1
|
Liu S, Dai W, Jin B, Jiang F, Huang H, Hou W, Lan J, Jin Y, Peng W, Pan J. Effects of super-enhancers in cancer metastasis: mechanisms and therapeutic targets. Mol Cancer 2024; 23:122. [PMID: 38844984 PMCID: PMC11157854 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-024-02033-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Metastasis remains the principal cause of cancer-related lethality despite advancements in cancer treatment. Dysfunctional epigenetic alterations are crucial in the metastatic cascade. Among these, super-enhancers (SEs), emerging as new epigenetic regulators, consist of large clusters of regulatory elements that drive the high-level expression of genes essential for the oncogenic process, upon which cancer cells develop a profound dependency. These SE-driven oncogenes play an important role in regulating various facets of metastasis, including the promotion of tumor proliferation in primary and distal metastatic organs, facilitating cellular migration and invasion into the vasculature, triggering epithelial-mesenchymal transition, enhancing cancer stem cell-like properties, circumventing immune detection, and adapting to the heterogeneity of metastatic niches. This heavy reliance on SE-mediated transcription delineates a vulnerable target for therapeutic intervention in cancer cells. In this article, we review current insights into the characteristics, identification methodologies, formation, and activation mechanisms of SEs. We also elaborate the oncogenic roles and regulatory functions of SEs in the context of cancer metastasis. Ultimately, we discuss the potential of SEs as novel therapeutic targets and their implications in clinical oncology, offering insights into future directions for innovative cancer treatment strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shenglan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases, Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Provincal Key Laboratory of Tissue Engineering, School of Pharmacy, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, 314000, China
| | - Wei Dai
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases, Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Provincal Key Laboratory of Tissue Engineering, School of Pharmacy, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, 314000, China
| | - Bei Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510060, China
| | - Feng Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases, Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Provincal Key Laboratory of Tissue Engineering, School of Pharmacy, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, 314000, China
| | - Hao Huang
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases, Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Provincal Key Laboratory of Tissue Engineering, School of Pharmacy, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, 314000, China
| | - Wen Hou
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases, Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Provincal Key Laboratory of Tissue Engineering, School of Pharmacy, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, 314000, China
| | - Jinxia Lan
- College of Public Health and Health Management, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, 341000, China
| | - Yanli Jin
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University Institute of Tumor Pharmacology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Weijie Peng
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases, Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Provincal Key Laboratory of Tissue Engineering, School of Pharmacy, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, 314000, China.
| | - Jingxuan Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510060, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Song P, Han R, Yang F. Super enhancer lncRNAs: a novel hallmark in cancer. Cell Commun Signal 2024; 22:207. [PMID: 38566153 PMCID: PMC10986047 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-024-01599-6] [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: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Super enhancers (SEs) consist of clusters of enhancers, harboring an unusually high density of transcription factors, mediator coactivators and epigenetic modifications. SEs play a crucial role in the maintenance of cancer cell identity and promoting oncogenic transcription. Super enhancer lncRNAs (SE-lncRNAs) refer to either transcript from SEs locus or interact with SEs, whose transcriptional activity is highly dependent on SEs. Moreover, these SE-lncRNAs can interact with their associated enhancer regions in cis and modulate the expression of oncogenes or key signal pathways in cancers. Inhibition of SEs would be a promising therapy for cancer. In this review, we summarize the research of SE-lncRNAs in different kinds of cancers so far and decode the mechanism of SE-lncRNAs in carcinogenesis to provide novel ideas for the cancer therapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ping Song
- Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Westlake University, Hangzhou, 310006, Zhejiang Province, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine for Biliary and Pancreatic Diseases of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310006, China
- Hangzhou Institute of Digestive Diseases, Hangzhou, 310006, China
| | - Rongyan Han
- Department of emergency, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Westlake University, Hangzhou, 310006, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Fan Yang
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Westlake University, Hangzhou, 310006, Zhejiang Province, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Tang ZC, Qu Q, Teng XQ, Zhuang HH, Xu WX, Qu J. Bibliometric analysis of evolutionary trends and hotspots of super-enhancers in cancer. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1192855. [PMID: 37576806 PMCID: PMC10415222 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1192855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: In the past decade, super-enhancer (SE) has become a research hotspot with increasing attention on cancer occurrence, development, and prognosis. To illustrate the hotspots of SE in cancer research and its evolutionary tendency, bibliometric analysis was carried out for this topic. Methods: Literature published before Dec 31, 2022, in WOSCC, was systematically classified, and Citespace, bibliometric.com/app, and GraphPad Prism analyzed the data. Results: After screening out inappropriate documents and duplicate data, 911 publications were selected for further bibliometric analysis. The top five research areas were Oncology (257, 28.211%), Cell Biology (210, 23.052%), Biochemistry Molecular Biology (209, 22.942%), Science Technology Other Topics (138, 15.148%), and Genetics Heredity (132, 14.490%). The United States of America (United States) has the highest number of documents (462, 50.71%), followed by China (303, 33.26%). Among the most productive institutions, four of which are from the United States and one from Singapore, the National University of Singapore. Harvard Medical School (7.68%) has the highest percentage of articles. Young, Richard A, with 32 publications, ranks first in the number of articles. The top three authors came from Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research as a research team. More than two-thirds of the research are supported by the National Institutes of Health of the United States (337, 37.654%) and the United States Department of Health Human Services (337, 37.654%). And "super enhancer" (525), "cell identity" (258), "expression" (223), "cancer" (205), and "transcription factor" (193) account for the top 5 occurrence keywords. Discussion: Since 2013, SE and cancer related publications have shown a rapid growth trend. The United States continues to play a leading role in this field, as the top literature numbers, affiliations, funding agencies, and authors were all from the United States, followed by China and European countries. A high degree of active cooperation is evident among a multitude of countries. The role of SEs in cell identity, gene transcription, expression, and inhibition, as well as the relationship between SEs and TFs, and the selective inhibition of SEs, have received much attention, suggesting that they are hot issues for research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhen-Chu Tang
- Department of Neurology, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Tumor Models and Individualized Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Qiang Qu
- Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
- Institute of Hospital Management, Central South University, Changsha, China
- Hunan Key Laboratory of the Research and Development of Novel Pharmaceutical Preparations, Changsha Medical University, Changsha, China
| | - Xin-Qi Teng
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Hai-Hui Zhuang
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Wei-Xin Xu
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Jian Qu
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South University, Changsha, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Bacabac M, Xu W. Oncogenic super-enhancers in cancer: mechanisms and therapeutic targets. Cancer Metastasis Rev 2023; 42:471-480. [PMID: 37059907 PMCID: PMC10527203 DOI: 10.1007/s10555-023-10103-4] [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: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2023]
Abstract
Activation of oncogenes to sustain proliferative signaling and initiate metastasis are important hallmarks of cancer. Oncogenes are amplified or overexpressed in cancer cells and overexpression is often controlled at the level of transcription. Gene expression is tightly controlled by many cis-regulatory elements and trans-acting factors. Large clusters of enhancers known as "super-enhancers" drive robust expression of cell-fate determining transcription factors in cell identity. Cancer cells can take advantage of super-enhancers and become transcriptionally addicted to them leading to tumorigenesis and metastasis. Additionally, the cis-regulatory landscape of cancer includes aberrant super-enhancers that are not present in normal cells. The landscape of super-enhancers in cancer is characterized by high levels of histone H3K27 acetylation and bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4), and Mediator complex. These chromatin features facilitate the identification of cancer type-specific and cell-type-specific super-enhancers that control the expression of important oncogenes to stimulate their growth. Disruption of super-enhancers via inhibiting BRD4 or other epigenetic proteins is a potential therapeutic option. Here, we will describe the discovery of super-enhancers and their unique characteristics compared to typical enhancers. Then, we will highlight how super-enhancer-associated genes contribute to cancer progression in different solid tumor types. Lastly, we will cover therapeutic targets and their epigenetic modulators.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Megan Bacabac
- McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1111 Highland Ave, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
- School of Medicine and Public Health, UW Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Wei Xu
- McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1111 Highland Ave, Madison, WI, 53705, USA.
