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Sanese P, De Marco K, Lepore Signorile M, La Rocca F, Forte G, Latrofa M, Fasano C, Disciglio V, Di Nicola E, Pantaleo A, Bianco G, Spilotro V, Ferroni C, Tubertini M, Labarile N, De Marinis L, Armentano R, Gigante G, Lantone V, Lantone G, Naldi M, Bartolini M, Varchi G, Del Rio A, Grossi V, Simone C. The novel SMYD3 inhibitor EM127 impairs DNA repair response to chemotherapy-induced DNA damage and reverses cancer chemoresistance. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2024; 43:151. [PMID: 38812026 PMCID: PMC11137994 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-024-03078-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND SMYD3 has been found implicated in cancer progression. Its overexpression correlates with cancer growth and invasion, especially in gastrointestinal tumors. SMYD3 transactivates multiple oncogenic mechanisms, favoring cancer development. Moreover, it was recently shown that SMYD3 is required for DNA restoration by promoting homologous recombination (HR) repair. METHODS In cellulo and in vivo models were employed to investigate the role of SMYD3 in cancer chemoresistance. Analyses of SMYD3-KO cells, drug-resistant cancer cell lines, patients' residual gastric or rectal tumors that were resected after neoadjuvant therapy and mice models were performed. In addition, the novel SMYD3 covalent inhibitor EM127 was used to evaluate the impact of manipulating SMYD3 activity on the sensitization of cancer cell lines, tumorspheres and cancer murine models to chemotherapeutics (CHTs). RESULTS Here we report that SMYD3 mediates cancer cell sensitivity to CHTs. Indeed, cancer cells lacking SMYD3 functions showed increased responsiveness to CHTs, while restoring its expression promoted chemoresistance. Specifically, SMYD3 is essential for the repair of CHT-induced double-strand breaks as it methylates the upstream sensor ATM and allows HR cascade propagation through CHK2 and p53 phosphorylation, thereby promoting cancer cell survival. SMYD3 inhibition with the novel compound EM127 showed a synergistic effect with CHTs in colorectal, gastric, and breast cancer cells, tumorspheres, and preclinical colorectal cancer models. CONCLUSIONS Overall, our results show that targeting SMYD3 may be an effective therapeutic strategy to overcome chemoresistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Sanese
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis" Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte (Ba), 70013, Italy
| | - Katia De Marco
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis" Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte (Ba), 70013, Italy
| | - Martina Lepore Signorile
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis" Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte (Ba), 70013, Italy
| | - Francesca La Rocca
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis" Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte (Ba), 70013, Italy
| | - Giovanna Forte
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis" Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte (Ba), 70013, Italy
| | - Marialaura Latrofa
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis" Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte (Ba), 70013, Italy
| | - Candida Fasano
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis" Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte (Ba), 70013, Italy
| | - Vittoria Disciglio
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis" Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte (Ba), 70013, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Di Nicola
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis" Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte (Ba), 70013, Italy
| | - Antonino Pantaleo
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis" Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte (Ba), 70013, Italy
| | - Giusy Bianco
- Animal Facility, National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis" Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte (Ba), 70013, Italy
| | - Vito Spilotro
- Animal Facility, National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis" Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte (Ba), 70013, Italy
| | - Claudia Ferroni
- Institute of Organic Synthesis and Photoreactivity - National Research Council, Bologna, 40129, Italy
| | - Matilde Tubertini
- Institute of Organic Synthesis and Photoreactivity - National Research Council, Bologna, 40129, Italy
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Sciences, University of Insubria, Como, 22100, Italy
| | - Nicoletta Labarile
- Histopathology Unit, National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis" Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte (Ba), 70013, Italy
| | - Lucia De Marinis
- Histopathology Unit, National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis" Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte (Ba), 70013, Italy
| | - Raffaele Armentano
- Histopathology Unit, National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis" Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte (Ba), 70013, Italy
| | - Gianluigi Gigante
- General Surgery Unit, National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis" Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte (Ba), 70013, Italy
| | - Valerio Lantone
- General Surgery Unit, National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis" Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte (Ba), 70013, Italy
- General Surgery Unit, Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Jonic Area (DiMePRe-J), University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, 70124, Italy
| | | | - Marina Naldi
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Bologna, 40126, Italy
| | - Manuela Bartolini
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Bologna, 40126, Italy
| | - Greta Varchi
- Institute of Organic Synthesis and Photoreactivity - National Research Council, Bologna, 40129, Italy
| | - Alberto Del Rio
- Institute of Organic Synthesis and Photoreactivity - National Research Council, Bologna, 40129, Italy
- Innovamol Consulting Srl, Modena, 41126, Italy
| | - Valentina Grossi
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis" Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte (Ba), 70013, Italy.
