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Liu S, Dai W, Jin B, Jiang F, Huang H, Hou W, Lan J, Jin Y, Peng W, Pan J. Effects of super-enhancers in cancer metastasis: mechanisms and therapeutic targets. Mol Cancer 2024; 23:122. [PMID: 38844984 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-024-02033-8] [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: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Metastasis remains the principal cause of cancer-related lethality despite advancements in cancer treatment. Dysfunctional epigenetic alterations are crucial in the metastatic cascade. Among these, super-enhancers (SEs), emerging as new epigenetic regulators, consist of large clusters of regulatory elements that drive the high-level expression of genes essential for the oncogenic process, upon which cancer cells develop a profound dependency. These SE-driven oncogenes play an important role in regulating various facets of metastasis, including the promotion of tumor proliferation in primary and distal metastatic organs, facilitating cellular migration and invasion into the vasculature, triggering epithelial-mesenchymal transition, enhancing cancer stem cell-like properties, circumventing immune detection, and adapting to the heterogeneity of metastatic niches. This heavy reliance on SE-mediated transcription delineates a vulnerable target for therapeutic intervention in cancer cells. In this article, we review current insights into the characteristics, identification methodologies, formation, and activation mechanisms of SEs. We also elaborate the oncogenic roles and regulatory functions of SEs in the context of cancer metastasis. Ultimately, we discuss the potential of SEs as novel therapeutic targets and their implications in clinical oncology, offering insights into future directions for innovative cancer treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shenglan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases, Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Provincal Key Laboratory of Tissue Engineering, School of Pharmacy, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, 314000, China
| | - Wei Dai
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases, Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Provincal Key Laboratory of Tissue Engineering, School of Pharmacy, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, 314000, China
| | - Bei Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510060, China
| | - Feng Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases, Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Provincal Key Laboratory of Tissue Engineering, School of Pharmacy, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, 314000, China
| | - Hao Huang
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases, Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Provincal Key Laboratory of Tissue Engineering, School of Pharmacy, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, 314000, China
| | - Wen Hou
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases, Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Provincal Key Laboratory of Tissue Engineering, School of Pharmacy, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, 314000, China
| | - Jinxia Lan
- College of Public Health and Health Management, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, 341000, China
| | - Yanli Jin
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University Institute of Tumor Pharmacology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Weijie Peng
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases, Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Provincal Key Laboratory of Tissue Engineering, School of Pharmacy, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, 314000, China.
| | - Jingxuan Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510060, China.
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2
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Banerjee D, Bagchi S, Liu Z, Chou HC, Xu M, Sun M, Aloisi S, Vaksman Z, Diskin SJ, Zimmerman M, Khan J, Gryder B, Thiele CJ. Lineage specific transcription factor waves reprogram neuroblastoma from self-renewal to differentiation. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3432. [PMID: 38653778 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47166-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Temporal regulation of super-enhancer (SE) driven transcription factors (TFs) underlies normal developmental programs. Neuroblastoma (NB) arises from an inability of sympathoadrenal progenitors to exit a self-renewal program and terminally differentiate. To identify SEs driving TF regulators, we use all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) to induce NB growth arrest and differentiation. Time-course H3K27ac ChIP-seq and RNA-seq reveal ATRA coordinated SE waves. SEs that decrease with ATRA link to stem cell development (MYCN, GATA3, SOX11). CRISPR-Cas9 and siRNA verify SOX11 dependency, in vitro and in vivo. Silencing the SOX11 SE using dCAS9-KRAB decreases SOX11 mRNA and inhibits cell growth. Other TFs activate in sequential waves at 2, 4 and 8 days of ATRA treatment that regulate neural development (GATA2 and SOX4). Silencing the gained SOX4 SE using dCAS9-KRAB decreases SOX4 expression and attenuates ATRA-induced differentiation genes. Our study identifies oncogenic lineage drivers of NB self-renewal and TFs critical for implementing a differentiation program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deblina Banerjee
- Cell & Molecular Biology Section, Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Sukriti Bagchi
- Cell & Molecular Biology Section, Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Zhihui Liu
- Cell & Molecular Biology Section, Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Hsien-Chao Chou
- Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Man Xu
- Cell & Molecular Biology Section, Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Ming Sun
- Cell & Molecular Biology Section, Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sara Aloisi
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Bologna, 40126, Italy
| | | | - Sharon J Diskin
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Mark Zimmerman
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Javed Khan
- Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Berkley Gryder
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.
| | - Carol J Thiele
- Cell & Molecular Biology Section, Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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3
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Chen S, Xu D, Huang R, Lin Y, Li L. Correlation of BARD1 gene polymorphisms with risk of neuroblastoma: a meta-analysis. NUCLEOSIDES, NUCLEOTIDES & NUCLEIC ACIDS 2024:1-19. [PMID: 38619196 DOI: 10.1080/15257770.2024.2336215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
BRCA1-associated RING domain protein 1 (BARD1) gene polymorphisms may be associated with neuroblastoma (NB) susceptibility. However, the results remain controversial. Relevant studies were identified by searching PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases up to March 5, 2023. The strength of the association between BARD1 polymorphisms and susceptibility of NB was assessed by calculating odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) through the fixed- or random-effects model. Eight articles involving 12 studies were finally included. We found that rs6435862 T > G, rs3768716 A > G, rs17487792 C > T and rs7587476 C > T variant increase the risk of NB in allelic, dominant, recessive, homozygous and heterozygous genetic models, while rs7585356 G > A variant appeared protective against NB. When stratified by ethnicity, subgroup analysis indicated that the above association remained significant in Caucasian populations in all genetic models, except for rs7585356G > A polymorphism in Asians. In Asian populations, we found the similar results in the allelic and dominant model of rs6435862 T > G, rs3768716 A > G, rs17487792 C > T and rs7587476 C > T as in Caucasians, while there lacked a significant association in the other three model. In addition, rs7585356 G > A was not associated with an increased risk of NB in the Asian population. After Bonferroni correction, significant associations for rs7585356 G > A disappeared in both Asian and Caucasian populations, with no significant association found for rs7587476 in the allelic and dominant models among Asians. BARD1 polymorphisms might be significantly associated with NB susceptibility. It is crucial that these finding should be further confirmed through extensive and well-planned studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan Chen
- Department of Laboratory, Fuzhou Second General Hospital, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Di Xu
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Shengli Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Rongdong Huang
- Fujian Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Yang Lin
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Shengli Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Lizhi Li
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Shengli Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
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4
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Lavaud M, Tesfaye R, Lassous L, Brounais B, Baud'huin M, Verrecchia F, Lamoureux F, Georges S, Ory B. Super-enhancers: drivers of cells' identities and cells' debacles. Epigenomics 2024; 16:681-700. [PMID: 38587919 DOI: 10.2217/epi-2023-0409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Precise spatiotemporal regulations of gene expression are essential for determining cells' fates and functions. Enhancers are cis-acting DNA elements that act as periodic transcriptional thrusters and their activities are cell type specific. Clusters of enhancers, called super-enhancers, are more densely occupied by transcriptional activators than enhancers, driving stronger expression of their target genes, which have prominent roles in establishing and maintaining cellular identities. Here we review the current knowledge on the composition and structure of super-enhancers to understand how they robustly stimulate the expression of cellular identity genes. We also review their involvement in the development of various cell types and both noncancerous and cancerous disorders, implying the therapeutic interest of targeting them to fight against various diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mélanie Lavaud
- CRCI2NA, INSERM UMR 1307, CNRS UMR 6075, Nantes University & Angers University, Medical School, Nantes, 44035, France
| | - Robel Tesfaye
- CRCI2NA, INSERM UMR 1307, CNRS UMR 6075, Nantes University & Angers University, Medical School, Nantes, 44035, France
- Cancéropôle Grand-Ouest, Réseau Épigénétique, Medical School, Nantes, 44035, France
- EpiSAVMEN, Epigenetic consortium Pays de la Loire, France
| | - Léa Lassous
- CRCI2NA, INSERM UMR 1307, CNRS UMR 6075, Nantes University & Angers University, Medical School, Nantes, 44035, France
| | - Bénédicte Brounais
- CRCI2NA, INSERM UMR 1307, CNRS UMR 6075, Nantes University & Angers University, Medical School, Nantes, 44035, France
| | - Marc Baud'huin
- CRCI2NA, INSERM UMR 1307, CNRS UMR 6075, Nantes University & Angers University, Medical School, Nantes, 44035, France
| | - Franck Verrecchia
- CRCI2NA, INSERM UMR 1307, CNRS UMR 6075, Nantes University & Angers University, Medical School, Nantes, 44035, France
| | - François Lamoureux
- CRCI2NA, INSERM UMR 1307, CNRS UMR 6075, Nantes University & Angers University, Medical School, Nantes, 44035, France
| | - Steven Georges
- CRCI2NA, INSERM UMR 1307, CNRS UMR 6075, Nantes University & Angers University, Medical School, Nantes, 44035, France
| | - Benjamin Ory
- CRCI2NA, INSERM UMR 1307, CNRS UMR 6075, Nantes University & Angers University, Medical School, Nantes, 44035, France
- Cancéropôle Grand-Ouest, Réseau Épigénétique, Medical School, Nantes, 44035, France
- EpiSAVMEN, Epigenetic consortium Pays de la Loire, France
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5
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Cermakova K, Tao L, Dejmek M, Sala M, Montierth MD, Chan YS, Patel I, Chambers C, Loeza Cabrera M, Hoffman D, Parchem RJ, Wang W, Nencka R, Barbieri E, Hodges HC. Reactivation of the G1 enhancer landscape underlies core circuitry addiction to SWI/SNF. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:4-21. [PMID: 37993417 PMCID: PMC10783513 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad1081] [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: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Several cancer core regulatory circuitries (CRCs) depend on the sustained generation of DNA accessibility by SWI/SNF chromatin remodelers. However, the window when SWI/SNF is acutely essential in these settings has not been identified. Here we used neuroblastoma (NB) cells to model and dissect the relationship between cell-cycle progression and SWI/SNF ATPase activity. We find that SWI/SNF inactivation impairs coordinated occupancy of non-pioneer CRC members at enhancers within 1 hour, rapidly breaking their autoregulation. By precisely timing inhibitor treatment following synchronization, we show that SWI/SNF is dispensable for survival in S and G2/M, but becomes acutely essential only during G1 phase. We furthermore developed a new approach to analyze the oscillating patterns of genome-wide DNA accessibility across the cell cycle, which revealed that SWI/SNF-dependent CRC binding sites are enriched at enhancers with peak accessibility during G1 phase, where they activate genes involved in cell-cycle progression. SWI/SNF inhibition strongly impairs G1-S transition and potentiates the ability of retinoids used clinically to induce cell-cycle exit. Similar cell-cycle effects in diverse SWI/SNF-addicted settings highlight G1-S transition as a common cause of SWI/SNF dependency. Our results illustrate that deeper knowledge of the temporal patterns of enhancer-related dependencies may aid the rational targeting of addicted cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katerina Cermakova
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Center for Precision Environmental Health, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ling Tao
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Hematology-Oncology, Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Milan Dejmek
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Sala
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Matthew D Montierth
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- Graduate Program in Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yuen San Chan
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Center for Precision Environmental Health, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ivanshi Patel
- Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Center, Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, and Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Program in Developmental Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Courtney Chambers
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Center for Precision Environmental Health, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Translational Biology and Molecular Medicine Graduate Program, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Mario Loeza Cabrera
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Center for Precision Environmental Health, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Development, Disease Models and Therapeutics Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Dane Hoffman
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Center for Precision Environmental Health, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Cancer and Cell Biology Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ronald J Parchem
- Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Center, Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, and Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Wenyi Wang
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Radim Nencka
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Eveline Barbieri
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Hematology-Oncology, Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - H Courtney Hodges
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Center for Precision Environmental Health, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
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6
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Kim J, Vaksman Z, Egolf LE, Kaufman R, Evans JP, Conkrite KL, Danesh A, Lopez G, Randall MP, Dent MH, Farra LM, Menghani NL, Dymek M, Desai H, Hausler R, Hicks B, Auvil JG, Gerhard DS, Hakonarson H, Maxwell KN, Cole KA, Pugh TJ, Bosse KR, Khan J, Wei JS, Maris JM, Stewart DR, Diskin SJ. Germline pathogenic variants in neuroblastoma patients are enriched in BARD1 and predict worse survival. J Natl Cancer Inst 2024; 116:149-159. [PMID: 37688579 PMCID: PMC10777667 DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djad183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuroblastoma is an embryonal cancer of the developing sympathetic nervous system. The genetic contribution of rare pathogenic or likely pathogenic germline variants in patients without a family history remains unclear. METHODS Germline DNA sequencing was performed on 786 neuroblastoma patients. The frequency of rare cancer predisposition gene pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in patients was compared with 2 cancer-free control cohorts. Matched tumor DNA sequencing was evaluated for second hits, and germline DNA array data from 5585 neuroblastoma patients and 23 505 cancer-free control children were analyzed to identify rare germline copy number variants. Patients with germline pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants were compared with those without to test for association with clinical characteristics, tumor features, and survival. RESULTS We observed 116 pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants involving 13.9% (109 of 786) of neuroblastoma patients, representing a statistically significant excess burden compared with cancer-free participants (odds ratio [OR] = 1.60, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.27 to 2.00). BARD1 harbored the most statistically significant enrichment of pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants (OR = 32.30, 95% CI = 6.44 to 310.35). Rare germline copy number variants disrupting BARD1 were identified in patients but absent in cancer-free participants (OR = 29.47, 95% CI = 1.52 to 570.70). Patients harboring a germline pathogenic or likely pathogenic variant had a worse overall survival compared with those without (P = 8.6 x 10-3). CONCLUSIONS BARD1 is an important neuroblastoma predisposition gene harboring both common and rare germline pathogenic or likely pathogenic variations. The presence of any germline pathogenic or likely pathogenic variant in a cancer predisposition gene was independently predictive of worse overall survival. As centers move toward paired tumor-normal sequencing at diagnosis, efforts should be made to centralize data and provide an infrastructure to support cooperative longitudinal prospective studies of germline pathogenic variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jung Kim
- Clinical Genetics Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Zalman Vaksman
- Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Laura E Egolf
- Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Group, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Rebecca Kaufman
- Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - J Perry Evans
- Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Karina L Conkrite
- Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Arnavaz Danesh
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, ON, Canada
| | - Gonzalo Lopez
- Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Michael P Randall
- Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Maiah H Dent
- Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Lance M Farra
- Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Neil L Menghani
- Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Malwina Dymek
- Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Heena Desai
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ryan Hausler
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Belynda Hicks
- Cancer Genome Research Laboratory, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD, USA
| | | | - Daniela S Gerhard
- Office of Cancer Genomics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Hakon Hakonarson
- Center for Applied Genomics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Kara N Maxwell
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Kristina A Cole
- Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Trevor J Pugh
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, ON, Canada
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Kristopher R Bosse
- Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Javed Khan
- Oncogenomics Section, Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Jun S Wei
- Oncogenomics Section, Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - John M Maris
- Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Douglas R Stewart
- Clinical Genetics Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Sharon J Diskin
- Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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7
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Wang L, Tan TK, Kim H, Kappei D, Tan SH, Look AT, Sanda T. ASCL1 characterizes adrenergic neuroblastoma via its pioneer function and cooperation with core regulatory circuit factors. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113541. [PMID: 38060444 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113541] [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: 05/19/2023] [Revised: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma originates from developing neural crest and can interconvert between the mesenchymal (MES) and adrenergic (ADRN) states, each of which are controlled by different sets of transcription factors forming the core regulatory circuit (CRC). However, the roles of CRC factors in induction and maintenance of specific state are poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that overexpression of ASCL1, an ADRN CRC factor, in MES neuroblastoma cells opens closed chromatin at the promoters of key ADRN genes, accompanied by epigenetic activation and establishment of enhancer-promoter interactions, initiating the ADRN gene expression program. ASCL1 inhibits the transforming growth factor β-SMAD2/3 pathway but activates the bone morphogenetic protein SMAD1-ID3/4 pathway. ASCL1 and other CRC members potentiate each other's activity, increasing the expression of the original targets and inducing a new set of genes, thereby fully inducing the ADRN program. Our results demonstrate that ASCL1 serves as a pioneer factor and cooperates with CRC factors to characterize the ADRN gene expression program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Wang
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, Singapore 117599, Singapore
| | - Tze King Tan
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, Singapore 117599, Singapore
| | - Hyoju Kim
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, Singapore 117599, Singapore
| | - Dennis Kappei
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, Singapore 117599, Singapore; Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117596, Singapore; NUS Center for Cancer Research, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Shi Hao Tan
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, Singapore 117599, Singapore
| | - A Thomas Look
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02216, USA; Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Takaomi Sanda
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, Singapore 117599, Singapore; NUS Center for Cancer Research, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore; Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117599, Singapore.