- School of Medicine and Public Health, UW Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Xu Z, Lee DS, Chandran S, Le VT, Bump R, Yasis J, Dallarda S, Marcotte S, Clock B, Haghani N, Cho CY, Akdemir K, Tyndale S, Futreal PA, McVicker G, Wahl GM, Dixon JR. Structural variants drive context-dependent oncogene activation in cancer. Nature 2022; 612:564-572. [PMID: 36477537 PMCID: PMC9810360 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05504-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Higher-order chromatin structure is important for the regulation of genes by distal regulatory sequences1,2. Structural variants (SVs) that alter three-dimensional (3D) genome organization can lead to enhancer-promoter rewiring and human disease, particularly in the context of cancer3. However, only a small minority of SVs are associated with altered gene expression4,5, and it remains unclear why certain SVs lead to changes in distal gene expression and others do not. To address these questions, we used a combination of genomic profiling and genome engineering to identify sites of recurrent changes in 3D genome structure in cancer and determine the effects of specific rearrangements on oncogene activation. By analysing Hi-C data from 92 cancer cell lines and patient samples, we identified loci affected by recurrent alterations to 3D genome structure, including oncogenes such as MYC, TERT and CCND1. By using CRISPR-Cas9 genome engineering to generate de novo SVs, we show that oncogene activity can be predicted by using 'activity-by-contact' models that consider partner region chromatin contacts and enhancer activity. However, activity-by-contact models are only predictive of specific subsets of genes in the genome, suggesting that different classes of genes engage in distinct modes of regulation by distal regulatory elements. These results indicate that SVs that alter 3D genome organization are widespread in cancer genomes and begin to illustrate predictive rules for the consequences of SVs on oncogene activation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhichao Xu
- Gene Expression Laboratory; Salk Institute for Biological Studies; La Jolla, CA, 92037; USA,These authors contributed equally
| | - Dong-Sung Lee
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Seoul, Seoul, South Korea,These authors contributed equally
| | - Sahaana Chandran
- Gene Expression Laboratory; Salk Institute for Biological Studies; La Jolla, CA, 92037; USA
| | - Victoria T. Le
- Gene Expression Laboratory; Salk Institute for Biological Studies; La Jolla, CA, 92037; USA
| | - Rosalind Bump
- Gene Expression Laboratory; Salk Institute for Biological Studies; La Jolla, CA, 92037; USA
| | - Jean Yasis
- Gene Expression Laboratory; Salk Institute for Biological Studies; La Jolla, CA, 92037; USA
| | - Sofia Dallarda
- Gene Expression Laboratory; Salk Institute for Biological Studies; La Jolla, CA, 92037; USA
| | - Samantha Marcotte
- Gene Expression Laboratory; Salk Institute for Biological Studies; La Jolla, CA, 92037; USA
| | - Benjamin Clock
- Gene Expression Laboratory; Salk Institute for Biological Studies; La Jolla, CA, 92037; USA
| | - Nicholas Haghani
- Gene Expression Laboratory; Salk Institute for Biological Studies; La Jolla, CA, 92037; USA
| | - Chae Yun Cho
- Gene Expression Laboratory; Salk Institute for Biological Studies; La Jolla, CA, 92037; USA
| | - Kadir Akdemir
- Department of Genomic Medicine; UT MD Anderson Cancer Center; Houston, TX, 77030; USA
| | - Selene Tyndale
- Integrative Biology Laboratory; Salk Institute for Biological Studies; La Jolla, CA, 92037; USA
| | - P. Andrew Futreal
- Department of Genomic Medicine; UT MD Anderson Cancer Center; Houston, TX, 77030; USA
| | - Graham McVicker
- Integrative Biology Laboratory; Salk Institute for Biological Studies; La Jolla, CA, 92037; USA
| | - Geoffrey M. Wahl
- Gene Expression Laboratory; Salk Institute for Biological Studies; La Jolla, CA, 92037; USA
| | - Jesse R. Dixon
- Gene Expression Laboratory; Salk Institute for Biological Studies; La Jolla, CA, 92037; USA,Correspondence:
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Zhou RW, Xu J, Martin TC, Zachem AL, He J, Ozturk S, Demircioglu D, Bansal A, Trotta AP, Giotti B, Gryder B, Shen Y, Wu X, Carcamo S, Bosch K, Hopkins B, Tsankov A, Steinhagen R, Jones DR, Asara J, Chipuk JE, Brody R, Itzkowitz S, Chio IIC, Hasson D, Bernstein E, Parsons RE. A local tumor microenvironment acquired super-enhancer induces an oncogenic driver in colorectal carcinoma. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6041. [PMID: 36253360 PMCID: PMC9576746 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33377-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumors exhibit enhancer reprogramming compared to normal tissue. The etiology is largely attributed to cell-intrinsic genomic alterations. Here, using freshly resected primary CRC tumors and patient-matched adjacent normal colon, we find divergent epigenetic landscapes between CRC tumors and cell lines. Intriguingly, this phenomenon extends to highly recurrent aberrant super-enhancers gained in CRC over normal. We find one such super-enhancer activated in epithelial cancer cells due to surrounding inflammation in the tumor microenvironment. We restore this super-enhancer and its expressed gene, PDZK1IP1, following treatment with cytokines or xenotransplantation into nude mice, thus demonstrating cell-extrinsic etiology. We demonstrate mechanistically that PDZK1IP1 enhances the reductive capacity CRC cancer cells via the pentose phosphate pathway. We show this activation enables efficient growth under oxidative conditions, challenging the previous notion that PDZK1IP1 acts as a tumor suppressor in CRC. Collectively, these observations highlight the significance of epigenomic profiling on primary specimens.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Royce W Zhou
- Department of Oncological Sciences, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Jia Xu
- Department of Oncological Sciences, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Tiphaine C Martin
- Department of Oncological Sciences, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Alexis L Zachem
- Department of Oncological Sciences, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - John He
- Department of Oncological Sciences, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Sait Ozturk
- Department of Oncological Sciences, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Deniz Demircioglu
- Department of Oncological Sciences, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Ankita Bansal
- Department of Oncological Sciences, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Andrew P Trotta
- Department of Oncological Sciences, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Bruno Giotti
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Berkley Gryder
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Yao Shen
- Department of Oncological Sciences, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Xuewei Wu
- Department of Oncological Sciences, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Saul Carcamo
- Department of Oncological Sciences, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Kaitlyn Bosch
- Department of Oncological Sciences, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Benjamin Hopkins
- Department of Oncological Sciences, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Alexander Tsankov
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Randolph Steinhagen
- Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Drew R Jones
- Metabolomics Core Resource Laboratory, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - John Asara
- Mass Spectrometry Core, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Jerry E Chipuk
- Department of Oncological Sciences, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Rachel Brody
- Mount Sinai Biorepository, Department of Pathology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Steven Itzkowitz
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Iok In Christine Chio
- Institute for Cancer Genetics, Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Dan Hasson
- Department of Oncological Sciences, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Emily Bernstein
- Department of Oncological Sciences, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Ramon E Parsons
- Department of Oncological Sciences, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Zhao Z, Wang S, Zucknick M, Aittokallio T. Tissue-specific identification of multi-omics features for pan-cancer drug response prediction. iScience 2022; 25:104767. [PMID: 35992090 PMCID: PMC9385562 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Revised: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Current statistical models for drug response prediction and biomarker identification fall short in leveraging the shared and unique information from various cancer tissues and multi-omics profiles. We developed mix-lasso model that introduces an additional sample group penalty term to capture tissue-specific effects of features on pan-cancer response prediction. The mix-lasso model takes into account both the similarity between drug responses (i.e., multi-task learning), and the heterogeneity between multi-omics data (multi-modal learning). When applied to large-scale pharmacogenomics dataset from Cancer Therapeutics Response Portal, mix-lasso enabled accurate drug response predictions and identification of tissue-specific predictive features in the presence of various degrees of missing data, drug-drug correlations, and high-dimensional and correlated genomic and molecular features that often hinder the use of statistical approaches in drug response modeling. Compared to tree lasso model, mix-lasso identified a smaller number of tissue-specific features, hence making the model more interpretable and stable for drug discovery applications. Pan-cancer cell lines provide a test bench for exploring gene-drug relationships Multi-omics data were integrated with pharmacological profiles for joint modeling Mix-lasso identifies tissue-specific biomarkers predictive of multi-drug responses Mix-lasso provides small number of stable features for drug discovery applications