| | - Cristiano Simone
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis" Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte (Ba), 70013, Italy.
- Medical Genetics, Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Jonic Area (DiMePRe-J), University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, 70124, Italy.
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Lepore Signorile M, Sanese P, Di Nicola E, Fasano C, Forte G, De Marco K, Disciglio V, Latrofa M, Pantaleo A, Varchi G, Del Rio A, Grossi V, Simone C. SMYD3 Modulates AMPK-mTOR Signaling Balance in Cancer Cell Response to DNA Damage. Cells 2023; 12:2644. [PMID: 37998381 PMCID: PMC10670288 DOI: 10.3390/cells12222644] [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: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Cells respond to DNA damage by activating a complex array of signaling networks, which include the AMPK and mTOR pathways. After DNA double-strand breakage, ATM, a core component of the DNA repair system, activates the AMPK-TSC2 pathway, leading to the inhibition of the mTOR cascade. Recently, we showed that both AMPK and mTOR interact with SMYD3, a methyltransferase involved in DNA damage response. In this study, through extensive molecular characterization of gastrointestinal and breast cancer cells, we found that SMYD3 is part of a multiprotein complex that is involved in DNA damage response and also comprises AMPK and mTOR. In particular, upon exposure to the double-strand break-inducing agent neocarzinostatin, SMYD3 pharmacological inhibition suppressed AMPK cascade activation and thereby promoted the mTOR pathway, which reveals the central role played by SMYD3 in the modulation of AMPK-mTOR signaling balance during cancer cell response to DNA double-strand breaks. Moreover, we found that SMYD3 can methylate AMPK at the evolutionarily conserved residues Lys411 and Lys424. Overall, our data revealed that SMYD3 can act as a bridge between the AMPK and mTOR pathways upon neocarzinostatin-induced DNA damage in gastrointestinal and breast cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Lepore Signorile
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology-IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy; (M.L.S.); (E.D.N.); (C.F.); (G.F.); (K.D.M.); (V.D.); (M.L.); (A.P.); (V.G.)
| | - Paola Sanese
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology-IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy; (M.L.S.); (E.D.N.); (C.F.); (G.F.); (K.D.M.); (V.D.); (M.L.); (A.P.); (V.G.)
| | - Elisabetta Di Nicola
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology-IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy; (M.L.S.); (E.D.N.); (C.F.); (G.F.); (K.D.M.); (V.D.); (M.L.); (A.P.); (V.G.)
| | - Candida Fasano
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology-IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy; (M.L.S.); (E.D.N.); (C.F.); (G.F.); (K.D.M.); (V.D.); (M.L.); (A.P.); (V.G.)
| | - Giovanna Forte
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology-IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy; (M.L.S.); (E.D.N.); (C.F.); (G.F.); (K.D.M.); (V.D.); (M.L.); (A.P.); (V.G.)
| | - Katia De Marco
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology-IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy; (M.L.S.); (E.D.N.); (C.F.); (G.F.); (K.D.M.); (V.D.); (M.L.); (A.P.); (V.G.)
| | - Vittoria Disciglio
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology-IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy; (M.L.S.); (E.D.N.); (C.F.); (G.F.); (K.D.M.); (V.D.); (M.L.); (A.P.); (V.G.)
| | - Marialaura Latrofa
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology-IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy; (M.L.S.); (E.D.N.); (C.F.); (G.F.); (K.D.M.); (V.D.); (M.L.); (A.P.); (V.G.)
| | - Antonino Pantaleo
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology-IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy; (M.L.S.); (E.D.N.); (C.F.); (G.F.); (K.D.M.); (V.D.); (M.L.); (A.P.); (V.G.)
| | - Greta Varchi
- Institute for Organic Synthesis and Photoreactivity (ISOF), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 40129 Bologna, Italy; (G.V.); (A.D.R.)
| | - Alberto Del Rio
- Institute for Organic Synthesis and Photoreactivity (ISOF), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 40129 Bologna, Italy; (G.V.); (A.D.R.)