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8
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Tao Y, Wang QH, Li XT, Liu Y, Sun RH, Xu HJ, Zhang M, Li SY, Yang L, Wang HJ, Hao LY, Cao JL, Pan Z. Spinal-Specific Super Enhancer in Neuropathic Pain. J Neurosci 2023; 43:8547-8561. [PMID: 37802656 PMCID: PMC10711714 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1006-23.2023] [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: 05/29/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 10/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Dysfunctional gene expression in nociceptive pathways plays a critical role in the development and maintenance of neuropathic pain. Super enhancers (SEs), composed of a large cluster of transcriptional enhancers, are emerging as new players in the regulation of gene expression. However, whether SEs participate in nociceptive responses remains unknown. Here, we report a spinal-specific SE (SS-SE) that regulates chronic constriction injury (CCI)-induced neuropathic pain by driving Ntmt1 and Prrx2 transcription in dorsal horn neurons. Peripheral nerve injury significantly enhanced the activity of SS-SE and increased the expression of NTMT1 and PRRX2 in the dorsal horn of male mice in a bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4)-dependent manner. Both intrathecal administration of a pharmacological BRD4 inhibitor JQ1 and CRISPR-Cas9-mediated SE deletion abolished the increased NTMT1 and PRRX2 in CCI mice and attenuated their nociceptive hypersensitivities. Furthermore, knocking down Ntmt1 or Prrx2 with siRNA suppressed the injury-induced elevation of phosphorylated extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) expression in the dorsal horn and alleviated neuropathic pain behaviors. Mimicking the increase in spinal Ntmt1 or Prrx2 in naive mice increased p-ERK and GFAP expression and led to the genesis of neuropathic pain-like behavior. These results redefine our understanding of the regulation of pain-related genes and demonstrate that BRD4-driven increases in SS-SE activity is responsible for the genesis of neuropathic pain through the governance of NTMT1 and PRRX2 expression in dorsal horn neurons. Our findings highlight the therapeutic potential of BRD4 inhibitors for the treatment of neuropathic pain.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT SEs drive gene expression by recruiting master transcription factors, cofactors, and RNA polymerase, but their role in the development of neuropathic pain remains unknown. Here, we report that the activity of an SS-SE, located upstream of the genes Ntmt1 and Prrx2, was elevated in the dorsal horn of mice with neuropathic pain. SS-SE contributes to the genesis of neuropathic pain by driving expression of Ntmt1 and Prrx2 Both inhibition of SS-SE with a pharmacological BRD4 inhibitor and genetic deletion of SS-SE attenuated pain hypersensitivities. This study suggests an effective and novel therapeutic strategy for neuropathic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Tao
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, China
| | - Qi-Hui Wang
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, China
| | - Xiao-Tong Li
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, China
| | - Ya Liu
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, China
| | - Run-Hang Sun
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, China
| | - Heng-Jun Xu
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, China
| | - Ming Zhang
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, China
| | - Si-Yuan Li
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, China
| | - Li Yang
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, China
| | - Hong-Jun Wang
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, China
| | - Ling-Yun Hao
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, China
| | - Jun-Li Cao
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, China
| | - Zhiqiang Pan
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, China
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9
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Cheng H, Zhang L, Yang S, Ren Q, Chang S, Jin Y, Mou W, Qin H, Yang W, Zhang X, Zhang W, Wang H. Integration of clinical characteristics and molecular signatures of the tumor microenvironment to predict the prognosis of neuroblastoma. J Mol Med (Berl) 2023; 101:1421-1436. [PMID: 37712965 DOI: 10.1007/s00109-023-02372-x] [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: 04/10/2023] [Revised: 08/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to analyze the clinical characteristics, cell types, and molecular characteristics of the tumor microenvironment to better predict the prognosis of neuroblastoma (NB). The gene expression data and corresponding clinical information of 498 NB patients were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO: GSE62564) and ArrayExpress (accession: E-MTAB-8248). The relative cell abundances were estimated using single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) with the R gene set variation analysis (GSVA) package. We performed Cox regression analyses to identify marker genes indicating cell subsets and combined these with prognostically relevant clinical factors to develop a new prognostic model. Data from the E-MTAB-8248 cohort verified the predictive accuracy of the prognostic model. Single-cell RNA-seq data were analyzed by using the R Seurat package. Multivariate survival analysis for each gene, using clinical characteristics as cofactors, identified 34 prognostic genes that showed a significant correlation with both event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) (log-rank test, P value < 0.05). The pathway enrichment analysis revealed that these prognostic genes were highly enriched in the marker genes of NB cells with mesenchymal features and protein translation. Ultimately, USP39, RPL8, IL1RAPL1, MAST4, CSRP2, ATP5E, International Neuroblastoma Staging System (INSS) stage, age, and MYCN status were selected to build an optimized Cox model for NB risk stratification. These samples were divided into two groups using the median of the risk score as a cutoff. The prognosis of samples in the poor prognosis group (PP) was significantly worse than that of samples in the good prognosis group (GP) (log-rank test, P value < 0.0001, median EFS: 640.5 vs. 2247 days, median OS: 1279.5 vs. 2519 days). The risk model was also regarded as a prognostic indicator independent of MYCN status, age, and stage. Finally, through scRNA-seq data, we found that as an important prognostic marker, USP39 might participate in the regulation of RNA splicing in NB. Our study established a multivariate Cox model based on gene signatures and clinical characteristics to better predict the prognosis of NB and revealed that mesenchymal signature genes of NB cells, especially USP39, were more abundant in patients with a poor prognosis than in those with a good prognosis. KEY MESSAGES: Our study established a multivariate Cox model based on gene signatures and clinical characteristics to better predict the prognosis of NB and revealed that mesenchymal signature genes of NB cells, especially USP39, were more abundant in patients with a poor prognosis than in those with a good prognosis. USP39, RPL8, IL1RAPL1, MAST4, CSRP2, ATP5E, International Neuroblastoma Staging System (INSS) stage, age, and MYCN status were selected to build an optimized Cox model for NB risk stratification. These samples were divided into two groups using the median of the risk score as a cutoff. The prognosis of samples in the poor prognosis group (PP) was significantly worse than that of samples in the good prognosis group (GP). Finally, through scRNA-seq data, we found that as an important prognostic marker, USP39 might participate in the regulation of RNA splicing in NB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiyan Cheng
- Department of Surgical Oncology, MOE Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, 56 Nanlishi Road, Beijing, 100045, China
| | - Li Zhang
- Shanghai Institute of Precision Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200011, China
| | - Shen Yang
- Department of Surgical Oncology, MOE Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, 56 Nanlishi Road, Beijing, 100045, China
| | - Qinghua Ren
- Department of Surgical Oncology, MOE Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, 56 Nanlishi Road, Beijing, 100045, China
| | - Saishuo Chang
- Department of Surgical Oncology, MOE Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, 56 Nanlishi Road, Beijing, 100045, China
| | - Yaqiong Jin
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Pediatric Diseases of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, MOE Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children, Beijing Pediatric Research Institute, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing, 100045, China
| | - Wenjun Mou
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology, Beijing Pediatric Research Institute, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing, 100045, China
| | - Hong Qin
- Department of Surgical Oncology, MOE Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, 56 Nanlishi Road, Beijing, 100045, China
| | - Wei Yang
- Department of Surgical Oncology, MOE Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, 56 Nanlishi Road, Beijing, 100045, China
| | - Xianwei Zhang
- Zhengzhou Key Laboratory of Precise Diagnosis and Treatment of Children's Malignant Tumors, Department of Pediatric Oncology Surgery, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Henan Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou, 450018, China
| | - Wancun Zhang
- Zhengzhou Key Laboratory of Precise Diagnosis and Treatment of Children's Malignant Tumors, Department of Pediatric Oncology Surgery, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Henan Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou, 450018, China
| | - Huanmin Wang
- Department of Surgical Oncology, MOE Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, 56 Nanlishi Road, Beijing, 100045, China.
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10
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D’Amico S, Tempora P, Gragera P, Król K, Melaiu O, De Ioris MA, Locatelli F, Fruci D. Two bullets in the gun: combining immunotherapy with chemotherapy to defeat neuroblastoma by targeting adrenergic-mesenchymal plasticity. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1268645. [PMID: 37849756 PMCID: PMC10577183 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1268645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB) is a childhood tumor that originates in the peripheral sympathetic nervous system and is responsible for 15% of cancer-related deaths in the pediatric population. Despite intensive multimodal treatment, many patients with high-risk NB relapse and develop a therapy-resistant tumor. One of the phenomena related to therapeutic resistance is intratumor heterogeneity resulting from the adaptation of tumor cells in response to different selective environmental pressures. The transcriptional and epigenetic profiling of NB tissue has recently revealed the existence of two distinct cellular identities in the NB, termed adrenergic (ADRN) and mesenchymal (MES), which can spontaneously interconvert through epigenetic regulation. This phenomenon, known as tumor plasticity, has a major impact on cancer pathogenesis. The aim of this review is to describe the peculiarities of these two cell states, and how their plasticity affects the response to current therapeutic treatments, with special focus on the immunogenic potential of MES cells. Furthermore, we will discuss the opportunity to combine immunotherapy with chemotherapy to counteract NB phenotypic interconversion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia D’Amico
- Department of Paediatric Haematology/Oncology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children Hospital, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
| | - Patrizia Tempora
- Department of Paediatric Haematology/Oncology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children Hospital, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
| | - Paula Gragera
- Department of Paediatric Haematology/Oncology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children Hospital, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
| | - Kamila Król
- Department of Paediatric Haematology/Oncology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children Hospital, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
| | - Ombretta Melaiu
- Department of Paediatric Haematology/Oncology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children Hospital, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Translational Medicine, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Antonietta De Ioris
- Department of Paediatric Haematology/Oncology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children Hospital, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
| | - Franco Locatelli
- Department of Paediatric Haematology/Oncology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children Hospital, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
- Department of Pediatrics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy
| | - Doriana Fruci
- Department of Paediatric Haematology/Oncology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children Hospital, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
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11
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Sun Z, Fan J, Dang Y, Zhao Y. Enhancer in cancer pathogenesis and treatment. Genet Mol Biol 2023; 46:e20220313. [PMID: 37548349 PMCID: PMC10405138 DOI: 10.1590/1678-4685-gmb-2022-0313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Enhancers are essential cis-acting regulatory elements that determine cell identity and tumor progression. Enhancer function is dependent on the physical interaction between the enhancer and its target promoter inside its local chromatin environment. Enhancer reprogramming is an important mechanism in cancer pathogenesis and can be driven by both cis and trans factors. Super enhancers are acquired at oncogenes in numerous cancer types and represent potential targets for cancer treatment. BET and CDK inhibitors act through mechanisms of enhancer function and have shown promising results in therapy for various types of cancer. Genome editing is another way to reprogram enhancers in cancer treatment. The relationship between enhancers and cancer has been revised by several authors in the past few years, which mainly focuses on the mechanisms by which enhancers can impact cancer. Here, we emphasize SE's role in cancer pathogenesis and the new therapies involving epigenetic regulators (BETi and CDKi). We suggest that understanding mechanisms of activity would aid clinical success for these anti-cancer agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuo Sun
- Xi’an Medical University, Xi’an Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microorganism and Tumor Immunity, Weiyang District, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, No.1 XinWang Rd, Weiyang District, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jinbo Fan
- Xi’an Medical University, Xi’an Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microorganism and Tumor Immunity, Weiyang District, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yixiong Dang
- Xi’an Medical University, School of Public Health, Weiyang District, Xi’an, 710021 Shaanxi, China
| | - Yufeng Zhao
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, No.1 XinWang Rd, Weiyang District, Shaanxi, China
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12
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Wang M, Chen Q, Wang S, Xie H, Liu J, Huang R, Xiang Y, Jiang Y, Tian D, Bian E. Super-enhancers complexes zoom in transcription in cancer. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2023; 42:183. [PMID: 37501079 PMCID: PMC10375641 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-023-02763-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Super-enhancers (SEs) consist of multiple typical enhancers enriched at high density with transcription factors, histone-modifying enzymes and cofactors. Oncogenic SEs promote tumorigenesis and malignancy by altering protein-coding gene expression and noncoding regulatory element function. Therefore, they play central roles in the treatment of cancer. Here, we review the structural characteristics, organization, identification, and functions of SEs and the underlying molecular mechanism by which SEs drive oncogenic transcription in tumor cells. We then summarize abnormal SE complexes, SE-driven coding genes, and noncoding RNAs involved in tumor development. In summary, we believe that SEs show great potential as biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- MengTing Wang
- Department of Orthopaedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 678 Fu Rong Road, Hefei, 230601, Anhui Province, China
- Institute of Orthopaedics, Research Center for Translational Medicine, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230601, China
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China
| | - QingYang Chen
- Department of Clinical MedicineThe Second School of Clinical Medical, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - ShuJie Wang
- Department of Clinical MedicineThe Second School of Clinical Medical, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Han Xie
- Department of Orthopaedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 678 Fu Rong Road, Hefei, 230601, Anhui Province, China
- Institute of Orthopaedics, Research Center for Translational Medicine, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230601, China
| | - Jun Liu
- Department of Orthopaedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 678 Fu Rong Road, Hefei, 230601, Anhui Province, China
- Institute of Orthopaedics, Research Center for Translational Medicine, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230601, China
| | - RuiXiang Huang
- Department of Orthopaedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 678 Fu Rong Road, Hefei, 230601, Anhui Province, China
- Institute of Orthopaedics, Research Center for Translational Medicine, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230601, China
| | - YuFei Xiang
- Department of Orthopaedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 678 Fu Rong Road, Hefei, 230601, Anhui Province, China
- Institute of Orthopaedics, Research Center for Translational Medicine, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230601, China
| | - YanYi Jiang
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Medical Physics and Technology, Institute of Health and Medical Technology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China.
