1
|
Wang H, Wang L, Zhang S, Liu Q, Gao F. EZH2 G553C significantly increases the risk of brain metastasis from lung cancer due to salt bridge instability. Cancer Cell Int 2024; 24:175. [PMID: 38764053 PMCID: PMC11103815 DOI: 10.1186/s12935-024-03362-w] [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: 10/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The incidence and mortality of lung cancer is the highest in China and the world. Brain is the most common distant metastasis site of lung cancer. Its transfer mechanism and predictive biomarkers are still unclear. EZH2 participates in the catalysis of transcriptional inhibition complex, mediates chromatin compactness, leads to the silencing of its downstream target genes, participates in the silencing of multiple tumor suppressor genes, and is related to cell proliferation, apoptosis and cycle regulation. In physiology, EZH2 has high activity in stem cells or progenitor cells, inhibits genes related to cell cycle arrest and promotes self-renewal. To detect the expression and mutation of EZH2 gene in patients with brain metastasis of lung cancer, and provide further theoretical basis for exploring the pathogenesis of brain metastasis of lung cancer and finding reliable biomarkers to predict brain metastasis of lung cancer. METHODS This study investigated susceptible genes for brain metastasis of lung cancer. The second-generation sequencing technology was applied to screen the differential genes of paired samples (brain metastasis tissues, lung cancer tissues and adjacent tissues) of lung cancer patients with brain metastasi. RESULTS It revealed that there was a significant difference in the G553C genotype of EZH2 between lung cancer brain metastasis tissues and lung cancer tissues (p = 0.045). The risk of lung cancer brain metastasis in G allele carriers was 2.124 times higher than that in C allele carriers. Immunohistochemistry showed that compared with lung cancer patients and lung cancer patients with brain metastasis, the expression level of EZH2 in lung cancer tissues of lung cancer patients was significantly higher than that in adjacent lung tissues (p < 0.0001), and higher than that in brain metastasis tissues (p = 0.0309). RNA in situ immunohybridization showed that EZH2 mRNA expression was gradually high in lung cancer adjacent tissues, lung cancer tissues and lung cancer brain metastasis tissues. CONCLUSIONS EZH2 G553C polymorphism contributes to the prediction of brain metastasis of lung cancer, in which G allele carriers are more prone to brain metastasis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hanjun Wang
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350004, People's Republic of China
- Department of Pathology, Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ling Wang
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350004, People's Republic of China
| | - Sheng Zhang
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350004, People's Republic of China
| | - Qicai Liu
- Department of Reproductive Medicine Centre, 1st Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, 20 Chazhong Road, Fuzhou, 350005, China.
| | - Feng Gao
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350004, People's Republic of China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Iwase T, Wang X, Thi Hanh Phi L, Sridhar N, Ueno NT, Lee J. Advances in targets in inflammatory breast cancer. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2024; 384:125-152. [PMID: 38637096 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ircmb.2023.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Toshiaki Iwase
- Section of Translational Breast Cancer Research, Department of Breast Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States; Morgan Welch Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Program and Clinic, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States; University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Honolulu, HI, United States.
| | - Xiaoping Wang
- Section of Translational Breast Cancer Research, Department of Breast Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States; Morgan Welch Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Program and Clinic, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Lan Thi Hanh Phi
- Section of Translational Breast Cancer Research, Department of Breast Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States; Morgan Welch Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Program and Clinic, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Nithya Sridhar
- Section of Translational Breast Cancer Research, Department of Breast Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Naoto T Ueno
- Section of Translational Breast Cancer Research, Department of Breast Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States; Morgan Welch Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Program and Clinic, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States; University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Honolulu, HI, United States
| | - Jangsoon Lee
- Section of Translational Breast Cancer Research, Department of Breast Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States; Morgan Welch Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Program and Clinic, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Hong L, Williams NL, Jaffe M, Shields CE, Haynes KA. Synthetic Reader-Actuators Targeted to Polycomb-Silenced Genes Block Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Proliferation and Invasion. GEN BIOTECHNOLOGY 2023; 2:301-316. [PMID: 37928406 PMCID: PMC10623628 DOI: 10.1089/genbio.2023.0020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Scientists have used pharmacological inhibitors of polycomb proteins to restore the expression of tumor suppressor genes and stop cancer proliferation and invasion. A major limitation of this approach is that key transcriptional activators, such as TP53 and BAF SWI/SNF, are often mutated in cancer. Poor clinical results for polycomb-targeting therapies in solid cancers, including triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), could discourage the further development of epigenetic monotherapies. Here, we performed epigenome actuation with a synthetic reader-actuator (SRA) that binds trimethylated histone H3 lysine 27 in polycomb chromatin and modulates core transcriptional activators. In SRA-expressing TNBC BT-549 cells, 122 genes become upregulated ≥2-fold, including the genes involved in cell death, cell cycle arrest, and migration inhibition. The SRA-expressing spheroids showed reduced size in Matrigel and loss of invasion. Therefore, targeting Mediator-recruiting regulators to silenced chromatin can activate tumor suppressors and stimulate anti-cancer phenotypes, and further development of robust gene regulators might benefit TNBC patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Hong
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Natecia L. Williams
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Maya Jaffe
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Cara E. Shields
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Karmella A. Haynes
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Arroyo-Berdugo Y, Sendino M, Greaves D, Nojszewska N, Idilli O, So CW, Di Silvio L, Quartey-Papafio R, Farzaneh F, Rodriguez JA, Calle Y. High Throughput Fluorescence-Based In Vitro Experimental Platform for the Identification of Effective Therapies to Overcome Tumour Microenvironment-Mediated Drug Resistance in AML. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:1988. [PMID: 37046649 PMCID: PMC10093176 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15071988] [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: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The interactions between Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) leukemic stem cells and the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment play a critical role during AML progression and resistance to drug treatments. Therefore, the identification of novel therapies requires drug-screening methods using in vitro co-culture models that closely recreate the cytoprotective BM setting. We have developed a new fluorescence-based in vitro co-culture system scalable to high throughput for measuring the concomitant effect of drugs on AML cells and the cytoprotective BM microenvironment. eGFP-expressing AML cells are co-cultured in direct contact with mCherry-expressing BM stromal cells for the accurate assessment of proliferation, viability, and signaling in both cell types. This model identified several efficacious compounds that overcome BM stroma-mediated drug resistance against daunorubicin, including the chromosome region maintenance 1 (CRM1/XPO1) inhibitor KPT-330. In silico analysis of genes co-expressed with CRM1, combined with in vitro experiments using our new methodology, also indicates that the combination of KPT-330 with the AURKA pharmacological inhibitor alisertib circumvents the cytoprotection of AML cells mediated by the BM stroma. This new experimental model and analysis provide a more precise screening method for developing improved therapeutics targeting AML cells within the cytoprotective BM microenvironment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yoana Arroyo-Berdugo
- School of Health and Life Sciences, University of Roehampton, London SW15 4JD, UK
| | - Maria Sendino
- Department of Genetics, Physical Anthropology and Animal Physiology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 48940 Leioa, Spain
| | - David Greaves
- School of Health and Life Sciences, University of Roehampton, London SW15 4JD, UK
| | - Natalia Nojszewska
- School of Health and Life Sciences, University of Roehampton, London SW15 4JD, UK
| | - Orest Idilli