- Innovamol Consulting Srl, 41126 Modena, Italy
| | - Valentina Grossi
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology-IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy; (M.L.S.); (E.D.N.); (C.F.); (G.F.); (K.D.M.); (V.D.); (M.L.); (A.P.); (V.G.)
| | - Cristiano Simone
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology-IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy; (M.L.S.); (E.D.N.); (C.F.); (G.F.); (K.D.M.); (V.D.); (M.L.); (A.P.); (V.G.)
- Medical Genetics, Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Jonic Area (DiMePRe-J), University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70124 Bari, Italy
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De Marco K, Lepore Signorile M, Di Nicola E, Sanese P, Fasano C, Forte G, Disciglio V, Pantaleo A, Varchi G, Del Rio A, Grossi V, Simone C. SMYD3 Modulates the HGF/MET Signaling Pathway in Gastric Cancer. Cells 2023; 12:2481. [PMID: 37887325 PMCID: PMC10605494 DOI: 10.3390/cells12202481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Gastric cancer (GC) is the third most deadly cancer worldwide. Considerable efforts have been made to find targetable drivers in order to improve patient outcomes. MET is one of the most important factors involved in GC initiation and progression as it plays a major role in GC invasiveness and is related to cancer stemness. Unfortunately, treatment strategies targeting MET are still limited, with a proportion of patients responding to therapy but later developing resistance. Here, we showed that MET is a molecular partner of the SMYD3 methyltransferase in GC cells. Moreover, we found that SMYD3 pharmacological inhibition affects the HGF/MET downstream signaling pathway. Extensive cellular analyses in GC models indicated that EM127, a novel active site-selective covalent SMYD3 inhibitor, can be used as part of a synergistic approach with MET inhibitors in order to enhance the targeting of the HGF/MET pathway. Importantly, our data were confirmed in a 3D GC cell culture system, which was used as a surrogate to evaluate stemness characteristics. Our findings identify SMYD3 as a promising therapeutic target to impair the HGF/MET pathway for the treatment of GC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katia De Marco
- Medical Genetics, National Institute for Gastroenterology—IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy; (K.D.M.); (M.L.S.); (E.D.N.); (P.S.); (C.F.); (G.F.); (V.D.); (A.P.)
| | - Martina Lepore Signorile
- Medical Genetics, National Institute for Gastroenterology—IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy; (K.D.M.); (M.L.S.); (E.D.N.); (P.S.); (C.F.); (G.F.); (V.D.); (A.P.)
| | - Elisabetta Di Nicola
- Medical Genetics, National Institute for Gastroenterology—IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy; (K.D.M.); (M.L.S.); (E.D.N.); (P.S.); (C.F.); (G.F.); (V.D.); (A.P.)
| | - Paola Sanese
- Medical Genetics, National Institute for Gastroenterology—IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy; (K.D.M.); (M.L.S.); (E.D.N.); (P.S.); (C.F.); (G.F.); (V.D.); (A.P.)
| | - Candida Fasano
- Medical Genetics, National Institute for Gastroenterology—IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy; (K.D.M.); (M.L.S.); (E.D.N.); (P.S.); (C.F.); (G.F.); (V.D.); (A.P.)
| | - Giovanna Forte
- Medical Genetics, National Institute for Gastroenterology—IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy; (K.D.M.); (M.L.S.); (E.D.N.); (P.S.); (C.F.); (G.F.); (V.D.); (A.P.)
