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Zhang X, Liu Q. A graph neural network approach for hierarchical mapping of breast cancer protein communities. BMC Bioinformatics 2025; 26:23. [PMID: 39838298 PMCID: PMC11749236 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-024-06015-x] [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: 05/26/2024] [Accepted: 12/16/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2025] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Comprehensively mapping the hierarchical structure of breast cancer protein communities and identifying potential biomarkers from them is a promising way for breast cancer research. Existing approaches are subjective and fail to take information from protein sequences into consideration. Deep learning can automatically learn features from protein sequences and protein-protein interactions for hierarchical clustering. RESULTS Using a large amount of publicly available proteomics data, we created a hierarchical tree for breast cancer protein communities using a novel hierarchical graph neural network, with the supervision of gene ontology terms and assistance of a pre-trained deep contextual language model. Then, a group-lasso algorithm was applied to identify protein communities that are under both mutation burden and survival burden, undergo significant alterations when targeted by specific drug molecules, and show cancer-dependent perturbations. The resulting hierarchical map of protein communities shows how gene-level mutations and survival information converge on protein communities at different scales. Internal validity of the model was established through the convergence on BRCA2 as a breast cancer hotspot. Further overlaps with breast cancer cell dependencies revealed SUPT6H and RAD21, along with their respective protein systems, HOST:37 and HOST:861, as potential biomarkers. Using gene-level perturbation data of the HOST:37 and HOST:861 gene sets, three FDA-approved drugs with high therapeutic value were selected as potential treatments to be further evaluated. These drugs include mercaptopurine, pioglitazone, and colchicine. CONCLUSION The proposed graph neural network approach to analyzing breast cancer protein communities in a hierarchical structure provides a novel perspective on breast cancer prognosis and treatment. By targeting entire gene sets, we were able to evaluate the prognostic and therapeutic value of genes (or gene sets) at different levels, from gene-level to system-level biology. Cancer-specific gene dependencies provide additional context for pinpointing cancer-related systems and drug-induced alterations can highlight potential therapeutic targets. These identified protein communities, in conjunction with other protein communities under strong mutation and survival burdens, can potentially be used as clinical biomarkers for breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Zhang
- Department of Applied Computer Science, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2E9, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 0W2, Canada
| | - Qian Liu
- Department of Applied Computer Science, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2E9, Canada.
- Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 0W2, Canada.
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2
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Zeng W, Dou Y, Pan L, Xu L, Peng S. Improving prediction performance of general protein language model by domain-adaptive pretraining on DNA-binding protein. Nat Commun 2024; 15:7838. [PMID: 39244557 PMCID: PMC11380688 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52293-7] [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: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2024] [Indexed: 09/09/2024] Open
Abstract
DNA-protein interactions exert the fundamental structure of many pivotal biological processes, such as DNA replication, transcription, and gene regulation. However, accurate and efficient computational methods for identifying these interactions are still lacking. In this study, we propose a method ESM-DBP through refining the DNA-binding protein sequence repertory and domain-adaptive pretraining based the general protein language model. Our method considers the lacking exploration of general language model for DNA-binding protein domain-specific knowledge, so we screen out 170,264 DNA-binding protein sequences to construct the domain-adaptive language model. Experimental results on four downstream tasks show that ESM-DBP provides a better feature representation of DNA-binding protein compared to the original language model, resulting in improved prediction performance and outperforming the state-of-the-art methods. Moreover, ESM-DBP can still perform well even for those sequences with only a few homologous sequences. ChIP-seq on two predicted cases further support the validity of the proposed method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenwu Zeng
- College of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, China
| | - Yutao Dou
- College of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, China
| | - Liangrui Pan
- College of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, China
| | - Liwen Xu
- College of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, China.
| | - Shaoliang Peng
- College of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, China.
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3
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Schettini GP, Morozyuk M, Biase FH. Identification of novel cattle (Bos taurus) genes and biological insights of their function in pre-implantation embryo development. BMC Genomics 2024; 25:775. [PMID: 39118001 PMCID: PMC11313146 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-024-10685-5] [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: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 08/02/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Appropriate regulation of genes expressed in oocytes and embryos is essential for acquisition of developmental competence in mammals. Here, we hypothesized that several genes expressed in oocytes and pre-implantation embryos remain unknown. Our goal was to reconstruct the transcriptome of oocytes (germinal vesicle and metaphase II) and pre-implantation cattle embryos (blastocysts) using short-read and long-read sequences to identify putative new genes. RESULTS We identified 274,342 transcript sequences and 3,033 of those loci do not match a gene present in official annotations and thus are potential new genes. Notably, 63.67% (1,931/3,033) of potential novel genes exhibited coding potential. Also noteworthy, 97.92% of the putative novel genes overlapped annotation with transposable elements. Comparative analysis of transcript abundance identified that 1,840 novel genes (recently added to the annotation) or potential new genes were differentially expressed between developmental stages (FDR < 0.01). We also determined that 522 novel or potential new genes (448 and 34, respectively) were upregulated at eight-cell embryos compared to oocytes (FDR < 0.01). In eight-cell embryos, 102 novel or putative new genes were co-expressed (|r|> 0.85, P < 1 × 10-8) with several genes annotated with gene ontology biological processes related to pluripotency maintenance and embryo development. CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing confirmed that the disruption of one of the novel genes highly expressed in eight-cell embryos reduced blastocyst development (ENSBTAG00000068261, P = 1.55 × 10-7). CONCLUSIONS Our results revealed several putative new genes that need careful annotation. Many of the putative new genes have dynamic regulation during pre-implantation development and are important components of gene regulatory networks involved in pluripotency and blastocyst formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo P Schettini
- School of Animal Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Michael Morozyuk
- School of Animal Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Fernando H Biase
- School of Animal Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
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Deng J, Wei K, Fang J, Li Y. Deep self-reconstruction driven joint nonnegative matrix factorization model for identifying multiple genomic imaging associations in complex diseases. J Biomed Inform 2024; 156:104684. [PMID: 38936566 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbi.2024.104684] [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: 04/11/2024] [Revised: 06/14/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Comprehensive analysis of histopathology images and transcriptomics data enables the identification of candidate biomarkers and multimodal association patterns. Most existing multimodal data association studies are derived from extensions of the joint nonnegative matrix factorization model for identifying complex data associations, which can make full use of clinical prior information. However, the raw data were usually taken as the input without considering the underlying complex multi-subspace structure, influencing the subsequent integration analysis results. METHODS This study proposed a deep-self reconstructed joint nonnegative matrix factorization (DSRJNMF) model to use self-expressive properties to reconstruct the raw data to characterize the similarity structure associated with clinical labels. Then, the sparsity, orthogonality, and regularization constraints constructed from prior information are added to the DSRJNMF model to determine the sparse set of biologically relevant features across modalities. RESULTS The algorithm has been applied to identify the imaging genetic association of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Multilevel experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm better estimates potential associations between pathological image features and miRNA-gene and identifies consistent multimodal imaging genetic biomarkers to guide the interpretation of TNBC. CONCLUSION The propose method provides a novel idea of data association analysis oriented to complex diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Deng
- College of Mathematics and Informatics, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Kai Wei
- Bio-Med Big Data Center, CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiana Fang
- College of Mathematics and Informatics, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Ying Li
- Shanghai Institute of Technology, Shanghai 201418, China.
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5
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Pant P, Chitme H, Sircar R, Prasad R, Prasad HO. Differential Gene Expression Analysis of Human Ovarian Follicular Cumulus and Mural Granulosa Cells Under the Influence of Insulin in IVF Ovulatory Women and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Patients Through Network Analysis. Endocr Res 2024; 49:22-45. [PMID: 37874895 DOI: 10.1080/07435800.2023.2272629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a commonly occurring reproductive disorder among the reproductive-aged women. Its global occurrence varies based on diagnostic guidelines, ethnicities, and locations of concern. Insulin resistance (IR) is commonly observed around 65-70% of women diagnosed with PCOS, representing a prevalent association. Consequently, the study was designed with an objective of illustrating the effect of insulin on mural and cumulus granulosa cells (GCs) of PCOS patients in comparison to normal ovulating women. METHODOLOGY This study is a case-control design, wherein a total of 80 participants were recruited meeting criterion of inclusion and exclusion, divided into 8 groups with each group consisting of 10 samples. The process involves the isolation and culturing of mural granulosa cells (MGC) and cumulus granulosa cells (CGC) with and without exposure to insulin. The proteins released by untreated GCs and insulin-treated GCs were extracted, and complex protein mixtures were digested with trypsin, followed by tandem mass spectrometry analysis and data processing using bioinformatics. RESULTS We found 595 proteins in both control and PCOS samples, of which 310 were contributed by MGCs and 285 by CGCs. The PCOS MGCs expressed 20%, both the normal MGCs and CGCs have equal representation of 16% by each, whereas the PCOS CGCs proteins contributed 15% of the total of the proteomic expression. However, the poor expression observed with the Insulin exposure, the Insulin treated PCOS CGCs contributes 13%, PCOS MGCs contributes 8%. The normal MGCs upon the Insulin treatment give 8% then and there only 4% of proteins expressed by normal CGCs after Insulin treatment. The Venn analysis widened on their precise expression topographies. The examination of strings exhibited important protein-protein interaction pathways. CONCLUSION This is a pioneering investigation aimed to establish the link between hyperinsulinemia in localized follicular GCs and PCOS mechanisms by comparing them to control group. The examination of various attributes, mechanisms, and traits shown by genes and proteins in individuals with PCOS compared to control populations, alongside the investigation of the dynamics of these genes and proteins following exposure to insulin, holds promise for the formulation of novel hypotheses and strategies in the identification of new biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pankaj Pant
- Faculty of Pharmacy, DIT University, Dehradun, India
| | | | - Reema Sircar
- Gynaecology, Indira IVF Hospital, Dehradun, India
| | - Ritu Prasad
- Gynaecology, Morpheus Prasad International Hospital, Dehradun, India
| | - Hari Om Prasad
- Gynaecology, Morpheus Prasad International Hospital, Dehradun, India
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Bahnassy S, Stires H, Jin L, Tam S, Mobin D, Balachandran M, Podar M, McCoy MD, Beckman RA, Riggins RB. Unraveling Vulnerabilities in Endocrine Therapy-Resistant HER2+/ER+ Breast Cancer. Endocrinology 2023; 164:bqad159. [PMID: 37897495 PMCID: PMC10651073 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqad159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 10/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/30/2023]
Abstract
Breast tumors overexpressing human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2) confer intrinsic resistance to endocrine therapy (ET), and patients with HER2/estrogen receptor-positive (HER2+/ER+) breast cancer (BCa) are less responsive to ET than HER2-/ER+. However, real-world evidence reveals that a large subset of patients with HER2+/ER+ receive ET as monotherapy, positioning this treatment pattern as a clinical challenge. In the present study, we developed and characterized 2 in vitro models of ET-resistant (ETR) HER2+/ER+ BCa to identify possible therapeutic vulnerabilities. To mimic ETR to aromatase inhibitors (AIs), we developed 2 long-term estrogen deprivation (LTED) cell lines from BT-474 (BT474) and MDA-MB-361 (MM361). Growth assays, PAM50 subtyping, and genomic and transcriptomic analyses, followed by validation and functional studies, were used to identify targetable differences between ET-responsive parental and ETR-LTED HER2+/ER+ cells. Compared to their parental cells, MM361 LTEDs grew faster, lost ER, and increased HER2 expression, whereas BT474 LTEDs grew slower and maintained ER and HER2 expression. Both LTED variants had reduced responsiveness to fulvestrant. Whole-genome sequencing of aggressive MM361 LTEDs identified mutations in genes encoding transcription factors and chromatin modifiers. Single-cell RNA sequencing demonstrated a shift towards non-luminal phenotypes, and revealed metabolic remodeling of MM361 LTEDs, with upregulated lipid metabolism and ferroptosis-associated antioxidant genes, including GPX4. Combining a GPX4 inhibitor with anti-HER2 agents induced significant cell death in both MM361 and BT474 LTEDs. The BT474 and MM361 AI-resistant models capture distinct phenotypes of HER2+/ER+ BCa and identify altered lipid metabolism and ferroptosis remodeling as vulnerabilities of this type of ETR BCa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaymaa Bahnassy
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | | | - Lu Jin
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Stanley Tam
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Dua Mobin
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Manasi Balachandran
- Department of Medicine, University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville, TN 37920, USA
| | - Mircea Podar
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA
| | - Matthew D McCoy
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Robert A Beckman
- Department of Oncology and of Biostatistics, Bioinformatics, and Biomathematics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA
- Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and Innovation Center for Biomedical Informatics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA
| | - Rebecca B Riggins
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
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7