- Hefei Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China.
| | - DaSheng Tian
- Department of Orthopaedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 678 Fu Rong Road, Hefei, 230601, Anhui Province, China.
- Institute of Orthopaedics, Research Center for Translational Medicine, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230601, China.
| | - ErBao Bian
- Department of Orthopaedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 678 Fu Rong Road, Hefei, 230601, Anhui Province, China.
- Institute of Orthopaedics, Research Center for Translational Medicine, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230601, China.
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China.
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13
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Zhou RW, Parsons RE. Etiology of super-enhancer reprogramming and activation in cancer. Epigenetics Chromatin 2023; 16:29. [PMID: 37415185 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-023-00502-w] [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: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Super-enhancers are large, densely concentrated swaths of enhancers that regulate genes critical for cell identity. Tumorigenesis is accompanied by changes in the super-enhancer landscape. These aberrant super-enhancers commonly form to activate proto-oncogenes, or other genes upon which cancer cells depend, that initiate tumorigenesis, promote tumor proliferation, and increase the fitness of cancer cells to survive in the tumor microenvironment. These include well-recognized master regulators of proliferation in the setting of cancer, such as the transcription factor MYC which is under the control of numerous super-enhancers gained in cancer compared to normal tissues. This Review will cover the expanding cell-intrinsic and cell-extrinsic etiology of these super-enhancer changes in cancer, including somatic mutations, copy number variation, fusion events, extrachromosomal DNA, and 3D chromatin architecture, as well as those activated by inflammation, extra-cellular signaling, and the tumor microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Royce W Zhou
- The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Molecular Medicine Program, University of California San Francisco Internal Medicine Residency, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Ramon E Parsons
- The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
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14
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Luo H, Li Y, Liu H, Ding P, Yu Y, Luo L. SENet: A deep learning framework for discriminating super- and typical enhancers by sequence information. Comput Biol Chem 2023; 105:107905. [PMID: 37348298 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2023.107905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2023] [Revised: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
Super-enhancers are large domains on the genome where multiple short typical enhancers within a specific genomic distance are stitched together. Typically, they are cell type-specific and responsible for defining cell identity and regulating gene transcription. Numerous studies have demonstrated that super-enhancers are enriched for trait-associated variants, and mutations in super-enhancers are possibly related to known diseases. Recently, several machine learning-based methods have been used to distinguish super-enhancers from typical enhancers by using high-throughput data from various experimental methods. The acquisition of such experimental data is usually costly and time-consuming. In this paper, we innovatively proposed SENet, a groundbreaking method based on a deep neural network model, for discriminating between the two categories solely utilizing sequence information. SENet employs dna2vec feature embedding, convolution for local feature extraction, attention pooling for refined feature retention, and Transformer for contextual information extraction. Experiments demonstrate that SENet outperforms all current state-of-the-art computational methods and shows satisfactory performance in cross-species validation. Our method pioneers the distinction between super-enhancers and typical ones using only sequence information. The source code and datasets are stored in https://github.com/lhy0322/SENet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanyu Luo
- School of Computer Sciences, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China
| | - Ye Li
- School of Computer Sciences, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China
| | - Huan Liu
- School of Computer Sciences, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China
| | - Pingjian Ding
- School of Computer Sciences, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China
| | - Ying Yu
- School of Computer Sciences, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China
| | - Lingyun Luo
- School of Computer Sciences, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China.
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15
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Bhavsar SP. Metastasis in neuroblastoma: the MYCN question. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1196861. [PMID: 37274289 PMCID: PMC10233040 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1196861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Oncogenic drivers like MYCN in neuroblastoma subsets continues to present a significant challenge owing to its strong correlation with high-risk metastatic disease and poor prognosis. However, only a limited number of MYCN-regulatory proteins associated with tumor initiation and progression have been elucidated. In this minireview, I summarize the recent progress in understanding the functional role of MYCN and its regulatory partners in neuroblastoma metastasis.
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16
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Weichert-Leahey N, Shi H, Tao T, Oldridge DA, Durbin AD, Abraham BJ, Zimmerman MW, Zhu S, Wood AC, Reyon D, Joung JK, Young RA, Diskin SJ, Maris JM, Look AT. Genetic predisposition to neuroblastoma results from a regulatory polymorphism that promotes the adrenergic cell state. J Clin Invest 2023; 133:e166919. [PMID: 37183825 PMCID: PMC10178836 DOI: 10.1172/jci166919] [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: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Childhood neuroblastomas exhibit plasticity between an undifferentiated neural crest-like mesenchymal cell state and a more differentiated sympathetic adrenergic cell state. These cell states are governed by autoregulatory transcriptional loops called core regulatory circuitries (CRCs), which drive the early development of sympathetic neuronal progenitors from migratory neural crest cells during embryogenesis. The adrenergic cell identity of neuroblastoma requires LMO1 as a transcriptional cofactor. Both LMO1 expression levels and the risk of developing neuroblastoma in children are associated with a single nucleotide polymorphism, G/T, that affects a GATA motif in the first intron of LMO1. Here, we showed that WT zebrafish with the GATA genotype developed adrenergic neuroblastoma, while knock-in of the protective TATA allele at this locus reduced the penetrance of MYCN-driven tumors, which were restricted to the mesenchymal cell state. Whole genome sequencing of childhood neuroblastomas demonstrated that TATA/TATA tumors also exhibited a mesenchymal cell state and were low risk at diagnosis. Thus, conversion of the regulatory GATA to a TATA allele in the first intron of LMO1 reduced the neuroblastoma-initiation rate by preventing formation of the adrenergic cell state. This mechanism was conserved over 400 million years of evolution, separating zebrafish and humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Weichert-Leahey
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Hui Shi
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Ting Tao
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, National Children’s Regional Medical Center, Children’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Cancer Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Derek A. Oldridge
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Adam D. Durbin
- Department of Oncology and Comprehensive Cancer Center, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Brian J. Abraham
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Mark W. Zimmerman
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Shizhen Zhu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - Andrew C. Wood
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, Faculty of Medical and Health Science, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Deepak Reyon
- Molecular Pathology Unit, Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, and Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - J. Keith Joung
- Molecular Pathology Unit, Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, and Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Richard A. Young
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Biology Department, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sharon J. Diskin
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - John M. Maris
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - A. Thomas Look
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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17
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Wertman JN, Berman JN. Back to the future: evolutionary biology reveals a key regulatory switch in neuroblastoma pathogenesis. J Clin Invest 2023; 133:e167824. [PMID: 37183823 PMCID: PMC10178827 DOI: 10.1172/jci167824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
While MYCN expression is an important contributing factor to heterogeneity in the natural history of neuroblastoma (NBL), a mechanistic understanding of this often mutationally quiet tumor has remained elusive. In this issue of the JCI, Weichert-Leahey and authors focused on the adrenergic and mesenchymal core regulatory circuitries (CRC) as NBL transcriptional programs. The authors previously showed that overexpression of LIM-domain-only 1 (LMO1), a transcriptional coregulator, synergizes with MYCN to accelerate tumor formation and metastasis in an NBL-zebrafish model. They now demonstrate experimentally, using genome-edited zebrafish, that a polymorphism in the human rs2168101 locus of the LMO1 gene determines which CRC is active in a tumor. In some cases, LMO3 compensated for LMO1 loss and drove the adrenergic CRC in MYCN-positive NBL. This study exemplifies the value of evolutionary relationships and zebrafish models in the investigation of human disease and reveals pathways of NBL development that may affect prevention or intervention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaime N. Wertman
- Department of Pediatrics, Izaak Walton Killam Health Centre and College of Pharmacy, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Jason N. Berman
- Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute and Department of Pediatrics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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18
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Guan Q, Lin H, Hua W, Lin L, Liu J, Deng L, Zhang J, Cheng J, Yang Z, Li Y, Bian J, Zhou H, Li S, Li L, Miao L, Xia H, He J, Zhuo Z. Variant rs8400 enhances ALKBH5 expression through disrupting miR-186 binding and promotes neuroblastoma progression. Chin J Cancer Res 2023; 35:140-162. [PMID: 37180836 PMCID: PMC10167609 DOI: 10.21147/j.issn.1000-9604.2023.02.05] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective AlkB homolog 5 (ALKBH5) has been proven to be closely related to tumors. However, the role and molecular mechanism of ALKBH5 in neuroblastomas have rarely been reported. Methods The potential functional single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in ALKBH5 were identified by National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) dbSNP screening and SNPinfo software. TaqMan probes were used for genotyping. A multiple logistic regression model was used to evaluate the effects of different SNP loci on the risk of neuroblastoma. The expression of ALKBH5 in neuroblastoma was evaluated by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), plate colony formation and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) incorporation assays were used to evaluate cell proliferation. Wound healing and Transwell assays were used to compare cell migration and invasion. Thermodynamic modelling was performed to predict the ability of miRNAs to bind to ALKBH5 with the rs8400 G/A polymorphism. RNA sequencing, N6-methyladenosine (m6A) sequencing, m6A methylated RNA immunoprecipitation (MeRIP) and a luciferase assay were used to identify the targeting effect of ALKBH5 on SPP1. Results ALKBH5 was highly expressed in neuroblastoma. Knocking down ALKBH5 inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of cancer cells. miR-186-3p negatively regulates the expression of ALKBH5, and this ability is affected by the rs8400 polymorphism. When the G nucleotide was mutated to A, the ability of miR-186-3p to bind to the 3'-UTR of ALKBH5 decreased, resulting in upregulation of ALKBH5. SPP1 is the downstream target gene of the ALKBH5 oncogene. Knocking down SPP1 partially restored the inhibitory effect of ALKBH5 downregulation on neuroblastoma. Downregulation of ALKBH5 can improve the therapeutic efficacy of carboplatin and etoposide in neuroblastoma. Conclusions We first found that the rs8400 G>A polymorphism in the m6A demethylase-encoding gene ALKBH5 increases neuroblastoma susceptibility and determines the related mechanisms. The aberrant regulation of ALKBH5 by miR-186-3p caused by this genetic variation in ALKBH5 promotes the occurrence and development of neuroblastoma through the ALKBH5-SPP1 axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Guan
- School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Guangzhou Institute of Pediatrics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Research in Structural Birth Defect Disease, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510623, China
| | - Huiran Lin
- Faculty of Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau 999078, China
| | - Wenfeng Hua
- Research Institute for Maternal and Child Health, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou 510317, China
| | - Lei Lin
- School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Jiabin Liu
- School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Linqing Deng
- School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Jiao Zhang
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China
| | - Jiwen Cheng
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710004, China
| | - Zhonghua Yang
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110004, China
| | - Yong Li
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Hunan Children’s Hospital, Changsha 410004, China
| | - Jun Bian
- Department of General Surgery, Xi’an Children’s Hospital, Xi’an Jiaotong University Affiliated Children’s Hospital, Xi’an 710003, China
| | - Haixia Zhou
- Department of Hematology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325027, China
| | - Suhong Li
- Department of Pathology, Children Hospital and Women Health Center of Shanxi, Taiyuan 030013, China
| | - Li Li
- Kunming Key Laboratory of Children Infection and Immunity, Yunnan Key Laboratory of Children’s Major Disease Research, Yunnan Institute of Pediatrics Research, Yunnan Medical Center for Pediatric Diseases, Kunming Children’s Hospital, Kunming 650228, China
| | - Lei Miao
- School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Huimin Xia
- School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Jing He
- School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Guangzhou Institute of Pediatrics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Research in Structural Birth Defect Disease, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510623, China
| | - Zhenjian Zhuo
- School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Guangzhou Institute of Pediatrics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Research in Structural Birth Defect Disease, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510623, China
- Laboratory Animal Center, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, China
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19
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Di Giorgio E, Benetti R, Kerschbamer E, Xodo L, Brancolini C. Super-enhancer landscape rewiring in cancer: The epigenetic control at distal sites. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2023; 380:97-148. [PMID: 37657861 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ircmb.2023.03.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/03/2023]
Abstract
Super-enhancers evolve as elements at the top of the hierarchical control of gene expression. They are important end-gatherers of signaling pathways that control stemness, differentiation or adaptive responses. Many epigenetic regulations focus on these regions, and not surprisingly, during the process of tumorigenesis, various alterations can account for their dysfunction. Super-enhancers are emerging as key drivers of the aberrant gene expression landscape that sustain the aggressiveness of cancer cells. In this review, we will describe and discuss about the structure of super-enhancers, their epigenetic regulation, and the major changes affecting their functionality in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eros Di Giorgio
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Medicine, Università degli Studi di Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Roberta Benetti
- Laboratory of Epigenomics, Department of Medicine, Università degli Studi di Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Emanuela Kerschbamer
- Laboratory of Epigenomics, Department of Medicine, Università degli Studi di Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Luigi Xodo
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Medicine, Università degli Studi di Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Claudio Brancolini
- Laboratory of Epigenomics, Department of Medicine, Università degli Studi di Udine, Udine, Italy.