| | - Vittoria Disciglio
- Medical Genetics, National Institute for Gastroenterology—IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy; (K.D.M.); (M.L.S.); (E.D.N.); (P.S.); (C.F.); (G.F.); (V.D.); (A.P.)
| | - Antonino Pantaleo
- Medical Genetics, National Institute for Gastroenterology—IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy; (K.D.M.); (M.L.S.); (E.D.N.); (P.S.); (C.F.); (G.F.); (V.D.); (A.P.)
| | - Greta Varchi
- Institute for Organic Synthesis and Photoreactivity (ISOF), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 40129 Bologna, Italy; (G.V.); (A.D.R.)
| | - Alberto Del Rio
- Institute for Organic Synthesis and Photoreactivity (ISOF), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 40129 Bologna, Italy; (G.V.); (A.D.R.)
- Innovamol Consulting Srl, 41126 Modena, Italy
| | - Valentina Grossi
- Medical Genetics, National Institute for Gastroenterology—IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy; (K.D.M.); (M.L.S.); (E.D.N.); (P.S.); (C.F.); (G.F.); (V.D.); (A.P.)
| | - Cristiano Simone
- Medical Genetics, National Institute for Gastroenterology—IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy; (K.D.M.); (M.L.S.); (E.D.N.); (P.S.); (C.F.); (G.F.); (V.D.); (A.P.)
- Medical Genetics, Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Jonic Area (DiMePRe-J), University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70124 Bari, Italy
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De Marco K, Sanese P, Simone C, Grossi V. Histone and DNA Methylation as Epigenetic Regulators of DNA Damage Repair in Gastric Cancer and Emerging Therapeutic Opportunities. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4976. [PMID: 37894343 PMCID: PMC10605360 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15204976] [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: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Gastric cancer (GC), one of the most common malignancies worldwide, is a heterogeneous disease developing from the accumulation of genetic and epigenetic changes. One of the most critical epigenetic alterations in GC is DNA and histone methylation, which affects multiple processes in the cell nucleus, including gene expression and DNA damage repair (DDR). Indeed, the aberrant expression of histone methyltransferases and demethylases influences chromatin accessibility to the DNA repair machinery; moreover, overexpression of DNA methyltransferases results in promoter hypermethylation, which can suppress the transcription of genes involved in DNA repair. Several DDR mechanisms have been recognized so far, with homologous recombination (HR) being the main pathway involved in the repair of double-strand breaks. An increasing number of defective HR genes are emerging in GC, resulting in the identification of important determinants of therapeutic response to DDR inhibitors. This review describes how both histone and DNA methylation affect DDR in the context of GC and discusses how alterations in DDR can help identify new molecular targets to devise more effective therapeutic strategies for GC, with a particular focus on HR-deficient tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katia De Marco
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology—IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy; (K.D.M.); (P.S.)
| | - Paola Sanese
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology—IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy; (K.D.M.); (P.S.)
| | - Cristiano Simone
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology—IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy; (K.D.M.); (P.S.)
- Medical Genetics, Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Jonic Area (DiMePRe-J), University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70124 Bari, Italy
| | - Valentina Grossi
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology—IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy; (K.D.M.); (P.S.)