- School of Health and Life Sciences, University of Roehampton, London SW15 4JD, UK
| | - Chi Wai So
- Department of Haemato-Oncology, King’s College London, London SE5 9NU, UK
| | - Lucy Di Silvio
- Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, King’s College London, London SE1 9RT, UK
| | | | - Farzin Farzaneh
- Department of Haemato-Oncology, King’s College London, London SE5 9NU, UK
| | - Jose Antonio Rodriguez
- Department of Genetics, Physical Anthropology and Animal Physiology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 48940 Leioa, Spain
| | - Yolanda Calle
- School of Health and Life Sciences, University of Roehampton, London SW15 4JD, UK
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Williams NL, Hong L, Jaffe M, Shields CE, Haynes KA. PIC recruitment by synthetic reader-actuators to polycomb-silenced genes blocks triple-negative breast cancer invasion. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.23.525196. [PMID: 36747762 PMCID: PMC9900809 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.23.525196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Scientists have used small molecule inhibitors and genetic knockdown of gene-silencing polycomb repressive complexes (PRC1/2) to determine if restoring the expression of tumor suppressor genes can block proliferation and invasion of cancer cells. A major limitation of this approach is that inhibitors can not restore key transcriptional activators that are mutated in many cancers, such as p53 and members of the BRAF SWI/SNF complex. Furthermore, small molecule inhibitors can alter the activity of, rather than inhibit, the polycomb enzyme EZH2. While chromatin has been shown to play a major role in gene regulation in cancer, poor clinical results for polycomb chromatin-targeting therapies for diseases like triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) could discourage further development of this emerging avenue for treatment. To overcome the limitations of inhibiting polycomb to study epigenetic regulation, we developed an engineered chromatin protein to manipulate transcription. The synthetic reader-actuator (SRA) is a fusion protein that directly binds a target chromatin modification and regulates gene expression. Here, we report the activity of an SRA built from polycomb chromodomain and VP64 modules that bind H3K27me3 and subunits of the Mediator complex, respectively. In SRA-expressing BT-549 cells, we identified 122 upregulated differentially expressed genes (UpDEGs, ≥ 2-fold activation, adjusted p < 0.05). On-target epigenetic regulation was determined by identifying UpDEGs at H3K27me3-enriched, closed chromatin. SRA activity induced activation of genes involved in cell death, cell cycle arrest, and the inhibition of migration and invasion. SRA-expressing BT-549 cells showed reduced spheroid size in Matrigel over time, loss of invasion, and activation of apoptosis. These results show that Mediator-recruiting regulators broadly targeted to silenced chromatin activate silenced tumor suppressor genes and stimulate anti-cancer phenotypes. Therefore further development of gene-activating epigenetic therapies might benefit TNBC patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Natecia L Williams
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30312 USA
| | - Lauren Hong
- Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332
| | - Maya Jaffe
- Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332
| | - Cara E Shields
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30312 USA
| | - Karmella A Haynes
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30312 USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Osum M, Kalkan R. Cancer Stem Cells and Their Therapeutic Usage. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2023; 1436:69-85. [PMID: 36689167 DOI: 10.1007/5584_2022_758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSC) have unique characteristics which include self-renewal, multi-directional differentiation capacity, quiescence/dormancy, and tumor-forming capability. These characteristics are referred to as the "stemness" properties. Tumor microenvironment contributes to CSC survival, function, and remaining them in an undifferentiated state. CSCs can form malignant tumors with heterogeneous phenotypes mediated by the tumor microenvironment. Therefore, the crosstalk between CSCs and tumor microenvironment can modulate tumor heterogeneity. CSCs play a crucial role in several biological processes, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), autophagy, and cellular stress response. In this chapter, we focused characteristics of cancer stem cells, reprogramming strategies cells into CSCs, and then we highlighted the contribution of CSCs to therapy resistance and cancer relapse and their potential of therapeutic targeting of CSCs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Meryem Osum
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Near East University, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Rasime Kalkan
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Cyprus Health and Social Sciences University, Guzelyurt, Cyprus.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Zhu S, Liu M, Zhu F, Yu X, Wen J, Li C. Targeting EZH2 prevents the occurrence and mitigates the development of Sjögren's syndrome in mice. Int Immunopharmacol 2022; 110:109073. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2022.109073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 07/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
|
8
|
Gonzalez ME, Naimo GD, Anwar T, Paolì A, Tekula SR, Kim S, Medhora N, Leflein SA, Itkin J, Trievel R, Kidwell KM, Chen YC, Mauro L, Yoon E, Andò S, Kleer CG. EZH2 T367 phosphorylation activates p38 signaling through lysine methylation to promote breast cancer progression. iScience 2022; 25:104827. [PMID: 35992062 PMCID: PMC9389258 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) are frequently poorly differentiated with high propensity for metastasis. Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) is the lysine methyltransferase of polycomb repressive complex 2 that mediates transcriptional repression in normal cells and in cancer through H3K27me3. However, H3K27me3-independent non-canonical functions of EZH2 are incompletely understood. We reported that EZH2 phosphorylation at T367 by p38α induces TNBC metastasis in an H3K27me3-independent manner. Here, we show that cytosolic EZH2 methylates p38α at lysine 139 and 165 leading to enhanced p38α stability and that p38 methylation and activation require T367 phosphorylation of EZH2. Dual inhibition of EZH2 methyltransferase and p38 kinase activities downregulates pEZH2-T367, H3K27me3, and p-p38 pathways in vivo and reduces TNBC growth and metastasis. These data uncover a cooperation between EZH2 canonical and non-canonical mechanisms and suggest that inhibition of these pathways may be a potential therapeutic strategy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria E. Gonzalez
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Giuseppina Daniela Naimo
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende (CS), Italy
| | - Talha Anwar
- Department of Internal Medicine, Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Alessandro Paolì
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende (CS), Italy
| | - Shilpa R. Tekula
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Suny Kim
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Natasha Medhora
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Shoshana A. Leflein
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Jacob Itkin
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Raymond Trievel
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Kelley M. Kidwell
- Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Yu-Chih Chen
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Department of Computational and Systems Biology, Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
| | - Loredana Mauro
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende (CS), Italy
| | - Euisik Yoon
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Sebastiano Andò
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende (CS), Italy
| | - Celina G. Kleer
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Clinicopathological Analysis of Expression of Enhancer of Zeste Homologue 2 in Canine Mammary Carcinoma. J Vet Res 2022; 66:267-272. [PMID: 35892097 PMCID: PMC9281528 DOI: 10.2478/jvetres-2022-0033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Enhancer of zeste homologue 2 (EZH2) is the human homologue of Drosophila zeste gene enhancer. The aim of this study was to determine the expression of EZH2 in canine mammary carcinomas (CMCs) and its relationship with clinicopathological features. Material and Methods The expression of EZH2 mRNA and protein in 53 CMC tissue and 8 normal mammary gland tissue samples was measured by quantitative real-time PCR and immunohistochemical staining assay, respectively. The relationship between EZH2 protein expression and clinicopathological features was analysed by χ2 test to further explore the clinical significance of EZH2 in CMCs. Results Compared with normal mammary gland tissues, EZH2 mRNA expressions were significantly increased in CMC tissues (P < 0.01). Moreover, normal mammary glands did not express the EZH2 protein but carcinomic glands did, and expression increased in CMCs with high histological grades, especially in histological grade II (P < 0.05). However, EZH2 expression was not related to age, tumour size, or metastasis (P > 0.05). The expression of EZH2 in one type of CMC was not significantly different from the expression in any other type (P > 0.05). Conclusion EZH2 is highly expressed in CMCs, indicating that it can be used as a molecular marker for early diagnosis, prognosis, or therapy of CMCs.