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhi Zhao
- Institute for Cancer Research, Department of Cancer Genetics, Oslo University Hospital, Norway
- Centre for Biostatistics and Epidemiology (OCBE), Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway
| | - Shixiong Wang
- Institute for Cancer Research, Department of Cancer Genetics, Oslo University Hospital, Norway
| | - Manuela Zucknick
- Centre for Biostatistics and Epidemiology (OCBE), Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway
- Corresponding author
| | - Tero Aittokallio
- Institute for Cancer Research, Department of Cancer Genetics, Oslo University Hospital, Norway
- Centre for Biostatistics and Epidemiology (OCBE), Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Finland
- Corresponding author
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Liu Q, Guo L, Lou Z, Xiang X, Shao J. Super-enhancers and novel therapeutic targets in colorectal cancer. Cell Death Dis 2022; 13:228. [PMID: 35277481 PMCID: PMC8917125 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-022-04673-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 02/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Transcription factors, cofactors, chromatin regulators, and transcription apparatuses interact with transcriptional regulatory elements, including promoters, enhancers, and super-enhancers (SEs), to coordinately regulate the transcription of target genes and thereby control cell behaviors. Among these transcriptional regulatory components and related elements, SEs often play a central role in determining cell identity and tumor initiation and progression. Therefore, oncogenic SEs, which are generated within cancer cells in oncogenes and other genes important in tumor pathogenesis, have emerged as attractive targets for novel cancer therapeutic strategies in recent years. Herein, we review the identification, formation and activation modes, and regulatory mechanisms for downstream genes and pathways of oncogenic SEs. We also review the therapeutic strategies and compounds targeting oncogenic SEs in colorectal cancer and other malignancies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qian Liu
- Department of Pathology & Pathophysiology, and Cancer Institute of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Department of Pathology of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Lijuan Guo
- Department of Pathology & Pathophysiology, and Cancer Institute of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Disease Proteomics of Zhejiang Province, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention of China National Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhiyuan Lou
- Department of Pathology & Pathophysiology, and Cancer Institute of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Disease Proteomics of Zhejiang Province, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention of China National Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xueping Xiang
- Department of Pathology & Pathophysiology, and Cancer Institute of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
- Key Laboratory of Disease Proteomics of Zhejiang Province, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention of China National Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Jimin Shao
- Department of Pathology & Pathophysiology, and Cancer Institute of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
- Key Laboratory of Disease Proteomics of Zhejiang Province, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention of China National Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
- Cancer Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Su M, Zhan L, Zhang Y, Zhang J. Yes-activated protein promotes primary resistance of BRAF V600E mutant metastatic colorectal cancer cells to mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway inhibitors. J Gastrointest Oncol 2021; 12:953-963. [PMID: 34295548 DOI: 10.21037/jgo-21-258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Most colorectal cancer (CRC) patients with the BRAF V600E mutation display resistance to chemotherapy and targeted medicinal treatments. Thus, exploring new drugs and drug resistance mechanisms for the BRAF V600E mutation has become an urgent clinical priority. Methods MTS experiment, cell cloning experiment, cell scratching experiment, Transwell experiment, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and flow cytometry are used. Detect the transcription and protein expression of YAP in colorectal cancer cell lines, establish a transient cell line with YAP gene overexpression and knockdown, and detect the effect of YAP gene expression on the biological functions of colorectal cancer cells RKO and HT-29. And further study the mechanism of YAP regulating the response of RAF and MEK targeted therapy. Results In this study, for the first time, we verified that the expression of transcription factor yes-associated protein (YAP) was upregulated in BRAF V600E mutant CRC cells. After knocking down YAP, we observed a reduction in the growth rate, proliferation, and invasion ability of colon cancer cells. We further verified that YAP knockdown increased sensitivity of BRAF V600E mutant CRC cells to mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway inhibitors. In addition, we clarified the mechanism underlying YAP regulation of RAF and MAPK/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MEK)-targeted therapy response: YAP cooperates with RAF→MEK pathway inhibitors to regulate the cell cycle, increase cell G1/S phase arrest, and increase apoptosis. Conclusions These results suggest that YAP expression may be related to the primary resistance of MAPK inhibitors in metastatic CRC with the BRAF V600E mutation. Therefore, the combination of YAP and MAPK pathway inhibitors in BRAF V600E mutant metastatic CRC may present a promising treatment method.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Meng Su
- Medical Oncology Department of Gastrointestinal Cancer, Cancer Hospital of China Medical University, Liaoning Cancer Hospital & Institute, Shenyang, China
| | - Lei Zhan
- Medical Oncology Department of Gastrointestinal Cancer, Cancer Hospital of China Medical University, Liaoning Cancer Hospital & Institute, Shenyang, China
| | - Yong Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Cancer Hospital of China Medical University, Liaoning Cancer Hospital & Institute, Shenyang, China
| | - Jingdong Zhang
- Medical Oncology Department of Gastrointestinal Cancer, Cancer Hospital of China Medical University, Liaoning Cancer Hospital & Institute, Shenyang, China
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Li GH, Qu Q, Qi TT, Teng XQ, Zhu HH, Wang JJ, Lu Q, Qu J. Super-enhancers: a new frontier for epigenetic modifiers in cancer chemoresistance. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2021; 40:174. [PMID: 34011395 PMCID: PMC8132395 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-021-01974-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Although new developments of surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy treatments for cancer have improved patient survival, the emergence of chemoresistance in cancer has significant impacts on treatment effects. The development of chemoresistance involves several polygenic, progressive mechanisms at the molecular and cellular levels, as well as both genetic and epigenetic heterogeneities. Chemotherapeutics induce epigenetic reprogramming in cancer cells, converting a transient transcriptional state into a stably resistant one. Super-enhancers (SEs) are central to the maintenance of identity of cancer cells and promote SE-driven-oncogenic transcriptions to which cancer cells become highly addicted. This dependence on SE-driven transcription to maintain chemoresistance offers an Achilles' heel for chemoresistance. Indeed, the inhibition of SE components dampens oncogenic transcription and inhibits tumor growth to ultimately achieve combined sensitization and reverse the effects of drug resistance. No reviews have been published on SE-related mechanisms in the cancer chemoresistance. In this review, we investigated the structure, function, and regulation of chemoresistance-related SEs and their contributions to the chemotherapy via regulation of the formation of cancer stem cells, cellular plasticity, the microenvironment, genes associated with chemoresistance, noncoding RNAs, and tumor immunity. The discovery of these mechanisms may aid in the development of new drugs to improve the sensitivity and specificity of cancer cells to chemotherapy drugs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guo-Hua Li
- Department of Pharmacy, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University; Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South University, 139 Middle Renmin Road, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiang Qu
- Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, People's Republic of China
| | - Ting-Ting Qi
- Department of Pharmacy, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University; Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South University, 139 Middle Renmin Road, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, People's Republic of China
| | - Xin-Qi Teng
- Department of Pharmacy, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University; Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South University, 139 Middle Renmin Road, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, People's Republic of China