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Fasano C, Lepore Signorile M, Di Nicola E, Pantaleo A, Forte G, De Marco K, Sanese P, Disciglio V, Grossi V, Simone C. The chromatin remodeling factors EP300 and TRRAP are novel SMYD3 interactors involved in the emerging 'nonmutational epigenetic reprogramming' cancer hallmark. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2023; 21:5240-5248. [PMID: 37954147 PMCID: PMC10632561 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2023.10.015] [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: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
SMDY3 is a histone-lysine N-methyltransferase involved in several oncogenic processes and is believed to play a major role in various cancer hallmarks. Recently, we identified ATM, BRCA2, CHK2, MTOR, BLM, MET, AMPK, and p130 as direct SMYD3 interactors by taking advantage of a library of rare tripeptides, which we first tested for their in vitro binding affinity to SMYD3 and then used as in silico probes to systematically search the human proteome. Here, we used this innovative approach to identify further SMYD3-interacting proteins involved in crucial cancer pathways and found that the chromatin remodeling factors EP300 and TRRAP interact directly with SMYD3, thus linking SMYD3 to the emerging 'nonmutational epigenetic reprogramming' cancer hallmark. Of note, we validated these interactions in gastrointestinal cancer cell lines, including HCT-116 cells, which harbor a C-terminal truncating mutation in EP300, suggesting that EP300 binds to SMYD3 via its N-terminal region. While additional studies are required to ascertain the functional mechanisms underlying these interactions and their significance, the identification of two novel SMYD3 interactors involved in epigenetic cancer hallmark pathways adds important pieces to the puzzle of how SMYD3 exerts its oncogenic role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Candida Fasano
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology - IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy
| | - Martina Lepore Signorile
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology - IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Di Nicola
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology - IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy
| | - Antonino Pantaleo
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology - IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy
| | - Giovanna Forte
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology - IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy
| | - Katia De Marco
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology - IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy
| | - Paola Sanese
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology - IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy
| | - Vittoria Disciglio
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology - IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy
| | - Valentina Grossi
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology - IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy
| | - Cristiano Simone
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology - IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy
- Medical Genetics, Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Jonic Area (DiMePRe-J), University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70124 Bari, Italy
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Short Linear Motifs in Colorectal Cancer Interactome and Tumorigenesis. Cells 2022; 11:cells11233739. [PMID: 36496998 PMCID: PMC9737320 DOI: 10.3390/cells11233739] [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: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Colorectal tumorigenesis is driven by alterations in genes and proteins responsible for cancer initiation, progression, and invasion. This multistage process is based on a dense network of protein-protein interactions (PPIs) that become dysregulated as a result of changes in various cell signaling effectors. PPIs in signaling and regulatory networks are known to be mediated by short linear motifs (SLiMs), which are conserved contiguous regions of 3-10 amino acids within interacting protein domains. SLiMs are the minimum sequences required for modulating cellular PPI networks. Thus, several in silico approaches have been developed to predict and analyze SLiM-mediated PPIs. In this review, we focus on emerging evidence supporting a crucial role for SLiMs in driver pathways that are disrupted in colorectal cancer (CRC) tumorigenesis and related PPI network alterations. As a result, SLiMs, along with short peptides, are attracting the interest of researchers to devise small molecules amenable to be used as novel anti-CRC targeted therapies. Overall, the characterization of SLiMs mediating crucial PPIs in CRC may foster the development of more specific combined pharmacological approaches.
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Discovery of the 4-aminopiperidine-based compound EM127 for the site-specific covalent inhibition of SMYD3. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 243:114683. [PMID: 36116234 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Recent findings support the hypothesis that inhibition of SMYD3 methyltransferase may be a therapeutic avenue for some of the deadliest cancer types. Herein, active site-selective covalent SMYD3 inhibitors were designed by introducing an appropriate reactive cysteine trap into reversible first-generation SMYD3 inhibitors. The 4-aminopiperidine derivative EM127 (11C) bearing a 2-chloroethanoyl group as reactive warhead showed selectivity for Cys186, located in the substrate/histone binding pocket. Selectivity towards Cys186 was retained even at high inhibitor/enzyme ratio, as shown by mass spectrometry. The mode of interaction with the SMYD3 substrate/histone binding pocket was revealed by crystallographic studies. In enzymatic assays, 11C showed a stronger SMYD3 inhibitory effect compared to the reference inhibitor EPZ031686. Remarkably, 11C attenuated the proliferation of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line at the same low micromolar range of concentrations that reduced SMYD3 mediated ERK signaling in HCT116 colorectal cancer and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Furthermore, 11C (5 μM) strongly decreased the steady-state mRNA levels of genes important for tumor biology such as cyclin dependent kinase 2, c-MET, N-cadherin and fibronectin 1, all known to be regulated, at least in part, by SMYD3. Thus, 11C is as a first example of second generation SMYD3 inhibitors; this agent represents a covalent and a site specific SMYD3 binder capable of potent and prolonged attenuation of methyltransferase activity.
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