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20
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Lei S, Li C, She Y, Zhou S, Shi H, Chen R. Roles of super enhancers and enhancer RNAs in skeletal muscle development and disease. Cell Cycle 2023; 22:495-505. [PMID: 36184878 PMCID: PMC9928468 DOI: 10.1080/15384101.2022.2129240] [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: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Skeletal muscle development is a multistep biological process regulated by a variety of myogenic regulatory factors, including MyoG, MyoD, Myf5, and Myf6 (also known as MRF4), as well as members of the FoxO subfamily. Differentiation and regeneration during skeletal muscle myogenesis contribute to the physiological function of muscles. Super enhancers (SEs) and enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) are involved in the regulation of development and diseases. Few studies have identified the roles of SEs and eRNAs in muscle development and pathophysiology. To develop approaches to enhance skeletal muscle mass and function, a more comprehensive understanding of the key processes underlying muscular diseases is needed. In this review, we summarize the roles of SEs and eRNAs in muscle development and disease through affecting of DNA methylation, FoxO subfamily, RAS-MEK signaling, chromatin modifications and accessibility, MyoD and cis regulating target genes. The summary could inform strategies to increase muscle mass and treat muscle-related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Si Lei
- Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangdong Traditional Medical and Sports Injury Rehabilitation Research Institute, Guangzhou, China
| | - Cheng Li
- Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangdong Traditional Medical and Sports Injury Rehabilitation Research Institute, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yanling She
- Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangdong Traditional Medical and Sports Injury Rehabilitation Research Institute, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shanyao Zhou
- Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangdong Traditional Medical and Sports Injury Rehabilitation Research Institute, Guangzhou, China
| | - Huacai Shi
- Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangdong Traditional Medical and Sports Injury Rehabilitation Research Institute, Guangzhou, China
| | - Rui Chen
- Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangdong Traditional Medical and Sports Injury Rehabilitation Research Institute, Guangzhou, China
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21
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Weichert-Leahey N, Shi H, Tao T, Oldridge DA, Durbin AD, Abraham BJ, Zimmerman MW, Zhu S, Wood AC, Reyon D, Joung JK, Young RA, Diskin SJ, Maris JM, Look AT. Genetic Predisposition to Neuroblastoma Results from a Regulatory Polymorphism that Promotes the Adrenergic Cell State. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.28.530457. [PMID: 36909587 PMCID: PMC10002714 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.28.530457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
Childhood neuroblastomas exhibit plasticity between an undifferentiated neural crest-like "mesenchymal" cell state and a more differentiated sympathetic "adrenergic" cell state. These cell states are governed by autoregulatory transcriptional loops called core regulatory circuitries (CRCs), which drive the early development of sympathetic neuronal progenitors from migratory neural crest cells during embryogenesis. The adrenergic cell identity of neuroblastoma requires LMO1 as a transcriptional co-factor. Both LMO1 expression levels and the risk of developing neuroblastoma in children are associated with a single nucleotide polymorphism G/T that affects a G ATA motif in the first intron of LMO1. Here we show that wild-type zebrafish with the G ATA genotype develop adrenergic neuroblastoma, while knock-in of the protective T ATA allele at this locus reduces the penetrance of MYCN-driven tumors, which are restricted to the mesenchymal cell state. Whole genome sequencing of childhood neuroblastomas demonstrates that T ATA/ T ATA tumors also exhibit a mesenchymal cell state and are low risk at diagnosis. Thus, conversion of the regulatory G ATA to a T ATA allele in the first intron of LMO1 reduces the neuroblastoma initiation rate by preventing formation of the adrenergic cell state, a mechanism that is conserved over 400 million years of evolution separating zebrafish and humans.
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22
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Stankey CT, Lee JC. Translating non-coding genetic associations into a better understanding of immune-mediated disease. Dis Model Mech 2023; 16:297044. [PMID: 36897113 PMCID: PMC10040244 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.049790] [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] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies have identified hundreds of genetic loci that are associated with immune-mediated diseases. Most disease-associated variants are non-coding, and a large proportion of these variants lie within enhancers. As a result, there is a pressing need to understand how common genetic variation might affect enhancer function and thereby contribute to immune-mediated (and other) diseases. In this Review, we first describe statistical and experimental methods to identify causal genetic variants that modulate gene expression, including statistical fine-mapping and massively parallel reporter assays. We then discuss approaches to characterise the mechanisms by which these variants modulate immune function, such as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-based screens. We highlight examples of studies that, by elucidating the effects of disease variants within enhancers, have provided important insights into immune function and uncovered key pathways of disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina T Stankey
- Genetic Mechanisms of Disease Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
- Department of Immunology and Inflammation, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - James C Lee
- Genetic Mechanisms of Disease Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
- Institute of Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital, University College London, London NW3 2PF, UK
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23
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Lin L, Deng C, Zhou C, Zhang X, Zhu J, Liu J, Wu H, He J. NSUN2 gene rs13181449 C>T polymorphism reduces neuroblastoma risk. Gene X 2023; 854:147120. [PMID: 36529349 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2022.147120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 12/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is the most common tumor in infants. RNA m5C modification regulates the survival, differentiation, and migration of cells affecting RNA function. However, the effects of the m5C modification methyltransferase gene NSUN2 polymorphism on neuroblastoma susceptibility have not been reported. TaqMan method was used to determine genotypes of four NSUN2 polymorphisms (rs4702373 C>T, rs13181449 C>T, rs166049 T>G, and rs8192120 A>C) in 402 patients with neuroblastoma and 473 cancer-free controls from Jiangsu province, China. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to evaluate the association of NSUN2 polymorphisms with neuroblastoma susceptibility. The association was also further assessed in subgroups stratified by age, sex, tumor origin, and stage. GTEx was used to analyze the effect of these polymorphisms on NSUN2 expression. We found the rs13181449 C>T was significantly associated with reduced neuroblastoma risk (CT vs. CC: adjusted OR = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.51-0.92, P = 0.012; CT/TT vs. CC: adjusted OR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.53-0.92, P = 0.010). Compared with 0-2 protective genotypes, those with 3-4 protective genotypes could significantly reduce the neuroblastoma risk (adjusted OR = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.52 to 0.90, P = 0.006). Stratification analysis showed that the protective effect of rs13181449 polymorphism remained significant in children with age >18 months, boys, and those with early INSS stages. Moreover, children with more protective genotypes in the same subgroups also exhibited significantly reduced neuroblastoma risk. GTEx analysis showed that the rs13181449 T genotype was related with decreased NSUN2 gene expression. In conclusions, NSUN2 rs13181449 polymorphism is associated with decreased neuroblastoma risk, and the underlying mechanism in neuroblastoma needs further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Lin
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Guangzhou Institute of Pediatrics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Research in Structural Birth Defect Disease, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Guangzhou 510623, Guangdong, China
| | - Changmi Deng
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Guangzhou Institute of Pediatrics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Research in Structural Birth Defect Disease, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Guangzhou 510623, Guangdong, China
| | - Chunlei Zhou
- Department of Pathology, Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210008, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xinxin Zhang
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Guangzhou Institute of Pediatrics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Research in Structural Birth Defect Disease, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Guangzhou 510623, Guangdong, China
| | - Jinhong Zhu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Biobank, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin 150040, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Jiabin Liu
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Guangzhou Institute of Pediatrics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Research in Structural Birth Defect Disease, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Guangzhou 510623, Guangdong, China
| | - Haiyan Wu
- Department of Pathology, Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210008, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Jing He
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Guangzhou Institute of Pediatrics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Research in Structural Birth Defect Disease, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Guangzhou 510623, Guangdong, China.
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24
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Zhang S, Cooper JAL, Chong YS, Naveed A, Mayoh C, Jayatilleke N, Liu T, Amos S, Kobelke S, Marshall AC, Meers O, Choi YS, Bond CS, Fox AH. NONO enhances mRNA processing of super-enhancer-associated GATA2 and HAND2 genes in neuroblastoma. EMBO Rep 2023; 24:e54977. [PMID: 36416237 PMCID: PMC9900351 DOI: 10.15252/embr.202254977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
High-risk neuroblastoma patients have poor survival rates and require better therapeutic options. High expression of a multifunctional DNA and RNA-binding protein, NONO, in neuroblastoma is associated with poor patient outcome; however, there is little understanding of the mechanism of NONO-dependent oncogenic gene regulatory activity in neuroblastoma. Here, we used cell imaging, biochemical and genome-wide molecular analysis to reveal complex NONO-dependent regulation of gene expression. NONO forms RNA- and DNA-tethered condensates throughout the nucleus and undergoes phase separation in vitro, modulated by nucleic acid binding. CLIP analyses show that NONO mainly binds to the 5' end of pre-mRNAs and modulates pre-mRNA processing, dependent on its RNA-binding activity. NONO regulates super-enhancer-associated genes, including HAND2 and GATA2. Abrogating NONO RNA binding, or phase separation activity, results in decreased expression of HAND2 and GATA2. Thus, future development of agents that target RNA-binding activity of NONO may have therapeutic potential in this cancer context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song Zhang
- School of Human SciencesThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWAAustralia
| | - Jack AL Cooper
- School of Human SciencesThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWAAustralia
| | - Yee Seng Chong
- School of Molecular SciencesThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWAAustralia
| | - Alina Naveed
- School of Human SciencesThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWAAustralia
| | - Chelsea Mayoh
- Children's Cancer Institute AustraliaRandwickNSWAustralia
- Centre for Childhood Cancer ResearchUNSW SydneyKensingtonNSWAustralia
- School of Women's and Children's HealthUNSW SydneyKensingtonNSWAustralia
| | - Nisitha Jayatilleke
- Children's Cancer Institute AustraliaRandwickNSWAustralia
- Centre for Childhood Cancer ResearchUNSW SydneyKensingtonNSWAustralia
| | - Tao Liu
- Children's Cancer Institute AustraliaRandwickNSWAustralia
- Centre for Childhood Cancer ResearchUNSW SydneyKensingtonNSWAustralia
| | - Sebastian Amos
- School of Human SciencesThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWAAustralia
| | - Simon Kobelke
- School of Human SciencesThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWAAustralia
| | - Andrew C Marshall
- School of Molecular SciencesThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWAAustralia
| | - Oliver Meers
- School of Human SciencesThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWAAustralia
| | - Yu Suk Choi
- School of Human SciencesThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWAAustralia
| | - Charles S Bond
- School of Molecular SciencesThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWAAustralia
| | - Archa H Fox
- School of Human SciencesThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWAAustralia
- School of Molecular SciencesThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWAAustralia
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25
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Zhang B, Ren Z, Zheng H, Lin M, Chen G, Luo OJ, Zhu G. CRISPR activation screening in a mouse model for drivers of hepatocellular carcinoma growth and metastasis. iScience 2023; 26:106099. [PMID: 36843840 PMCID: PMC9947337 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a major cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Here we described a genome-wide screen by CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) library in vivo for drivers of HCC growth and metastasis. Pathological results showed the cell population formed highly metastatic tumors in lung after being mutagenized with CRISPRa. In vitro validation indicated overexpression of XAGE1B, PLK4, LMO1 and MYADML2 promoted cells proliferation and invasion, and the inhibition suppressed HCC progress. In addition, we reported high MYADML2 protein level exhibited worse overall survival in HCC, which increased significantly in patients over 60 years. Moreover, high MYADML2 reduced the sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs. Interestingly, immune cell infiltration analysis showed that the dendritic cells, macrophages, and so forth might play important role in HCC progress. In brief, we provides a roadmap for screening functional genes related to HCC invasion and metastasis in vivo, which may provide new potential targets for the treatment of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bei Zhang
- Departments of Geriatrics and Oncology, Guangzhou First People’s Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China,Department of Systems Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhiyao Ren
- Department of Systems Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China,Guangzhou Geriatric Hospital, Guangzhou, China,Collaborative Innovation Center for Civil Affairs of Guangzhou, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hongmei Zheng
- Department of Breast Surgery, Hubei Cancer Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology and Hubei Provincial Clinical Research Center for Breast Cancer, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Meilan Lin
- Departments of Geriatrics and Oncology, Guangzhou First People’s Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Guobing Chen
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Great Bay Area Geroscience Joint Laboratory, Guangzhou, China,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Geriatric Immunology, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Oscar Junhong Luo
- Department of Systems Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Geriatric Immunology, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China,Corresponding author
| | - Guodong Zhu
- Departments of Geriatrics and Oncology, Guangzhou First People’s Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China,Guangzhou Geriatric Hospital, Guangzhou, China,Corresponding author
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26
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Zhuang HH, Qu Q, Teng XQ, Dai YH, Qu J. Superenhancers as master gene regulators and novel therapeutic targets in brain tumors. Exp Mol Med 2023; 55:290-303. [PMID: 36720920 PMCID: PMC9981748 DOI: 10.1038/s12276-023-00934-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2022] [Revised: 11/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcriptional deregulation, a cancer cell hallmark, is driven by epigenetic abnormalities in the majority of brain tumors, including adult glioblastoma and pediatric brain tumors. Epigenetic abnormalities can activate epigenetic regulatory elements to regulate the expression of oncogenes. Superenhancers (SEs), identified as novel epigenetic regulatory elements, are clusters of enhancers with cell-type specificity that can drive the aberrant transcription of oncogenes and promote tumor initiation and progression. As gene regulators, SEs are involved in tumorigenesis in a variety of tumors, including brain tumors. SEs are susceptible to inhibition by their key components, such as bromodomain protein 4 and cyclin-dependent kinase 7, providing new opportunities for antitumor therapy. In this review, we summarized the characteristics and identification, unique organizational structures, and activation mechanisms of SEs in tumors, as well as the clinical applications related to SEs in tumor therapy and prognostication. Based on a review of the literature, we discussed the relationship between SEs and different brain tumors and potential therapeutic targets, focusing on glioblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hai-Hui Zhuang
- Department of Pharmacy, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South University, Changsha, 410011, PR China
| | - Qiang Qu
- Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410007, PR China.,Institute for Rational and Safe Medication Practices, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410007, PR China
| | - Xin-Qi Teng
- Department of Pharmacy, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South University, Changsha, 410011, PR China
| | - Ying-Huan Dai
- Department of Pathology, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410011, PR China
| | - Jian Qu
- Department of Pharmacy, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South University, Changsha, 410011, PR China.
