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Gu L, Fu Y, Li X. Roles of post-translational modifications of UHRF1 in cancer. Epigenetics Chromatin 2024; 17:15. [PMID: 38725075 PMCID: PMC11080273 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-024-00540-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
UHRF1 as a member of RING-finger type E3 ubiquitin ligases family, is an epigenetic regulator with five structural domains. It has been involved in the regulation of a series of biological functions, such as DNA replication, DNA methylation, and DNA damage repair. Additionally, aberrant overexpression of UHRF1 has been observed in over ten cancer types, indicating that UHRF1 is a typical oncogene. The overexpression of UHRF1 repressed the transcription of such tumor-suppressor genes as CDKN2A, BRCA1, and CDH1 through DNMT1-mediated DNA methylation. In addition to the upstream transcription factors regulating gene transcription, post-translational modifications (PTMs) also contribute to abnormal overexpression of UHRF1 in cancerous tissues. The types of PTM include phosphorylation, acetylation, methylationand ubiquitination, which regulate protein stability, histone methyltransferase activity, intracellular localization and the interaction with binding partners. Recently, several novel PTM types of UHRF1 have been reported, but the detailed mechanisms remain unclear. This comprehensive review summarized the types of UHRF1 PTMs, as well as their biological functions. A deep understanding of these crucial mechanisms of UHRF1 is pivotal for the development of novel UHRF1-targeted anti-cancer therapeutic strategies in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lili Gu
- Key Laboratory of Clinical Precision Pharmacy of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, The First Affiliated Hospital, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, 510699, Guangdong, China
- Key Specialty of Clinical Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, 510699, Guangdong, China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Technology Research and Evaluation of Pharmacovigilance, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, 510006, Guangdong, China
| | - Yongming Fu
- Key Laboratory of Clinical Precision Pharmacy of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, The First Affiliated Hospital, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, 510699, Guangdong, China
- Key Specialty of Clinical Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, 510699, Guangdong, China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Technology Research and Evaluation of Pharmacovigilance, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, 510006, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiong Li
- Key Laboratory of Clinical Precision Pharmacy of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, The First Affiliated Hospital, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, 510699, Guangdong, China.
- Key Specialty of Clinical Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, 510699, Guangdong, China.
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Technology Research and Evaluation of Pharmacovigilance, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, 510006, Guangdong, China.
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, 510006, Guangdong, China.
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AKT1 regulates UHRF1 protein stability and promotes the resistance to abiraterone in prostate cancer. Oncogenesis 2023; 12:1. [PMID: 36593255 PMCID: PMC9807647 DOI: 10.1038/s41389-022-00446-y] [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: 10/03/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Oncogenic activation of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, together with epigenetic aberrations are the characters of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). UHRF1 as a key epigenetic regulator, plays a critical role in prostate cancer (PCa) development, and its expression is positively correlated with the degree of malignancy. In this present study we investigated the potential regulatory mechanism of AKT1 on UHRF1, and further validated the in vitro and in vivo anticancer efficacy of AKT phosphorylation inhibitor MK2206 in combination with abiraterone. Both UHRF1 and p-AKT aberrantly overexpressed in the abiraterone-resistant PCa cells. Further studies revealed that AKT1 protein interacts with UHRF1, and AKT1 directly phosphorylates UHRF1 via the site Thr-210. MK2206 induced UHRF1 protein degradation by inhibiting AKT1-induced UHRF1 phosphorylation, and then reduced the interaction between UHRF1 and deubiquitinase USP7, while promoted the interaction between UHRF1 and E3 ubiquitin protein ligase BTRC. MK2206 significantly promoted the sensitivity of abiraterone-refractory PCa cells and xenografts to abiraterone by decreasing UHRF1 protein level, and reversed the phenotype of NEPC, evently induced cellular senescence and cell apoptosis. Altogether, our present study for the first time revealed a novel molecular mechanism of abiraterone resistance through PI3K/AKT-UHRF1 pathway, and provided a novel therapeutic modality by targeting PI3K/AKT1 to promote the drug sensitivity of abiraterone in PCa patients.