| | - Hai-Hong Zhu
- Department of Pharmacy, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University; Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South University, 139 Middle Renmin Road, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiao-Jiao Wang
- Department of Pharmacy, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University; Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South University, 139 Middle Renmin Road, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiong Lu
- Department of Pharmacy, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University; Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South University, 139 Middle Renmin Road, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jian Qu
- Department of Pharmacy, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University; Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South University, 139 Middle Renmin Road, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, People's Republic of China.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Zhang S, Chen Y, Tian C, He Y, Tian Z, Wan Y, Liu T. Dual-target Inhibitors Based on BRD4: Novel Therapeutic Approaches for Cancer. Curr Med Chem 2021; 28:1775-1795. [PMID: 32520674 DOI: 10.2174/0929867327666200610174453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Revised: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Currently, cancer continues being a dramatically increasing and serious threat to public health. Although many anti-tumor agents have been developed in recent years, the survival rate of patients is not satisfactory. The poor prognosis of cancer patients is closely related to the occurrence of drug resistance. Therefore, it is urgent to develop new strategies for cancer treatment. Multi-target therapies aim to have additive or synergistic effects and reduce the potential for the development of resistance by integrating different pharmacophores into a single drug molecule. Given the fact that majority of diseases are multifactorial in nature, multi-target therapies are being exploited with increasing intensity, which has brought improved outcomes in disease models and obtained several compounds that have entered clinical trials. Thus, it is potential to utilize this strategy for the treatment of BRD4 related cancers. This review focuses on the recent research advances of dual-target inhibitors based on BRD4 in the aspect of anti-tumor. METHODS We have searched the recent literatures about BRD4 inhibitors from the online resources and databases, such as pubmed, elsevier and google scholar. RESULTS In the recent years, many efforts have been taken to develop dual-target inhibitors based on BRD4 as anti-cancer agents, such as HDAC/BRD4 dual inhibitors, PLK1/BRD4 dual inhibitors and PI3K/BRD4 dual inhibitors and so on. Most compounds display good anti-tumor activities. CONCLUSION Developing new anti-cancer agents with new scaffolds and high efficiency is a big challenge for researchers. Dual-target inhibitors based on BRD4 are a class of important bioactive compounds. Making structural modifications on the active dual-target inhibitors according to the corresponding structure-activity relationships is of benefit to obtain more potent anti-cancer leads or clinical drugs. This review will be useful for further development of new dual-target inhibitors based on BRD4 as anti-cancer agents.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sitao Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Taian 271000, Shandong, China
| | - Yanzhao Chen
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Taian 271000, Shandong, China
| | - Chengsen Tian
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qilu Normal University, Jinan, Shandong 250200, China
| | - Yujing He
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Taian 271000, Shandong, China
| | - Zeru Tian
- Department of Chemistry, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Yichao Wan
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical Organic Chemistry and Functional Molecule, Ministry of Education, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Controllable Preparation and Functional Application of Fine Polymers, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan, Hunan 411201, China
| | - Tingting Liu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Taian 271000, Shandong, China
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Zheng Y, Huang G, Silva TC, Yang Q, Jiang YY, Koeffler HP, Lin DC, Berman BP. A pan-cancer analysis of CpG Island gene regulation reveals extensive plasticity within Polycomb target genes. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2485. [PMID: 33931649 PMCID: PMC8087678 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22720-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
CpG Island promoter genes make up more than half of human genes, and a subset regulated by Polycomb-Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2+-CGI) become DNA hypermethylated and silenced in cancer. Here, we perform a systematic analysis of CGI genes across TCGA cancer types, finding that PRC2+-CGI genes are frequently prone to transcriptional upregulation as well. These upregulated PRC2+-CGI genes control important pathways such as Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) and TNFα-associated inflammatory response, and have greater cancer-type specificity than other CGI genes. Using publicly available chromatin datasets and genetic perturbations, we show that transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) within distal enhancers underlie transcriptional activation of PRC2+-CGI genes, coinciding with loss of the PRC2-associated mark H3K27me3 at the linked promoter. In contrast, PRC2-free CGI genes are predominantly regulated by promoter TFBSs which are common to most cancer types. Surprisingly, a large subset of PRC2+-CGI genes that are upregulated in one cancer type are also hypermethylated/silenced in at least one other cancer type, underscoring the high degree of regulatory plasticity of these genes, likely derived from their complex regulatory control during normal development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yueyuan Zheng
- Department of Medicine, Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Guowei Huang
- Department of Medicine, Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
| | - Tiago C Silva
- Center for Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Qian Yang
- Department of Medicine, Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Yan-Yi Jiang
- Department of Medicine, Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - H Phillip Koeffler
- Department of Medicine, Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - De-Chen Lin
- Department of Medicine, Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Benjamin P Berman
- Department of Developmental Biology and Cancer Research, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Şenkardeş S, Türe A, Ekrek S, Durak AT, Abbak M, Çevik Ö, Kaşkatepe B, Küçükgüzel İ, Güniz Küçükgüzel Ş. Novel 2,6-disubstituted pyridine hydrazones: Synthesis, anticancer activity, docking studies and effects on caspase-3-mediated apoptosis. J Mol Struct 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2020.128962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
|
14
|
Fuentes-Baile M, García-Morales P, Pérez-Valenciano E, Ventero MP, Sanz JM, Romero CDJ, Barberá VM, Alenda C, Saceda M. Cell Death Mechanisms Induced by CLytA-DAAO Chimeric Enzyme in Human Tumor Cell Lines. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21228522. [PMID: 33198289 PMCID: PMC7697521 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21228522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Revised: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The combination of the choline binding domain of the amidase N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine (CLytA)-D-amino acid oxidase (DAAO) (CLytA-DAAO) and D-Alanine induces cell death in several pancreatic and colorectal carcinoma and glioblastoma cell lines. In glioblastoma cell lines, CLytA-DAAO-induced cell death was inhibited by a pan-caspase inhibitor, suggesting a classical apoptotic cell death. Meanwhile, the cell death induced in pancreatic and colon carcinoma cell lines is some type of programmed necrosis. In this article, we studied the mechanisms that trigger CLytA-DAAO-induced cell death in pancreatic and colorectal carcinoma and glioblastoma cell lines and we acquire a further insight into the necrotic cell death induced in pancreatic and colorectal carcinoma cell lines. We have analyzed the intracellular calcium mobilization, mitochondrial membrane potential, PARP-1 participation and AIF translocation. Although the mitochondrial membrane depolarization plays a crucial role, our results suggest that CLytA-DAAO-induced cell death is context dependent. We have previously detected pancreatic and colorectal carcinoma cell lines (Hs766T and HT-29, respectively) that were resistant to CLytA-DAAO-induced cell death. In this study, we have examined the putative mechanism underlying the resistance in these cell lines, evaluating both detoxification mechanisms and the inflammatory and survival responses. Overall, our results provide a better understanding on the cell death mechanism induced by CLytA-DAAO, a promising therapy against cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- María Fuentes-Baile
- Unidad de Investigación, Fundación para el Fomento de la Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de la Comunidad Valenciana (FISABIO), Hospital General Universitario de Elche, Camí de l’Almazara, 11, 03203 Elche (Alicante), Spain; (M.F.-B.); (C.d.J.R.); (V.M.B.)