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27
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Kim J, Vaksman Z, Egolf LE, Kaufman R, Evans JP, Conkrite KL, Danesh A, Lopez G, Randall MP, Dent MH, Farra LM, Menghani N, Dymek M, Desai H, Hausler R, Auvil JG, Gerhard DS, Hakonarson H, Maxwell KN, Cole KA, Pugh TJ, Bosse KR, Khan J, Wei JS, Maris JM, Stewart DR, Diskin SJ. Germline pathogenic variants in 786 neuroblastoma patients. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.01.23.23284864. [PMID: 36747619 PMCID: PMC9901064 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.23.23284864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Importance Neuroblastoma accounts for 12% of childhood cancer deaths. The genetic contribution of rare pathogenic germline variation in patients without a family history remains unclear. Objective To define the prevalence, spectrum, and clinical significance of pathogenic germline variation in cancer predisposition genes (CPGs) in neuroblastoma patients. Design Setting and Participants Germline DNA sequencing was performed on the peripheral blood from 786 neuroblastoma patients unselected for family history. Rare variants mapping to CPGs were evaluated for pathogenicity and the percentage of cases harboring pathogenic (P) or likely pathogenic (LP) variants was quantified. The frequency of CPG P-LP variants in neuroblastoma cases was compared to two distinct cancer-free control cohorts to assess enrichment. Matched tumor DNA sequencing was evaluated for "second hits" at CPGs and germline DNA array data from 5,585 neuroblastoma cases and 23,505 cancer-free control children was analyzed to identify rare germline copy number variants (CNVs) affecting genes with an excess burden of P-LP variants in neuroblastoma. Neuroblastoma patients with germline P-LP variants were compared to those without P-LP variants to test for association with clinical characteristics, tumor features, and patient survival. Main Outcomes and Measures Rare variant prevalence, pathogenicity, enrichment, and association with clinical characteristics, tumor features, and patient survival. Results We observed 116 P-LP variants in CPGs involving 13.9% (109/786) of patients, representing a significant excess burden of P-LP variants compared to controls (9.1%; P = 5.14 × 10-5, Odds Ratio: 1.60, 95% confidence interval: 1.27-2.00). BARD1 harbored the most significant burden of P-LP variants compared to controls (1.0% vs. 0.03%; P = 8.18 × 10-7; Odds Ratio: 32.30, 95% confidence interval: 6.44-310.35). Rare germline CNVs disrupting BARD1 were also identified in neuroblastoma patients (0.05%) but absent in controls (P = 7.08 × 10-3; Odds Ratio: 29.47, 95% confidence interval: 1.52 - 570.70). Overall, P-LP variants in DNA repair genes in this study were enriched in cases compared to controls (8.1% vs. 5.7%; P = 0.01; Odds Ratio: 1.45, 95% confidence interval: 1.08-1.92). Neuroblastoma patients harboring a germline P-LP variant had a worse overall survival when compared to patients without P-LP variants (P = 8.6 × 10-3), and this remained significant in a multivariate Cox proportional-hazards model (P = 0.01). Conclusions and Relevance Neuroblastoma patients harboring germline P-LP variants in CPGs have worse overall survival and BARD1 is an important predisposition gene affected by both common and rare pathogenic variation. Germline sequencing should be performed for all neuroblastoma patients at diagnosis to inform genetic counseling and support future longitudinal and mechanistic studies. Patients with a germline P-LP variant should be closely monitored, regardless of risk group assignment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jung Kim
- Clinical Genetics Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Zalman Vaksman
- Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Laura E. Egolf
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Group, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Rebecca Kaufman
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - J. Perry Evans
- Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Karina L. Conkrite
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Arnavaz Danesh
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, ON, M5S Canada
| | - Gonzalo Lopez
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Michael P. Randall
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Maiah H. Dent
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Lance M. Farra
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Neil Menghani
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Malwina Dymek
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Heena Desai
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ryan Hausler
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Penn Medicine BioBank
- Penn Medicine BioBank, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Hakon Hakonarson
- Center for Applied Genomics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Kara N. Maxwell
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Kristina A. Cole
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Trevor J. Pugh
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, ON, M5S Canada
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, ON, M5S Canada
| | - Kristopher R. Bosse
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Javed Khan
- Oncogenomics Section, Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Jun S. Wei
- Oncogenomics Section, Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - John M. Maris
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Douglas R. Stewart
- Clinical Genetics Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Sharon J. Diskin
- Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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28
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Yang X, Zheng W, Li M, Zhang S. Somatic Super-Enhancer Epigenetic Signature for Overall Survival Prediction in Patients with Breast Invasive Carcinoma. Bioinform Biol Insights 2023; 17:11779322231162767. [PMID: 37020500 PMCID: PMC10068971 DOI: 10.1177/11779322231162767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/18/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
To analyze genome-wide super-enhancers (SEs) methylation signature of breast invasive carcinoma (BRCA) and its clinical value. Differential methylation sites (DMS) between BRCA and adjacent tissues from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database were identified by using ChAMP package in R software. Super-enhancers were identified sing ROSE software. Overlap analysis was used to assess the potential DMS in SEs region. Feature selection was performed by Cox regression and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm based on TCGA training cohort. Prognosis model validation was performed in TCGA training cohort, TCGA validation cohort, and gene expression omnibus (GEO) test cohort. The gene ontology and KEGG analysis revealed that SEs target genes were significantly enriched in cell-migration-associated processes and pathways. A total of 83 654 DMS were identified between BRCA and adjacent tissues. Around 2397 DMS in SEs region were identified by overlap study and used to feature selection. By using Cox regression and LASSO algorithm, 42 features were selected to develop a clinical prediction model (CPM). Both training (TCGA) and validation cohorts (TCGA and GEO) show that the CPM has ideal discrimination and calibration. The CPM based on DMS at SE regions has ideal discrimination and calibration, which combined with tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage could improve prognostication, and thus contribute to individualized medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xu Yang
- Department of Urology, Fujian Medical
University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, P.R. China
| | - Wenzhong Zheng
- Department of Urology, Fujian Medical
University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, P.R. China
| | - Mengqiang Li
- Department of Urology, Fujian Medical
University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, P.R. China
| | - Shiqiang Zhang
- Department of Urology, Kidney and
Urology Center, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen,
P.R. China
- Shiqiang Zhang, Department of Urology,
Kidney and Urology Center, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen
University, No.628, Zhenyuan Rd, Guangming (New) Dist., Shenzhen 518107, P.R.
China.
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29
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Shi Y, Wang M, Liu D, Ullah S, Ma X, Yang H, Liu B. Super-enhancers in esophageal carcinoma: Transcriptional addictions and therapeutic strategies. Front Oncol 2022; 12:1036648. [DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.1036648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The tumorigenesis of esophageal carcinoma arises from transcriptional dysregulation would become exceptionally dependent on specific regulators of gene expression, which could be preferentially attributed to the larger non-coding cis-regulatory elements, i.e. super-enhancers (SEs). SEs, large genomic regulatory entity in close genomic proximity, are underpinned by control cancer cell identity. As a consequence, the transcriptional addictions driven by SEs could offer an Achilles’ heel for molecular treatments on patients of esophageal carcinoma and other types of cancer as well. In this review, we summarize the recent findings about the oncogenic SEs upon which esophageal cancer cells depend, and discuss why SEs could be seen as the hallmark of cancer, how transcriptional dependencies driven by SEs, and what opportunities could be supplied based on this cancer-specific SEs.
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30
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Loss of CASZ1 tumor suppressor linked to oncogenic subversion of neuroblastoma core regulatory circuitry. Cell Death Dis 2022; 13:871. [PMID: 36243768 PMCID: PMC9569368 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-022-05314-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Revised: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The neural crest lineage regulatory transcription factors (TFs) form a core regulatory circuitry (CRC) in neuroblastoma (NB) to specify a noradrenergic tumor phenotype. Oncogenic subversion of CRC TFs is well documented, but the role of loss of tumor suppressors plays remains unclear. Zinc-finger TF CASZ1 is a chromosome 1p36 (chr1p36) tumor suppressor. Single-cell RNA sequencing data analyses indicate that CASZ1 is highly expressed in developing chromaffin cells coincident with an expression of NB CRC TFs. In NB tumor cells, the CASZ1 tumor suppressor is silenced while CRC components are highly expressed. We find the NB CRC component HAND2 directly represses CASZ1 expression. ChIP-seq and transcriptomic analyses reveal that restoration of CASZ1 upregulates noradrenergic neuronal genes and represses expression of CRC components by remodeling enhancer activity. Our study identifies that the restored CASZ1 forms a negative feedback regulatory circuit with the established NB CRC to induce noradrenergic neuronal differentiation of NB.