Collapse
|
10
|
Prometastatic CXCR4 and Histone Methyltransferase EZH2 Are Upregulated in SMARCB1/INI1-Deficient and TP53-Mutated Poorly Differentiated Chordoma. JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR PATHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/jmp3020007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Chordoma is a rare tumor most commonly arising in the sacrococcygeal region from notochord remnants. Usually, these tumors are locally invasive and recurrent, and they have a 5–43% ability to metastasize. A newly-described aggressive variant called poorly differentiated chordoma is different from conventional chordoma in that it does not have the well-differentiated histologic appearance of conventional chordoma and also exhibits the loss of SMARCB1/INI1. Herein, we describe a case of poorly differentiated chordoma with SMARCB1/INI1 loss, a concurrent TP53 mutation, and Rb1 loss. Methods: The patient is a middle-aged man with a history of previously resected sacrococcygeal chordoma, who was found to have new hepatic, lung, and adrenal lesions. Results: Biopsy of the liver lesion showed sheets of malignant epithelioid cells with vacuolated cytoplasm, areas of necrosis, and up to five mitoses in one high-power field. No physaliferous cytologic features or matrix material was seen. After reviewing an extensive panel of immunohistochemical markers, the origin of the metastatic tumor could not be determined; the tumor was only positive for Cam5.2, EMA, and CD56. Brachyury was performed due to the patient’s previous history and was positive. Genomic testing showed a SMARCB1 mutation, TP53 mutation, and RB1 loss. Additional markers were performed, and the tumor showed a Ki-67 proliferation index of approximately 80%, mutant p53 protein, loss of INI1, and strong expression of both the histone methyl transferase EZH2 and the chemokine receptor CXCR4. Conclusions: Poorly differentiated chordoma is a highly aggressive variant of chordoma with few cases reported. This case of SMARCB1/INI-deficient, poorly differentiated chordoma also showed a concurrent TP53 mutation and loss of RB1, which resulted in malignant transformation with upregulation of both prometastatic CXCR4 and the histone methyltransferase EZH2, causing aggressive behavior and metastasis.
Collapse
|
11
|
Kamiya T, Yamaguchi Y, Oka M, Hara H. Combined action of FOXO1 and superoxide dismutase 3 promotes MDA-MB-231 cell migration. Free Radic Res 2022; 56:106-114. [PMID: 35271779 DOI: 10.1080/10715762.2022.2049770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Superoxide dismutase 3 (SOD3), one of SOD isozymes, maintains extracellular redox homeostasis through the dismutation reaction of superoxide. Loss of SOD3 in tumor cells induces oxidative stress and exacerbates tumor progression; however, interestingly, overexpression of SOD3 also promotes cell proliferation through the production of hydrogen peroxide. In this study, we investigated the functional role of SOD3 in human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cell migration and the molecular mechanisms involved in high expression of SOD3 in MDA-MB-231 cells and human monocytic THP-1 cells. The level of histone H3 trimethylation at lysine 27 (H3K27me3), a marker of gene silencing, was decreased in 12-O-tetra-decanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-treated THP-1 cells. Also, that reduction was observed within the SOD3 promoter region. We then investigated the involvement of H3K27 demethylase JMJD3 in SOD3 induction. The induction of SOD3 and the reduction of H3K27me3 were inhibited in the presence of JMJD3 inhibitor, GSK-J4. Additionally, it was first determined that the knockdown of the transcription factor forkhead box O1 (FOXO1) significantly suppressed TPA-elicited SOD3 induction. FOXO1-mediated SOD3 downregulation was also observed in MDA-MB-231 cells, and knockdown of FOXO1 and SOD3 suppressed cell migration. Our results provide a novel insight into epigenetic regulation of SOD3 expression in tumor-associated cells, and high expression of FOXO1 and SOD3 would participate in the migration of MDA-MB-231 cells.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tetsuro Kamiya
- Laboratory of Clinical Pharmaceutics, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, Gifu, Japan
| | - Yuji Yamaguchi
- Laboratory of Clinical Pharmaceutics, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, Gifu, Japan
| | - Manami Oka
- Laboratory of Clinical Pharmaceutics, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, Gifu, Japan
| | - Hirokazu Hara
- Laboratory of Clinical Pharmaceutics, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, Gifu, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
EZH2 presents a therapeutic target for neuroendocrine tumors of the small intestine. Sci Rep 2021; 11:22733. [PMID: 34815475 PMCID: PMC8611048 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02181-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Small intestinal neuroendocrine tumors (SI-NETs) are slow-growing tumors that seem genetically quite stable without highly recurrent mutations, but are epigenetically dysregulated. In contrast to the undetectable expression of the enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) histone methyltransferase in the enterochromaffin cells of the small intestine, we found high and differential expression of EZH2 in primary SI-NETs and corresponding metastases. Silencing EZH2 in the SI-NET cell line CNDT2.5 reduced cell proliferation and induced apoptosis. Furthermore, EZH2 knockout inhibited tumor progression in a CNDT2.5 SI-NET xenograft mouse model, and treatment of SI-NET cell lines CNDT2.5 and GOT1 with the EZH2-specific inhibitor CPI-1205 decreased cell viability and promoted apoptosis. Moreover, CPI-1205 treatment reduced migration capacity of CNDT2.5 cells. The EZH2 inhibitor GSK126 also repressed proliferation of CNDT2.5 cells. Recently, metformin has received wide attention as a therapeutic option in diverse cancers. In CNDT2.5 and GOT1 cells, metformin suppressed EZH2 expression, and inhibited cell proliferation. Exposure of GOT1 three-dimensional cell spheroids to CPI-1205 or metformin arrested cell proliferation and decreased spheroid size. These novel findings support a possible role of EZH2 as a candidate oncogene in SI-NETs, and suggest that CPI-1205 and metformin should be further evaluated as therapeutic options for patients with SI-NETs.