| | - Pilar García-Morales
- Instituto de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación en Biotecnología Sanitaria de Elche (IDiBE), Universidad Miguel Hernández, Avda. Universidad s/n, Ed. Torregaitán, 03202 Elche (Alicante), Spain; (P.G.-M.); (E.P.-V.)
| | - Elizabeth Pérez-Valenciano
- Instituto de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación en Biotecnología Sanitaria de Elche (IDiBE), Universidad Miguel Hernández, Avda. Universidad s/n, Ed. Torregaitán, 03202 Elche (Alicante), Spain; (P.G.-M.); (E.P.-V.)
| | - María P. Ventero
- Unidad de Investigación, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de Alicante (ISABIAL), Hospital General Universitario de Alicante, C/Maestro Alonso, 10, 03010 Alicante, Spain; (M.P.V.); (C.A.)
| | - Jesús M. Sanz
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas) and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES), C/Ramiro de Maeztu, 9, 28040 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Camino de Juan Romero
- Unidad de Investigación, Fundación para el Fomento de la Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de la Comunidad Valenciana (FISABIO), Hospital General Universitario de Elche, Camí de l’Almazara, 11, 03203 Elche (Alicante), Spain; (M.F.-B.); (C.d.J.R.); (V.M.B.)
- Instituto de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación en Biotecnología Sanitaria de Elche (IDiBE), Universidad Miguel Hernández, Avda. Universidad s/n, Ed. Torregaitán, 03202 Elche (Alicante), Spain; (P.G.-M.); (E.P.-V.)
| | - Víctor M. Barberá
- Unidad de Investigación, Fundación para el Fomento de la Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de la Comunidad Valenciana (FISABIO), Hospital General Universitario de Elche, Camí de l’Almazara, 11, 03203 Elche (Alicante), Spain; (M.F.-B.); (C.d.J.R.); (V.M.B.)
- Unidad de Genética Molecular, Hospital General Universitario de Elche, Camí de l’Almazara, 11, 03203 Elche (Alicante), Spain
| | - Cristina Alenda
- Unidad de Investigación, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de Alicante (ISABIAL), Hospital General Universitario de Alicante, C/Maestro Alonso, 10, 03010 Alicante, Spain; (M.P.V.); (C.A.)
| | - Miguel Saceda
- Unidad de Investigación, Fundación para el Fomento de la Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de la Comunidad Valenciana (FISABIO), Hospital General Universitario de Elche, Camí de l’Almazara, 11, 03203 Elche (Alicante), Spain; (M.F.-B.); (C.d.J.R.); (V.M.B.)
- Instituto de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación en Biotecnología Sanitaria de Elche (IDiBE), Universidad Miguel Hernández, Avda. Universidad s/n, Ed. Torregaitán, 03202 Elche (Alicante), Spain; (P.G.-M.); (E.P.-V.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-966658432
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Aberrant super-enhancer landscape reveals core transcriptional regulatory circuitry in lung adenocarcinoma. Oncogenesis 2020; 9:92. [PMID: 33070167 PMCID: PMC7568720 DOI: 10.1038/s41389-020-00277-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Revised: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) relies on dysregulated gene expression to sustain its infinite growth and progression. Emerging evidence indicates that aberrant transcriptional program results from core transcriptional regulatory circuitry (CRC) which is driven by super-enhancers (SEs). In this study, by integrating profiles of H3K27Ac chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) from normal adult lung and LUAD cell lines, we revealed that widespread alterations of the super-enhancer were presence during lung carcinogenesis. With SE-based modeling of regulatory circuits and assessments of transcription factor (TF) dependencies, we reconstructed an interconnected transcriptional regulation network formed by three master TFs, including ELF3, EHF, and TGIF1, all of which promoted each other’s expression that confirmed by ChIP-qPCR and western blot. Loss-of function assay revealed that each of them is essential for LUAD cells survival, invasion and metastasis. Meanwhile, the rescue assay also illustrated the transacting transcriptional regulatory circuitry. In addition, the mRNA levels of ELF3, EHF, and TGIF1 were differentially expressed in LUAD tumors and peritumoral tissue. IHC of serial sections revealed that high expressions of CRC (ELF3/EHF/TGIF1-High) were closely associated with high proliferative activity in tumor tissue and poor prognosis on patients with LUAD. Finally, we used small molecular inhibitors to perturb the transcriptional circuitry, also exhibited a prominent anti-cancer effect in vitro. Our findings reveal the mechanism of the transcriptional dysregulation and addiction of LUAD.