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31
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Nameki R, Shetty A, Dareng E, Tyrer J, Lin X, Pharoah P, Corona RI, Kar S, Lawrenson K. chromMAGMA: regulatory element-centric interrogation of risk variants. Life Sci Alliance 2022; 5:e202201446. [PMID: 35777959 PMCID: PMC9251535 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202201446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Candidate causal risk variants from genome-wide association studies reside almost exclusively in noncoding regions of the genome and innovative approaches are necessary to understand their biological function. Multi-marker analysis of genomic annotation (MAGMA) is a widely used program that nominates candidate risk genes by mapping single-nucleotide polymorphism summary statistics from genome-wide association studies to gene bodies. We augmented MAGMA to create chromatin-MAGMA (chromMAGMA), a method to nominate candidate risk genes based on the presence of risk variants within noncoding regulatory elements (REs). We applied chromMAGMA to a genetic susceptibility dataset for epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), a rare gynecologic malignancy characterized by high mortality. This identified 155 unique candidate EOC risk genes across five EOC histotypes; 83% (105/127) of high-grade serous ovarian cancer risk genes had not previously been implicated in this EOC histotype. Risk genes nominated by chromMAGMA converged on mRNA splicing and transcriptional dysregulation pathways. chromMAGMA is a pipeline that nominates candidate risk genes through a gene regulation-focused approach and helps interpret the biological mechanism of noncoding risk variants for complex diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robbin Nameki
- Women's Cancer Research Program at the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Anamay Shetty
- Women's Cancer Research Program at the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Eileen Dareng
- Centre for Cancer Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jonathan Tyrer
- Centre for Cancer Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Centre for Cancer Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Xianzhi Lin
- Women's Cancer Research Program at the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Paul Pharoah
- Centre for Cancer Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Centre for Cancer Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Rosario I Corona
- Women's Cancer Research Program at the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Siddhartha Kar
- Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Kate Lawrenson
- Women's Cancer Research Program at the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Center for Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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32
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Yang Y, Qian F, Li X, Li Y, Zhou L, Wang Q, Zhou X, Zhang J, Song C, Yu Z, Cui T, Feng C, Zhu J, Shang D, Liu J, Sun M, Zhang Y, Tang H, Li C. GREAP: a comprehensive enrichment analysis software for human genomic regions. Brief Bioinform 2022; 23:6663640. [PMID: 35959979 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbac329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The rapid development of genomic high-throughput sequencing has identified a large number of DNA regulatory elements with abundant epigenetics markers, which promotes the rapid accumulation of functional genomic region data. The comprehensively understanding and research of human functional genomic regions is still a relatively urgent work at present. However, the existing analysis tools lack extensive annotation and enrichment analytical abilities for these regions. Here, we designed a novel software, Genomic Region sets Enrichment Analysis Platform (GREAP), which provides comprehensive region annotation and enrichment analysis capabilities. Currently, GREAP supports 85 370 genomic region reference sets, which cover 634 681 107 regions across 11 different data types, including super enhancers, transcription factors, accessible chromatins, etc. GREAP provides widespread annotation and enrichment analysis of genomic regions. To reflect the significance of enrichment analysis, we used the hypergeometric test and also provided a Locus Overlap Analysis. In summary, GREAP is a powerful platform that provides many types of genomic region sets for users and supports genomic region annotations and enrichment analyses. In addition, we developed a customizable genome browser containing >400 000 000 customizable tracks for visualization. The platform is freely available at http://www.liclab.net/Greap/view/index.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongsan Yang
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,School of Medical Informatics, Daqing Campus, Harbin Medical University, Daqing, 163319, China.,West China Biomedical Big Data Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China
| | - Fengcui Qian
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,School of Computer, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,The First Affiliated Hospital, Cardiovascular Lab of Big Data and Imaging Artificial Intelligence, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,Hunan Provincial Base for Scientific and Technological Innovation Cooperation, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,The First Affiliated Hospital, Department of Cardiology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Xuecang Li
- School of Medical Informatics, Daqing Campus, Harbin Medical University, Daqing, 163319, China
| | - Yanyu Li
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,School of Medical Informatics, Daqing Campus, Harbin Medical University, Daqing, 163319, China
| | - Liwei Zhou
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,School of Medical Informatics, Daqing Campus, Harbin Medical University, Daqing, 163319, China
| | - Qiuyu Wang
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,School of Computer, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,The First Affiliated Hospital, Cardiovascular Lab of Big Data and Imaging Artificial Intelligence, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,Hunan Provincial Base for Scientific and Technological Innovation Cooperation, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,The First Affiliated Hospital, Department of Cardiology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Xinyuan Zhou
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,School of Medical Informatics, Daqing Campus, Harbin Medical University, Daqing, 163319, China
| | - Jian Zhang
- School of Medical Informatics, Daqing Campus, Harbin Medical University, Daqing, 163319, China
| | - Chao Song
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,School of Computer, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,The First Affiliated Hospital, Cardiovascular Lab of Big Data and Imaging Artificial Intelligence, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,Hunan Provincial Base for Scientific and Technological Innovation Cooperation, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,The First Affiliated Hospital, Department of Cardiology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Zhengmin Yu
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,The First Affiliated Hospital, Cardiovascular Lab of Big Data and Imaging Artificial Intelligence, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,The First Affiliated Hospital, Department of Cardiology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Ting Cui
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,The First Affiliated Hospital, Cardiovascular Lab of Big Data and Imaging Artificial Intelligence, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,The First Affiliated Hospital, Department of Cardiology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Chenchen Feng
- School of Medical Informatics, Daqing Campus, Harbin Medical University, Daqing, 163319, China
| | - Jiang Zhu
- School of Medical Informatics, Daqing Campus, Harbin Medical University, Daqing, 163319, China
| | - Desi Shang
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,School of Computer, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,The First Affiliated Hospital, Cardiovascular Lab of Big Data and Imaging Artificial Intelligence, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,Hunan Provincial Base for Scientific and Technological Innovation Cooperation, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,The First Affiliated Hospital, Department of Cardiology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Jiaqi Liu
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,School of Computer, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,The First Affiliated Hospital, Cardiovascular Lab of Big Data and Imaging Artificial Intelligence, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,Hunan Provincial Base for Scientific and Technological Innovation Cooperation, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,The First Affiliated Hospital, Department of Cardiology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Mengfei Sun
- School of Medical Informatics, Daqing Campus, Harbin Medical University, Daqing, 163319, China
| | - Yuexin Zhang
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,School of Medical Informatics, Daqing Campus, Harbin Medical University, Daqing, 163319, China
| | - Huifang Tang
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,The First Affiliated Hospital, Cardiovascular Lab of Big Data and Imaging Artificial Intelligence, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,The First Affiliated Hospital, Department of Cardiology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Chunquan Li
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,School of Medical Informatics, Daqing Campus, Harbin Medical University, Daqing, 163319, China.,School of Computer, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,The First Affiliated Hospital, Cardiovascular Lab of Big Data and Imaging Artificial Intelligence, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,Hunan Provincial Base for Scientific and Technological Innovation Cooperation, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.,The First Affiliated Hospital, Department of Cardiology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
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33
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Jung EM, Johnson RA, Hubbard AK, Spector LG. Exploration of genetic ancestry and socioeconomic status in the incidence of neuroblastoma: An ecological study. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2022; 69:e29571. [PMID: 35107882 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.29571] [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: 09/09/2021] [Revised: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Although global differences in the incidence of neuroblastoma have been examined, the underlying mechanism has yet to be elucidated. Previous studies have suggested genetic ancestry and human development index (HDI) as contributing factors, but few studies have been conducted at the international level. Here, we aimed to examine whether the frequency of common genomic variation associated with neuroblastoma can affect its risk at the ecological level with consideration of the HDI. Minor allele frequencies (MAFs) for 22 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were abstracted from the Geography of Genetic Variants Browser. The number of incident neuroblastomas for each population was obtained from the Cancer Incidence in Five Continents series. Further, population pseudo-polygenic risk scores (pp-PRSs) were calculated as a sum of MAFs at the population level, each of which was weighted by effect sizes from prior studies. Negative binomial regression was used to estimate the incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and the 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to examine whether differences in MAFs across the population influence the risk of neuroblastoma, with and without adjustment for HDI and whether pp-PRSs can be a predictor of the risk of neuroblastoma. Overall, our results indicated that the neuroblastoma risk associated with variation in SNP frequency could not be differentiated from that of HDI at the ecological level. Additionally, pp-PRSs were not significantly associated with the risk of neuroblastoma (IRR: 0.99, 95% CI: 0.62-1.60). Further study using individual-level data is warranted to minimize the bias related to the use of population-level data in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eun Mi Jung
- Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Rebecca A Johnson
- Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Aubrey K Hubbard
- Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Logan G Spector
- Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.,Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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Riehl L, Mulaw M, Kneer K, Beer M, Beer A, Barth TF, Benes V, Schulte J, Fischer M, Debatin K, Beltinger C. Targeted parallel DNA sequencing detects circulating tumor-associated variants of the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes in patients with neuroblastoma. Cancer Rep (Hoboken) 2022; 6:e1687. [PMID: 35899825 PMCID: PMC9875664 DOI: 10.1002/cnr2.1687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2022] [Revised: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The utility for liquid biopsy of tumor-associated circulating single-nucleotide variants, as opposed to mutations, of the mitochondrial (mt) and nuclear genomes in neuroblastoma (NB) is unknown. PROCEDURE Variants of the mt and nuclear genomes from tumor, blood cells, and consecutive plasma samples of five patients with metastatic NB that relapsed or progressed were analyzed. Targeted parallel sequencing results of the mt genome, and of the coding region of 139 nuclear genes and 22 miRNAs implicated in NB, were correlated with clinical imaging and laboratory data. RESULTS All tumors harbored multiple somatic mt and nuclear single nucleotide variants with low allelic frequency, most of them not detected in the circulation. In one patient a tumor-associated mt somatic variant was detected in the plasma before and during progressive disease. In a second patient a circulating nuclear tumor-associated DNA variant heralded clinical relapse. In all patients somatic mt and nuclear variants not evident in the tumor biopsy at time of diagnosis were found circulating at varying timepoints. This suggests either tumor heterogeneity, evolution of tumor variants or a confounding contribution of normal tissues to somatic variants in patient plasma. The number and allelic frequency of the circulating variants did not reflect the clinical course of the tumors. Mutational signatures of mt and nuclear somatic variants differed. They varied between patients and were detected in the circulation without mirroring the patients' course. CONCLUSIONS In this limited cohort of NB patients clinically informative tumor-associated mt and nuclear circulating variants were detected by targeted parallel sequencing in a minority of patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara Riehl
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent MedicineUniversity Medical Center UlmUlmGermany
| | - Medhanie Mulaw
- Institute of Experimental Cancer ResearchUniversity Medical Center UlmUlmGermany
| | - Katharina Kneer
- Department of Nuclear MedicineUniversity Medical Center UlmUlmGermany
| | - Meinhard Beer
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional RadiologyUniversity Medical Center UlmUlmGermany
| | - Ambros Beer
- Department of Nuclear MedicineUniversity Medical Center UlmUlmGermany
| | - Thomas F. Barth
- Department of PathologyUniversity Medical Center UlmUlmGermany
| | - Vladimir Benes
- Genomics Core FacilityEuropean Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)HeidelbergGermany
| | - Johannes Schulte
- Pediatric Oncology and HematologyCharité University MedicineBerlinGermany,German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)German Cancer Consortium (DKTK)HeidelbergGermany
| | - Matthias Fischer
- Department of Pediatric Oncology and HematologyUniversity Children's Hospital of CologneCologneGermany
| | - Klaus‐Michael Debatin
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent MedicineUniversity Medical Center UlmUlmGermany
| | - Christian Beltinger
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent MedicineUniversity Medical Center UlmUlmGermany
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35
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Wu Y, Liu M, Zhang R, Sun M, Wei Q, Zhao K, Wang M. Potentially functional genetic variants of the Notch signaling pathway genes predict survival of Chinese patients with Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma. J Gene Med 2022; 24:e3438. [PMID: 35821600 DOI: 10.1002/jgm.3438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Revised: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Notch signaling pathway is involved in progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), but the roles of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the Notch signaling pathway genes in the process remain unknown. METHODS The present study included 1,009 patients with histopathologically diagnosed ESCC at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center (FUSCC). The two-stage multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to estimate associations between 13,248 SNPs in 103 Notch signaling pathway genes and overall survival of the patients. RESULTS We found that overall survival of the patients was significantly associated with genotypes of HDAC9 rs1729318 (AT+TT vs AA: HR = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.16-1.80, Pcombined = 0.001) and HDAC9 rs1339555498 (GT +TT vs GG: HR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.10-1.74, Pcombined = 0.005). Further receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis indicated that the model with both available clinical factors and these two SNPs improved the area under the ROC curve, compared with the model with clinical factors only (1-year: 0.66 vs. 0.64, P = 0.034). Additional expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) analysis showed that the rs1729318 T variant genotypes were associated with increased mRNA expression levels of HDAC9 in normal esophageal muscular tissue (P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that these two potential functional SNPs on HDAC9 may serve as biomarkers for predicting survival of ESCC patients. However, further studies are needed to confirm these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanna Wu
- Cancer Institute, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China.,Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.,Yiwu Research Institute of Fudan University, Yiwu, Zhejiang, China
| | - Ming Liu
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.,Department of Radiation Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Shanghai, China
| | - Ruoxin Zhang
- Yiwu Research Institute of Fudan University, Yiwu, Zhejiang, China.,School of Public Health, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
| | - Menghong Sun
- Department of Pathology, Tissue Bank, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Qingyi Wei
- Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,Department of Population Health Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Kuaile Zhao
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.,Yiwu Research Institute of Fudan University, Yiwu, Zhejiang, China.,Department of Radiation Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Mengyun Wang
- Cancer Institute, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China.,Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.,Yiwu Research Institute of Fudan University, Yiwu, Zhejiang, China
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36
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Kuick CH, Tan JY, Jasmine D, Sumanty T, Ng AYJ, Venkatesh B, Chen H, Loh E, Jain S, Seow WY, Ng EHQ, Lian DWQ, Soh SY, Chang KTE, Chen ZX, Loh AHP. Mutations of 1p genes do not consistently abrogate tumor suppressor functions in 1p-intact neuroblastoma. BMC Cancer 2022; 22:717. [PMID: 35768791 PMCID: PMC9245282 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-022-09800-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Deletion of 1p is associated with poor prognosis in neuroblastoma, however selected 1p-intact patients still experience poor outcomes. Since mutations of 1p genes may mimic the deleterious effects of chromosomal loss, we studied the incidence, spectrum and effects of mutational variants in 1p-intact neuroblastoma. Methods We characterized the 1p status of 325 neuroblastoma patients, and correlated the mutational status of 1p tumor suppressors and neuroblastoma candidate genes with survival outcomes among 100 1p-intact cases, then performed functional validation of selected novel variants of 1p36 genes identified from our patient cohort. Results Among patients with adverse disease characteristics, those who additionally had 1p deletion had significantly worse overall survival. Among 100 tumor-normal pairs sequenced, somatic mutations of 1p tumor suppressors KIF1Bβ and CHD5 were most frequent (2%) after ALK and ATRX (8%), and BARD1 (3%). Mutations of neuroblastoma candidate genes were associated with other synchronous mutations and concurrent 11q deletion (P = 0.045). In total, 24 of 38 variants identified were novel and predicted to be deleterious or pathogenic. Functional validation identified novel KIF1Bβ I1355M variant as a gain-of-function mutation with increased expression and tumor suppressive activity, correlating with indolent clinical behavior; another novel variant CHD5 E43Q was a loss-of-function mutation with decreased expression and increased long-term cell viability, corresponding with aggressive disease characteristics. Conclusions Our study showed that chromosome 1 gene mutations occurred frequently in 1p-intact neuroblastoma, but may not consistently abrogate the function of bonafide 1p tumor suppressors. These findings may augment the evolving model of compounding contributions of 1p gene aberrations toward tumor suppressor inactivation in neuroblastoma. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-022-09800-0.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chik Hong Kuick
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, 229899, Singapore
| | - Jia Ying Tan
- Neurodevelopment and Cancer Laboratory, NUS Center for Cancer Research, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117599, Singapore.,Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117597, Singapore
| | - Deborah Jasmine
- Neurodevelopment and Cancer Laboratory, NUS Center for Cancer Research, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117599, Singapore.,Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117597, Singapore
| | - Tohari Sumanty
- Comparative and Medical Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, Singapore, 138673, Singapore
| | - Alvin Y J Ng
- Comparative and Medical Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, Singapore, 138673, Singapore
| | - Byrrappa Venkatesh
- Comparative and Medical Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, Singapore, 138673, Singapore
| | - Huiyi Chen
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, 229899, Singapore
| | - Eva Loh
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, 229899, Singapore
| | - Sudhanshi Jain
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, 229899, Singapore
| | - Wan Yi Seow
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, 229899, Singapore
| | - Eileen H Q Ng
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, 229899, Singapore
| | - Derrick W Q Lian
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, 229899, Singapore
| | - Shui Yen Soh
- VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme, Children's Blood and Cancer Centre, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, 229899, Singapore.,Department of Paediatric Subspecialties Haematology Oncology Service, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, 229899, Singapore.,Duke NUS Medical School, Singapore, 169857, Singapore
| | - Kenneth T E Chang
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, 229899, Singapore.,VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme, Children's Blood and Cancer Centre, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, 229899, Singapore.,Duke NUS Medical School, Singapore, 169857, Singapore
| | - Zhi Xiong Chen
- Neurodevelopment and Cancer Laboratory, NUS Center for Cancer Research, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117599, Singapore. .,Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117597, Singapore. .,VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme, Children's Blood and Cancer Centre, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, 229899, Singapore. .,National University Cancer Institute, Singapore, 119074, Singapore.
| | - Amos H P Loh
- VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme, Children's Blood and Cancer Centre, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, 229899, Singapore. .,Duke NUS Medical School, Singapore, 169857, Singapore. .,Department of Paediatric Surgery, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, 229899, Singapore.