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Georgiou M, Ntavelou P, Stokes W, Roy R, Maher GJ, Stoilova T, Rakhit CP, Martins M, Ajuh P, Horowitz N, Berkowitz RS, Elias K, Seckl MJ, Pardo OE. ATR and CDK4/6 inhibition target the growth of methotrexate-resistant choriocarcinoma. Oncogene 2022; 41:2540-2554. [PMID: 35301407 PMCID: PMC9054653 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-022-02251-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia including choriocarcinoma is often effectively treated with Methotrexate (MTX) as a first line therapy. However, MTX resistance (MTX-R) occurs in at least ≈33% of cases. This can sometimes be salvaged with actinomycin-D but often requires more toxic combination chemotherapy. Moreover, additional therapy may be needed and, for high-risk patients, 5% still die from the multidrug-resistant disease. Consequently, new treatments that are less toxic and could reverse MTX-R are needed. Here, we compared the proteome/phosphoproteome of MTX-resistant and sensitive choriocarcinoma cells using quantitative mass-spectrometry to identify therapeutically actionable molecular changes associated with MTX-R. Bioinformatics analysis of the proteomic data identified cell cycle and DNA damage repair as major pathways associated with MTX-R. MTX-R choriocarcinoma cells undergo cell cycle delay in G1 phase that enables them to repair DNA damage more efficiently through non-homologous end joining in an ATR-dependent manner. Increased expression of cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) and loss of p16Ink4a in resistant cells suggested that CDK4 inhibition may be a strategy to treat MTX-R choriocarcinoma. Indeed, inhibition of CDK4/6 using genetic silencing or the clinically relevant inhibitor, Palbociclib, induced growth inhibition both in vitro and in an orthotopic in vivo mouse model. Finally, targeting the ATR pathway, genetically or pharmacologically, re-sensitised resistant cells to MTX in vitro and potently prevented the growth of MTX-R tumours in vivo. In short, we identified two novel therapeutic strategies to tackle MTX-R choriocarcinoma that could rapidly be translated into the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Georgiou
- Division of Cancer, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Panagiota Ntavelou
- Division of Cancer, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - William Stokes
- Division of Cancer, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Rajat Roy
- Division of Cancer, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Geoffrey J Maher
- Division of Cancer, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Tsvetana Stoilova
- Division of Cancer, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College, London, UK
| | | | - Miguel Martins
- MRC Toxicology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Neil Horowitz
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ross S Berkowitz
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kevin Elias
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michael J Seckl
- Division of Cancer, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College, London, UK.
| | - Olivier E Pardo
- Division of Cancer, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College, London, UK.
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Kori S, Shibahashi Y, Ekimoto T, Nishiyama A, Yoshimi S, Yamaguchi K, Nagatoishi S, Ohta M, Tsumoto K, Nakanishi M, Defossez PA, Ikeguchi M, Arita K. Structure-based screening combined with computational and biochemical analyses identified the inhibitor targeting the binding of DNA Ligase 1 to UHRF1. Bioorg Med Chem 2021; 52:116500. [PMID: 34801826 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2021.116500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The accumulation of epigenetic alterations is one of the major causes of tumorigenesis. Aberrant DNA methylation patterns cause genome instability and silencing of tumor suppressor genes in various types of tumors. Therefore, drugs that target DNA methylation-regulating factors have great potential for cancer therapy. Ubiquitin-like containing PHD and RING finger domain 1 (UHRF1) is an essential factor for DNA methylation maintenance. UHRF1 is overexpressed in various cancer cells and down-regulation of UHRF1 in these cells reactivates the expression of tumor suppressor genes, thus UHRF1 is a promising target for cancer therapy. We have previously shown that interaction between the tandem Tudor domain (TTD) of UHRF1 and DNA ligase 1 (LIG1) di/trimethylated on Lys126 plays a key role in the recruitment of UHRF1 to replication sites and replication-coupled DNA methylation maintenance. An arginine binding cavity (Arg-binding cavity) of the TTD is essential for LIG1 interaction, thus the development of inhibitors that target the Arg-binding cavity could potentially repress UHRF1 function in cancer cells. To develop such an inhibitor, we performed in silico screening using not only static but also dynamic metrics based on all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, resulting in efficient identification of 5-amino-2,4-dimethylpyridine (5A-DMP) as a novel TTD-binding compound. Crystal structure of the TTD in complex with 5A-DMP revealed that the compound stably bound to the Arg-binding cavity of the TTD. Furthermore, 5A-DMP inhibits the full-length UHRF1:LIG1 interaction in Xenopus egg extracts. Our study uncovers a UHRF1 inhibitor which can be the basis of future experiments for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satomi Kori
- Structural Biology Laboratory, Graduate School of Medical Life Science, Yokohama City University, 1-7-29, Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan
| | - Yuki Shibahashi
