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Ni Y, Shi M, Liu L, Lin D, Zeng H, Ong C, Wang Y. G9a in Cancer: Mechanisms, Therapeutic Advancements, and Clinical Implications. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:2175. [PMID: 38927881 PMCID: PMC11201431 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16122175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2024] [Revised: 06/05/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
G9a, also named EHMT2, is a histone 3 lysine 9 (H3K9) methyltransferase responsible for catalyzing H3K9 mono- and dimethylation (H3K9me1 and H3K9me2). G9a contributes to various aspects of embryonic development and tissue differentiation through epigenetic regulation. Furthermore, the aberrant expression of G9a is frequently observed in various tumors, particularly in prostate cancer, where it contributes to cancer pathogenesis and progression. This review highlights the critical role of G9a in multiple cancer-related processes, such as epigenetic dysregulation, tumor suppressor gene silencing, cancer lineage plasticity, hypoxia adaption, and cancer progression. Despite the increased research on G9a in prostate cancer, there are still significant gaps, particularly in understanding its interactions within the tumor microenvironment and its broader epigenetic effects. Furthermore, this review discusses the recent advancements in G9a inhibitors, including the development of dual-target inhibitors that target G9a along with other epigenetic factors such as EZH2 and HDAC. It aims to bring together the existing knowledge, identify gaps in the current research, and suggest future directions for research and treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuchao Ni
- Department of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China;
- Vancouver Prostate Centre, Vancouver, BC V6H 3Z6, Canada; (M.S.); (L.L.); (D.L.); (Y.W.)
- Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9, Canada
| | - Mingchen Shi
- Vancouver Prostate Centre, Vancouver, BC V6H 3Z6, Canada; (M.S.); (L.L.); (D.L.); (Y.W.)
- Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9, Canada
| | - Liangliang Liu
- Vancouver Prostate Centre, Vancouver, BC V6H 3Z6, Canada; (M.S.); (L.L.); (D.L.); (Y.W.)
- Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9, Canada
| | - Dong Lin
- Vancouver Prostate Centre, Vancouver, BC V6H 3Z6, Canada; (M.S.); (L.L.); (D.L.); (Y.W.)
- Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9, Canada
| | - Hao Zeng
- Department of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China;
| | - Christopher Ong
- Vancouver Prostate Centre, Vancouver, BC V6H 3Z6, Canada; (M.S.); (L.L.); (D.L.); (Y.W.)
- Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9, Canada
| | - Yuzhuo Wang
- Vancouver Prostate Centre, Vancouver, BC V6H 3Z6, Canada; (M.S.); (L.L.); (D.L.); (Y.W.)
- Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9, Canada
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, BC Cancer, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1L3, Canada
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Li J, Hilimire TA, Liu Y, Wang L, Liang J, Gyorffy B, Sikirzhytski V, Ji H, Zhang L, Cheng C, Ding X, Kerr KR, Dowling CE, Chumanevich AA, Mack ZT, Schools GP, Lim CU, Ellis L, Zi X, Porter DC, Broude EV, McInnes C, Wilding G, Lilly MB, Roninson IB, Chen M. Mediator kinase inhibition reverses castration resistance of advanced prostate cancer. J Clin Invest 2024; 134:e176709. [PMID: 38546787 DOI: 10.1172/jci176709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Mediator kinases CDK19 and CDK8, pleiotropic regulators of transcriptional reprogramming, are differentially regulated by androgen signaling, but both kinases are upregulated in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Genetic or pharmacological inhibition of CDK8 and CDK19 reverses the castration-resistant phenotype and restores the sensitivity of CRPC xenografts to androgen deprivation in vivo. Prolonged CDK8/19 inhibitor treatment combined with castration not only suppressed the growth of CRPC xenografts but also induced tumor regression and cures. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that Mediator kinase inhibition amplified and modulated the effects of castration on gene expression, disrupting CRPC adaptation to androgen deprivation. Mediator kinase inactivation in tumor cells also affected stromal gene expression, indicating that Mediator kinase activity in CRPC molded the tumor microenvironment. The combination of castration and Mediator kinase inhibition downregulated the MYC pathway, and Mediator kinase inhibition suppressed a MYC-driven CRPC tumor model even without castration. CDK8/19 inhibitors showed efficacy in patient-derived xenograft models of CRPC, and a gene signature of Mediator kinase activity correlated with tumor progression and overall survival in clinical samples of metastatic CRPC. These results indicate that Mediator kinases mediated androgen-independent in vivo growth of CRPC, supporting the development of CDK8/19 inhibitors for the treatment of this presently incurable disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Li
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Thomas A Hilimire
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
- Senex Biotechnology Inc., Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Yueying Liu
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
| | - Lili Wang
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Jiaxin Liang
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Balazs Gyorffy
- Department of Bioinformatics, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Biophysics, Medical School, University of Pecs, Pecs, Hungary
| | - Vitali Sikirzhytski
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Hao Ji
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Li Zhang
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Chen Cheng
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Xiaokai Ding
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Kendall R Kerr
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Charles E Dowling
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Alexander A Chumanevich
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Zachary T Mack
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Gary P Schools
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Chang-Uk Lim
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Leigh Ellis
- Center for Prostate Disease Research, Murtha Cancer Center Research Program, Department of Surgery, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences; Walter Reed National Military Medical Center; Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine Inc.; Bethesda, Maryland, USA