Collapse
|
13
|
Li W, Wu H, Sui S, Wang Q, Xu S, Pang D. Targeting Histone Modifications in Breast Cancer: A Precise Weapon on the Way. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:736935. [PMID: 34595180 PMCID: PMC8476812 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.736935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Histone modifications (HMs) contribute to maintaining genomic stability, transcription, DNA repair, and modulating chromatin in cancer cells. Furthermore, HMs are dynamic and reversible processes that involve interactions between numerous enzymes and molecular components. Aberrant HMs are strongly associated with tumorigenesis and progression of breast cancer (BC), although the specific mechanisms are not completely understood. Moreover, there is no comprehensive overview of abnormal HMs in BC, and BC therapies that target HMs are still in their infancy. Therefore, this review summarizes the existing evidence regarding HMs that are involved in BC and the potential mechanisms that are related to aberrant HMs. Moreover, this review examines the currently available agents and approved drugs that have been tested in pre-clinical and clinical studies to evaluate their effects on HMs. Finally, this review covers the barriers to the clinical application of therapies that target HMs, and possible strategies that could help overcome these barriers and accelerate the use of these therapies to cure patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wei Li
- Harbin Medical University Third Hospital: Tumor Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Hao Wu
- Harbin Medical University Third Hospital: Tumor Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Shiyao Sui
- Harbin Medical University Third Hospital: Tumor Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Qin Wang
- Harbin Medical University Third Hospital: Tumor Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Shouping Xu
- Harbin Medical University Third Hospital: Tumor Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Da Pang
- Harbin Medical University Third Hospital: Tumor Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.,Heilongjiang Academy of Medical Sciences, Harbin, China
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Al-Ghabkari A, Narendran A. Targeting EZH2-mediated methylation of histone 3 inhibits proliferation of pediatric acute monocytic leukemia cells in vitro. Cancer Biol Ther 2021; 22:333-344. [PMID: 33978549 DOI: 10.1080/15384047.2021.1902913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) is a histone methyltransferase and a catalytic subunit of the polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) that catalyzes the mono-, di-, and tri-methylation of histone H3 at Lys 27 (H3K27me3) to facilitate chromatin-remodeling and gene-silencing functions. Previous reports showed a significant association of EZH2 aberrations in pediatric cancers, such as soft tissue sarcomas and glioblastoma. Recent reports in human subjects and animal models have also suggested a central role of EZH2 in the induction and progression of acute myeloid leukemia. In this study, we aimed to investigate the molecular status of EZH in cell lines derived from distinct pediatric leukemia to assess the efficacy of targeting EZH2 to suppress cancer cell survival and proliferation. Our results showed that EZH2 protein is overexpressed in the pediatric monocytic cell-line THP-1, but not in other leukemia-derived cell lines MV4;11 and SEM. Screening a panel of methyltransferase inhibitors revealed that three inhibitors; GSK126, UNC1999 and EPZ-5687 are the most potent inhibitors that suppressed EZH2 activity selectively on lysine 27 which resulted in increased apoptosis and inhibition of AKT and ERK protein phosphorylation in THP-1 cells. Our data demonstrated a significant increase in apoptosis in cells treated with drug combination (EZH2i and selinexor) compared to EZH2i inhibitors alone. Taken together, our data provide initial evidence that targeting EZH2 is a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of subtypes of pediatric AML. Also, combining EZH2 inhibitors with selinexor may increase the treatment efficacy in these patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Abdulhameed Al-Ghabkari
- Departments of Pediatrics, Oncology and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Aru Narendran
- Departments of Pediatrics, Oncology and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Identification of novel EED-EZH2 PPI inhibitors using an in silico fragment mapping method. J Comput Aided Mol Des 2021; 35:601-611. [PMID: 33635506 DOI: 10.1007/s10822-021-00378-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) is a histone lysine methyltransferase that is overexpressed in many cancers. Numerous EZH2 inhibitors have been developed as anticancer agents, but recent studies have also focused on protein-protein interaction (PPI) between embryonic ectoderm development (EED) and EZH2 as a novel drug discovery target. Because EED indirectly enhances EZH2 enzymatic activity, EED-EZH2 PPI inhibitors suppress the methyltransferase activity and inhibit cancer growth. By contrast to the numerous promising EZH2 inhibitors, there are a paucity of EED-EZH2 PPI inhibitors reported in the literature. Here, we aimed to discover novel EED-EZH2 PPI inhibitors by first identifying possible binders of EED using an in-house knowledge-based in silico fragment mapping method. Next, 3D pharmacophore models were constructed from the arrangement pattern of the potential binders mapped onto the EED surface. In all, 16 compounds were selected by 3D pharmacophore-based virtual screening followed by docking-based virtual screening. In vitro evaluation revealed that five of these compounds exhibited inhibitory activities. This study has provided structural insights into the discovery and the molecular design of novel EED-EZH2 PPI inhibitors using an in silico fragment mapping method.
Collapse
|
16
|
McMullen ER, Skala SL, Gonzalez ME, Djomehri S, Chandrashekar DS, Varambally S, Kleer CG. Subcellular localization of EZH2 phosphorylated at T367 stratifies metaplastic breast carcinoma subtypes. Breast Cancer 2020; 28:496-505. [PMID: 33247371 DOI: 10.1007/s12282-020-01189-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 11/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Metaplastic carcinoma is an aggressive, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) with differentiation towards squamous, spindle, or mesenchymal cell types. The molecular underpinnings of the histological subtypes are unclear. Our lab discovered a cytoplasmic function of EZH2, a transcriptional repressor, whereby pEZH2 T367 binds to cytoplasmic proteins in TNBC cells and enhances invasion and metastasis. Here, we investigated the expression and subcellular localization of pEZH2 T367 protein in metaplastic carcinomas. METHODS Thirty-five metaplastic carcinomas (17 squamous, 10 mesenchymal, and 8 spindle) were evaluated and immunostained with anti-pEZH2 T367. We analyzed staining intensity (score 1-4), subcellular localization (nuclear/cytoplasmic), and localization within the tumor (center/invasive edge). Protein expression of pEZH2 T367-binding partners was measured from a quantitative multiplex proteomics analysis performed in our lab. RESULTS Cytoplasmic pEZH2 T367 was significantly upregulated in squamous (14 of 17, 82%) compared to mesenchymal (4 of 10, 40%) and spindle (2 of 6, 33%) subtypes (p = 0.011). Twenty-five of 34 (73%) tumors with available tumor-normal interface showed accentuated cytoplasmic pEZH2 T367 at the infiltrative edge. Cytoplasmic pEZH2 T367 was upregulated in 9 of 10 (90%) tumors with lymph node metastasis (p = 0.05). Bioinformatics analyses identified an EZH2 protein network in metaplastic carcinomas (p value: < 1.0e-16). Using quantitative proteomics, we found significantly increased expression of cytoplasmic EZH2-binding partners in squamous compared to spindle and mesenchymal subtypes. CONCLUSIONS pEZH2 T367 expression and subcellular localization may be useful to distinguish metaplastic carcinoma subtypes. pEZH2 T367 may play a role in the histological diversity and behavior of these tumors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emily R McMullen
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, 4217 Rogel Cancer Center, 1500 E. Medical Center Dr, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Stephanie L Skala
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, 4217 Rogel Cancer Center, 1500 E. Medical Center Dr, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Maria E Gonzalez
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, 4217 Rogel Cancer Center, 1500 E. Medical Center Dr, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.,Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Sabra Djomehri
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, 4217 Rogel Cancer Center, 1500 E. Medical Center Dr, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.,Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.,Molecular and Cellular Pathology Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Darshan Shimoga Chandrashekar
- O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, 35233, AL, USA.,Molecular and Cellular Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, 35233, AL, USA
| | - Sooryanarayana Varambally
- O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, 35233, AL, USA.,Molecular and Cellular Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, 35233, AL, USA.,The Informatics Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, 35233, AL, USA
| | - Celina G Kleer
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, 4217 Rogel Cancer Center, 1500 E. Medical Center Dr, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA. .,Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA. .,Molecular and Cellular Pathology Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Abstract
Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) arise from the cells present throughout the diffuse endocrine system. These neoplasms were previously regarded as rare, but in fact are increasing in incidence (3.65/100 000 individuals/y). Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) plays a crucial role in cell cycle regulation, and it was reported to be overexpressed in several tumors. The aim of the study was to investigate EZH2 expression, also related with proliferation rate, and p53 expression in NETs of the intestine encompassing a group of tumors primary to the stomach, appendix, small intestine, and colon. The specimens from 33 patients with neuroendrocrine tumors were investigated by immunohistochemistry for EZH2, p53, and Ki-67. Only 10 of 33 (30.3%) cases showed high EZH2 expression. High EZH2 levels significantly associated with elevated proliferation rates (P=0.0012) and with elevated percentage of positive cells for p53 (P=0.011). Our results suggest an association between p53 and the EZH2 pathway in NETs. EZH2 could represent a potential target antigen in cancer immunotherapy.