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Miller CLW, Warner JL, Winston F. Insights into Spt6: a histone chaperone that functions in transcription, DNA replication, and genome stability. Trends Genet 2023; 39:858-872. [PMID: 37481442 PMCID: PMC10592469 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2023.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/24/2023]
Abstract
Transcription elongation requires elaborate coordination between the transcriptional machinery and chromatin regulatory factors to successfully produce RNA while preserving the epigenetic landscape. Recent structural and genomic studies have highlighted that suppressor of Ty 6 (Spt6), a conserved histone chaperone and transcription elongation factor, sits at the crux of the transcription elongation process. Other recent studies have revealed that Spt6 also promotes DNA replication and genome integrity. Here, we review recent studies of Spt6 that have provided new insights into the mechanisms by which Spt6 controls transcription and have revealed the breadth of Spt6 functions in eukaryotic cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine L W Miller
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Laboratory of Genome Maintenance, Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - James L Warner
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Fred Winston
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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8
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Bahnassy S, Stires H, Jin L, Tam S, Mobin D, Balachandran M, Podar M, McCoy MD, Beckman RA, Riggins RB. Unraveling Vulnerabilities in Endocrine Therapy-Resistant HER2+/ER+ Breast Cancer. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.21.554116. [PMID: 37662291 PMCID: PMC10473676 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.21.554116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Background Breast tumors overexpressing human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2) confer intrinsic resistance to endocrine therapy (ET), and patients with HER2/ estrogen receptor-positive (HER2+/HR+) breast cancer (BCa) are less responsive to ET than HER2-/ER+. However, real-world evidence reveals that a large subset of HER2+/ER+ patients receive ET as monotherapy, positioning this treatment pattern as a clinical challenge. In the present study, we developed and characterized two distinct in vitro models of ET-resistant (ETR) HER2+/ER+ BCa to identify possible therapeutic vulnerabilities. Methods To mimic ETR to aromatase inhibitors (AI), we developed two long-term estrogen-deprived (LTED) cell lines from BT-474 (BT474) and MDA-MB-361 (MM361). Growth assays, PAM50 molecular subtyping, genomic and transcriptomic analyses, followed by validation and functional studies, were used to identify targetable differences between ET-responsive parental and ETR-LTED HER2+/ER+ cells. Results Compared to their parental cells, MM361 LTEDs grew faster, lost ER, and increased HER2 expression, whereas BT474 LTEDs grew slower and maintained ER and HER2 expression. Both LTED variants had reduced responsiveness to fulvestrant. Whole-genome sequencing of the more aggressive MM361 LTED model system identified exonic mutations in genes encoding transcription factors and chromatin modifiers. Single-cell RNA sequencing demonstrated a shift towards non-luminal phenotypes, and revealed metabolic remodeling of MM361 LTEDs, with upregulated lipid metabolism and antioxidant genes associated with ferroptosis, including GPX4. Combining the GPX4 inhibitor RSL3 with anti-HER2 agents induced significant cell death in both the MM361 and BT474 LTEDs. Conclusions The BT474 and MM361 AI-resistant models capture distinct phenotypes of HER2+/ER+ BCa and identify altered lipid metabolism and ferroptosis remodeling as vulnerabilities of this type of ETR BCa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaymaa Bahnassy
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
| | | | - Lu Jin
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
| | - Stanley Tam
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
| | - Dua Mobin
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
| | - Manasi Balachandran
- Department of Medicine, University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville, TN
| | | | - Matthew D. McCoy
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
| | - Robert A. Beckman
- Departments of Oncology and of Biostatistics, Bioinformatics, and Biomathematics, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and Innovation Center for Biomedical Informatics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC
| | - Rebecca B. Riggins
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
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Wang B, Zhou M, Shi YY, Chen XL, Ren YX, Yang YZ, Tang LY, Ren ZF. Survival is associated with repressive histone trimethylation markers in both HR-positive HER2-negative and triple-negative breast cancer patients. Virchows Arch 2023:10.1007/s00428-023-03534-5. [PMID: 37059917 DOI: 10.1007/s00428-023-03534-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Revised: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2023]
Abstract
About 30% of patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive breast cancers and up to 50% of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive patients develop progression due to treatment resistance, highlighting the need for more differentiated tumor classifications within the breast cancer molecular subtype to optimize the therapies. We aim to examine the roles of histone modification markers. The levels of common repressive histone markers, histone H3 lysine 9 trimethylation (H3K9me3), histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3), and histone H4 lysine 20 trimethylation (H4K20me3), in tumors were evaluated by immunohistochemistry for 914 breast cancer patients. The subjects were followed up until December 2021. Hazard ratios (HRs) for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were estimated using Cox regression models. For H3K27me3, patients with the high level had a longer PFS rate (81.3%) than that with the low level (73.9%) within HR-positive/HER2-negative subtype during a follow-up of 85 months only in univariate analysis (P < 0.05). For H3K9me3, the significant association between the high level of it and the longer OS [HR = 0.57, P < 0.05] was found within HR-positive/HER2-negative subtype in multivariate analysis. For H4K20me3, patients with the high level had a longer both OS [HR = 0.38] and PFS [HR = 0.46] within HR-positive/HER2-negative subtype, while had a shorter OS [HR = 3.28] in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) in multivariate analysis (all P < 0.05). H3K9me3 and H3K27me3 were the potential prognostic markers for breast cancer patients with HR-positive/HER2-negative subtype. Importantly, H4K20me3 was a robust prognostic marker for both HR-positive/HER2-negative and TNBC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Wang
- School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Meng Zhou
- School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Yue-Yu Shi
- School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Xing-Lei Chen
- School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Yue-Xiang Ren
- The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
| | - Yuan-Zhong Yang
- The Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Lu-Ying Tang
- The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510630, China.
| | - Ze-Fang Ren
- School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
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Ran M, Hu S, Xie H, Ouyang Q, Zhang X, Lin Y, Yuan X, Hu J, He H, Liu H, Li L, Wang J. MiR-202-5p Regulates Geese Follicular Selection by Targeting BTBD10 to Regulate Granulosa Cell Proliferation and Apoptosis. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24076792. [PMID: 37047763 PMCID: PMC10095183 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24076792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The regulation of granulosa cells (GCs) proliferation and apoptosis is the key step in follicular selection which determines the egg production performance of poultry. miR-202-5p has been reported to be involved in regulating the proliferation and apoptosis of mammalian ovarian GCs. However, its role in regulating the proliferation and apoptosis of goose GCs is still unknown. In the present study, the GCs of pre-hierarchical follicles (phGCs, 8-10 mm) and those of hierarchical follicles (hGCs, F2-F4) were used to investigate the role of miR-202-5p in cell proliferation and apoptosis during follicle selection. In phGCs and hGCs cultured in vitro, miR-202-5p was found to negatively regulate cell proliferation and positively regulate cell apoptosis. The results of RNA-seq showed that BTB Domain Containing 10 (BTBD10) is predicted to be a key target gene for miR-202-5p to regulate the proliferation and apoptosis of GCs. Furthermore, it is confirmed that miR-202-5p can inhibit BTBD10 expression by targeting its 3'UTR region, and BTBD10 was revealed to promote the proliferation and inhibit the apoptosis of phGCs and hGCs. Additionally, co-transfection with BTBD10 effectively prevented miR-202-5p mimic-induced cell apoptosis and the inhibition of cell proliferation. Meanwhile, miR-202-5p also remarkably inhibited the expression of Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-Bisphosphate 3-Kinase Catalytic Subunit Beta (PIK3CB) and AKT Serine/Threonine Kinase 1 (AKT1), while it was significantly restored by BTBD10. Overall, miR-202-5p suppresses the proliferation and promotes the apoptosis of GCs through the downregulation of PIK3CB/AKT1 signaling by targeting BTBD10 during follicular selection. Our study provides a theoretical reference for understanding the molecular mechanism of goose follicular selection, as well as a candidate gene for molecular marker-assisted breeding to improve the geese' egg production performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingxia Ran
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Shenqiang Hu
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Hengli Xie
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Qingyuan Ouyang
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Xi Zhang
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Yueyue Lin
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Xin Yuan
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Jiwei Hu
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Hua He
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Hehe Liu
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Liang Li
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Jiwen Wang
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
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Aspros KGM, Emch MJ, Wang X, Subramaniam M, Hinkle ML, Rodman EPB, Goetz MP, Hawse JR. Disruption of estrogen receptor beta's DNA binding domain impairs its tumor suppressive effects in triple negative breast cancer. Front Med (Lausanne) 2023; 10:1047166. [PMID: 36926316 PMCID: PMC10011152 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1047166] [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: 09/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive sub-type of the disease which accounts for a disproportionately high percentage of breast cancer morbidities and mortalities. For these reasons, a better understanding of TNBC biology is required and the development of novel therapeutic approaches are critically needed. Estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) is a reported tumor suppressor that is expressed in approximately 20% of primary TNBC tumors, where it is associated with favorable prognostic features and patient outcomes. Previous studies have shown that ERβ mediates the assembly of co-repressor complexes on DNA to inhibit the expression of multiple growth promoting genes and to suppress the ability of oncogenic transcription factors to drive cancer progression. To further elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which ERβ elicits its anti-cancer effects, we developed MDA-MB-231 cells that inducibly express a mutant form of ERβ incapable of directly binding DNA. We demonstrate that disruption of ERβ's direct interaction with DNA abolishes its ability to regulate the expression of well characterized immediate response genes and renders it unable to suppress TNBC cell proliferation. Loss of DNA binding also diminishes the ability of ERβ to suppress oncogenic NFκB signaling even though it still physically associates with NFκB and other critical co-factors. These findings enhance our understanding of how ERβ functions in this disease and provide a model system that can be utilized to further investigate the mechanistic processes by which ERβ elicits its anti-cancer effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten G. M. Aspros
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - Michael J. Emch
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - Xiyin Wang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - Malayannan Subramaniam
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - Megan L. Hinkle
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - Esther P. B. Rodman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - Matthew P. Goetz
- Department of Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - John R. Hawse
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
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12
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Xu M, Liu D, Gao X, Wang Z, Zhang L, Fan H. MiR-423-5p Inhibition Exerts Protective Effects on Angiotensin II-Induced Cardiomyocyte Hypertrophy. TOHOKU J EXP MED 2023; 259:199-208. [PMID: 36517015 DOI: 10.1620/tjem.2022.j109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Angiotensin II (Ang II) is a kind of bioactive peptide, which can contribute to cardiac hypertrophy. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play critical role in various heart diseases. The cardioprotective effect of miR-423-5p inhibition has been confirmed by previous studies. But its role in cardiac hypertrophy induced by Ang II is unknown. This study focused on the potential of miR-423-5p in cardiomyocyte hypertrophy under the treatment of Ang II. Our results revealed that miR-423-5p expression was upregulated in Ang II-treated human cardiomyocytes (HCMs). Importantly, miR-423-5p knockdown suppressed Ang II-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and oxidative stress in HCMs. Bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assay confirmed that the suppressor of Ty 6 homolog (SUPT6H) was a target gene of miR-423-5p. Interestingly, SUPT6H knockdown aggravated cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and oxidative stress in Ang II-stimulated HCMs, which were then reversed by silenced miR-423-5p. In conclusion, miR-423-5p knockdown exerts its protective effects on Ang II-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in HCMs via modulating SUPT6H expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Xu
- Department of Intensive Care Unit, The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University
| | - Dongchen Liu
- Department of Coronary Care Unit, The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University
| | - Xinyu Gao
- Department of Burn Orthopedics, The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University
| | - Ziwen Wang
- Department of Intensive Care Unit, The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University
| | - Linna Zhang
- Department of Intensive Care Unit, The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University
| | - Hao Fan
- Department of Intensive Care Unit, The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University
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13
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PHF13 epigenetically activates TGFβ driven epithelial to mesenchymal transition. Cell Death Dis 2022; 13:487. [PMID: 35597793 PMCID: PMC9124206 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-022-04940-4] [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: 10/21/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Epigenetic alteration is a pivotal factor in tumor metastasis. PHD finger protein 13 (PHF13) is a recently identified epigenetic reader of H3K4me2/3 that functions as a transcriptional co-regulator. In this study, we demonstrate that PHF13 is required for pancreatic-cancer-cell growth and metastasis. Integrative analysis of transcriptome and epigenetic profiles provide further mechanistic insights into the epigenetic regulation of genes associated with cell metastasis during the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) induced by transforming growth factor β (TGFβ). Our data suggest PHF13 depletion impairs activation of TGFβ stimulated genes and correlates with a loss of active epigenetic marks (H3K4me3 and H3K27ac) at these genomic regions. These observations argue for a dependency of TGFβ target activation on PHF13. Furthermore, PHF13-dependent chromatin regions are enriched in broad H3K4me3 domains and super-enhancers, which control genes critical to cancer-cell migration and invasion, such as SNAI1 and SOX9. Overall, our data indicate a functional and mechanistic correlation between PHF13 and EMT.