- Genitourinary Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Xiaolin Zi
- Departments of Urology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | | | - Eugenia V Broude
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Campbell McInnes
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | | | - Michael B Lilly
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
| | - Igor B Roninson
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Mengqian Chen
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
- Senex Biotechnology Inc., Columbia, South Carolina, USA
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Monavarian M, Page EF, Rajkarnikar R, Kumari A, Macias LQ, Massicano F, Lee NY, Sahoo S, Hempel N, Jolly MK, Ianov L, Worthey E, Singh A, Broude EV, Mythreye K. Development of adaptive anoikis resistance promotes metastasis that can be overcome by CDK8/19 Mediator kinase inhibition. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.04.569970. [PMID: 38106208 PMCID: PMC10723298 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.04.569970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Anoikis resistance or evasion of cell death triggered by cell detachment into suspension is a hallmark of cancer that is concurrent with cell survival and metastasis. The effects of frequent matrix detachment encounters on the development of anoikis resistance in cancer remains poorly defined. Here we show using a panel of ovarian cancer models, that repeated exposure to suspension stress in vitro followed by attached recovery growth leads to the development of anoikis resistance paralleling in vivo development of anoikis resistance in ovarian cancer ascites. This resistance is concurrent with enhanced invasion, chemoresistance and the ability of anoikis adapted cells to metastasize to distant sites. Adapted anoikis resistant cells show a heightened dependency on oxidative phosphorylation and can also evade immune surveillance. We find that such acquired anoikis resistance is not genetic, as acquired resistance persists for a finite duration in the absence of suspension stress. Transcriptional reprogramming is however essential to this process, as acquisition of adaptive anoikis resistance in vitro and in vivo is exquisitely sensitive to inhibition of CDK8/19 Mediator kinase, a pleiotropic regulator of transcriptional reprogramming. Our data demonstrate that growth after recovery from repeated exposure to suspension stress is a direct contributor to metastasis and that inhibition of CDK8/19 Mediator kinase during such adaptation provides a therapeutic opportunity to prevent both local and distant metastasis in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehri Monavarian
- Division of Molecular Cellular Pathology, Department of Pathology, O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama, Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Emily Faith Page
- Division of Molecular Cellular Pathology, Department of Pathology, O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama, Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Resha Rajkarnikar
- Division of Molecular Cellular Pathology, Department of Pathology, O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama, Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Asha Kumari
- Division of Molecular Cellular Pathology, Department of Pathology, O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama, Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Liz Quintero Macias
- Division of Molecular Cellular Pathology, Department of Pathology, O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama, Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Felipe Massicano
- UAB Biological Data Science Core, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Nam Y Lee
- Division of Pharmacology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Sarthak Sahoo
- Department of Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India
| | - Nadine Hempel
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology Oncology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Pittsburgh PA 15213
| | - Mohit Kumar Jolly
- Department of Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India
| | - Lara Ianov
- UAB Biological Data Science Core, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Elizabeth Worthey
- UAB Biological Data Science Core, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Abhyudai Singh
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Eugenia V Broude
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
| | - Karthikeyan Mythreye
- Division of Molecular Cellular Pathology, Department of Pathology, O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama, Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA
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Wang J, Sun S, Deng H. Chemical reprogramming for cell fate manipulation: Methods, applications, and perspectives. Cell Stem Cell 2023; 30:1130-1147. [PMID: 37625410 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2023.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023]
Abstract
Chemical reprogramming offers an unprecedented opportunity to control somatic cell fate and generate desired cell types including pluripotent stem cells for applications in biomedicine in a precise, flexible, and controllable manner. Recent success in the chemical reprogramming of human somatic cells by activating a regeneration-like program provides an alternative way of producing stem cells for clinical translation. Likewise, chemical manipulation enables the capture of multiple (stem) cell states, ranging from totipotency to the stabilization of somatic fates in vitro. Here, we review progress in using chemical approaches for cell fate manipulation in addition to future opportunities in this promising field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinlin Wang
- MOE Engineering Research Center of Regenerative Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Peking University Health Science Center and the MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, College of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China; Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Shicheng Sun
- Changping Laboratory, 28 Life Science Park Road, Beijing, China; Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Flemington Road, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
| | - Hongkui Deng
- MOE Engineering Research Center of Regenerative Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Peking University Health Science Center and the MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, College of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China; Changping Laboratory, 28 Life Science Park Road, Beijing, China.
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