- Computational Life Science Laboratory, Graduate School of Medical Life Science, Yokohama City University, 1-7-29, Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan
| | - Toru Ekimoto
- Computational Life Science Laboratory, Graduate School of Medical Life Science, Yokohama City University, 1-7-29, Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan
| | - Atsuya Nishiyama
- Division of Cancer Cell Biology, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan
| | - Sae Yoshimi
- Structural Biology Laboratory, Graduate School of Medical Life Science, Yokohama City University, 1-7-29, Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan
| | - Kosuke Yamaguchi
- Univ. Paris, Epigenetics and Cell Fate, UMR 7216 CNRS, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Satoru Nagatoishi
- Institute of Medical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan
| | - Masateru Ohta
- HPC- and AI-driven Drug Development Platform Division, Center for Computational Science, RIKEN, Yokohama 230-0045, Japan
| | - Kouhei Tsumoto
- Institute of Medical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan; Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
| | - Makoto Nakanishi
- Division of Cancer Cell Biology, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan
| | | | - Mitsunori Ikeguchi
- Computational Life Science Laboratory, Graduate School of Medical Life Science, Yokohama City University, 1-7-29, Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan; HPC- and AI-driven Drug Development Platform Division, Center for Computational Science, RIKEN, Yokohama 230-0045, Japan
| | - Kyohei Arita
- Structural Biology Laboratory, Graduate School of Medical Life Science, Yokohama City University, 1-7-29, Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan.
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Mancini M, Magnani E, Macchi F, Bonapace IM. The multi-functionality of UHRF1: epigenome maintenance and preservation of genome integrity. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:6053-6068. [PMID: 33939809 PMCID: PMC8216287 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Revised: 04/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
During S phase, the cooperation between the macromolecular complexes regulating DNA synthesis, epigenetic information maintenance and DNA repair is advantageous for cells, as they can rapidly detect DNA damage and initiate the DNA damage response (DDR). UHRF1 is a fundamental epigenetic regulator; its ability to coordinate DNA methylation and histone code is unique across proteomes of different species. Recently, UHRF1’s role in DNA damage repair has been explored and recognized to be as important as its role in maintaining the epigenome. UHRF1 is a sensor for interstrand crosslinks and a determinant for the switch towards homologous recombination in the repair of double-strand breaks; its loss results in enhanced sensitivity to DNA damage. These functions are finely regulated by specific post-translational modifications and are mediated by the SRA domain, which binds to damaged DNA, and the RING domain. Here, we review recent studies on the role of UHRF1 in DDR focusing on how it recognizes DNA damage and cooperates with other proteins in its repair. We then discuss how UHRF1’s epigenetic abilities in reading and writing histone modifications, or its interactions with ncRNAs, could interlace with its role in DDR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Mancini
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Busto Arsizio, VA 21052, Italy
| | - Elena Magnani
- Program in Biology, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, PO Box 129188, United Arab Emirates
| | - Filippo Macchi
- Program in Biology, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, PO Box 129188, United Arab Emirates
| | - Ian Marc Bonapace
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Busto Arsizio, VA 21052, Italy
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Petryk N, Bultmann S, Bartke T, Defossez PA. Staying true to yourself: mechanisms of DNA methylation maintenance in mammals. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:3020-3032. [PMID: 33300031 PMCID: PMC8034647 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa1154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA methylation is essential to development and cellular physiology in mammals. Faulty DNA methylation is frequently observed in human diseases like cancer and neurological disorders. Molecularly, this epigenetic mark is linked to other chromatin modifications and it regulates key genomic processes, including transcription and splicing. Each round of DNA replication generates two hemi-methylated copies of the genome. These must be converted back to symmetrically methylated DNA before the next S-phase, or the mark will fade away; therefore the maintenance of DNA methylation is essential. Mechanistically, the maintenance of this epigenetic modification takes place during and after DNA replication, and occurs within the very dynamic context of chromatin re-assembly. Here, we review recent discoveries and unresolved questions regarding the mechanisms, dynamics and fidelity of DNA methylation maintenance in mammals. We also discuss how it could be regulated in normal development and misregulated in disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nataliya Petryk
- Epigenetics and Cell Fate Centre, UMR7216 CNRS, Université de Paris, F-75013 Paris, France
| | - Sebastian Bultmann
- Department of Biology II, Human Biology and BioImaging, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 80539 Munich, Germany
| | - Till Bartke
- Institute of Functional Epigenetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
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