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14
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An HDAC9-associated immune-related signature predicts bladder cancer prognosis. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0264527. [PMID: 35239708 PMCID: PMC8893690 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The close relationship between histone deacetylase 9 (HDAC9) and immunity has attracted attention. We constructed an immune signature for HDAC9, a vital epigenetic modification, to predict the survival status and treatment benefits in bladder cancer (BC). Methods An exhaustive analysis of HDAC9 and immunology via the tumor and immune system interaction database (TISIDB) was performed, and an immune prognostic risk signature was developed based on genes enriched in the top five immune-related pathways under high HDAC9 status. Comprehensive analysis of survival curves and Cox regression were used to estimate the effectiveness of the risk signature. The relationship between immunological characteristics and the risk score was evaluated, and the mechanisms were also explored. Results In the TISIDB, HDAC9 was closely related to various immunological characteristics. The risk signature was obtained based on genes related to prognosis enriched in the top five immune-related pathways under high HDAC9 status. The survival rate of the high-risk BC patients was poor. The risk score was closely related to multiple immunological characteristics, drug sensitivity, immunotherapy benefits and biofunctions. Conclusion An immune-related prognostic signature established for HDAC9 expression status could independently predict the prognosis of BC patients. The use of this signature could help clinicians make personalized treatment decisions.
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15
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Aspros KGM, Carter JM, Hoskin TL, Suman VJ, Subramaniam M, Emch MJ, Ye Z, Sun Z, Sinnwell JP, Thompson KJ, Tang X, Rodman EPB, Wang X, Nelson AW, Chernukhin I, Hamdan FH, Bruinsma ES, Carroll JS, Fernandez-Zapico ME, Johnsen SA, Kalari KR, Huang H, Leon-Ferre RA, Couch FJ, Ingle JN, Goetz MP, Hawse JR. Estrogen receptor beta repurposes EZH2 to suppress oncogenic NFκB/p65 signaling in triple negative breast cancer. NPJ Breast Cancer 2022; 8:20. [PMID: 35177654 PMCID: PMC8854734 DOI: 10.1038/s41523-022-00387-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) accounts for 15-20% of all breast cancer cases, yet is responsible for a disproportionately high percentage of breast cancer mortalities. Thus, there is an urgent need to identify novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets based on the molecular events driving TNBC pathobiology. Estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) is known to elicit anti-cancer effects in TNBC, however its mechanisms of action remain elusive. Here, we report the expression profiles of ERβ and its association with clinicopathological features and patient outcomes in the largest cohort of TNBC to date. In this cohort, ERβ was expressed in approximately 18% of TNBCs, and expression of ERβ was associated with favorable clinicopathological features, but correlated with different overall survival outcomes according to menopausal status. Mechanistically, ERβ formed a co-repressor complex involving enhancer of zeste homologue 2/polycomb repressive complex 2 (EZH2/PRC2) that functioned to suppress oncogenic NFκB/RELA (p65) activity. Importantly, p65 was shown to be required for formation of this complex and for ERβ-mediated suppression of TNBC. Our findings indicate that ERβ+ tumors exhibit different characteristics compared to ERβ- tumors and demonstrate that ERβ functions as a molecular switch for EZH2, repurposing it for tumor suppressive activities and repression of oncogenic p65 signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten G M Aspros
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Jodi M Carter
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Tanya L Hoskin
- Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Vera J Suman
- Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Malayannan Subramaniam
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Michael J Emch
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Zhenqing Ye
- Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Zhifu Sun
- Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Jason P Sinnwell
- Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Kevin J Thompson
- Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Xiaojia Tang
- Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Esther P B Rodman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Xiyin Wang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Adam W Nelson
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Igor Chernukhin
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Feda H Hamdan
- Gene Regulatory Mechanisms and Molecular Epigenetics Lab, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Elizabeth S Bruinsma
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Jason S Carroll
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Martin E Fernandez-Zapico
- Shulze Center for Novel Therapeutics, Division of Oncology Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Steven A Johnsen
- Gene Regulatory Mechanisms and Molecular Epigenetics Lab, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Krishna R Kalari
- Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Haojie Huang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
- Department of Urology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | | | - Fergus J Couch
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
- Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - James N Ingle
- Department of Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Matthew P Goetz
- Department of Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - John R Hawse
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA.
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16
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Konishi H, Kashima S, Goto T, Ando K, Sakatani A, Tanaka H, Ueno N, Moriichi K, Okumura T, Fujiya M. The Identification of RNA-Binding Proteins Functionally Associated with Tumor Progression in Gastrointestinal Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13133165. [PMID: 34202873 PMCID: PMC8269357 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13133165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Previous investigations described bioinformatic analyses based on the mRNA expression and somatic mutation as useful strategies for identifying cancer-associated molecules that were potential candidates of therapeutic targets. However, these data included secondary changes and non-functional alterations that do not influence tumor progression. Investigations, including our own studies, have shown that some RBPs shuttle cytoplasm and nuclei, and their affinity to RNAs is regulated by posttranslational modifications, such as phosphorylation. Therefore, the functional assessment of individual molecules is the most suitable strategy for identifying cancer-associated genes with or without expressional changes and mutations. This report showed for the first time that a functional assessment using an siRNA library was useful for identifying therapeutic targets from molecular groups, including RBPs, that had not been identified by expressional and mutational analyses. Abstract Previous investigations have indicated that RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are key molecules for the development of organs, differentiation, cell growth and apoptosis in cancer cells as well as normal cells. A bioinformatics analysis based on the mRNA expression and a somatic mutational database revealed the association between aberrant expression/mutations of RBPs and cancer progression. However, this method failed to detect functional alterations in RBPs without changes in the expression, thus leading to false negatives. To identify major tumor-associated RBPs, we constructed an siRNA library based on the database of RBPs and assessed the influence on the growth of colorectal, pancreatic and esophageal cancer cells. A comprehensive analysis of siRNA functional screening findings using 1198 siRNAs targeting 416 RBPs identified 41 RBPs in which 50% inhibition of cell growth was observed in cancer cells. Among these RBPs, 12 showed no change in the mRNA expression and no growth suppression in non-cancerous cells when downregulated by specific siRNAs. We herein report for the first time cancer-promotive RBPs identified by a novel functional assessment using an siRNA library of RBPs combined with expressional and mutational analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroaki Konishi
- Department of Gastroenterology and Advanced Medical Sciences, Asahikawa Medical University, 2-1-1-1, Midorigaoka, Asahikawa 078-8510, Japan;
| | - Shin Kashima
- Division of Metabolism and Biosystemic Science, Gastroenterology, and Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa 078-8510, Japan; (S.K.); (T.G.); (K.A.); (A.S.); (N.U.); (K.M.); (T.O.)
| | - Takuma Goto
- Division of Metabolism and Biosystemic Science, Gastroenterology, and Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa 078-8510, Japan; (S.K.); (T.G.); (K.A.); (A.S.); (N.U.); (K.M.); (T.O.)
| | - Katsuyoshi Ando
- Division of Metabolism and Biosystemic Science, Gastroenterology, and Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa 078-8510, Japan; (S.K.); (T.G.); (K.A.); (A.S.); (N.U.); (K.M.); (T.O.)
| | - Aki Sakatani
- Division of Metabolism and Biosystemic Science, Gastroenterology, and Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa 078-8510, Japan; (S.K.); (T.G.); (K.A.); (A.S.); (N.U.); (K.M.); (T.O.)
| | - Hiroki Tanaka
- Division of Tumor Pathology, Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa 078-8510, Japan;
| | - Nobuhiro Ueno
- Division of Metabolism and Biosystemic Science, Gastroenterology, and Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa 078-8510, Japan; (S.K.); (T.G.); (K.A.); (A.S.); (N.U.); (K.M.); (T.O.)
| | - Kentaro Moriichi
- Division of Metabolism and Biosystemic Science, Gastroenterology, and Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa 078-8510, Japan; (S.K.); (T.G.); (K.A.); (A.S.); (N.U.); (K.M.); (T.O.)
| | - Toshikatsu Okumura
- Division of Metabolism and Biosystemic Science, Gastroenterology, and Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa 078-8510, Japan; (S.K.); (T.G.); (K.A.); (A.S.); (N.U.); (K.M.); (T.O.)
| | - Mikihiro Fujiya
- Department of Gastroenterology and Advanced Medical Sciences, Asahikawa Medical University, 2-1-1-1, Midorigaoka, Asahikawa 078-8510, Japan;
- Division of Metabolism and Biosystemic Science, Gastroenterology, and Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa 078-8510, Japan; (S.K.); (T.G.); (K.A.); (A.S.); (N.U.); (K.M.); (T.O.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +81-166-68-2462
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Zhou S, Cai Y, Liu X, Jin L, Wang X, Ma W, Zhang T. Role of H2B mono-ubiquitination in the initiation and progression of cancer. Bull Cancer 2021; 108:385-398. [PMID: 33685627 DOI: 10.1016/j.bulcan.2020.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Revised: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Numerous epigenetic alterations are observed in cancer cells, and dysregulation of mono-ubiquitination of histone H2B (H2Bub1) has often been linked to tumorigenesis. H2Bub1 is a dynamic post-translational histone modification associated with transcriptional elongation and DNA damage response. Histone H2B monoubiquitination occurs in the site of lysine 120, written predominantly by E3 ubiquitin ligases RNF20/RNF40 and deubiquitinated by ubiquitin specific peptidase 22 (USP22). RNF20/40 is often altered in the primary tumors including colorectal cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, and lung cancer, and the loss of H2Bub1 is usually associated with poor prognosis in tumor patients. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current knowledge of H2Bub1 in transcription, DNA damage response and primary tumors. This review also provides novel options for exploiting the potential therapeutic target H2Bub1 in personalized cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sa Zhou
- Tianjin University of Science and Technology, College of Biotechnology, Tianjin 300457, PR China
| | - Yuqiao Cai
- Tianjin University of Science and Technology, College of Biotechnology, Tianjin 300457, PR China
| | - Xinyi Liu
- Tianjin University of Science and Technology, College of Biotechnology, Tianjin 300457, PR China
| | - Lijun Jin
- Tianjin University of Science and Technology, College of Biotechnology, Tianjin 300457, PR China
| | - Xiaoqin Wang
- Beijing University of Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (North) of Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing 102206, PR China
| | - Wenjian Ma
- Tianjin University of Science and Technology, College of Biotechnology, Tianjin 300457, PR China; Qilu Institute of Technology, Shandong 250200, PR China.
| | - Tongcun Zhang
- Tianjin University of Science and Technology, College of Biotechnology, Tianjin 300457, PR China; Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Institute of Biology and Medicine, Wuhan 430081, PR China.