Collapse
|
16
|
Yamashita S, Hattori N, Fujii S, Yamaguchi T, Takahashi M, Hozumi Y, Kogawa T, El-Omar O, Liu YY, Arai N, Mori A, Higashimoto H, Ushijima T, Mukai H. Multi-omics analyses identify HSD17B4 methylation-silencing as a predictive and response marker of HER2-positive breast cancer to HER2-directed therapy. Sci Rep 2020; 10:15530. [PMID: 32968149 PMCID: PMC7511952 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-72661-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2020] [Accepted: 09/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
HER2-positive breast cancers that achieve pathological complete response (pCR) after HER2-directed therapy consistently have good survival. We previously identified HSD17B4 methylation as a marker for pCR by methylation screening. Here, we aimed to identify a new marker by conducting a multi-omics analysis of materials prepared by laser capture microdissection, and adding 71 new samples. In the screening set (n = 36), mutations, methylation, and expression were analyzed by targeted sequencing, Infinium 450 K, and expression microarray, respectively, and 15 genes were identified as differentially expressed and eight genomic regions as differentially methylated between cancer samples with and without pCR. In a validation set (n = 47), one gene showed differential expression, and one region had differential methylation. Further, in the re-validation set (n = 55), all new samples, only HSD17B4 methylation was significantly different. The HSD17B4 methylation was at the transcriptional start site of its major variant, and was associated with its silencing. HSD17B4 was highly expressed in the vast majority of human cancers, and its methylation was present only in breast cancers and one lymphoblastic leukemia cell line. A combination of estrogen receptor-negative status and HSD17B4 methylation showed a positive predictive value of 80.0%. During HER2-directed neoadjuvant therapy, HSD17B4 methylation was the most reliable marker to monitor response to the therapy. These results showed that HSD17B4 methylation is a candidate predictive and response marker of HER2-positive breast cancer to HER2-directed therapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Satoshi Yamashita
- Division of Epigenomics, National Cancer Center Research Institute, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0045, Japan
| | - Naoko Hattori
- Division of Epigenomics, National Cancer Center Research Institute, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0045, Japan
| | - Satoshi Fujii
- Division of Pathology, Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center, 6-5-1, Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8577, Japan
| | - Takeshi Yamaguchi
- Department of Medical Oncology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, 1-26-1, Kyonan, Musashino, Tokyo, 180-8610, Japan
| | - Masato Takahashi
- Department of Breast Surgery, Hokkaido Cancer Center, National Hospital Organization, Kikusui 4-2, Shiroishi-Ku, Sapporo, 003-0806, Japan
| | - Yasuo Hozumi
- Department of Breast and Endocrine Surgery, Ibaraki Clinical Education and Training Center, Faculty of Medicine, Tsukuba University, Tsukuba, Japan.,Department of Breast Surgery, Ibaraki Prefectural Central Hospital, 6528 Koibuchi, Kasama, Ibaraki, 309-1793, Japan
| | - Takahiro Kogawa
- Department of Breast and Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital East, 6-5-1, Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8577, Japan
| | - Omar El-Omar
- Division of Epigenomics, National Cancer Center Research Institute, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0045, Japan
| | - Yu-Yu Liu
- Division of Epigenomics, National Cancer Center Research Institute, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0045, Japan
| | - Nobuaki Arai
- Division of Epigenomics, National Cancer Center Research Institute, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0045, Japan
| | - Akiko Mori
- H.U. Group Innovative Cancer Laboratory, H.U. Group Research Institute, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0045, Japan
| | - Hiroko Higashimoto
- H.U. Group Innovative Cancer Laboratory, H.U. Group Research Institute, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0045, Japan
| | - Toshikazu Ushijima
- Division of Epigenomics, National Cancer Center Research Institute, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0045, Japan.
| | - Hirofumi Mukai
- Department of Breast and Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital East, 6-5-1, Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8577, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Zheng C, Liu M, Fan H. Targeting complexes of super-enhancers is a promising strategy for cancer therapy. Oncol Lett 2020; 20:2557-2566. [PMID: 32782573 PMCID: PMC7400756 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2020.11855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2019] [Accepted: 05/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The hyperactivation and overexpression of critical oncogenes is a common occurrence in multiple types of malignant tumors. Recently, the abnormal activation mechanism of an oncogene by a super-enhancer (SE) has attracted significant attention. A series of changes (insertion, deletion, translocation and rearrangement) in the genome occurring in cancer cells may generate new SEs, leading to the overexpression of SE-driven oncogenes. SEs are composed of typical enhancers densely loaded with mediator complexes, transcription factors, and chromatin regulators, and drive the overexpression of oncogenes associated with cellular identity and disease. Cyclin-dependent kinase 7 (CDK7) and bromodomain protein 4 (BRD4) are critical mediator complexes associated with SE-mediated transcription. Clinical trials have shown that emerging small-molecule inhibitors (CDK7 and BRD4 inhibitor), targeting the SE exert a notable effect on cancer treatment. Increasing evidences has illustrated that the SE and its associated complexes play a critical role in the development of various types of cancer. The present review discusses the composition, function and regulation of SEs and their contribution to oncogenic transcription. In addition, creative therapeutic approaches that target SE, their advantages and disadvantages, as well as the problems with their clinical application are discussed. It was found that targeting SE may be used in conventional treatment and establish more access for patients with cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chuqian Zheng
- Department of Medical Genetics and Developmental Biology, School of Medicine, The Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Diseases, Ministry of Education, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, P.R. China
| | - Min Liu
- Department of Medical Genetics and Developmental Biology, School of Medicine, The Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Diseases, Ministry of Education, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, P.R. China.,School of Life Science and Technology, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210018, P.R. China
| | - Hong Fan
- Department of Medical Genetics and Developmental Biology, School of Medicine, The Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Diseases, Ministry of Education, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, P.R. China
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Jia Q, Chen S, Tan Y, Li Y, Tang F. Oncogenic super-enhancer formation in tumorigenesis and its molecular mechanisms. Exp Mol Med 2020; 52:713-723. [PMID: 32382065 PMCID: PMC7272638 DOI: 10.1038/s12276-020-0428-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Revised: 03/08/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Super-enhancers (SEs) consist of a cluster of many enhancers bound to a great number of transcription factors. They are critical cis-regulatory elements that determine the identity of various human cell types. During tumorigenesis, DNA mutations and indels, chromosomal rearrangements, three-dimensional chromatin structural changes, and viral infections mediate oncogenic SE activation, and activated SEs have been found to regulate the expression of oncogenic genes. Inhibition specifically targeted to oncogenic SE assembly and activation provides a novel powerful therapeutic strategy for various cancers. In this paper, we first introduce the current understanding of oncogenic SE assembly and activation and then summarize the pathogenic factors and mechanism of oncogenic SE activation. Next, we elaborate on the oncogenic functions of SEs in cancers and the application of SEs as therapeutic targets. Finally, we turn our focus to the use of SEs in basic research and clinical trials. Drugs that block the assembly and activation of large DNA segments involved in enhancing gene expression could help in the treatment of cancer. Faqing Tang of Hunan Cancer Hospital in Changsha, China, and colleagues review the ways in which cancer cells hijack clusters of gene-regulating sequences known as super-enhancers, regulatory gene regions that normally help determine a cell’s unique identity, to drive the aberrant gene activity that fuels tumor growth. The researchers describe how numerous factors, ranging from internal DNA alterations, both large and small, to viral infections and other external assaults, can spur the formation of cancer-causing super-enhancers, leading to out-of-control gene expression. Therapies that selectively target these super-enhancers are now in early clinical testing. However, more studies of super-enhancers and their role in cancer development are needed to inform future drug development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qunying Jia
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Oncotarget Gene and Clinical Laboratory, Hunan Cancer Hospital and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, China
| | - Shuhua Chen
- Department of Otolaryngology, The Second People's Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, 528000, Guangdong, China
| | - Yuan Tan
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Oncotarget Gene and Clinical Laboratory, Hunan Cancer Hospital and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, China
| | - Yuejin Li
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Oncotarget Gene and Clinical Laboratory, Hunan Cancer Hospital and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, China
| | - Faqing Tang
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Oncotarget Gene and Clinical Laboratory, Hunan Cancer Hospital and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, China.