Collapse
|
18
|
Yang PM, Hong YH, Hsu KC, Liu TP. p38α/S1P/SREBP2 activation by the SAM-competitive EZH2 inhibitor GSK343 limits its anticancer activity but creates a druggable vulnerability in hepatocellular carcinoma. Am J Cancer Res 2019; 9:2120-2139. [PMID: 31720078 PMCID: PMC6834481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2019] [Accepted: 06/02/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) mediates epigenetic gene silencing via tri-methylation of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27-me3). Increased expression of EZH2 is frequently detected in various cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which is associated with the silencing of tumor suppressor genes. S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM)-competitive EZH2 inhibitors fall into the major category of EZH2 inhibitors for cancer therapy. In this study, microarray analyses found that induction of genes related to cholesterol homeostasis is a common effect of SAM-competitive EZH2 inhibitors in cancer cells. As a representative, GSK343 induced lipid accumulation which promoted cancer cell survival. GSK343 selectively activated sterol regulatory element-binding protein 2 (SREBP2), but not SREBP1, in HCC cells. Inhibition of SREBP2 by siRNA reduced cell viability and enhanced the anticancer effect of GSK343. Cancer genomics analysis indicated that SREBP2 upregulation was associated with the poor overall survival of HCC patients. Mechanistically, GSK343-induced SREBP2 activation was unrelated to its original ability to compete with SAM and inhibit EZH2 activity. Instead, GSK343 activated SREBP2 in p38α- and site-1 protease (S1P)-dependent manners. Inhibition of p38α and S1P by SB-202190 and PF-429242, respectively, enhanced the in vitro anticancer activity of GSK343, thereby creating a vulnerability for treating HCC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pei-Ming Yang
- PhD Program for Cancer Molecular Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical UniversityTaipei 11031, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical UniversityTaipei 11031, Taiwan
- TMU Research Center of Cancer Translational Medicine, Taipei Medical UniversityTaipei 11031, Taiwan
- Cancer Center, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical UniversityTaipei 11696, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Han Hong
- Department of Surgery, Mackay Memorial HospitalTaipei 10449, Taiwan
| | - Kai-Cheng Hsu
- PhD Program for Cancer Molecular Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical UniversityTaipei 11031, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical UniversityTaipei 11031, Taiwan
- Biomedical Commercialization Center, Taipei Medical UniversityTaipei 11031, Taiwan
| | - Tsang-Pai Liu
- PhD Program for Cancer Molecular Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical UniversityTaipei 11031, Taiwan
- Department of Surgery, Mackay Memorial HospitalTaipei 10449, Taiwan
- Mackay Junior College of Medicine, Nursing and ManagementNew Taipei City 11260, Taiwan
- Department of Medicine, Mackay Medical CollegeNew Taipei City 25245, Taiwan
- Liver Medical Center, Mackay Memorial HospitalTaipei 10449, Taiwan
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Xu H, Zhang L, Qian X, Zhou X, Yan Y, Zhou J, Ge W, Albahde M, Wang W. GSK343 induces autophagy and downregulates the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in pancreatic cancer cells. Exp Ther Med 2019; 18:2608-2616. [PMID: 31572509 PMCID: PMC6755448 DOI: 10.3892/etm.2019.7845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2018] [Accepted: 07/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer is a common malignancy that has a poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options. Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) serves a key role in the progression of different types of cancers. The effect of GSK343 (a competitive inhibitor of EZH2) on pancreatic cancer cells was assessed in the present study. Cell viability was evaluated using MTT and cell counting kit-8 assays in AsPC-1 and PANC-1 cells. Flow cytometry and an EdU assay were also performed to assess the effects of GSK343 on cell proliferation, apoptosis and the cell cycle. The induction of autophagy and associated molecular mechanisms were studied using fluorescence microscopy and western blot analysis. The results demonstrated that GSK343 inhibited cell viability in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Furthermore, GSK343 suppressed cell proliferation, promoted apoptosis and blocked cell cycle progression at the G1-phase. Furthermore, GSK343 induced autophagy in pancreatic cancer via the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. In conclusion, GSK343 exhibited an anti-cancer effect on pancreatic cancer cells, downregulating the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hao Xu
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment for Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Tumor of Zhejiang Province, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China
| | - Linshi Zhang
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment for Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Tumor of Zhejiang Province, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China
| | - Xiaohui Qian
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment for Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Tumor of Zhejiang Province, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China
| | - Xiaohu Zhou
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment for Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Tumor of Zhejiang Province, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China
| | - Yingcai Yan
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment for Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Tumor of Zhejiang Province, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China
| | - Jiarong Zhou
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment for Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Tumor of Zhejiang Province, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China
| | - Wenhao Ge
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment for Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Tumor of Zhejiang Province, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China
| | - Mugahed Albahde
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment for Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Tumor of Zhejiang Province, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China
| | - Weilin Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment for Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Tumor of Zhejiang Province, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.,Clinical Research Center of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Diseases of Zhejiang Province, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
EZH2 regulates PD-L1 expression via HIF-1α in non-small cell lung cancer cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2019; 517:201-209. [PMID: 31331645 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2019.07.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2019] [Accepted: 07/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and accounts for most cancer-related mortalities worldwide. The high expression of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) is an important factor that promotes immune escape of lung cancer, thus aggravates chemotherapy resistance and poor prognosis. Therefore, understanding the regulatory mechanism of PD-L1 in lung cancer is critical for tumor immunotherapy. Enhancer of Zeste homolog2 (EZH2), an epigenetic regulatory molecule with histone methyltransferase activity, promotes the formation of an immunosuppressive microenvironment. This study aimed to investigate the role of EZH2 in PD-L1 expression and in the progression of lung tumors. We found that EZH2 was upregulated in lung cancer tissues and positively correlated with PD-L1 levels and poor prognosis. Further, shRNA-expressing lentivirus mediated EZH2 knockdown suppressed both the mRNA and protein expression level of PD-L1, thus delaying lung cancer progression in vivo by enhancing anti-tumor immune responses. Moreover, the regulatory effect of EZH2 on PD-L1 depended on HIF-1α. The present results indicate that EZH2 regulates the immunosuppressive molecule PD-L1 expression via HIF-1α in non-small cell lung cancer cells.