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18
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Marsh DJ, Ma Y, Dickson KA. Histone Monoubiquitination in Chromatin Remodelling: Focus on the Histone H2B Interactome and Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:E3462. [PMID: 33233707 PMCID: PMC7699835 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12113462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2020] [Revised: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Chromatin remodelling is a major mechanism by which cells control fundamental processes including gene expression, the DNA damage response (DDR) and ensuring the genomic plasticity required by stem cells to enable differentiation. The post-translational modification of histone H2B resulting in addition of a single ubiquitin, in humans at lysine 120 (K120; H2Bub1) and in yeast at K123, has key roles in transcriptional elongation associated with the RNA polymerase II-associated factor 1 complex (PAF1C) and in the DDR. H2Bub1 itself has been described as having tumour suppressive roles and a number of cancer-related proteins and/or complexes are recognised as part of the H2Bub1 interactome. These include the RING finger E3 ubiquitin ligases RNF20, RNF40 and BRCA1, the guardian of the genome p53, the PAF1C member CDC73, subunits of the switch/sucrose non-fermenting (SWI/SNF) chromatin remodelling complex and histone methyltransferase complexes DOT1L and COMPASS, as well as multiple deubiquitinases including USP22 and USP44. While globally depleted in many primary human malignancies, including breast, lung and colorectal cancer, H2Bub1 is selectively enriched at the coding region of certain highly expressed genes, including at p53 target genes in response to DNA damage, functioning to exercise transcriptional control of these loci. This review draws together extensive literature to cement a significant role for H2Bub1 in a range of human malignancies and discusses the interplay between key cancer-related proteins and H2Bub1-associated chromatin remodelling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah J. Marsh
- Translational Oncology Group, Faculty of Science, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia; (Y.M.); (K.-A.D.)
- Kolling Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Northern Clinical School, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Yue Ma
- Translational Oncology Group, Faculty of Science, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia; (Y.M.); (K.-A.D.)
| | - Kristie-Ann Dickson
- Translational Oncology Group, Faculty of Science, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia; (Y.M.); (K.-A.D.)
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19
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Epigenetic modification and a role for the E3 ligase RNF40 in cancer development and metastasis. Oncogene 2020; 40:465-474. [PMID: 33199825 PMCID: PMC7819849 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-020-01556-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2020] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
RNF40 (OMIM: 607700) is a really interesting new gene (RING) finger E3 ubiquitin ligase containing multiple coiled-coil domains and a C-terminal RING finger motif, which engage in protein–DNA and protein–protein interactions. RNF40 encodes a polypeptide of 1001 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 113,678 Da. RNF40 and its paralog RNF20 form a stable heterodimer complex that can monoubiquitylate histone H2B at lysine 120 as well as other nonhistone proteins. Cancer is a major public health problem and the second leading cause of death. Through its protein ubiquitylation activity, RNF40 acts as a tumor suppressor or oncogene to play major epigenetic roles in cancer development, progression, and metastasis, highlighting the essential function of RNF40 and the importance of studying it. In this review, we summarize current knowledge about RNF40 gene structure and the role of RNF40 in histone H2B monoubiquitylation, DNA damage repair, apoptosis, cancer development, and metastasis. We also underscore challenges in applying this information to cancer prognosis and prevention and highlight the urgent need for additional investigations of RNF40 as a potential target for cancer therapeutics.
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20
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Sun N, Zhong X, Wang S, Zeng K, Sun H, Sun G, Zou R, Liu W, Liu W, Lin L, Song H, Lv C, Wang C, Zhao Y. ATXN7L3 positively regulates SMAD7 transcription in hepatocellular carcinoma with growth inhibitory function. EBioMedicine 2020; 62:103108. [PMID: 33186807 PMCID: PMC7670205 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2020.103108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Revised: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer death worldwide, with unmet need for the pharmacological therapy. The functions of ATXN7L3 in HCC progression are not known. Methods RNA sequence, quantitative real-time PCR, and western blot were performed to detect gene expression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation was performed to detect possible mechanisms. Immunohistochemical stain was performed to examine the protein expression. Colony formation, cell growth curve and xenograft tumor experiments were performed to examine cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Findings ATXN7L3 functions as a coactivator for ERα-mediated transactivation in HCC cells, thereby contributing to enhanced SMAD7 transcription. ATXN7L3 is recruited to the promoter regions of SMAD7 gene, thereby regulating histone H2B ubiquitination level, to enhance the transcription of SMAD7. A series of genes regulated by ATXN7L3 were identified. Moreover, ATXN7L3 participates in suppression of tumor growth. In addition, ATXN7L3 is lower expressed in HCC samples, and the lower expression of ATXN7L3 positively correlates with poor clinical outcome in patients with HCC. Interpretation This study demonstrated that ATXN7L3 is a novel regulator of SMAD7 transcription, subsequently participating in inhibition of tumor growth in HCC, which provides an insight to support a previously unknown role of ATXN7L3 in HCC progression. Fund This work was funded by 973 Program Grant from the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (2013CB945201), National Natural Science Foundation of China (31871286, 81872015, 31701102, 81702800, 81902889), Foundation for Special Professor of Liaoning Province, Natural Science Foundation of Liaoning Province (No.20180530072); China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2019M651164).
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Sun
- Department of Cell Biology, Key laboratory of Cell Biology, Ministry of Public Health, and Key laboratory of Medical Cell Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province 110122, China
| | - Xinping Zhong
- Department of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, 110001, China
| | - Shengli Wang
- Department of Cell Biology, Key laboratory of Cell Biology, Ministry of Public Health, and Key laboratory of Medical Cell Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province 110122, China
| | - Kai Zeng
- Department of Cell Biology, Key laboratory of Cell Biology, Ministry of Public Health, and Key laboratory of Medical Cell Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province 110122, China
| | - Hongmiao Sun
- Department of Cell Biology, Key laboratory of Cell Biology, Ministry of Public Health, and Key laboratory of Medical Cell Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province 110122, China
| | - Ge Sun
- Department of Cell Biology, Key laboratory of Cell Biology, Ministry of Public Health, and Key laboratory of Medical Cell Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province 110122, China
| | - Renlong Zou
- Department of Cell Biology, Key laboratory of Cell Biology, Ministry of Public Health, and Key laboratory of Medical Cell Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province 110122, China
| | - Wei Liu
- Department of Cell Biology, Key laboratory of Cell Biology, Ministry of Public Health, and Key laboratory of Medical Cell Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province 110122, China
| | - Wensu Liu
- Department of Cell Biology, Key laboratory of Cell Biology, Ministry of Public Health, and Key laboratory of Medical Cell Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province 110122, China
| | - Lin Lin
- Department of Cell Biology, Key laboratory of Cell Biology, Ministry of Public Health, and Key laboratory of Medical Cell Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province 110122, China
| | - Huijuan Song
- Department of Cell Biology, Key laboratory of Cell Biology, Ministry of Public Health, and Key laboratory of Medical Cell Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province 110122, China
| | - Chi Lv
- Department of Cell Biology, Key laboratory of Cell Biology, Ministry of Public Health, and Key laboratory of Medical Cell Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province 110122, China; Department of General Surgery, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, 110004, China
| | - Chunyu Wang
- Department of Cell Biology, Key laboratory of Cell Biology, Ministry of Public Health, and Key laboratory of Medical Cell Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province 110122, China.
| | - Yue Zhao
- Department of Cell Biology, Key laboratory of Cell Biology, Ministry of Public Health, and Key laboratory of Medical Cell Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province 110122, China; Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Institute of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province 110001, China.
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Wegwitz F, Prokakis E, Pejkovska A, Kosinsky RL, Glatzel M, Pantel K, Wikman H, Johnsen SA. The histone H2B ubiquitin ligase RNF40 is required for HER2-driven mammary tumorigenesis. Cell Death Dis 2020; 11:873. [PMID: 33070155 PMCID: PMC7568723 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-020-03081-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Revised: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The HER2-positive breast cancer subtype (HER2+-BC) displays a particularly aggressive behavior. Anti-HER2 therapies have significantly improved the survival of patients with HER2+-BC. However, a large number of patients become refractory to current targeted therapies, necessitating the development of new treatment strategies. Epigenetic regulators are commonly misregulated in cancer and represent attractive molecular therapeutic targets. Monoubiquitination of histone 2B (H2Bub1) by the heterodimeric ubiquitin ligase complex RNF20/RNF40 has been described to have tumor suppressor functions and loss of H2Bub1 has been associated with cancer progression. In this study, we utilized human tumor samples, cell culture models, and a mammary carcinoma mouse model with tissue-specific Rnf40 deletion and identified an unexpected tumor-supportive role of RNF40 in HER2+-BC. We demonstrate that RNF40-driven H2B monoubiquitination is essential for transcriptional activation of RHO/ROCK/LIMK pathway components and proper actin-cytoskeleton dynamics through a trans-histone crosstalk with histone 3 lysine 4 trimethylation (H3K4me3). Collectively, this work demonstrates a previously unknown essential role of RNF40 in HER2+-BC, revealing the H2B monoubiquitination axis as a possible tumor context-dependent therapeutic target in breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Wegwitz
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.,Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Evangelos Prokakis
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Anastasija Pejkovska
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Robyn Laura Kosinsky
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Markus Glatzel
- Institute for Neuropathology, University of Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Klaus Pantel
- Institute of Tumor Biology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Harriet Wikman
- Institute of Tumor Biology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Steven A Johnsen
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany. .,Institute of Tumor Biology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. .,Gene Regulatory Mechanisms and Molecular Epigenetics Lab, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
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22
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Wang Z, Liu D, Xu B, Tian R, Zuo Y. Modular arrangements of sequence motifs determine the functional diversity of KDM proteins. Brief Bioinform 2020; 22:5912575. [PMID: 32987405 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbaa215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Histone lysine demethylases (KDMs) play a vital role in regulating chromatin dynamics and transcription. KDM proteins are given modular activities by its sequence motifs with obvious roles division, which endow the complex and diverse functions. In our review, according to functional features, we classify sequence motifs into four classes: catalytic motifs, targeting motifs, regulatory motifs and potential motifs. JmjC, as the main catalytic motif, combines to Fe2+ and α-ketoglutarate by residues H-D/E-H and S-N-N/Y-K-N/Y-T/S. Targeting motifs make catalytic motifs recognize specific methylated lysines, such as PHD that helps KDM5 to demethylate H3K4me3. Regulatory motifs consist of a functional network. For example, NLS, Ser-rich, TPR and JmjN motifs regulate the nuclear localization. And interactions through the CW-type-C4H2C2-SWIRM are necessary to the demethylase activity of KDM1B. Additionally, many conservative domains that have potential functions but no deep exploration are reviewed for the first time. These conservative domains are usually amino acid-rich regions, which have great research value. The arrangements of four types of sequence motifs generate that KDM proteins diversify toward modular activities and biological functions. Finally, we draw a blueprint of functional mechanisms to discuss the modular activity of KDMs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zerong Wang
- State key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, College of life sciences, Inner Mongolia University
| | - Dongyang Liu
- State key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, College of life sciences, Inner Mongolia University. He is now studying for a master's degree at the institute of botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. His research interests include bioinformatics and computational genomics
| | - Baofang Xu
- State key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, College of life sciences, Inner Mongolia University
| | - Ruixia Tian
- State key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, College of life sciences, Inner Mongolia University
| | - Yongchun Zuo
- State key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, College of life sciences, Inner Mongolia University. His research interests include bioinformatics and integration analysis of multiomics in cell reprogramming
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23
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RNF40 exerts stage-dependent functions in differentiating osteoblasts and is essential for bone cell crosstalk. Cell Death Differ 2020; 28:700-714. [PMID: 32901120 DOI: 10.1038/s41418-020-00614-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Revised: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The role of histone ubiquitination in directing cell lineage specification is only poorly understood. Our previous work indicated a role of the histone 2B ubiquitin ligase RNF40 in controlling osteoblast differentiation in vitro. Here, we demonstrate that RNF40 has a stage-dependent function in controlling osteoblast differentiation in vivo. RNF40 expression is essential for early stages of lineage specification, but is dispensable in mature osteoblasts. Paradoxically, while osteoblast-specific RNF40 deletion led to impaired bone formation, it also resulted in increased bone mass due to impaired bone cell crosstalk. Loss of RNF40 resulted in decreased osteoclast number and function through modulation of RANKL expression in OBs. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that Tnfsf11 (encoding RANKL) is an important target gene of H2B monoubiquitination. These data reveal an important role of RNF40-mediated H2B monoubiquitination in bone formation and remodeling and provide a basis for exploring this pathway for the treatment of conditions such as osteoporosis or cancer-associated osteolysis.