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Tang F, Yang Z, Tan Y, Li Y. Super-enhancer function and its application in cancer targeted therapy. NPJ Precis Oncol 2020; 4:2. [PMID: 32128448 PMCID: PMC7016125 DOI: 10.1038/s41698-020-0108-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2019] [Accepted: 12/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, super-enhancers (SEs) have been identified as a unique type of transcriptional regulation involved in cancer development. SEs exhibit a size, high transcription factor density, and strong binding to the transcriptional machinery compared with typical enhancers. SEs play an essential role in cell growth, differentiation, and disease initiation and progression including tumorigenesis. In particular, cancer-specific SEs have been proven to be key oncogenic drivers types of tumor cells. Furthermore, it has been confirmed that cancer-specific SEs can mediate the dysregulation of signaling pathways and promote cancer cell growth. Additionally, therapeutic strategies directly targeting SE components, for example, by disrupting SE structure or inhibiting SE cofactors, have shown a good curative effect on various cancers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Faqing Tang
- 1Department of Clinical Laboratory, Hunan Cancer Hospital and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, 410013 Changsha, China
| | - Zongbei Yang
- 2Department of Clinical Laboratory, Zhuhai People's Hospital & Zhuhai Hospital of Jinan University, 519000 Zhuhai, China
| | - Yuan Tan
- 1Department of Clinical Laboratory, Hunan Cancer Hospital and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, 410013 Changsha, China
| | - Yuejin Li
- 1Department of Clinical Laboratory, Hunan Cancer Hospital and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, 410013 Changsha, China
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Targeting BRD/BET proteins inhibits adaptive kinome upregulation and enhances the effects of BRAF/MEK inhibitors in melanoma. Br J Cancer 2020; 122:789-800. [PMID: 31932756 PMCID: PMC7078299 DOI: 10.1038/s41416-019-0724-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Revised: 11/07/2019] [Accepted: 12/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background BRAF-mutant melanoma patients respond to BRAF inhibitors and MEK inhibitors (BRAFi/MEKi), but drug-tolerant cells persist, which may seed disease progression. Adaptive activation of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) has been associated with melanoma cell drug tolerance following targeted therapy. While co-targeting individual RTKs can enhance the efficacy of BRAFi/MEKi effects, it remains unclear how to broadly target multiple RTKs to achieve more durable tumour growth inhibition. Methods The blockage of adaptive RTK responses by the new BET inhibitor (BETi), PLX51107, was measured by RPPA and Western blot. Melanoma growth was evaluated in vitro by colony assay and EdU staining, as well as in skin reconstructs, xenografts and PDX models following BRAFi, MEKi and/or PLX51107 treatment. Results Treatment with PLX51107 limited BRAFi/MEKi upregulation of ErbB3 and PDGFR-β expression levels. Similar effects were observed following BRD2/4 depletion. In stage III melanoma patients, expression of BRD2/4 was strongly correlated with ErbB3. PLX51107 enhanced the effects of BRAFi/MEKi on inhibiting melanoma growth in vitro, in human skin reconstructs and in xenografts in vivo. Continuous triple drug combination treatment resulted in significant weight loss in mice, but intermittent BETi combined with continuous BRAFi/MEKi treatment was tolerable and improved durable tumour inhibition outcomes. Conclusions Together, our data suggest that intermittent inhibition of BET proteins may improve the duration of responses following BRAFi/MEKi treatment in BRAF-mutant melanoma.
Collapse
|
21
|
Yu X, Zhong P, Han Y, Huang Q, Wang J, Jia C, Lv Z. Key candidate genes associated with BRAF
V600E
in papillary thyroid carcinoma on microarray analysis. J Cell Physiol 2019; 234:23369-23378. [PMID: 31161615 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.28906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2019] [Revised: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 05/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaqing Yu
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, School of Medicine Tongji University Shanghai China
| | - Peng Zhong
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, School of Medicine Tongji University Shanghai China
| | - Yali Han
- Shanghai Center for Thyroid Disease, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital School of Medicine, Tongji University Shanghai China
| | - Qingqing Huang
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, School of Medicine Tongji University Shanghai China
| | - Jian Wang
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine Zhejiang University Hangzhou China
| | - Chengyou Jia
- Shanghai Center for Thyroid Disease, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital School of Medicine, Tongji University Shanghai China
| | - Zhongwei Lv
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, School of Medicine Tongji University Shanghai China
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
He Y, Long W, Liu Q. Targeting Super-Enhancers as a Therapeutic Strategy for Cancer Treatment. Front Pharmacol 2019; 10:361. [PMID: 31105558 PMCID: PMC6499164 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2019.00361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 03/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Super-enhancers (SEs) refer to large clusters of enhancers that drive gene expressions. Recent data has provided novel insights in elucidating the roles of SEs in many diseases, including cancer. Many mechanisms involved in tumorigenesis and progression, ranging from internal gene mutation and rearrangement to external damage and inducement, have been demonstrated to be highly associated with SEs. Moreover, translocation, formation, deletion, or duplication of SEs themselves could lead to tumor development. It has been reported that various oncogenic molecules and pathways are tightly regulated by SEs. Moreover, several clinical trials on novel SEs blockers, such as BET inhibitor and CDK7i, have indicated the potential roles of SEs in cancer therapy. In this review, we highlighted the underlying mechanism of action of SEs in cancer development and the corresponding novel potential therapeutic strategies. It is speculated that targeting SEs could complement the traditional approaches and lead to more effective treatment for cancer patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yi He
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Wenyong Long
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Qing Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Manzotti G, Ciarrocchi A, Sancisi V. Inhibition of BET Proteins and Histone Deacetylase (HDACs): Crossing Roads in Cancer Therapy. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:cancers11030304. [PMID: 30841549 PMCID: PMC6468908 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11030304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2019] [Revised: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 02/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Histone DeACetylases (HDACs) are enzymes that remove acetyl groups from histones and other proteins, regulating the expression of target genes. Pharmacological inhibition of these enzymes re-shapes chromatin acetylation status, confusing boundaries between transcriptionally active and quiescent chromatin. This results in reinducing expression of silent genes while repressing highly transcribed genes. Bromodomain and Extraterminal domain (BET) proteins are readers of acetylated chromatin status and accumulate on transcriptionally active regulatory elements where they serve as scaffold for the building of transcription-promoting complexes. The expression of many well-known oncogenes relies on BET proteins function, indicating BET inhibition as a strategy to counteract their activity. BETi and HDACi share many common targets and affect similar cellular processes to the point that combined inhibition of both these classes of proteins is regarded as a strategy to improve the effectiveness of these drugs in cancer. In this work, we aim to discuss the molecular basis of the interplay between HDAC and BET proteins, pointing at chromatin acetylation as a crucial node of their functional interaction. We will also describe the state of the art of their dual inhibition in cancer therapy. Finally, starting from their mechanism of action we will provide a speculative perspective on how these drugs may be employed in combination with standard therapies to improve effectiveness and/or overcome resistance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gloria Manzotti
- Laboratory of Translational Research, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, 42122 Reggio Emilia, Italy.
| | - Alessia Ciarrocchi
- Laboratory of Translational Research, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, 42122 Reggio Emilia, Italy.
