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Agarwal S, Afaq F, Bajpai P, Behring M, Kim HG, Varambally A, Chandrashekar DS, Peter S, Al Diffalha S, Khushman M, Seeber A, Varambally S, Manne U. BZW2 Inhibition Reduces Colorectal Cancer Growth and Metastasis. Mol Cancer Res 2023; 21:698-712. [PMID: 37067340 PMCID: PMC10329991 DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-23-0003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2023]
Abstract
Because survival of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer remain poor, there is an urgent need to identify potential novel druggable targets that are associated with colorectal cancer progression. One such target, basic leucine zipper and W2 domains 2 (BZW2), is involved in regulation of protein translation, and its overexpression is associated with human malignancy. Thus, we investigated the expression and regulation of BZW2, assessed its role in activation of WNT/β-catenin signaling, identified its downstream molecules, and demonstrated its involvement in metastasis of colorectal cancer. In human colorectal cancers, high mRNA and protein expression levels of BZW2 were associated with tumor progression. BZW2-knockdown reduced malignant phenotypes, including cell proliferation, invasion, and spheroid and colony formation. BZW2-knockdown also reduced tumor growth and metastasis; conversely, transfection of BZW2 into BZW2 low-expressing colorectal cancer cells promoted malignant features, including tumor growth and metastasis. BZW2 expression was coordinately regulated by microRNA-98, c-Myc, and histone methyltransferase enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2). RNA sequencing analyses of colorectal cancer cells modulated for BZW2 identified P4HA1 and the long noncoding RNAs, MALAT1 and NEAT1, as its downstream targets. Further, BZW2 activated the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in colorectal cancers expressing wild-type β-catenin. In sum, our study suggests the possibility of targeting BZW2 expression by inhibiting EZH2 and/or c-Myc. IMPLICATIONS FDA-approved small-molecule inhibitors of EZH2 can indirectly target BZW2 and because BZW2 functions as an oncogene, these inhibitors could serve as therapeutic agents for colorectal cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumit Agarwal
- Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
| | - Farrukh Afaq
- Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
| | - Prachi Bajpai
- Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
| | - Michael Behring
- Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
| | - Hyung-Gyoon Kim
- Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
| | | | | | - Shajan Peter
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
| | - Sameer Al Diffalha
- Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
| | - Moh’d Khushman
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
| | - Andreas Seeber
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Comprehensive Cancer Center Innsbruck, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Sooryanarayana Varambally
- Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
| | - Upender Manne
- Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
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