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37
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MacKenzie A, Hay EA, McEwan AR. Context-dependant enhancers as a reservoir of functional polymorphisms and epigenetic markers linked to alcohol use disorders and comorbidities. ADDICTION NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 2:None. [PMID: 35712020 PMCID: PMC9101288 DOI: 10.1016/j.addicn.2022.100014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Abstract
Neuroblastomas are tumours of sympathetic origin, with a heterogeneous clinical course ranging from localized or spontaneously regressing to widely metastatic disease. Neuroblastomas recapitulate many of the features of sympathoadrenal development, which have been directly targeted to improve the survival outcomes in patients with high-risk disease. Over the past few decades, improvements in the 5-year survival of patients with metastatic neuroblastomas, from <20% to >50%, have resulted from clinical trials incorporating high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell transplantation, differentiating agents and immunotherapy with anti-GD2 monoclonal antibodies. The next generation of trials are designed to improve the initial response rates in patients with high-risk neuroblastomas via the addition of immunotherapies, targeted therapies (such as ALK inhibitors) and radiopharmaceuticals to standard induction regimens. Other trials are focused on testing precision medicine strategies for patients with relapsed and/or refractory disease, enhancing the antitumour immune response and improving the effectiveness of maintenance regimens, in order to prolong disease remission. In this Review, we describe advances in delineating the pathogenesis of neuroblastoma and in identifying the drivers of high-risk disease. We then discuss how this knowledge has informed improvements in risk stratification, risk-adapted therapy and the development of novel therapies.
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39
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Shendy NAM, Zimmerman MW, Abraham BJ, Durbin AD. Intrinsic transcriptional heterogeneity in neuroblastoma guides mechanistic and therapeutic insights. Cell Rep Med 2022; 3:100632. [PMID: 35584622 PMCID: PMC9133465 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Cell state is controlled by master transcription factors (mTFs) that determine the cellular gene expression program. Cancer cells acquire dysregulated gene expression programs by mutational and non-mutational processes. Intratumoral heterogeneity can result from cells displaying distinct mTF-regulated cell states, which co-exist within the tumor. One archetypal tumor associated with transcriptionally regulated heterogeneity is high-risk neuroblastoma (NB). Patients with NB have poor overall survival despite intensive therapies, and relapsed patients are commonly refractory to treatment. The cellular populations that comprise NB are marked by different cohorts of mTFs and differential sensitivity to conventional therapies. Recent studies have highlighted mechanisms by which NB cells dynamically shift the cell state with treatment, revealing new opportunities to control the cellular response to treatment by manipulating cell-state-defining transcriptional programs. Here, we review recent advances in understanding transcriptionally defined cancer heterogeneity. We offer challenges to the field to encourage translation of basic science into clinical benefit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noha A M Shendy
- Division of Molecular Oncology, Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Mark W Zimmerman
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Brian J Abraham
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Adam D Durbin
- Division of Molecular Oncology, Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA.
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40
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LaFave LM, Savage RE, Buenrostro JD. Single-Cell Epigenomics Reveals Mechanisms of Cancer Progression. ANNUAL REVIEW OF CANCER BIOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-cancerbio-070620-094453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Cancer initiation is driven by the cooperation between genetic and epigenetic aberrations that disrupt gene regulatory programs critical to maintaining specialized cellular functions. After initiation, cells acquire additional genetic and epigenetic alterations influenced by tumor-intrinsic and -extrinsic mechanisms, which increase intratumoral heterogeneity, reshape the cell's underlying gene regulatory networks and promote cancer evolution. Furthermore, environmental or therapeutic insults drive the selection of heterogeneous cell states, with implications for cancer initiation, maintenance, and drug resistance. The advancement of single-cell genomics has begun to uncover the full repertoire of chromatin and gene expression states (cell states) that exist within individual tumors. These single-cell analyses suggest that cells diversify in their regulatory states upon transformation by co-opting damage-induced and nonlineage regulatory programs that can lead to epigenomic plasticity. Here, we review these recent studies related to regulatory state changes in cancer progression and highlight the growing single-cell epigenomics toolkit poised to address unresolved questions in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay M. LaFave
- Department of Cell Biology and Albert Einstein Cancer Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Health System, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Rachel E. Savage
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Gene Regulation Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jason D. Buenrostro
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Gene Regulation Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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41
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Alsheikh AJ, Wollenhaupt S, King EA, Reeb J, Ghosh S, Stolzenburg LR, Tamim S, Lazar J, Davis JW, Jacob HJ. The landscape of GWAS validation; systematic review identifying 309 validated non-coding variants across 130 human diseases. BMC Med Genomics 2022; 15:74. [PMID: 35365203 PMCID: PMC8973751 DOI: 10.1186/s12920-022-01216-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The remarkable growth of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) has created a critical need to experimentally validate the disease-associated variants, 90% of which involve non-coding variants. Methods To determine how the field is addressing this urgent need, we performed a comprehensive literature review identifying 36,676 articles. These were reduced to 1454 articles through a set of filters using natural language processing and ontology-based text-mining. This was followed by manual curation and cross-referencing against the GWAS catalog, yielding a final set of 286 articles. Results We identified 309 experimentally validated non-coding GWAS variants, regulating 252 genes across 130 human disease traits. These variants covered a variety of regulatory mechanisms. Interestingly, 70% (215/309) acted through cis-regulatory elements, with the remaining through promoters (22%, 70/309) or non-coding RNAs (8%, 24/309). Several validation approaches were utilized in these studies, including gene expression (n = 272), transcription factor binding (n = 175), reporter assays (n = 171), in vivo models (n = 104), genome editing (n = 96) and chromatin interaction (n = 33). Conclusions This review of the literature is the first to systematically evaluate the status and the landscape of experimentation being used to validate non-coding GWAS-identified variants. Our results clearly underscore the multifaceted approach needed for experimental validation, have practical implications on variant prioritization and considerations of target gene nomination. While the field has a long way to go to validate the thousands of GWAS associations, we show that progress is being made and provide exemplars of validation studies covering a wide variety of mechanisms, target genes, and disease areas. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12920-022-01216-w.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ammar J Alsheikh
- Genomics Research Center, AbbVie Inc, North Chicago, Illinois, 60064, USA.
| | - Sabrina Wollenhaupt
- Information Research, AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, 67061, Knollstrasse, Ludwigshafen, Germany
| | - Emily A King
- Genomics Research Center, AbbVie Inc, North Chicago, Illinois, 60064, USA
| | - Jonas Reeb
- Information Research, AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, 67061, Knollstrasse, Ludwigshafen, Germany
| | - Sujana Ghosh
- Genomics Research Center, AbbVie Inc, North Chicago, Illinois, 60064, USA
| | | | - Saleh Tamim
- Genomics Research Center, AbbVie Inc, North Chicago, Illinois, 60064, USA
| | - Jozef Lazar
- Genomics Research Center, AbbVie Inc, North Chicago, Illinois, 60064, USA
| | - J Wade Davis
- Genomics Research Center, AbbVie Inc, North Chicago, Illinois, 60064, USA
| | - Howard J Jacob
- Genomics Research Center, AbbVie Inc, North Chicago, Illinois, 60064, USA
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Ponzoni M, Bachetti T, Corrias MV, Brignole C, Pastorino F, Calarco E, Bensa V, Giusto E, Ceccherini I, Perri P. Recent advances in the developmental origin of neuroblastoma: an overview. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL & CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH : CR 2022; 41:92. [PMID: 35277192 PMCID: PMC8915499 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-022-02281-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 02/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB) is a pediatric tumor that originates from neural crest-derived cells undergoing a defective differentiation due to genomic and epigenetic impairments. Therefore, NB may arise at any final site reached by migrating neural crest cells (NCCs) and their progeny, preferentially in the adrenal medulla or in the para-spinal ganglia. NB shows a remarkable genetic heterogeneity including several chromosome/gene alterations and deregulated expression of key oncogenes that drive tumor initiation and promote disease progression. NB substantially contributes to childhood cancer mortality, with a survival rate of only 40% for high-risk patients suffering chemo-resistant relapse. Hence, NB remains a challenge in pediatric oncology and the need of designing new therapies targeted to specific genetic/epigenetic alterations become imperative to improve the outcome of high-risk NB patients with refractory disease or chemo-resistant relapse. In this review, we give a broad overview of the latest advances that have unraveled the developmental origin of NB and its complex epigenetic landscape. Single-cell RNA sequencing with spatial transcriptomics and lineage tracing have identified the NCC progeny involved in normal development and in NB oncogenesis, revealing that adrenal NB cells transcriptionally resemble immature neuroblasts or their closest progenitors. The comparison of adrenal NB cells from patients classified into risk subgroups with normal sympatho-adrenal cells has highlighted that tumor phenotype severity correlates with neuroblast differentiation grade. Transcriptional profiling of NB tumors has identified two cell identities that represent divergent differentiation states, i.e. undifferentiated mesenchymal (MES) and committed adrenergic (ADRN), able to interconvert by epigenetic reprogramming and to confer intra-tumoral heterogeneity and high plasticity to NB. Chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing has disclosed the existence of two super-enhancers and their associated transcription factor networks underlying MES and ADRN identities and controlling NB gene expression programs. The discovery of NB-specific regulatory circuitries driving oncogenic transformation and maintaining the malignant state opens new perspectives on the design of innovative therapies targeted to the genetic and epigenetic determinants of NB. Remodeling the disrupted regulatory networks from a dysregulated expression, which blocks differentiation and enhances proliferation, toward a controlled expression that prompts the most differentiated state may represent a promising therapeutic strategy for NB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirco Ponzoni
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Via G. Gaslini 5, 16147, Genoa, Italy
| | - Tiziana Bachetti
- U.O. Proteomica e Spettrometria di Massa, IRCSS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Maria Valeria Corrias
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Via G. Gaslini 5, 16147, Genoa, Italy
| | - Chiara Brignole
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Via G. Gaslini 5, 16147, Genoa, Italy
| | - Fabio Pastorino
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Via G. Gaslini 5, 16147, Genoa, Italy
| | - Enzo Calarco
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Via G. Gaslini 5, 16147, Genoa, Italy
| | - Veronica Bensa
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Via G. Gaslini 5, 16147, Genoa, Italy
| | - Elena Giusto
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Via G. Gaslini 5, 16147, Genoa, Italy
| | - Isabella Ceccherini
- Laboratory of Genetics and Genomics of Rare Diseases, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
| | - Patrizia Perri
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Via G. Gaslini 5, 16147, Genoa, Italy.
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Liu Q, Guo L, Lou Z, Xiang X, Shao J. Super-enhancers and novel therapeutic targets in colorectal cancer. Cell Death Dis 2022; 13:228. [PMID: 35277481 PMCID: PMC8917125 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-022-04673-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 02/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Transcription factors, cofactors, chromatin regulators, and transcription apparatuses interact with transcriptional regulatory elements, including promoters, enhancers, and super-enhancers (SEs), to coordinately regulate the transcription of target genes and thereby control cell behaviors. Among these transcriptional regulatory components and related elements, SEs often play a central role in determining cell identity and tumor initiation and progression. Therefore, oncogenic SEs, which are generated within cancer cells in oncogenes and other genes important in tumor pathogenesis, have emerged as attractive targets for novel cancer therapeutic strategies in recent years. Herein, we review the identification, formation and activation modes, and regulatory mechanisms for downstream genes and pathways of oncogenic SEs. We also review the therapeutic strategies and compounds targeting oncogenic SEs in colorectal cancer and other malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Liu
- Department of Pathology & Pathophysiology, and Cancer Institute of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Department of Pathology of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Lijuan Guo
- Department of Pathology & Pathophysiology, and Cancer Institute of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Disease Proteomics of Zhejiang Province, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention of China National Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhiyuan Lou
- Department of Pathology & Pathophysiology, and Cancer Institute of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Disease Proteomics of Zhejiang Province, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention of China National Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xueping Xiang
- Department of Pathology & Pathophysiology, and Cancer Institute of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
- Key Laboratory of Disease Proteomics of Zhejiang Province, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention of China National Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Jimin Shao
- Department of Pathology & Pathophysiology, and Cancer Institute of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
- Key Laboratory of Disease Proteomics of Zhejiang Province, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention of China National Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
- Cancer Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
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Shen T, Ni T, Chen J, Chen H, Ma X, Cao G, Wu T, Xie H, Zhou B, Wei G, Saiyin H, Shen S, Yu P, Xiao Q, Liu H, Gao Y, Long X, Yin J, Guo Y, Wu J, Wei GH, Hou J, Jiang DK. An enhancer variant at 16q22.1 predisposes to hepatocellular carcinoma via regulating PRMT7 expression. Nat Commun 2022; 13:1232. [PMID: 35264579 PMCID: PMC8907293 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28861-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Most cancer causal variants are found in gene regulatory elements, e.g., enhancers. However, enhancer variants predisposing to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unreported. Here we conduct a genome-wide survey of HCC-susceptible enhancer variants through a three-stage association study in 11,958 individuals and identify rs73613962 (T > G) within the intronic region of PRMT7 at 16q22.1 as a susceptibility locus of HCC (OR = 1.41, P = 6.02 × 10-10). An enhancer dual-luciferase assay indicates that the rs73613962-harboring region has allele-specific enhancer activity. CRISPR-Cas9/dCas9 experiments further support the enhancer activity of this region to regulate PRMT7 expression. Mechanistically, transcription factor HNF4A binds to this enhancer region, with preference to the risk allele G, to promote PRMT7 expression. PRMT7 upregulation contributes to in vitro, in vivo, and clinical HCC-associated phenotypes, possibly by affecting the p53 signaling pathway. This concept of HCC pathogenesis may open a promising window for HCC prevention/treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Guangdong Institute of Liver Diseases, Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology Unit, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, 510515, Guangzhou, China.,School of Life Sciences, Central South University, 510006, Changsha, China
| | - Ting Ni
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, Human Phenome Institute, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, 200438, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiaxuan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Guangdong Institute of Liver Diseases, Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology Unit, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, 510515, Guangzhou, China
| | - Haitao Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Guangdong Institute of Liver Diseases, Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology Unit, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, 510515, Guangzhou, China.,School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, 528406, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xiaopin Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, Human Phenome Institute, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, 200438, Shanghai, China
| | - Guangwen Cao
- Department of Epidemiology, Naval Medical University, 200433, Shanghai, China
| | - Tianzhi Wu
- Institute of Bioinformatics, School of Basic Medical Science, Southern Medical University, 510515, Guangzhou, China
| | - Haisheng Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Guangdong Institute of Liver Diseases, Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology Unit, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, 510515, Guangzhou, China
| | - Bin Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Guangdong Institute of Liver Diseases, Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology Unit, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, 510515, Guangzhou, China
| | - Gang Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, Human Phenome Institute, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, 200438, Shanghai, China
| | - Hexige Saiyin
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, Human Phenome Institute, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, 200438, Shanghai, China
| | - Suqin Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, Human Phenome Institute, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, 200438, Shanghai, China
| | - Peng Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, Human Phenome Institute, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, 200438, Shanghai, China
| | - Qianyi Xiao
- School of Public Health, Fudan University, 200032, Shanghai, China
| | - Hui Liu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences; The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People's hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, 510182, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuzheng Gao
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical College of Soochow University, 215123, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Xidai Long
- Department of Pathology, Youjiang Medical College for Nationalities, 533000, Baise, Guangxi Province, China
| | - Jianhua Yin
- Department of Epidemiology, Naval Medical University, 200433, Shanghai, China
| | - Yanfang Guo
- Institute of Bioinformatics, School of Basic Medical Science, Southern Medical University, 510515, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiaxue Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, Human Phenome Institute, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, 200438, Shanghai, China
| | - Gong-Hong Wei
- Biocenter Oulu, Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Oulu, 90014, Oulu, Finland.,School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, 200032, Shanghai, China
| | - Jinlin Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Guangdong Institute of Liver Diseases, Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology Unit, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, 510515, Guangzhou, China
| | - De-Ke Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Guangdong Institute of Liver Diseases, Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology Unit, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, 510515, Guangzhou, China.
