital, University College London, London, United Kingdom. Division of Internal Medicine, Department of Medical Sciences, IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" Hospital, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Caterina Fusilli
- Bioinformatics Unit, IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza"-Mendel Laboratory, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Rappa
- Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Section of Human Anatomy, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Concetta Panebianco
- Gastroenterology Unit, IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" Hospital, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Giovanni Rizzo
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jude A Oben
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Gianluigi Mazzoccoli
- Division of Internal Medicine, Department of Medical Sciences, IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" Hospital, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Chris Faulkes
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Illar Pata
- Department of Gene Technology, Tallinn University of Technology (TTU), IVEX Lab, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Antonella Agodi
- Department GF Ingrassia, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Farhad Rezaee
- Department of Cell Biology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Shane Minogue
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Alessandra Warren
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital, University College London, London, United Kingdom. Centre for Education and Research on Aging (CERA) and the ANZAC Research Institute, Concord RG Hospital, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Abigail Peterson
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - John M Sedivy
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Julien Douet
- Institute for Predictive and Personalized Medicine of Cancer, Campus Can Ruti, Badalona, Spain. Josep Carreras Institute for Leukaemia Research, Campus ICO-HGTP, Campus Can Ruti, Badalona, Spain
| | - Marcus Buschbeck
- Institute for Predictive and Personalized Medicine of Cancer, Campus Can Ruti, Badalona, Spain. Josep Carreras Institute for Leukaemia Research, Campus ICO-HGTP, Campus Can Ruti, Badalona, Spain
| | - Francesco Cappello
- Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Section of Human Anatomy, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy. Euro-Mediterranean Institute of Science and Technology (IEMEST), Palermo, Italy
| | - Tommaso Mazza
- Bioinformatics Unit, IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza"-Mendel Laboratory, Rome, Italy
| | - Valerio Pazienza
- Gastroenterology Unit, IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" Hospital, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Manlio Vinciguerra
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital, University College London, London, United Kingdom. Gastroenterology Unit, IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" Hospital, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy. Euro-Mediterranean Institute of Science and Technology (IEMEST), Palermo, Italy. School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom.
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