| | - Valentina Sancisi
- Laboratory of Translational Research, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, 42122 Reggio Emilia, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Yoo KH, Hennighausen L, Shin HY. Dissecting Tissue-Specific Super-Enhancers by Integrating Genome-Wide Analyses and CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing. J Mammary Gland Biol Neoplasia 2019; 24:47-59. [PMID: 30291498 DOI: 10.1007/s10911-018-9417-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2018] [Accepted: 10/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent advances in genome-wide sequencing technologies have provided researchers with unprecedented opportunities to discover the genomic structures of gene regulatory units in living organisms. In particular, the integration of ChIP-seq, RNA-seq, and DNase-seq techniques has facilitated the mapping of a new class of regulatory elements. These elements, called super-enhancers, can regulate cell-type-specific gene sets and even fine-tune gene expression regulation in response to external stimuli, and have become a hot topic in genome biology. However, there is scant genetic evidence demonstrating their unique biological relevance and the mechanisms underlying these biological functions. In this review, we describe a robust genome-wide strategy for mapping cell-type-specific enhancers or super-enhancers in the mammary genome. In this strategy, genome-wide screening of active enhancer clusters that are co-occupied by mammary-enriched transcription factors, co-factors, and active enhancer marks is used to identify bona fide mammary tissue-specific super-enhancers. The in vivo function of these super-enhancers and their associated regulatory elements may then be investigated in various ways using the advanced CRISPR/Cas9 genome-editing technology. Based on our experience targeting various mammary genomic sites using CRISPR/Cas9 in mice, we comprehensively discuss the molecular consequences of the different targeting methods, such as the number of gRNAs and the dependence on their simultaneous or sequential injections. We also mention the considerations that are essential for obtaining accurate results and shed light on recent progress that has been made in developing modified CRISPR/Cas9 genome-editing techniques. In the future, the coupling of advanced genome-wide sequencing and genome-editing technologies could provide new insights into the complex genetic regulatory networks involved in mammary-gland development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kyung Hyun Yoo
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sookmyung Women's University, Seoul, 04310, Republic of Korea
| | - Lothar Hennighausen
- Laboratory of Genetics and Physiology, National Institutes of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
- BK21 Biological Science Visiting Professor, Sookmyung Women's University, Seoul, 04310, Republic of Korea
| | - Ha Youn Shin
- Department of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul, 05029, Republic of Korea.
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Cutting Edge Therapeutic Insights Derived from Molecular Biology of Pediatric High-Grade Glioma and Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). Bioengineering (Basel) 2018; 5:bioengineering5040088. [PMID: 30340362 PMCID: PMC6315414 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering5040088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2018] [Revised: 10/12/2018] [Accepted: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Pediatric high-grade glioma (pHGG) and brainstem gliomas are some of the most challenging cancers to treat in children, with no effective therapies and 5-year survival at ~2% for diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) patients. The standard of care for pHGG as a whole remains surgery and radiation combined with chemotherapy, while radiation alone is standard treatment for DIPG. Unfortunately, these therapies lack specificity for malignant glioma cells and have few to no reliable biomarkers of efficacy. Recent discoveries have revealed that epigenetic disruption by highly conserved mutations in DNA-packaging histone proteins in pHGG, especially DIPG, contribute to the aggressive nature of these cancers. In this review we pose unanswered questions and address unexplored mechanisms in pre-clinical models and clinical trial data from pHGG patients. Particular focus will be paid towards therapeutics targeting chromatin modifiers and other epigenetic vulnerabilities that can be exploited for pHGG therapy. Further delineation of rational therapeutic combinations has strong potential to drive development of safe and efficacious treatments for pHGG patients.
Collapse
|
26
|
Baretti M, Azad NS. The role of epigenetic therapies in colorectal cancer. Curr Probl Cancer 2018; 42:530-547. [PMID: 29625794 DOI: 10.1016/j.currproblcancer.2018.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2017] [Revised: 02/21/2018] [Accepted: 03/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Although developments in the diagnosis and therapy of colorectal cancer (CRC) have been made in the last decade, much work remains to be done as it remains the second leading cause of cancer death. It is now well established that epigenetic events, together with genetic alterations, are key events in initiation and progression of CRC. Epigenetics refers to heritable alterations in gene expression that do not involve changes in the DNA sequence. These alterations include DNA methylation, histone alterations, chromatin remodelers, and noncoding RNAs. In CRC, aberrations in epigenome may also involve in the development of drug resistance to conventional drugs such as 5-fluorouracil, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan. Thus, it has been suggested that combined therapies with epigenetic agents may reverse drug resistance. In this regard, DNA methyltransferase inhibitors and histone deacetylase inhibitors have been extensively investigated in CRC. The aim of this review is to provide a brief overview of the preclinical data that represent a proof of principle for the employment of epigenetic agents in CRC with a focus on the advantages of combinatorial therapy over single-drug treatment. We will also critically discuss the results and limitations of initial clinical experiences of epigenetic-based therapy in CRC and summarize ongoing clinical trials. Nevertheless, since recent translational research suggest that epigenetic modulators play a key role in augmenting immunogenicity of the tumor microenvironment and in restoring immune recognition, we will also highlight the recent developments of combinations strategies of immunotherapies and epigenetic therapies in CRC, summarizing preclinical, and clinical data to signify this evolving and promising field for CRC treatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marina Baretti
- The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University.
| | - Nilofer Saba Azad
- The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Li K, Guo J, Wu Y, Jin D, Jiang H, Liu C, Qin C. Suppression of YAP by DDP disrupts colon tumor progression. Oncol Rep 2018; 39:2114-2126. [PMID: 29512779 PMCID: PMC5928767 DOI: 10.3892/or.2018.6297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2017] [Accepted: 02/28/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Colon cancer is a commonly diagnosed cancer that often has a poor prognosis. Combined with the development of drug resistance to cancer treatment agents the treatment efficacy of colon cancer can be limited. Activation of the oncogene YAP has been shown to be related to colon cancer progression and is associated with poor prognosis, drug resistance and metastasis, even under treatment. Cisplatin (DDP) is a commonly used drug that can control carcinoma progression, although its mechanisms are poorly understood. In the present study, we examined whether DDP specifically suppressed YAP in order to inhibit colon carcinoma progression. Our data revealed that Mst/Yap signaling was unusually activated in colon cancers, promoting cell proliferation and invasion. DDP treatment decreased the expression of YAP at both the transcriptional and post-translational levels, leading to cell cycle arrest, apoptosis and senescence in cancer cells, in addition to decreasing epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, cell motility and in vitro cell invasion and migration. Ultimately, DDP increased the expression of E-cadherin and decreased the expression of vimentin. The present study also revealed that post-translational regulation of YAP phosphorylation controlled the subcellular distribution between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. In conclusion, the findings of the present study revealed that DDP was a suitable therapeutic candidate for colon cancer that specifically targets the Mst/Yap signaling pathway.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kun Li
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250021, P.R. China
| | - Jiwei Guo
- Cancer Research Institute, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong 256603, P.R. China
| | - Yan Wu
- Cancer Research Institute, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong 256603, P.R. China
| | - Dan Jin
- Department of Pain Management, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong 256603, P.R. China
| | - Hong Jiang
- Department of Anorectal Surgery, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong 256603, P.R. China
| | - Chengxia Liu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong 256603, P.R. China
| | - Chengyong Qin
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250021, P.R. China
| |
Collapse
|