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Wang K, Bhattacharya A, Haratake N, Daimon T, Nakashoji A, Ozawa H, Peng B, Li W, Kufe D. XIST and MUC1-C form an auto-regulatory pathway in driving cancer progression. Cell Death Dis 2024; 15:330. [PMID: 38740827 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-024-06684-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
The long non-coding RNA X-inactive specific transcript (lncRNA XIST) and MUC1 gene are dysregulated in chronic inflammation and cancer; however, there is no known interaction of their functions. The present studies demonstrate that MUC1-C regulates XIST lncRNA levels by suppressing the RBM15/B, WTAP and METTL3/14 components of the m6A methylation complex that associate with XIST A repeats. MUC1-C also suppresses the YTHDF2-CNOT1 deadenylase complex that recognizes m6A sites and contributes to XIST decay with increases in XIST stability and expression. In support of an auto-regulatory pathway, we show that XIST regulates MUC1-C expression by promoting NF-κB-mediated activation of the MUC1 gene. Of significance, MUC1-C and XIST regulate common genes associated with inflammation and stemness, including (i) miR-21 which is upregulated across pan-cancers, and (ii) TDP-43 which associates with the XIST E repeats. Our results further demonstrate that the MUC1-C/XIST pathway (i) is regulated by TDP-43, (ii) drives stemness-associated genes, and (iii) is necessary for self-renewal capacity. These findings indicate that the MUC1-C/XIST auto-regulatory axis is of importance in cancer progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keyi Wang
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Naoki Haratake
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Tatsuaki Daimon
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ayako Nakashoji
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hiroki Ozawa
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Bo Peng
- Department of Urology, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei Li
- Department of Urology, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Donald Kufe
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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Nakashoji A, Haratake N, Bhattacharya A, Mao W, Xu K, Wang K, Daimon T, Ozawa H, Shigeta K, Fushimi A, Yamashita N, Morimoto Y, Shimokawa M, Saito S, Egloff AM, Uppaluri R, Long MD, Kufe D. IDENTIFICATION OF MUC1-C AS A TARGET FOR SUPPRESSING PROGRESSION OF HEAD AND NECK SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMAS. CANCER RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS 2024:743032. [PMID: 38619287 DOI: 10.1158/2767-9764.crc-24-0011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
The MUC1-C protein is aberrantly expressed in adenocarcinomas of epithelial barrier tissues and contributes to their progression. Less is known about involvement of MUC1-C in the pathogenesis of squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). Here, we report that the MUC1 gene is upregulated in advanced head and neck SCCs (HNSCCs). Studies of HNSCC cell lines demonstrate that the MUC1-C subunit regulates expression of (i) RIG-I and MDA5 pattern recognition receptors, (ii) STAT1 and interferon (IFN) regulatory factors, and (iii) downstream IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs). MUC1-C integrates chronic activation of the STAT1 inflammatory pathway with induction of the ∆Np63 and SOX2 genes that are aberrantly expressed in HNSCCs. In extending those dependencies, we demonstrate that MUC1-C is necessary for NOTCH3 expression, self-renewal capacity and tumorigenicity. The findings that MUC1 associates with ∆Np63, SOX2 and NOTCH3 expression by scRNA-seq analysis further indicate that MUC1-C drives the HNSCC stem cell state and is a target for suppressing HNSCC progression.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Naoki Haratake
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | | | - Weipu Mao
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Kangjie Xu
- Binhai County People's Hospital, Yancheng, China
| | - Keyi Wang
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Tatsuaki Daimon
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Hiroki Ozawa
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Keisuke Shigeta
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Atsushi Fushimi
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Nami Yamashita
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | | | | | - Shin Saito
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States
| | | | - Ravindra Uppaluri
- Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Mark D Long
- Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, United States
| | - Donald Kufe
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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Daimon T, Bhattacharya A, Wang K, Haratake N, Nakashoji A, Ozawa H, Morimoto Y, Yamashita N, Kosaka T, Oya M, Kufe DW. MUC1-C is a target of salinomycin in inducing ferroptosis of cancer stem cells. Cell Death Discov 2024; 10:9. [PMID: 38182558 PMCID: PMC10770371 DOI: 10.1038/s41420-023-01772-9] [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: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2024] Open
Abstract
The oncogenic MUC1-C transmembrane protein is a critical effector of the cancer stem cell (CSC) state. Addiction to MUC1-C for self-renewal in the progression of human cancers has emphasized the need for development of anti-MUC1-C agents. However, there are presently no approved small molecules for targeting MUC1-C-dependent CSCs. In screening for small molecules, we identified salinomycin (SAL), an inducer of ferroptosis, as a potent inhibitor of MUC1-C signaling. We demonstrate that SAL suppresses MUC1-C expression by disrupting a NF-κB/MUC1-C auto-inductive circuit that is necessary for ferroptosis resistance. Our results show that SAL-induced MUC1-C suppression downregulates a MUC1-C→MYC pathway that activates genes encoding (i) glutathione-disulfide reductase (GSR), and (ii) the LDL receptor related protein 8 (LRP8), which inhibit ferroptosis by generating GSH and regulating selenium levels, respectively. GSR and LRP8 contribute to the function of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), an essential negative regulator of ferroptotic cell death. We demonstrate that targeting MUC1-C genetically or with the GO-203 peptide inhibitor suppresses GPX4 expression and GPX activity in association with the induction of ferroptosis. Studies of CSCs enriched by serial passage as tumorspheres further demonstrate that the effects of SAL are mediated by downregulation of MUC1-C and thereby overcoming resistance to ferroptosis. As confirmation of these results, rescue of MUC1-C downregulation with the MUC1-C cytoplasmic domain (i) reversed the suppression of GSR, LRP8 and GPX4 expression, and (ii) attenuated the induction of ferroptosis. These findings identify SAL as a unique small molecule inhibitor of MUC1-C signaling and demonstrate that MUC1-C is an important effector of resistance to ferroptosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsuaki Daimon