Collapse
|
21
|
Bao Y, Wang L, Shi L, Yun F, Liu X, Chen Y, Chen C, Ren Y, Jia Y. Transcriptome profiling revealed multiple genes and ECM-receptor interaction pathways that may be associated with breast cancer. Cell Mol Biol Lett 2019; 24:38. [PMID: 31182966 PMCID: PMC6554968 DOI: 10.1186/s11658-019-0162-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 174] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2018] [Accepted: 05/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Exploration of the genes with abnormal expression during the development of breast cancer is essential to provide a deeper understanding of the mechanisms involved. Transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis of invasive ductal carcinoma and paracancerous tissues from the same patient were performed to identify the key genes and signaling pathways related to breast cancer development. Methods Samples of breast tumor tissue and paracancerous breast tissue were obtained from 6 patients. Sequencing used the Illumina HiSeq platform. All. Only perfectly matched clean reads were mapped to the reference genome database, further analyzed and annotated based on the reference genome information. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified using the DESeq R package (1.10.1) and DEGSeq R package (1.12.0). Using KOBAS software to execute the KEGG bioinformatics analyses, enriched signaling pathways of DEGs involved in the occurrence of breast cancer were determined. Subsequently, quantitative real time PCR was used to verify the accuracy of the expression profile of key DEGs from the RNA-seq result and to explore the expression patterns of novel cancer-related genes on 8 different clinical individuals. Results The transcriptomic sequencing results showed 937 DEGs, including 487 upregulated and 450 downregulated genes in the breast cancer specimens. Further quantitative gene expression analysis was performed and captured 252 DEGs (201 downregulated and 51 upregulated) that showed the same differential expression pattern in all libraries. Finally, 6 upregulated DEGs (CST2, DRP2, CLEC5A, SCD, KIAA1211, DTL) and 6 downregulated DEGs (STAC2, BTNL9, CA4, CD300LG, GPIHBP1 and PIGR), were confirmed in a quantitative real time PCR comparison of breast cancer and paracancerous breast tissues from 8 clinical specimens. KEGG analysis revealed various pathway changes, including 20 upregulated and 21 downregulated gene enrichment pathways. The extracellular matrix–receptor (ECM-receptor) interaction pathway was the most enriched pathway: all genes in this pathway were DEGs, including the THBS family, collagen and fibronectin. These DEGs and the ECM-receptor interaction pathway may perform important roles in breast cancer. Conclusion Several potential breast cancer-related genes and pathways were captured, including 7 novel upregulated genes and 76 novel downregulated genes that were not found in other studies. These genes are related to cell proliferation, movement and adhesion. They may be important for research into breast cancer mechanisms, particularly CST2 and CA4. A key signaling pathway, the ECM-receptor interaction signal pathway, was also identified as possibly involved in the development of breast cancer. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s11658-019-0162-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yulong Bao
- 1College of Basic Medicine, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia China.,Tumor Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, The Inner Mongolia Cancer Hospital, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia China
| | - Li Wang
- 1College of Basic Medicine, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia China
| | - Lin Shi
- 2Department of Pathology, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia China
| | - Fen Yun
- 2Department of Pathology, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia China
| | - Xia Liu
- 2Department of Pathology, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia China
| | - Yongxia Chen
- Tumor Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, The Inner Mongolia Cancer Hospital, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia China
| | - Chen Chen
- 2Department of Pathology, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia China
| | - Yanni Ren
- 2Department of Pathology, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia China
| | - Yongfeng Jia
- 1College of Basic Medicine, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia China.,Tumor Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, The Inner Mongolia Cancer Hospital, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia China
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Gergely JE, Dorsey AE, Dimri GP, Dimri M. Timosaponin A-III inhibits oncogenic phenotype via regulation of PcG protein BMI1 in breast cancer cells. Mol Carcinog 2018. [PMID: 29528145 DOI: 10.1002/mc.22804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Polycomb group (PcG) protein BMI1 is an important regulator of oncogenic phenotype and is often overexpressed in several human malignancies including breast cancer. Aberrant expression of BMI1 is associated with metastasis and poor prognosis in cancer patients. At present, therapy reagents that can efficiently inhibit the expression of BMI1 are not very well known. Here, we report that Timosaponin A-III (TA-III), a steroidal saponin obtained from the rhizomes of an herb, Anemarrhena asphodeloides, strongly inhibits expression of BMI1 in breast cancer cells. Treatment of breast cancer cells with TA-III resulted in inhibition of oncogenic phenotypes such as proliferation, migration and invasion, and induction of cellular senescence. Inhibition of these oncogenic phenotypes was accompanied by downregulation of BMI1 expression and histone posttranslational modification activity of PRC1. The mechanistic analysis of TA-III-induced inhibition of oncogenic activity and BMI1 expression suggests that downregulation of c-Myc mediates TA-III effect on BMI1. We further show that exogenous BMI1 overexpression can overcome TA-III-induced inhibition of oncogenic phenotypes. We also show that TA-III induces expression of tumor suppressive miR-200c and miR-141, which are negatively regulated by BMI1. In summary, our data suggest that TA-III is a potent inhibitor of BMI1 and that it can be successfully used to inhibit the growth of tumors where PcG protein BMI1 and PcG activities are upregulated.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joseph E Gergely
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Armond E Dorsey
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Goberdhan P Dimri
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Manjari Dimri
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Sun Y, Jin SD, Zhu Q, Han L, Feng J, Lu XY, Wang W, Wang F, Guo RH. Long non-coding RNA LUCAT1 is associated with poor prognosis in human non-small lung cancer and regulates cell proliferation via epigenetically repressing p21 and p57 expression. Oncotarget 2018; 8:28297-28311. [PMID: 28423699 PMCID: PMC5438651 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.16044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2016] [Accepted: 02/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been recognized as playing key roles in regulating cellular processes, such as proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. These lncRNAs have been shown to be abnormally expressed in tumorigenic processes. However, the role and clinical relevance of LUCAT1 in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remain unclear. In this study, we found that the expression of LUCAT1 was significantly up-regulated in NSCLC tissues compared to non-tumor tissues, and its expression was associated with tumor size, tumor–node–metastasis (TNM) stage and overall survival (OS). Further experiments showed that LUCAT1 knockdown inhibited cell proliferation both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistic investigations showed that LUCAT1 plays a key role in G0/G1 arrest. We further demonstrated that LUCAT1 was associated with polycomb repressor complexes (PRC2) and that this association was required for epigenetically repression of p21 and p57, thus contributing to the regulation of NSCLC cell cycle and proliferation. In summary, our results show that LUCAT1 could regulate tumorigenesis of NSCLC and be biomarker for poor prognosis in NSCLC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yue Sun
- Department of Oncology, Yancheng Third People's Hospital, The Affiliated Yanchen Hospital of Southeast University Medicine College, Yancheng, Jiangsu, China
| | - Shi-Dai Jin
- Department of Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Quan Zhu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Liang Han
- Department of Oncology, Xuzhou Central Hospital, Affiliated Xuzhou Hospital, College of Medicine, Southeast University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.,Department of Oncology, Yancheng Third People's Hospital, The Affiliated Yanchen Hospital of Southeast University Medicine College, Yancheng, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jing Feng
- Department of Oncology, Yancheng Third People's Hospital, The Affiliated Yanchen Hospital of Southeast University Medicine College, Yancheng, Jiangsu, China.,Department of Oncology, Jiangsu Shengze Hospital, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xi-Yi Lu
- Department of Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Feng Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Ren-Hua Guo