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Durbin AD, Wang T, Wimalasena VK, Zimmerman MW, Li D, Dharia NV, Mariani L, Shendy NA, Nance S, Patel AG, Shao Y, Mundada M, Maxham L, Park PM, Sigua LH, Morita K, Conway AS, Robichaud AL, Perez-Atayde AR, Bikowitz MJ, Quinn TR, Wiest O, Easton J, Schönbrunn E, Bulyk ML, Abraham BJ, Stegmaier K, Look AT, Qi J. EP300 Selectively Controls the Enhancer Landscape of MYCN-Amplified Neuroblastoma. Cancer Discov 2022; 12:730-751. [PMID: 34772733 PMCID: PMC8904277 DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-21-0385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Gene expression is regulated by promoters and enhancers marked by histone H3 lysine 27 acetylation (H3K27ac), which is established by the paralogous histone acetyltransferases (HAT) EP300 and CBP. These enzymes display overlapping regulatory roles in untransformed cells, but less characterized roles in cancer cells. We demonstrate that the majority of high-risk pediatric neuroblastoma (NB) depends on EP300, whereas CBP has a limited role. EP300 controls enhancer acetylation by interacting with TFAP2β, a transcription factor member of the lineage-defining transcriptional core regulatory circuitry (CRC) in NB. To disrupt EP300, we developed a proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) compound termed "JQAD1" that selectively targets EP300 for degradation. JQAD1 treatment causes loss of H3K27ac at CRC enhancers and rapid NB apoptosis, with limited toxicity to untransformed cells where CBP may compensate. Furthermore, JQAD1 activity is critically determined by cereblon (CRBN) expression across NB cells. SIGNIFICANCE EP300, but not CBP, controls oncogenic CRC-driven transcription in high-risk NB by binding TFAP2β. We developed JQAD1, a CRBN-dependent PROTAC degrader with preferential activity against EP300 and demonstrated its activity in NB. JQAD1 has limited toxicity to untransformed cells and is effective in vivo in a CRBN-dependent manner. This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 587.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam D. Durbin
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Division of Molecular Oncology, Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Tingjian Wang
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | - Mark W. Zimmerman
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Deyao Li
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Neekesh V. Dharia
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Luca Mariani
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Noha A.M. Shendy
- Division of Molecular Oncology, Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Stephanie Nance
- Division of Molecular Oncology, Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Anand G. Patel
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Ying Shao
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Maya Mundada
- Division of Molecular Oncology, Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Lily Maxham
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Paul M.C. Park
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Logan H. Sigua
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Ken Morita
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Amy Saur Conway
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Amanda L. Robichaud
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | - Melissa J. Bikowitz
- Drug Discovery Department, Moffit Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida
| | - Taylor R. Quinn
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana
| | - Olaf Wiest
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana
| | - John Easton
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Ernst Schönbrunn
- Drug Discovery Department, Moffit Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida
| | - Martha L. Bulyk
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Brian J. Abraham
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Kimberly Stegmaier
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - A. Thomas Look
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jun Qi
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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Abstract
The change in cell state from normal to malignant is driven fundamentally by oncogenic mutations in cooperation with epigenetic alterations of chromatin. These alterations in chromatin can be a consequence of environmental stressors or germline and/or somatic mutations that directly alter the structure of chromatin machinery proteins, their levels, or their regulatory function. These changes can result in an inability of the cell to differentiate along a predefined lineage path, or drive a hyperactive, highly proliferative state with addiction to high levels of transcriptional output. We discuss how these genetic alterations hijack the chromatin machinery for the oncogenic process to reveal unique vulnerabilities and novel targets for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Berkley Gryder
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA
- Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
| | - Peter C Scacheri
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA
| | - Thomas Ried
- Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
| | - Javed Khan
- Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
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47
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Feizi N, Liu Q, Murphy L, Hu P. Computational Prediction of the Pathogenic Status of Cancer-Specific Somatic Variants. Front Genet 2022; 12:805656. [PMID: 35116056 PMCID: PMC8804317 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.805656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In-silico classification of the pathogenic status of somatic variants is shown to be promising in promoting the clinical utilization of genetic tests. Majority of the available classification tools are designed based on the characteristics of germline variants or the combination of germline and somatic variants. Significance of somatic variants in cancer initiation and progression urges for development of classifiers specialized for classifying pathogenic status of cancer somatic variants based on the model trained on cancer somatic variants. We established a gold standard exclusively for cancer somatic single nucleotide variants (SNVs) collected from the catalogue of somatic mutations in cancer. We developed two support vector machine (SVM) classifiers based on genomic features of cancer somatic SNVs located in coding and non-coding regions of the genome, respectively. The SVM classifiers achieved the area under the ROC curve of 0.94 and 0.89 regarding the classification of the pathogenic status of coding and non-coding cancer somatic SNVs, respectively. Our models outperform two well-known classification tools including FATHMM-FX and CScape in classifying both coding and non-coding cancer somatic variants. Furthermore, we applied our models to predict the pathogenic status of somatic variants identified in young breast cancer patients from METABRIC and TCGA-BRCA studies. The results indicated that using the classification threshold of 0.8 our “coding” model predicted 1853 positive SNVs (out of 6,910) from the TCGA-BRCA dataset, and 500 positive SNVs (out of 1882) from the METABRIC dataset. Interestingly, through comparative survival analysis of the positive predictions from our models, we identified a young-specific pathogenic somatic variant with potential for the prognosis of early onset of breast cancer in young women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikta Feizi
- Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Qian Liu
- Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
- Department of Computer Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Leigh Murphy
- Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
- CancerCare Manitoba Research Institute, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Pingzhao Hu
- Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
- Department of Computer Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
- CancerCare Manitoba Research Institute, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
- *Correspondence: Pingzhao Hu,
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48
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Ren N, Li B, Liu Q, Yang L, Liu X, Huang Q. Dinucleotide tag-based parallel reporter gene assay method enables efficient identification of regulatory mutations. Biotechnol J 2021; 17:e2100341. [PMID: 34894203 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202100341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The causal single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) leading to increased cancer predisposition mainly function as gene regulatory elements, the evaluation of which largely relies on the parallel reporter gene assay system. However, the common DNA barcodes used in parallel reporter gene assay systems typically because nucleotide composition bias, and many barcodes must be allocated for each sequence to reduce the bias effect. MAIN METHODS AND MAJOR RESULTS Here, a versatile dinucleotide-tag reporter system (DiR) that enables parallel analysis of regulatory elements with minimized bias based on next-generation sequencing is described. The DiR system is more robust than the classical luciferase assay method, particularly for the investigation of moderate-level regulatory elements. The authors applied the DiR-seq assay in the functional evaluation of SNPs with prostate cancer risk and nominated two and six regulatory SNPs in PC-3 and LNCaP cells, respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS The DiR system has great potential to advance the functional study of SNPs associated with polygenic disease risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naixia Ren
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Bo Li
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Qingqing Liu
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Lele Yang
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Xiaodan Liu
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Qilai Huang
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
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49
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Lin H, Chen H, Lin A, Liu X, Huang X, Zhou J, Yuan L, Zhuo Z. Associations between LMO1 gene polymorphisms and central nervous system tumor susceptibility. Pediatr Investig 2021; 5:281-287. [PMID: 34938970 PMCID: PMC8666933 DOI: 10.1002/ped4.12286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE LIM domain only 1 (LMO1) gene polymorphisms were previously found to be implicated in the risk of several cancers. No available studies were performed regarding the predisposing effect of LMO1 gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on central nervous system (CNS) tumor risk. OBJECTIVE We aimed to determine whether the LMO1 gene SNPs were associated with the risk of CNS tumor by applying a case-control study with 191 cases and 248 controls in China. METHODS The contributions of LMO1 gene SNPs to the risk of CNS tumor was evaluated by multinomial logistic regression. RESULTS Based on the calculations of odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI), we failed to detect a significant relationship between each LMO1 gene SNP (rs110419 A>G, rs4758051 G>A, rs10840002 A>G, rs204938 A>G, and rs2168101 G>T) and CNS tumor risk, respectively. A negative association was also found in the combined effects on these five SNPs and CNS tumor risk. The stratification analysis further demonstrated the individuals with rs204938 AG/GG genotype confer to increased risk of CNS tumor compared with those with an AA genotype in males (OR: 1.74, 95% CI: 1.01-2.98, P = 0.046). INTERPRETATION We concluded that LMO1 gene SNPs may not strong enough to influence the risk of CNS tumor in Chinese children. More studies are required to verify this association.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiran Lin
- Department of Pediatric SurgeryGuangzhou Institute of PediatricsGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Research in Structural Birth Defect DiseaseGuangzhou Women and Children’s Medical CenterGuangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouGuangdongChina
- Faculty of MedicineMacau University of Science and TechnologyMacauChina
- Laboratory Animal Management OfficePublic Technology Service PlatformShenzhen Institutes of Advanced TechnologyChinese Academy of SciencesShenzhenGuangdongChina
| | - Huitong Chen
- Department of Pediatric SurgeryGuangzhou Institute of PediatricsGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Research in Structural Birth Defect DiseaseGuangzhou Women and Children’s Medical CenterGuangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouGuangdongChina
| | - Ao Lin
- Department of Pediatric SurgeryGuangzhou Institute of PediatricsGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Research in Structural Birth Defect DiseaseGuangzhou Women and Children’s Medical CenterGuangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouGuangdongChina
| | - Xiaoping Liu
- Department of HematologyGuangzhou Women and Children’s Medical CenterGuangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouGuangdongChina
| | - Xiaokai Huang
- Department of HematologyThe Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital of Wenzhou Medical UniversityWenzhouZhejiangChina
| | - Jingying Zhou
- Department of HematologyThe Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital of Wenzhou Medical UniversityWenzhouZhejiangChina
| | - Li Yuan
- Department of PathologyGuangzhou Women and Children’s Medical CenterGuangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouGuangdongChina
| | - Zhenjian Zhuo
- Department of Pediatric SurgeryGuangzhou Institute of PediatricsGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Research in Structural Birth Defect DiseaseGuangzhou Women and Children’s Medical CenterGuangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouGuangdongChina
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50
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Perri P, Ponzoni M, Corrias MV, Ceccherini I, Candiani S, Bachetti T. A Focus on Regulatory Networks Linking MicroRNAs, Transcription Factors and Target Genes in Neuroblastoma. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:5528. [PMID: 34771690 PMCID: PMC8582685 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13215528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Revised: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB) is a tumor of the peripheral sympathetic nervous system that substantially contributes to childhood cancer mortality. NB originates from neural crest cells (NCCs) undergoing a defective sympathetic neuronal differentiation and although the starting events leading to the development of NB remain to be fully elucidated, the master role of genetic alterations in key oncogenes has been ascertained: (1) amplification and/or over-expression of MYCN, which is strongly associated with tumor progression and invasion; (2) activating mutations, amplification and/or over-expression of ALK, which is involved in tumor initiation, angiogenesis and invasion; (3) amplification and/or over-expression of LIN28B, promoting proliferation and suppression of neuroblast differentiation; (4) mutations and/or over-expression of PHOX2B, which is involved in the regulation of NB differentiation, stemness maintenance, migration and metastasis. Moreover, altered microRNA (miRNA) expression takes part in generating pathogenetic networks, in which the regulatory loops among transcription factors, miRNAs and target genes lead to complex and aberrant oncogene expression that underlies the development of a tumor. In this review, we have focused on the circuitry linking the oncogenic transcription factors MYCN and PHOX2B with their transcriptional targets ALK and LIN28B and the tumor suppressor microRNAs let-7, miR-34 and miR-204, which should act as down-regulators of their expression. We have also looked at the physiologic role of these genetic and epigenetic determinants in NC development, as well as in terminal differentiation, with their pathogenic dysregulation leading to NB oncogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrizia Perri
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genoa, Italy; (M.P.); (M.V.C.)
| | - Mirco Ponzoni
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genoa, Italy; (M.P.); (M.V.C.)
| | - Maria Valeria Corrias
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genoa, Italy; (M.P.); (M.V.C.)
| | - Isabella Ceccherini
- Laboratory of Genetics and Genomics of Rare Diseases, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genoa, Italy;
| | - Simona Candiani
- Department of Earth, Environment and Life Sciences, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy;
| | - Tiziana Bachetti
- Laboratory of Genetics and Genomics of Rare Diseases, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genoa, Italy;
- Department of Earth, Environment and Life Sciences, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy;
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