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24
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Crowgey EL, Soini T, Shah N, Pauniaho SL, Lahdenne P, Wilson DB, Heikinheimo M, Druley TE. Germline Sequencing Identifies Rare Variants in Finnish Subjects with Familial Germ Cell Tumors. Appl Clin Genet 2020; 13:127-137. [PMID: 32636668 PMCID: PMC7335280 DOI: 10.2147/tacg.s245093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Pediatric germ cell tumors are rare, representing about 3% of childhood malignancies in children less than 15 years of age, presenting in neonates or adolescents with a greater incidence noted in older adolescents. Aberrations in primordial germ cell proliferation/differentiation can lead to a variety of neoplasms, including teratomas, embryonal carcinoma, choriocarcinoma, and yolk sac tumors. PATIENTS AND METHODS Three Finnish families with varying familial germ cell tumors were identified, and whole-genome sequencing was performed using an Illumina sequencing platform. In total, 22 unique subjects across the three families were sequenced. Family 1 proband (female) was affected by malignant ovarian teratoma, Family 2 proband (female) was affected by sacrococcygeal teratoma with yolk sac tumor in the setting of Cornelia de Lange syndrome, and Family 3 proband (male) was affected by malignant testicular teratoma. Rare variants were identified using an autosomal recessive or de novo model of inheritance. RESULTS For family 1 proband (female), an autosomal recessive or de novo model of inheritance identified variants of interest in the following genes: CD109, IKBKB, and CTNNA3, SUPT6H, MUC5AC, and FRG1. Family 2 proband (female) analysis identified gene variants of interest in the following genes: LONRF2, ANO7, HS6ST1, PRB2, and DNM2. Family 3 proband (male) analysis identified the following potential genes: CRIPAK, KRTAP5-7, and CACNA1B. CONCLUSION Leveraging deep pedigrees and next-generation sequencing, rare germline variants were identified that were enriched in three families from Finland with a history of familial germ cell tumors. The data presented support the importance of germline mutations when analyzing complex cancers with a low somatic mutation landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin L Crowgey
- Nemours Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, Nemours Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE, USA
| | - Tea Soini
- Pediatric Research Center, Children’s Hospital, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Nidhi Shah
- Nemours Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, Nemours Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE, USA
| | - Satu-Liisa Pauniaho
- Pediatric Research Center, Children’s Hospital, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
- Tampere Center for Child Health Research, University of Tampere, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - Pekka Lahdenne
- Pediatric Research Center, Children’s Hospital, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - David B Wilson
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Markku Heikinheimo
- Pediatric Research Center, Children’s Hospital, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Todd E Druley
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
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25
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Lavin DP, Tiwari VK. Unresolved Complexity in the Gene Regulatory Network Underlying EMT. Front Oncol 2020; 10:554. [PMID: 32477926 PMCID: PMC7235173 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.00554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is the process whereby a polarized epithelial cell ceases to maintain cell-cell contacts, loses expression of characteristic epithelial cell markers, and acquires mesenchymal cell markers and properties such as motility, contractile ability, and invasiveness. A complex process that occurs during development and many disease states, EMT involves a plethora of transcription factors (TFs) and signaling pathways. Whilst great advances have been made in both our understanding of the progressive cell-fate changes during EMT and the gene regulatory networks that drive this process, there are still gaps in our knowledge. Epigenetic modifications are dynamic, chromatin modifying enzymes are vast and varied, transcription factors are pleiotropic, and signaling pathways are multifaceted and rarely act alone. Therefore, it is of great importance that we decipher and understand each intricate step of the process and how these players at different levels crosstalk with each other to successfully orchestrate EMT. A delicate balance and fine-tuned cooperation of gene regulatory mechanisms is required for EMT to occur successfully, and until we resolve the unknowns in this network, we cannot hope to develop effective therapies against diseases that involve aberrant EMT such as cancer. In this review, we focus on data that challenge these unknown entities underlying EMT, starting with EMT stimuli followed by intracellular signaling through to epigenetic mechanisms and chromatin remodeling.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Vijay K. Tiwari
- The Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Science, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
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26
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The H2B ubiquitin-protein ligase RNF40 is required for somatic cell reprogramming. Cell Death Dis 2020; 11:287. [PMID: 32341358 PMCID: PMC7184622 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-020-2482-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Revised: 04/06/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Direct reprogramming of somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) requires a resetting of the epigenome in order to facilitate a cell fate transition. Previous studies have shown that epigenetic modifying enzymes play a central role in controlling induced pluripotency and the generation of iPSC. Here we show that RNF40, a histone H2B lysine 120 E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase, is specifically required for early reprogramming during induced pluripotency. Loss of RNF40-mediated H2B monoubiquitination (H2Bub1) impaired early gene activation in reprogramming. We further show that RNF40 contributes to tissue-specific gene suppression via indirect effects by controlling the expression of the polycomb repressive complex-2 histone methyltransferase component EZH2, as well as through more direct effects by promoting the resolution of H3K4me3/H3K27me3 bivalency on H2Bub1-occupied pluripotency genes. Thus, we identify RNF40 as a central epigenetic mediator of cell state transition with distinct functions in resetting somatic cell state to pluripotency.
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27
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Yan P, Wang Y, Meng X, Yang H, Liu Z, Qian J, Zhou W, Li J. Whole Exome Sequencing of Ulcerative Colitis-associated Colorectal Cancer Based on Novel Somatic Mutations Identified in Chinese Patients. Inflamm Bowel Dis 2019; 25:1293-1301. [PMID: 30794281 DOI: 10.1093/ibd/izz020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Carcinogenesis is a severe consequence of chronic ulcerative colitis. We investigated the somatic mutations and pathway alterations in ulcerative colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CRC) in Chinese patients compared with sporadic CRCs to reveal potential therapeutic targets in ulcerative colitis-associated CRC. METHODS Whole exome sequencing was performed on archival tumor tissues and paired adjacent nondysplastic mucosa from 10 ulcerative colitis-associated CRC patients at a high risk of carcinogenesis. Genomic alteration profiles from 223 primary CRCs from The Cancer Genome Atlas served as sporadic CRC controls. A meta-analysis was performed to investigate differences in major genetic mutations between ulcerative colitis-associated and Crohn's disease-associated CRCs. RESULTS We identified 44 nonsilent recurrent somatic mutations via whole exome sequencing, including 25 deleterious mutations involved in apoptosis and the PI3K-Akt pathway (COL6A3, FN1), autophagy (ULK1), cell adhesion (PODXL, PTPRT, ZFHX4), and epigenetic regulation (ARID1A, NCOR2, KMT2D, NCOA6, MECP2, SUPT6H). In total, 11 of the 25 mutated genes significantly differed between ulcerative colitis-associated CRC and sporadic CRC (APC, APOB, MECP2, NCOR2, NTRK2, PODXL, RABGAP1, SIK3, SUPT6H, ULK1, USP48). Somatic TP53 mutations occurred in 33% of ulcerative colitis-associated CRCs. Subsequent meta-analysis revealed distinct mutation profiles for Crohn's disease- and ulcerative colitis-associated CRCs. Mutations involving the NF-kB pathway and epigenetic regulation were more common in ulcerative colitis-associated CRCs than in sporadic CRCs. CONCLUSION Distinct genomic alteration profiles of deleterious somatic mutations were found in ulcerative colitis-associated and sporadic CRCs. Mutations of epigenetic regulators, such as KMT2D and NCOA6, were common, suggesting an epigenetic pathomechanism for colitis-associated carcinoma in Chinese patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengguang Yan
- Peking Union Medical College, No. 9 Dongdan Santiao, Beijing, China.,Department of Gastroenterology, Key Laboratory of Gut Microbiota Translational Medicine Research, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, No. 1 Shuaifuyuan, Beijing, China
| | - Yanan Wang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Key Laboratory of Gut Microbiota Translational Medicine Research, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, No. 1 Shuaifuyuan, Beijing, China
| | - Xiangchen Meng
- Department of Gastroenterology, Key Laboratory of Gut Microbiota Translational Medicine Research, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, No. 1 Shuaifuyuan, Beijing, China
| | - Hong Yang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Key Laboratory of Gut Microbiota Translational Medicine Research, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, No. 1 Shuaifuyuan, Beijing, China
| | - Zhanju Liu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiaming Qian
- Department of Gastroenterology, Key Laboratory of Gut Microbiota Translational Medicine Research, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, No. 1 Shuaifuyuan, Beijing, China
| | - Weixun Zhou
- Department of pathology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, No. 1 Shuaifuyuan, Beijing, China
| | - Jingnan Li
- Department of Gastroenterology, Key Laboratory of Gut Microbiota Translational Medicine Research, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, No. 1 Shuaifuyuan, Beijing, China
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28
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Kosinsky RL, Chua RL, Qui M, Saul D, Mehlich D, Ströbel P, Schildhaus HU, Wegwitz F, Faubion WA, Johnsen SA. Loss of RNF40 Decreases NF-κB Activity in Colorectal Cancer Cells and Reduces Colitis Burden in Mice. J Crohns Colitis 2019; 13:362-373. [PMID: 30321325 PMCID: PMC6599279 DOI: 10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjy165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Inflammatory bowel diseases are linked to an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer [CRC]. Previous studies suggested that the H2B ubiquitin ligase RING finger protein-20 [RNF20] inhibited inflammatory signaling mediated by the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells [NF-κB]. However, the role of RNF40, the obligate heterodimeric partner of RNF20, in the context of inflammation and CRC has not been addressed. Here, we examined the effect of RNF40 loss on CRC cells in vitro and on inflammation and inflammatory signaling in vitro and in vivo. METHODS We evaluated H2Bub1 levels in human and murine colorectal tumors by immunohistochemistry. Moreover, we correlated H2Bub1 and RNF40 levels in vivo and assessed the consequences of RNF40 depletion on cellular phenotype and gene expression in CRC cells in vitro. Finally, we examined the effect of a colon-specific loss of Rnf40 in a murine model of colitis, and assessed both local and systemic inflammation-associated consequences. RESULTS In vitro studies revealed that the tumorigenic phenotype of CRC cells decreased after RNF40 depletion and displayed gene expression changes related to chromosome segregation and DNA replication, as well as decreased induction of several NF-κB-associated cytokines. This effect was associated with decreased nuclear localization of NF-κB following tumor necrosis factor alpha treatment. Consistently, the colon-specific loss of Rnf40 exerted a protective local, as well as systemic, effect following acute colitis. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that RNF40 plays a central role in the maintenance of tumorigenic features and inflammatory signaling by promoting nuclear NF-κB activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robyn Laura Kosinsky
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Robert Lorenz Chua
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Martin Qui
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Dominik Saul
- Department of Trauma, Orthopedics and Reconstructive Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Dawid Mehlich
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Philipp Ströbel
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | | | - Florian Wegwitz
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - William A Faubion
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Steven A Johnsen
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany,Corresponding author: Prof. Steven A. Johnsen, PhD, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, Clinic for General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Section of Tumor Epigenetics, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany. Tel.: +49 551 39-13711; fax: +49 551 39-13713; email
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29
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Marsh DJ, Dickson KA. Writing Histone Monoubiquitination in Human Malignancy-The Role of RING Finger E3 Ubiquitin Ligases. Genes (Basel) 2019; 10:genes10010067. [PMID: 30669413 PMCID: PMC6356280 DOI: 10.3390/genes10010067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2018] [Revised: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 01/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
There is growing evidence highlighting the importance of monoubiquitination as part of the histone code. Monoubiquitination, the covalent attachment of a single ubiquitin molecule at specific lysines of histone tails, has been associated with transcriptional elongation and the DNA damage response. Sites function as scaffolds or docking platforms for proteins involved in transcription or DNA repair; however, not all sites are equal, with some sites resulting in actively transcribed chromatin and others associated with gene silencing. All events are written by E3 ubiquitin ligases, predominantly of the RING (really interesting new gene) finger type. One of the most well-studied events is monoubiquitination of histone H2B at lysine 120 (H2Bub1), written predominantly by the RING finger complex RNF20-RNF40 and generally associated with active transcription. Monoubiquitination of histone H2A at lysine 119 (H2AK119ub1) is also well-studied, its E3 ubiquitin ligase constituting part of the Polycomb Repressor Complex 1 (PRC1), RING1B-BMI1, associated with transcriptional silencing. Both modifications are activated as part of the DNA damage response. Histone monoubiquitination is a key epigenomic event shaping the chromatin landscape of malignancy and influencing how cells respond to DNA damage. This review discusses a number of these sites and the E3 RING finger ubiquitin ligases that write them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah J Marsh
- University of Technology Sydney, Translational Oncology Group, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia.