- Department of Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Sun R, Shen J, Gao Y, Zhou Y, Yu Z, Hornicek F, Kan Q, Duan Z. Overexpression of EZH2 is associated with the poor prognosis in osteosarcoma and function analysis indicates a therapeutic potential. Oncotarget 2018; 7:38333-38346. [PMID: 27223261 PMCID: PMC5122393 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.9518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2016] [Accepted: 05/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Osteosarcoma is a primary malignant bone tumor that has a poor prognosis due to local recurrence, metastasis, and chemotherapy resistance. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop novel potential therapeutic targets for osteosarcoma. Enhancer of zeste homologue 2 (EZH2) is a member of the polycomb group of proteins, which has important functions in epigenetic silencing and cell cycle regulation. Overexpression of EZH2 has been found in several malignancies, however, its expression and the role of EZH2 in osteosarcoma is largely unknown. In this study, we examined EZH2 expression by immunohistochemistry in a large series of osteosarcoma tissues in association with tumor characteristics and patient outcomes. EZH2 expression was also analyzed in a microarray dataset of osteosarcoma. Results showed that higher expression of EZH2 was significantly associated with more aggressive tumor behavior and poor patient outcomes of osteosarcoma. We subsequently investigated the functional and therapeutic relevance of EZH2 as a target in osteosarcoma. Immunohistochemical analysis indicated that EZH2 expression was significantly associated with more aggressive tumor behavior and poorer patient outcomes of osteosarcoma. EZH2 silencing by siRNA inhibited osteosarcoma cell growth, proliferation, migration, and invasion. Moreover, suppression of EZH2 attenuated cancer stem cell functions. Similar results were observed in osteosarcoma cells treated with EZH2 specific inhibitor 3-deazaneplanocin A (DZNep), which exhausted cellular levels of EZH2. These results suggest that EZH2 is critical for the growth and metastasis of osteosarcoma, and an epigenetic therapy that pharmacologically targets EZH2 via specific inhibitors may constitute a novel approach to the treatment of osteosarcoma.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ranran Sun
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, People's Republic of China.,Sarcoma Biology Laboratory, Center for Sarcoma and Connective Tissue Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Jacson Shen
- Sarcoma Biology Laboratory, Center for Sarcoma and Connective Tissue Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Yan Gao
- Sarcoma Biology Laboratory, Center for Sarcoma and Connective Tissue Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Yubing Zhou
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, People's Republic of China
| | - Zujiang Yu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, People's Republic of China
| | - Francis Hornicek
- Sarcoma Biology Laboratory, Center for Sarcoma and Connective Tissue Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Quancheng Kan
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhenfeng Duan
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, People's Republic of China.,Sarcoma Biology Laboratory, Center for Sarcoma and Connective Tissue Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Chen Q, Zheng PS, Yang WT. EZH2-mediated repression of GSK-3β and TP53 promotes Wnt/β-catenin signaling-dependent cell expansion in cervical carcinoma. Oncotarget 2017; 7:36115-36129. [PMID: 27092879 PMCID: PMC5094987 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.8741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2016] [Accepted: 03/28/2016] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2), a catalytic core component of the Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), stimulates the silencing of target genes through histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3). Recent findings have indicated EZH2 is involved in the development and progression of various human cancers. However, the exact mechanism of EZH2 in the promotion of cervical cancer is largely unknown. Here, we show that EZH2 expression gradually increases during the progression of cervical cancer. We identified a significant positive correlation between EZH2 expression and cell proliferation in vitro and tumor formation in vivo by the up-regulation or down-regulation of EZH2 using CRISPR-Cas9-mediated gene editing technology and shRNA in HeLa and SiHa cells. Further investigation indicated that EZH2 protein significantly accelerated the cell cycle transition from the G0/G1 to S phase. TOP/FOP-Flash reporter assay revealed that EZH2 significantly activated Wnt/β-catenin signaling and the target genes of Wnt/β-catenin pathway were up-regulated, including β-catenin, cyclin D1, and c-myc. Moreover, dual-luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays confirmed that EZH2 inhibited the expression of glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) and TP53 through physically interacting with motifs in the promoters of the GSK-3β and TP53 genes. Additionally, blockage of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway resulted in significant inhibition of cell proliferation, and activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway resulted in significant enhancement of cell proliferation, as induced by EZH2. Taken together, our data demonstrate that EZH2 promotes cell proliferation and tumor formation in cervical cancer through activating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway by epigenetic silencing via GSK-3β and TP53.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qian Chen
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of The Medical College, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, The People's Republic of China
| | - Peng-Sheng Zheng
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of The Medical College, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, The People's Republic of China.,Section of Cancer Stem Cell Research, Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases, Ministry of Education of The People's Republic of China, Xi'an, The People's Republic of China
| | - Wen-Ting Yang
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of The Medical College, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, The People's Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Bate-Eya LT, Gierman HJ, Ebus ME, Koster J, Caron HN, Versteeg R, Dolman MEM, Molenaar JJ. Enhancer of zeste homologue 2 plays an important role in neuroblastoma cell survival independent of its histone methyltransferase activity. Eur J Cancer 2017; 75:63-72. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2016.12.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2016] [Revised: 12/08/2016] [Accepted: 12/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
|
27
|
Dysregulation of histone methyltransferases in breast cancer - Opportunities for new targeted therapies? Mol Oncol 2016; 10:1497-1515. [PMID: 27717710 DOI: 10.1016/j.molonc.2016.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2016] [Revised: 09/14/2016] [Accepted: 09/14/2016] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Histone methyltransferases (HMTs) catalyze the methylation of lysine and arginine residues on histone tails and non-histone targets. These important post-translational modifications are exquisitely regulated and affect chromatin compaction and transcriptional programs leading to diverse biological outcomes. There is accumulating evidence that genetic alterations of several HMTs impinge on oncogenic or tumor-suppressor functions and influence both cancer initiation and progression. HMTs therefore represent an opportunity for therapeutic targeting in those patients with tumors in which HMTs are dysregulated, to reverse the histone marks and transcriptional programs associated with aggressive tumor behavior. In this review, we describe the known histone methyltransferases and their emerging roles in breast cancer tumorigenesis.
Collapse
|
28
|
Abstract
Background Current studies report that aberrations in epigenetic regulators or chromatin modifications are related to tumor development and maintenance. EZH2 (Enhancer of zeste homolog 2) is one of the catalytic subunits of Polycomb repressive complex 2, a crucial epigenetic regulator. EZH2 has a master regulatory function in such processes as cell proliferation, stem cell differentiation, and early embryogenesis. In humans, EZH2 is linked to oncogenic function in several carcinomas, including breast cancer, and dysregulation of EZH2 has been particularly associated with loss of differentiation and the development of poorly differentiated breast cancer. In our present study, we were interested in determining whether EZH2 is increased in canine mammary tumors, which show similarities to human breast cancer. Results Investigation of the expression of EZH2 in canine mammary tumors revealed that EZH2 protein was overexpressed in canine mammary carcinomas, as in human breast cancer. In addition, the immunohistochemical expression level of EZH2 was associated with the degree of malignancy in canine mammary carcinoma. This is the first report to describe EZH2 expression in canine mammary tumors. Conclusions Because the expression of EZH2 was similar in canine mammary carcinoma and human breast cancer, spontaneous canine mammary tumors may be a suitable model for studying EZH2 and treatment development.