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Keyi Wang
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Naoki Haratake
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ayako Nakashoji
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hiroki Ozawa
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yoshihiro Morimoto
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Kinan Hospital, Wakayama, Japan
| | - Nami Yamashita
- Breast Surgical Oncology, Breast Oncology Center, The Cancer Institute Hospital of the JFCR, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takeo Kosaka
- Department of Urology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mototsugu Oya
- Department of Urology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Donald W Kufe
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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Zhang E, Chen Z, Liu W, Lin L, Wu L, Guan J, Wang J, Kong C, Bi J, Zhang M. NCAPG2 promotes prostate cancer malignancy and stemness via STAT3/c-MYC signaling. J Transl Med 2024; 22:12. [PMID: 38166947 PMCID: PMC10763290 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-023-04834-9] [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: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men worldwide, and its incidence has risen substantially in recent years. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify novel biomarkers and precise therapeutic targets for managing PCa progression and recurrence. METHODS We investigated the clinical significance of NCAPG2 in PCa by exploring public datasets and our tissue microarray. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and survival analyses were performed to evaluate the correlation between NCAPG2 and PCa progression. Cell proliferation, wound healing, transwell, flow cytometry, cell cycle, tumor sphere formation, immunofluorescence (IF), co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP), and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays were conducted to further elucidate the molecular mechanism of NCAPG2 in PCa. Subcutaneous and orthotopic xenograft models were applied to investigate the effects of NCAPG2 on PCa proliferation in vivo. Tandem mass tag (TMT) quantitative proteomics was utilized to detect proteomic changes under NCAPG2 overexpression. RESULTS NCAPG2 was significantly upregulated in PCa, and its overexpression was associated with PCa progression and unfavorable prognosis. Knockdown of NCAPG2 inhibited the malignant behavior of PCa cells, whereas its overexpression promoted PCa aggressiveness. NCAPG2 depletion attenuated the development and growth of PCa in vivo. TMT quantitative proteomics analyses indicated that c-MYC activity was strongly correlated with NCAPG2 expression. The malignancy-promoting effect of NCAPG2 in PCa was mediated via c-MYC. NCAPG2 could directly bind to STAT3 and induce STAT3 occupancy on the MYC promoter, thus to transcriptionally activate c-MYC expression. Finally, we identified that NCAPG2 was positively correlated with cancer stem cell (CSC) markers and enhanced self-renewal capacity of PCa cells. CONCLUSIONS NCAPG2 is highly expressed in PCa, and its level is significantly associated with PCa prognosis. NCAPG2 promotes PCa malignancy and drives cancer stemness via the STAT3/c-MYC signaling axis, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target for PCa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enchong Zhang
- Department of Urology, Shenjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Zhengjie Chen
- Department of Urology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
- Institute of Urology, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Wangmin Liu
- Department of Urology, Shenjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Lin Lin
- Department of Urology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Lina Wu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Johnny Guan
- Department of Urology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jianfeng Wang
- Department of Urology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
- Institute of Urology, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Chuize Kong
- Department of Urology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
- Institute of Urology, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Jianbin Bi
- Department of Urology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
- Institute of Urology, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
| | - Mo Zhang
- Department of Urology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
- Institute of Urology, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
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Bhattacharya A, Fushimi A, Wang K, Yamashita N, Morimoto Y, Ishikawa S, Daimon T, Liu T, Liu S, Long MD, Kufe D. MUC1-C intersects chronic inflammation with epigenetic reprogramming by regulating the set1a compass complex in cancer progression. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1030. [PMID: 37821650 PMCID: PMC10567710 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05395-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic inflammation promotes epigenetic reprogramming in cancer progression by pathways that remain unclear. The oncogenic MUC1-C protein is activated by the inflammatory NF-κB pathway in cancer cells. There is no known involvement of MUC1-C in regulation of the COMPASS family of H3K4 methyltransferases. We find that MUC1-C regulates (i) bulk H3K4 methylation levels, and (ii) the COMPASS SET1A/SETD1A and WDR5 genes by an NF-κB-mediated mechanism. The importance of MUC1-C in regulating the SET1A COMPASS complex is supported by the demonstration that MUC1-C and WDR5 drive expression of FOS, ATF3 and other AP-1 family members. In a feedforward loop, MUC1-C, WDR5 and AP-1 contribute to activation of genes encoding TRAF1, RELB and other effectors in the chronic NF-κB inflammatory response. We also show that MUC1-C, NF-κB, WDR5 and AP-1 are necessary for expression of the (i) KLF4 master regulator of the pluripotency network and (ii) NOTCH1 effector of stemness. In this way, MUC1-C/NF-κB complexes recruit SET1A/WDR5 and AP-1 to enhancer-like signatures in the KLF4 and NOTCH1 genes with increases in H3K4me3 levels, chromatin accessibility and transcription. These findings indicate that MUC1-C regulates the SET1A COMPASS complex and the induction of genes that integrate NF-κB-mediated chronic inflammation with cancer progression.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Atsushi Fushimi
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Keyi Wang
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nami Yamashita
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Satoshi Ishikawa
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Tatsuaki Daimon
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Tao Liu
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Song Liu
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Mark D Long
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Donald Kufe
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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