| | - Kristie-Ann Dickson
- University of Technology Sydney, Translational Oncology Group, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia.
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30
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Role of RNF20 in cancer development and progression - a comprehensive review. Biosci Rep 2018; 38:BSR20171287. [PMID: 29934362 PMCID: PMC6043722 DOI: 10.1042/bsr20171287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Revised: 06/20/2018] [Accepted: 06/22/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Evolving strategies to counter cancer initiation and progression rely on the identification of novel therapeutic targets that exploit the aberrant genetic changes driving oncogenesis. Several chromatin associated enzymes have been shown to influence post-translational modification (PTM) in DNA, histones, and non-histone proteins. Any deregulation of this core group of enzymes often leads to cancer development. Ubiquitylation of histone H2B in mammalian cells was identified over three decades ago. An exciting really interesting new gene (RING) family of E3 ubiquitin ligases, known as RNF20 and RNF40, monoubiquitinates histone H2A at K119 or H2B at K120, is known to function in transcriptional elongation, DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair processes, maintenance of chromatin differentiation, and exerting tumor suppressor activity. RNF20 is somatically altered in breast, lung, prostate cancer, clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), and mixed lineage leukemia, and its reduced expression is a key factor in initiating genome instability; and it also functions as one of the significant driving factors of oncogenesis. Loss of RNF20/40 and H2B monoubiquitination (H2Bub1) is found in several cancers and is linked to an aggressive phenotype, and is also an indicator of poor prognosis. In this review, we summarized the current knowledge of RNF20 in chronic inflammation-driven cancers, DNA DSBs, and apoptosis, and its impact on chromatin structure beyond the single nucleosome level.
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31
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Nagarajan S, Bedi U, Budida A, Hamdan FH, Mishra VK, Najafova Z, Xie W, Alawi M, Indenbirken D, Knapp S, Chiang CM, Grundhoff A, Kari V, Scheel CH, Wegwitz F, Johnsen SA. BRD4 promotes p63 and GRHL3 expression downstream of FOXO in mammary epithelial cells. Nucleic Acids Res 2017; 45:3130-3145. [PMID: 27980063 PMCID: PMC5389510 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkw1276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2016] [Accepted: 12/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) is a member of the bromo- and extraterminal (BET) domain-containing family of epigenetic readers which is under intensive investigation as a target for anti-tumor therapy. BRD4 plays a central role in promoting the expression of select subsets of genes including many driven by oncogenic transcription factors and signaling pathways. However, the role of BRD4 and the effects of BET inhibitors in non-transformed cells remain mostly unclear. We demonstrate that BRD4 is required for the maintenance of a basal epithelial phenotype by regulating the expression of epithelial-specific genes including TP63 and Grainy Head-like transcription factor-3 (GRHL3) in non-transformed basal-like mammary epithelial cells. Moreover, BRD4 occupancy correlates with enhancer activity and enhancer RNA (eRNA) transcription. Motif analyses of cell context-specific BRD4-enriched regions predicted the involvement of FOXO transcription factors. Consistently, activation of FOXO1 function via inhibition of EGFR-AKT signaling promoted the expression of TP63 and GRHL3. Moreover, activation of Src kinase signaling and FOXO1 inhibition decreased the expression of FOXO/BRD4 target genes. Together, our findings support a function for BRD4 in promoting basal mammary cell epithelial differentiation, at least in part, by regulating FOXO factor function on enhancers to activate TP63 and GRHL3 expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sankari Nagarajan
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Upasana Bedi
- Institute of Molecular Oncology, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.,Institute of Tumor Biology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Anusha Budida
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Feda H Hamdan
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Vivek Kumar Mishra
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Zeynab Najafova
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Wanhua Xie
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Malik Alawi
- Bioinformatics Core, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20251 Hamburg, Germany.,Heinrich-Pette-Institute, Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, 20251 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Daniela Indenbirken
- Heinrich-Pette-Institute, Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, 20251 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Knapp
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK.,Target Discovery Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK.,Institute for Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt 60323, Germany
| | - Cheng-Ming Chiang
- University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, Dallas, TX 75235, USA
| | - Adam Grundhoff
- Heinrich-Pette-Institute, Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, 20251 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Vijayalakshmi Kari
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Christina H Scheel
- Institute of Stem Cell Research, Helmholtz Center for Health and Environmental Research Munich, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Florian Wegwitz
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Steven A Johnsen
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
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32
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Dickson KA, Cole AJ, Gill AJ, Clarkson A, Gard GB, Chou A, Kennedy CJ, Henderson BR, Fereday S, Traficante N, Alsop K, Bowtell DD, deFazio A, Clifton-Bligh R, Marsh DJ. The RING finger domain E3 ubiquitin ligases BRCA1 and the RNF20/RNF40 complex in global loss of the chromatin mark histone H2B monoubiquitination (H2Bub1) in cell line models and primary high-grade serous ovarian cancer. Hum Mol Genet 2017; 25:5460-5471. [PMID: 27798111 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddw362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2016] [Accepted: 10/18/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Enzymatic factors driving cancer-associated chromatin remodelling are of increasing interest as the role of the cancer epigenome in gene expression and DNA repair processes becomes elucidated. Monoubiquitination of histone H2B at lysine 120 (H2Bub1) is a central histone modification that functions in histone cross-talk, transcriptional elongation, DNA repair, maintaining centromeric chromatin and replication-dependent histone mRNA 3'-end processing, as well as being required for the differentiation of stem cells. The loss of global H2Bub1 is seen in a number of aggressive malignancies and has been linked to tumour progression and/or a poorer prognosis in some cancers. Here, we analyse a large cohort of high-grade serous ovarian cancers (HGSOC) and show loss of global H2Bub1 in 77% (313 of 407) of tumours. Loss of H2Bub1 was seen at all stages (I-IV) of HGSOC, indicating it is a relatively early epigenomic event in this aggressive malignancy. Manipulation of key H2Bub1 E3 ubiquitin ligases, RNF20, RNF40 and BRCA1, in ovarian cancer cell line models modulated H2Bub1 levels, indicative of the role of these RING finger ligases in monoubiquitination of H2Bub1 in vitro. However, in primary HGSOC, loss of RNF20 protein expression was identified in just 6% of tumours (26 of 424) and did not correlate with global H2Bub1 loss. Similarly, germline mutation of BRCA1 did not show a correlation with the global H2Bub1 loss. We conclude that the regulation of tumour-associated H2Bub1 levels is complex. Aberrant expression of alternative histone-associated 'writer' or 'eraser' enzymes are likely responsible for the global loss of H2Bub1 seen in HGSOC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristie-Ann Dickson
- Hormones and Cancer Group, Kolling Institute of Medical Research, Royal North Shore Hosptial, University of Sydney, St Leonards, NSW, Australia
| | - Alexander J Cole
- Hormones and Cancer Group, Kolling Institute of Medical Research, Royal North Shore Hosptial, University of Sydney, St Leonards, NSW, Australia
| | - Anthony J Gill
- Department of Anatomical Pathology, Royal North Shore Hospital, University of Sydney, Sydney NSW, and Cancer Diagnosis and Pathology Research Group, Kolling Institute of Medical Research, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, NSW, Australia
| | - Adele Clarkson
- Department of Anatomical Pathology, Royal North Shore Hospital, University of Sydney, Sydney NSW, and Cancer Diagnosis and Pathology Research Group, Kolling Institute of Medical Research, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, NSW, Australia
| | - Gregory B Gard
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, NSW, Australia
| | - Angela Chou
- Department of Anatomical Pathology, SYDPATH, St Vincents Hospitals, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
| | - Catherine J Kennedy
- Department of Gynaecological Oncology, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, NSW, Australia.,Centre for Cancer Research, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, The University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW, Australia
| | - Beric R Henderson
- Centre for Cancer Research, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, The University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Sian Fereday
- Cancer Genomics Program, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Nadia Traficante
- Cancer Genomics Program, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kathryn Alsop
- Cancer Genomics Program, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - David D Bowtell
- Cancer Genomics Program, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,The Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and.,The Kinghorn Cancer Centre and Garvan Institute, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
| | - Anna deFazio
- Department of Gynaecological Oncology, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, NSW, Australia.,Centre for Cancer Research, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, The University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW, Australia
| | - Roderick Clifton-Bligh
- Hormones and Cancer Group, Kolling Institute of Medical Research, Royal North Shore Hosptial, University of Sydney, St Leonards, NSW, Australia
| | - Deborah J Marsh
- Hormones and Cancer Group, Kolling Institute of Medical Research, Royal North Shore Hosptial, University of Sydney, St Leonards, NSW, Australia
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33
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Zhang K, Wang J, Tong TR, Wu X, Nelson R, Yuan YC, Reno T, Liu Z, Yun X, Kim JY, Salgia R, Raz DJ. Loss of H2B monoubiquitination is associated with poor-differentiation and enhanced malignancy of lung adenocarcinoma. Int J Cancer 2017; 141:766-777. [PMID: 28481029 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.30769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2016] [Revised: 03/04/2017] [Accepted: 04/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Deregulated monoubiquitination of histone H2B (H2Bub1), mainly catalyzed by E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase RNF20/RNF40 complex, may play an important role in cancer. Here we investigate potential roles of H2Bub1 and the underlying mechanisms through which it contributes to cancer development and progression in lung adenocarcinoma. We show that downregulation of H2Bub1 through RNF20 knockdown dramatically decreases H3K79 and H3K4 trimethylation in both normal and malignant lung epithelial cell lines. Concurrently, global transcriptional profiling analysis reveals that multiple tumor-associated genes such as CCND3, E2F1/2, HOXA1, Bcl2 modifying factor (BMF), Met, and Myc; and signaling pathways of cellular dedifferentiation, proliferation, adhesion, survival including p53, cadherin, Myc, and anti-apoptotic pathways are differentially expressed or significantly altered in these lung epithelial cells upon downregulation of H2Bub1. Moreover, RNF20 knockdown dramatically suppresses terminal squamous differentiation of cultured bronchial epithelial cells, and significantly enhances proliferation, migration, invasion, and cisplatin resistance of lung cancer cells. Furthermore, immunohistochemistry analysis shows that H2Bub1 is extremely low or undetectable in >70% of 170 lung adenocarcinoma samples. Notably, statistical analysis demonstrates that loss of H2Bub1 is significantly correlated with poor differentiation in lung adenocarcinoma (p = 0.0134). In addition, patients with H2Bub1-negative cancers had a trend towards shorter survival compared with patients with H2Bub1-positive cancers. Taken together, our findings suggest that loss of H2Bub1 may enhance malignancy and promote disease progression in lung adenocarcinoma probably through modulating multiple cancer signaling pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keqiang Zhang
- Division of Thoracic Surgery, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA
| | - Jinhui Wang
- The Integrative Genomics Core Lab of Department of Molecular Medicine, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA
| | - Tommy R Tong
- Department of Pathology, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA
| | - Xiwei Wu
- The Integrative Genomics Core Lab of Department of Molecular Medicine, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA
| | - Rebecca Nelson
- Division of Biostatistics, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA
| | - Yate-Ching Yuan
- The Bioinformatics Core lab of Department of Molecular Medicine, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA
| | - Theresa Reno
- Division of Thoracic Surgery, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA
| | - Zheng Liu
- Division of Biostatistics, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA
| | - Xinwei Yun
- Division of Thoracic Surgery, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA
| | - Jae Y Kim
- Division of Thoracic Surgery, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA
| | - Ravi Salgia
- Department of Medical Oncology & Therapeutics Research, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA
| | - Dan J Raz
- Division of Thoracic Surgery, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA
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34
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Mishra VK, Subramaniam M, Kari V, Pitel KS, Baumgart SJ, Naylor RM, Nagarajan S, Wegwitz F, Ellenrieder V, Hawse JR, Johnsen SA. Krüppel-like Transcription Factor KLF10 Suppresses TGFβ-Induced Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition via a Negative Feedback Mechanism. Cancer Res 2017; 77:2387-2400. [PMID: 28249899 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-16-2589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2016] [Revised: 10/24/2016] [Accepted: 02/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
TGFβ-SMAD signaling exerts a contextual effect that suppresses malignant growth early in epithelial tumorigenesis but promotes metastasis at later stages. Longstanding challenges in resolving this functional dichotomy may uncover new strategies to treat advanced carcinomas. The Krüppel-like transcription factor, KLF10, is a pivotal effector of TGFβ/SMAD signaling that mediates antiproliferative effects of TGFβ. In this study, we show how KLF10 opposes the prometastatic effects of TGFβ by limiting its ability to induce epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). KLF10 depletion accentuated induction of EMT as assessed by multiple metrics. KLF10 occupied GC-rich sequences in the promoter region of the EMT-promoting transcription factor SLUG/SNAI2, repressing its transcription by recruiting HDAC1 and licensing the removal of activating histone acetylation marks. In clinical specimens of lung adenocarcinoma, low KLF10 expression associated with decreased patient survival, consistent with a pivotal role for KLF10 in distinguishing the antiproliferative versus prometastatic functions of TGFβ. Our results establish that KLF10 functions to suppress TGFβ-induced EMT, establishing a molecular basis for the dichotomy of TGFβ function during tumor progression. Cancer Res; 77(9); 2387-400. ©2017 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivek Kumar Mishra
