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Pfister SX, Markkanen E, Jiang Y, Sarkar S, Woodcock M, Orlando G, Mavrommati I, Pai CC, Zalmas LP, Drobnitzky N, Dianov GL, Verrill C, Macaulay VM, Ying S, La Thangue NB, D'Angiolella V, Ryan AJ, Humphrey TC. Inhibiting WEE1 Selectively Kills Histone H3K36me3-Deficient Cancers by dNTP Starvation. Cancer Cell 2015; 28:557-568. [PMID: 26602815 PMCID: PMC4643307 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2015.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 209] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2015] [Revised: 07/28/2015] [Accepted: 09/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Histone H3K36 trimethylation (H3K36me3) is frequently lost in multiple cancer types, identifying it as an important therapeutic target. Here we identify a synthetic lethal interaction in which H3K36me3-deficient cancers are acutely sensitive to WEE1 inhibition. We show that RRM2, a ribonucleotide reductase subunit, is the target of this synthetic lethal interaction. RRM2 is regulated by two pathways here: first, H3K36me3 facilitates RRM2 expression through transcription initiation factor recruitment; second, WEE1 inhibition degrades RRM2 through untimely CDK activation. Therefore, WEE1 inhibition in H3K36me3-deficient cells results in RRM2 reduction, critical dNTP depletion, S-phase arrest, and apoptosis. Accordingly, this synthetic lethality is suppressed by increasing RRM2 expression or inhibiting RRM2 degradation. Finally, we demonstrate that WEE1 inhibitor AZD1775 regresses H3K36me3-deficient tumor xenografts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophia X Pfister
- CRUK MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Enni Markkanen
- CRUK MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK; Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Vetsuisse Faculty, Winterthurerstrasse 260, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Yanyan Jiang
- CRUK MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Sovan Sarkar
- CRUK MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Mick Woodcock
- CRUK MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Giulia Orlando
- CRUK MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Ioanna Mavrommati
- CRUK MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Chen-Chun Pai
- CRUK MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK
| | | | - Neele Drobnitzky
- CRUK MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Grigory L Dianov
- CRUK MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK; Institute of Cytology and Genetics RAS, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
| | - Clare Verrill
- Department of Cellular Pathology, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Valentine M Macaulay
- Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK; Oxford Cancer and Haematology Centre, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, Churchill Hospital, Oxford OX3 7LJ, UK
| | - Songmin Ying
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of the Second Affiliated Hospital and Department of Pharmacology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Nicholas B La Thangue
- Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Vincenzo D'Angiolella
- CRUK MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Anderson J Ryan
- CRUK MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Timothy C Humphrey
- CRUK MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK.
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