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | | | - Vijayalakshmi Kari
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Kevin S Pitel
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - Simon J Baumgart
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ryan M Naylor
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - Sankari Nagarajan
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Florian Wegwitz
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Volker Ellenrieder
- Department of Gastroenterology and Gastrointestinal Oncology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - John R Hawse
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.
| | - Steven A Johnsen
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, Göttingen, Germany.
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35
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Xie W, Nagarajan S, Baumgart SJ, Kosinsky RL, Najafova Z, Kari V, Hennion M, Indenbirken D, Bonn S, Grundhoff A, Wegwitz F, Mansouri A, Johnsen SA. RNF40 regulates gene expression in an epigenetic context-dependent manner. Genome Biol 2017; 18:32. [PMID: 28209164 PMCID: PMC5314486 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-017-1159-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2016] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Monoubiquitination of H2B (H2Bub1) is a largely enigmatic histone modification that has been linked to transcriptional elongation. Because of this association, it has been commonly assumed that H2Bub1 is an exclusively positively acting histone modification and that increased H2Bub1 occupancy correlates with increased gene expression. In contrast, depletion of the H2B ubiquitin ligases RNF20 or RNF40 alters the expression of only a subset of genes. Results Using conditional Rnf40 knockout mouse embryo fibroblasts, we show that genes occupied by low to moderate amounts of H2Bub1 are selectively regulated in response to Rnf40 deletion, whereas genes marked by high levels of H2Bub1 are mostly unaffected by Rnf40 loss. Furthermore, we find that decreased expression of RNF40-dependent genes is highly associated with widespread narrowing of H3K4me3 peaks. H2Bub1 promotes the broadening of H3K4me3 to increase transcriptional elongation, which together lead to increased tissue-specific gene transcription. Notably, genes upregulated following Rnf40 deletion, including Foxl2, are enriched for H3K27me3, which is decreased following Rnf40 deletion due to decreased expression of the Ezh2 gene. As a consequence, increased expression of some RNF40-“suppressed” genes is associated with enhancer activation via FOXL2. Conclusion Together these findings reveal the complexity and context-dependency whereby one histone modification can have divergent effects on gene transcription. Furthermore, we show that these effects are dependent upon the activity of other epigenetic regulatory proteins and histone modifications. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13059-017-1159-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanhua Xie
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Sankari Nagarajan
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Simon J Baumgart
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Robyn Laura Kosinsky
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Zeynab Najafova
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Vijayalakshmi Kari
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Magali Hennion
- Research Group for Computational Systems Biology, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Griesebachstraße 5, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Daniela Indenbirken
- Heinrich Pette Institute, Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, 20251, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Bonn
- Research Group for Computational Systems Biology, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Griesebachstraße 5, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Adam Grundhoff
- Heinrich Pette Institute, Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, 20251, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Florian Wegwitz
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ahmed Mansouri
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Max-Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Fassberg, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, University of Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Strasse 40, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Steven A Johnsen
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
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36
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RNF20 and histone H2B ubiquitylation exert opposing effects in Basal-Like versus luminal breast cancer. Cell Death Differ 2017; 24:694-704. [PMID: 28157208 DOI: 10.1038/cdd.2016.126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2016] [Revised: 09/28/2016] [Accepted: 10/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer subtypes display distinct biological traits that influence their clinical behavior and response to therapy. Recent studies have highlighted the importance of chromatin structure regulators in tumorigenesis. The RNF20-RNF40 E3 ubiquitin ligase complex monoubiquitylates histone H2B to generate H2Bub1, while the deubiquitinase (DUB) USP44 can remove this modification. We found that RNF20 and RNF40 expression and global H2Bub1 are relatively low, and USP44 expression is relatively high, in basal-like breast tumors compared with luminal tumors. Consistent with a tumor-suppressive role, silencing of RNF20 in basal-like breast cancer cells increased their proliferation and migration, and their tumorigenicity and metastatic capacity, partly through upregulation of inflammatory cytokines. In contrast, in luminal breast cancer cells, RNF20 silencing reduced proliferation, migration and tumorigenic and metastatic capacity, and compromised estrogen receptor transcriptional activity, indicating a tumor-promoting role. Notably, the effects of USP44 silencing on proliferation and migration in both cancer subtypes were opposite to those of RNF20 silencing. Hence, RNF20 and H2Bub1 have contrasting roles in distinct breast cancer subtypes, through differential regulation of key transcriptional programs underpinning the distinctive traits of each subtype.
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37
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Waks Z, Weissbrod O, Carmeli B, Norel R, Utro F, Goldschmidt Y. Driver gene classification reveals a substantial overrepresentation of tumor suppressors among very large chromatin-regulating proteins. Sci Rep 2016; 6:38988. [PMID: 28008934 PMCID: PMC5180091 DOI: 10.1038/srep38988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2016] [Accepted: 11/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Compiling a comprehensive list of cancer driver genes is imperative for oncology diagnostics and drug development. While driver genes are typically discovered by analysis of tumor genomes, infrequently mutated driver genes often evade detection due to limited sample sizes. Here, we address sample size limitations by integrating tumor genomics data with a wide spectrum of gene-specific properties to search for rare drivers, functionally classify them, and detect features characteristic of driver genes. We show that our approach, CAnceR geNe similarity-based Annotator and Finder (CARNAF), enables detection of potentially novel drivers that eluded over a dozen pan-cancer/multi-tumor type studies. In particular, feature analysis reveals a highly concentrated pool of known and putative tumor suppressors among the <1% of genes that encode very large, chromatin-regulating proteins. Thus, our study highlights the need for deeper characterization of very large, epigenetic regulators in the context of cancer causality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeev Waks
- Machine Learning for Healthcare and Life Sciences, IBM Research - Haifa, Mount Carmel Campus, Israel
| | - Omer Weissbrod
- Machine Learning for Healthcare and Life Sciences, IBM Research - Haifa, Mount Carmel Campus, Israel
| | - Boaz Carmeli
- Machine Learning for Healthcare and Life Sciences, IBM Research - Haifa, Mount Carmel Campus, Israel
| | - Raquel Norel
- Computational Biology Center, IBM T. J. Watson Research, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598, USA
| | - Filippo Utro
- Computational Biology Center, IBM T. J. Watson Research, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598, USA
| | - Yaara Goldschmidt
- Machine Learning for Healthcare and Life Sciences, IBM Research - Haifa, Mount Carmel Campus, Israel
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38
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Segala G, Bennesch M, Pandey D, Hulo N, Picard D. Monoubiquitination of Histone H2B Blocks Eviction of Histone Variant H2A.Z from Inducible Enhancers. Mol Cell 2016; 64:334-346. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2016.08.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2016] [Revised: 07/22/2016] [Accepted: 08/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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39
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Hossan T, Nagarajan S, Baumgart SJ, Xie W, Magallanes RT, Hernandez C, Chiaroni PM, Indenbirken D, Spitzner M, Thomas-Chollier M, Grade M, Thieffry D, Grundhoff A, Wegwitz F, Johnsen SA. Histone Chaperone SSRP1 is Essential for Wnt Signaling Pathway Activity During Osteoblast Differentiation. Stem Cells 2016; 34:1369-76. [PMID: 27146025 DOI: 10.1002/stem.2287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2015] [Accepted: 11/12/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Cellular differentiation is accompanied by dramatic changes in chromatin structure which direct the activation of lineage-specific transcriptional programs. Structure-specific recognition protein-1 (SSRP1) is a histone chaperone which is important for chromatin-associated processes such as transcription, DNA replication and repair. Since the function of SSRP1 during cell differentiation remains unclear, we investigated its potential role in controlling lineage determination. Depletion of SSRP1 in human mesenchymal stem cells elicited lineage-specific effects by increasing expression of adipocyte-specific genes and decreasing the expression of osteoblast-specific genes. Consistent with a role in controlling lineage specification, transcriptome-wide RNA-sequencing following SSRP1 depletion and the induction of osteoblast differentiation revealed a specific decrease in the expression of genes involved in biological processes related to osteoblast differentiation. Importantly, we observed a specific downregulation of target genes of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway, which was accompanied by decreased nuclear localization of active β-catenin. Together our data uncover a previously unknown role for SSRP1 in promoting the activation of the Wnt signaling pathway activity during cellular differentiation. Stem Cells 2016;34:1369-1376.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tareq Hossan
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Sankari Nagarajan
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Simon J Baumgart
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Wanhua Xie
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Roberto Tirado Magallanes
- Computational Systems Biology Team, Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), CNRS, Inserm, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Céline Hernandez
- Computational Systems Biology Team, Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), CNRS, Inserm, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Pierre-Marie Chiaroni
- Computational Systems Biology Team, Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), CNRS, Inserm, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Daniela Indenbirken
- Heinrich Pette Institute, Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Melanie Spitzner
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Morgane Thomas-Chollier
- Computational Systems Biology Team, Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), CNRS, Inserm, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Marian Grade
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Denis Thieffry
- Computational Systems Biology Team, Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), CNRS, Inserm, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Adam Grundhoff
- Heinrich Pette Institute, Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Florian Wegwitz
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Steven A Johnsen
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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40
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Tarcic O, Pateras IS, Cooks T, Shema E, Kanterman J, Ashkenazi H, Boocholez H, Hubert A, Rotkopf R, Baniyash M, Pikarsky E, Gorgoulis VG, Oren M. RNF20 Links Histone H2B Ubiquitylation with Inflammation and Inflammation-Associated Cancer. Cell Rep 2016; 14:1462-1476. [PMID: 26854224 PMCID: PMC4761112 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.01.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2015] [Revised: 11/24/2015] [Accepted: 01/01/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Factors linking inflammation and cancer are of great interest. We now report that the chromatin-targeting E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF20/RNF40, driving histone H2B monoubiquitylation (H2Bub1), modulates inflammation and inflammation-associated cancer in mice and humans. Downregulation of RNF20 and H2Bub1 favors recruitment of p65-containing nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) dimers over repressive p50 homodimers and decreases the heterochromatin mark H3K9me3 on a subset of NF-κB target genes to augment their transcription. Concordantly, RNF20(+/-) mice are predisposed to acute and chronic colonic inflammation and inflammation-associated colorectal cancer, with excessive myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) that may quench antitumoral T cell activity. Notably, colons of human ulcerative colitis patients, as well as colorectal tumors, reveal downregulation of RNF20/RNF40 and H2Bub1 in both epithelium and stroma, supporting the clinical relevance of our tissue culture and mouse model findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ohad Tarcic
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, The Weizmann Institute, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Ioannis S Pateras
- Molecular Carcinogenesis Group, Department of Histology-Embryology, School of Medicine, University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Tomer Cooks
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, The Weizmann Institute, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Efrat Shema
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, The Weizmann Institute, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Julia Kanterman
- The Lautenberg Center for General and Tumor Immunology, Israel-Canada Medical Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
| | - Hadas Ashkenazi
- The Lautenberg Center for General and Tumor Immunology, Israel-Canada Medical Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
| | - Hana Boocholez
- The Lautenberg Center for General and Tumor Immunology, Israel-Canada Medical Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
| | - Ayala Hubert
- Sharett Institute of Oncology, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
| | - Ron Rotkopf
- Department of Biological Services, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Michal Baniyash
- The Lautenberg Center for General and Tumor Immunology, Israel-Canada Medical Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
| | - Eli Pikarsky
- Department of Immunology and Cancer Research, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem 91120, Israel; Department of Pathology, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
| | - Vassilis G Gorgoulis
- Molecular Carcinogenesis Group, Department of Histology-Embryology, School of Medicine, University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece; Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece; Faculty Institute for Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester M13 9WL, UK
| | - Moshe Oren
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, The Weizmann Institute, Rehovot 7610001, Israel.
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Nagarajan S, Benito E, Fischer A, Johnsen SA. H4K12ac is regulated by estrogen receptor-alpha and is associated with BRD4 function and inducible transcription. Oncotarget 2016; 6:7305-17. [PMID: 25788266 PMCID: PMC4466686 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.3439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2014] [Accepted: 01/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Hormone-dependent gene expression requires dynamic and coordinated epigenetic changes. Estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer is particularly dependent upon extensive chromatin remodeling and changes in histone modifications for the induction of hormone-responsive gene expression. Our previous studies established an important role of bromodomain-containing protein-4 (BRD4) in promoting estrogen-regulated transcription and proliferation of ER+ breast cancer cells. Here, we investigated the association between genome-wide occupancy of histone H4 acetylation at lysine 12 (H4K12ac) and BRD4 in the context of estrogen-induced transcription. Similar to BRD4, we observed that H4K12ac occupancy increases near the transcription start sites (TSS) of estrogen-induced genes as well as at distal ERα binding sites in an estrogen-dependent manner. Interestingly, H4K12ac occupancy highly correlates with BRD4 binding and enhancer RNA production on ERα-positive enhancers. Consistent with an importance in estrogen-induced gene transcription, H4K12ac occupancy globally increased in ER-positive cells relative to ER-negative cells and these levels were further increased by estrogen treatment in an ERα-dependent manner. Together, these findings reveal a strong correlation between H4K12ac and BRD4 occupancy with estrogen-dependent gene transcription and further suggest that modulators of H4K12ac and BRD4 may serve as new therapeutic targets for hormone-dependent cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sankari Nagarajan
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Eva Benito
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Andre Fischer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.,Research Group for Epigenetics in Neurodegenerative Diseases, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Steven A Johnsen
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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42
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Brabrand S, Johannessen B, Axcrona U, Kraggerud SM, Berg KG, Bakken AC, Bruun J, Fosså SD, Lothe RA, Lehne G, Skotheim RI. Exome sequencing of bilateral testicular germ cell tumors suggests independent development lineages. Neoplasia 2015; 17:167-74. [PMID: 25748235 PMCID: PMC4351294 DOI: 10.1016/j.neo.2014.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2014] [Accepted: 12/08/2014] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Intratubular germ cell neoplasia, the precursor of testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs), is hypothesized to arise during embryogenesis from developmentally arrested primordial germ cells (PGCs) or gonocytes. In early embryonal life, the PGCs migrate from the yolk sac to the dorsal body wall where the cell population separates before colonizing the genital ridges. However, whether the malignant transformation takes place before or after this separation is controversial. We have explored the somatic exome-wide mutational spectra of bilateral TGCT to provide novel insight into the in utero critical time frame of malignant transformation and TGCT pathogenesis. Exome sequencing was performed in five patients with bilateral TGCT (eight tumors), of these three patients in whom both tumors were available (six tumors) and two patients each with only one available tumor (two tumors). Selected loci were explored by Sanger sequencing in 71 patients with bilateral TGCT. From the exome-wide mutational spectra, no identical mutations in any of the three bilateral tumor pairs were identified. Exome sequencing of all eight tumors revealed 87 somatic non-synonymous mutations (median 10 per tumor; range 5-21), some in already known cancer genes such as CIITA, NEB, platelet-derived growth factor receptor α (PDGFRA), and WHSC1. SUPT6H was found recurrently mutated in two tumors. We suggest independent development lineages of bilateral TGCT. Thus, malignant transformation into intratubular germ cell neoplasia is likely to occur after the migration of PGCs. We reveal possible drivers of TGCT pathogenesis, such as mutated PDGFRA, potentially with therapeutic implications for TGCT patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sigmund Brabrand
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Institute for Cancer Research, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Bjarne Johannessen
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Institute for Cancer Research, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ulrika Axcrona
- Department of Pathology, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Sigrid M Kraggerud
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Institute for Cancer Research, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Kaja G Berg
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Institute for Cancer Research, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anne C Bakken
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Institute for Cancer Research, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Jarle Bruun
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Institute for Cancer Research, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Sophie D Fosså
- Department of Oncology, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ragnhild A Lothe
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Institute for Cancer Research, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Gustav Lehne
- Department of Oncology, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Rolf I Skotheim
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Institute for Cancer Research, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
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43
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Nagarajan S, Hossan T, Alawi M, Najafova Z, Indenbirken D, Bedi U, Taipaleenmäki H, Ben-Batalla I, Scheller M, Loges S, Knapp S, Hesse E, Chiang CM, Grundhoff A, Johnsen SA. Bromodomain protein BRD4 is required for estrogen receptor-dependent enhancer activation and gene transcription. Cell Rep 2014; 8:460-9. [PMID: 25017071 PMCID: PMC4747248 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2014.06.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2014] [Revised: 05/13/2014] [Accepted: 06/11/2014] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The estrogen receptor α (ERα) controls cell proliferation and tumorigenesis by recruiting various cofactors to estrogen response elements (EREs) to control gene transcription. A deeper understanding of these transcriptional mechanisms may uncover therapeutic targets for ERα-dependent cancers. We show that BRD4 regulates ERα-induced gene expression by affecting elongation-associated phosphorylation of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) and histone H2B monoubiquitination. Consistently, BRD4 activity is required for proliferation of ER(+) breast and endometrial cancer cells and uterine growth in mice. Genome-wide studies revealed an enrichment of BRD4 on transcriptional start sites of active genes and a requirement of BRD4 for H2B monoubiquitination in the transcribed region of estrogen-responsive genes. Importantly, we demonstrate that BRD4 occupancy on distal EREs enriched for H3K27ac is required for recruitment and elongation of RNAPII on EREs and the production of ERα-dependent enhancer RNAs. These results uncover BRD4 as a central regulator of ERα function and potential therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sankari Nagarajan
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; Institute for Molecular Oncology, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany; Institute for Tumor Biology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Tareq Hossan
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; Institute for Tumor Biology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Malik Alawi
- Bioinformatics Service Facility, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany; Heinrich Pette Institute, Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, 20251 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Zeynab Najafova
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; Institute for Molecular Oncology, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany; Institute for Tumor Biology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Daniela Indenbirken
- Heinrich Pette Institute, Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, 20251 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Upasana Bedi
- Institute for Molecular Oncology, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany; Institute for Tumor Biology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Hanna Taipaleenmäki
- Heisenberg-Group for Molecular Skeletal Biology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Isabel Ben-Batalla
- Institute for Tumor Biology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany; Department of Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Marina Scheller
- Institute for Tumor Biology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany; Department of Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sonja Loges
- Institute for Tumor Biology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany; Department of Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Knapp
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK; Target Discovery Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Eric Hesse
- Heisenberg-Group for Molecular Skeletal Biology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Cheng-Ming Chiang
- University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390-8807, USA
| | - Adam Grundhoff
- Heinrich Pette Institute, Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, 20251 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Steven A Johnsen
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; Institute for Molecular Oncology, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany; Institute for Tumor Biology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.
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44
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Bedi U, Mishra VK, Wasilewski D, Scheel C, Johnsen SA. Epigenetic plasticity: a central regulator of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in cancer. Oncotarget 2014; 5:2016-29. [PMID: 24840099 PMCID: PMC4039141 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.1875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2014] [Accepted: 03/27/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumor metastasis is the major cause of mortality and morbidity in most solid cancers. A growing body of evidence suggests that the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a central role during tumor metastasis and frequently imparts a stem cell-like phenotype and therapeutic resistance to tumor cells. The induction of EMT is accompanied by a dynamic reprogramming of the epigenome involving changes in DNA methylation and several post-translational histone modifications. These changes in turn promote the expression of mesenchymal genes or repress those associated with an epithelial phenotype. Importantly, in order for metastatic colonization and the formation of macrometastases to occur, tumor cells frequently undergo a reversal of EMT referred to as the mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET). Thus, a high degree of epigenetic plasticity is required in order to induce and reverse EMT during tumor progression. In this review, we describe various epigenetic regulatory mechanisms employed by tumor cells during EMT and elaborate on the importance of the histone code in controlling both the expression and activity of EMT-associated transcription factors. We propose that a more thorough understanding of the epigenetic mechanisms controlling EMT may provide new opportunities which may be harnessed for improved and individualized cancer therapy based on defined molecular mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Upasana Bedi
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Steven A Johnsen
- ²Department of Tumor Biology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany
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