Collapse
|
29
|
Hsieh YY, Lo HL, Yang PM. EZH2 inhibitors transcriptionally upregulate cytotoxic autophagy and cytoprotective unfolded protein response in human colorectal cancer cells. Am J Cancer Res 2016; 6:1661-1680. [PMID: 27648357 PMCID: PMC5004071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2016] [Accepted: 07/14/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) has been emerged as novel anticancer target. Various EZH2 small-molecule inhibitors have been developed in recent years. A major class of EZH2 inhibitors are S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM)-competitive inhibitors, such as EPZ005687, EI1, GSK126, UNC1999 and GSK343. Autophagy, a physiological process of self-digestion, is involved in the turnover of proteins or intracellular organelles. It can serve as cytoprotective or cytotoxic function in cancer. Our previous study has found that UNC1999 and GSK343 are potent autophagy inducers. In this study, the underlying molecular mechanisms were further investigated. Our results showed that UNC1999 and GSK343 transcriptionally upregulated autophagy of human colorectal cancer (CRC) cells through inducing LC3B gene expression. Besides, UNC1999/GSK343-induced autophagy was partially dependent on ATG7 but independent to EZH2 inhibition. Microarray and PCR array analyses identified that UNC1999 and GSK343 also induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and unfolded protein response (UPR). UNC1999/GSK343-induced ER stress/UPR contributed to the survival of cancer cells, which was opposite to UNC1999/GSK343-induced autophagy that promoted cell death.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yao-Yu Hsieh
- PhD Program for Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University and Academia SinicaTaipei, Taiwan
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Meidcal UniversityNew Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Hsiang-Ling Lo
- PhD Program for Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University and Academia SinicaTaipei, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical UniversityTaipei, Taiwan
| | - Pei-Ming Yang
- PhD Program for Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University and Academia SinicaTaipei, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical UniversityTaipei, Taiwan
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Inverse association between Bmi-1 and RKIP affecting clinical outcome of gastric cancer and revealing the potential molecular mechanisms underlying tumor metastasis and chemotherapy resistance. Gastric Cancer 2016; 19:392-402. [PMID: 25764514 DOI: 10.1007/s10120-015-0485-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2014] [Accepted: 02/24/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND B-cell-specific Moloney murine leukemia virus integration site 1 (Bmi-1) and Raf kinase inhibitory protein (RKIP) are involved in cancer metastasis and chemotherapeutic resistance, respectively. In this study, we evaluated the association between Bmi-1 and RKIP and outcome of gastric cancer through clinical data analysis and in vitro experiments. METHODS Bmi-1 expression and RKIP expression were observed in 107 cases of gastric cancer through use of tissue microarray technology to identify their correlations with clinicopathological parameters, patient survival, and susceptibility to chemotherapy. The correlation was confirmed in gastric cancer cell lines, analyzed further by gene overexpression and silencing analysis, a cell invasion assay, and a chemosensitivity test. RESULTS Positive expression of Bmi-1 was highly correlated with T classification and clinical stage. Diminished or lost expression of RKIP was significantly associated with T classification, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, and clinical stage. Bmi-1 is negatively and RKIP is positively related to patient survival. Positive expression of Bmi-1 and negative expression of RKIP are associated with poor patient survival and modest efficacy of postoperative chemotherapy. A meaningfully inverse association between Bmi-1 and RKIP was found in tissue microarray studies, and was verified further in gastric cancer cell lines. Moreover, gene overexpression and silencing analysis indicated that RKIP might be regulated by Bmi-1. Furthermore, the impacts of Bmi-1 on cell invasion and chemotherapy resistance were rescued by knockdown of RKIP. CONCLUSIONS Our study implies that detection of Bmi-1 and RKIP is valuable in predicting patient survival and therapeutic response in gastric cancer, and the inverse association between Bmi-1 and RKIP reveals the potential molecular mechanisms underlying tumor metastasis and chemotherapy resistance.
Collapse
|
31
|
Jang SH, Lee JE, Oh MH, Lee JH, Cho HD, Kim KJ, Kim SY, Han SW, Kim HJ, Bae SB, Lee HJ. High EZH2 Protein Expression Is Associated with Poor Overall Survival in Patients with Luminal A Breast Cancer. J Breast Cancer 2016; 19:53-60. [PMID: 27066096 PMCID: PMC4822107 DOI: 10.4048/jbc.2016.19.1.53] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2015] [Accepted: 01/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE The enhancer of zeste homologue 2 (EZH2) is a catalytic subunit of the polycomb repressive complex 2, a highly conserved histone methyltransferase. EZH2 overexpression has been implicated in various malignancies, including breast cancer, where is associated with poor outcomes. This study aims to clarify nuclear EZH2 expression levels in breast cancers using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and correlate these findings with clinicopathologic variables, including prognostic significance. METHODS IHC was performed on tissue microarrays of 432 invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) tumors. Associations between EZH2 expression, clinicopathologic characteristics, and molecular subtype were retrospectively analyzed. The relationship between EZH2 protein expression in normal breast tissue and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) was also assessed. RESULTS High EZH2 expression was demonstrated in 215 of 432 tumors (49.8%). EZH2 was more frequently expressed in DCIS and IDC than in normal breast tissue (p=0.001). High EZH2 expression significantly correlated with high histologic grade (p<0.001), large tumor size (p=0.014), advanced pathologic stage (p=0.006), negative estrogen receptor status (p<0.001), positive human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status (p<0.001), high Ki-67 staining index (p<0.001), positive cytokeratin 5/6 status (p=0.003), positive epidermal growth factor receptor status (p<0.001), and positive p53 status (p<0.001). Based on molecular subtypes, high EZH2 expression was significantly associated with HER2-negative luminal B, HER2-positive luminal B, and HER2 type and triple-negative basal cancers (p<0.001). In patients with luminal A, there was a significant trend toward shorter overall survival for those with tumors having high EZH2 expression compared to those with tumors having low EZH2 expression (p=0.045). CONCLUSION EZH2 is frequently upregulated in breast malignancies, and it may play an important role in cancer development and progression. Furthermore, EZH2 may be a prognostic marker, especially in patients with luminal A cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Si-Hyong Jang
- Department of Pathology, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea
| | - Jong Eun Lee
- Department of Surgery, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea
| | - Mee-Hye Oh
- Department of Pathology, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea
| | - Ji-Hye Lee
- Department of Pathology, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea
| | - Hyun Deuk Cho
- Department of Pathology, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea
| | - Kyung-Ju Kim
- Department of Pathology, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea
| | - Sung Yong Kim
- Department of Surgery, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea
| | - Sun Wook Han
- Department of Surgery, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea
| | - Han Jo Kim
- Division of Hemato-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea
| | - Sang Byung Bae
- Division of Hemato-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea
| | - Hyun Ju Lee
- Department of Pathology, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Walsh L, Gallagher WM, O’Connor DP, Ní Chonghaile T. Diagnostic and Therapeutic Implications of Histone Epigenetic Modulators in Breast Cancer. Expert Rev Mol Diagn 2016; 16:541-51. [DOI: 10.1586/14737159.2016.1156534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Louise Walsh
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Therapeutics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin 2, Ireland
- Department of Physiology and Medical Physics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - William M. Gallagher
- Cancer Biology and Therapeutics Laboratory, UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, UCD Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland
- OncoMark Limited, NovaUCD, Belfield Innovation Park, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Darran P. O’Connor
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Therapeutics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Tríona Ní Chonghaile
- Department of Physiology and Medical Physics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin 2, Ireland
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Liu TP, Hong YH, Tung KY, Yang PM. In silico and experimental analyses predict the therapeutic value of an EZH2 inhibitor GSK343 against hepatocellular carcinoma through the induction of metallothionein genes. Oncoscience 2016; 3:9-20. [PMID: 26973856 PMCID: PMC4751912 DOI: 10.18632/oncoscience.285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2015] [Accepted: 01/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
There are currently no effective molecular targeted therapies for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2), a histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27)-specific methyltransferase, has been emerged as novel anticancer target. Our previous study has demonstrated that GSK343, an S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM)-competitive inhibitor of EZH2, induces autophagy and enhances drug sensitivity in cancer cells including HCC. In this study, an in silico study was performed and found that EZH2 was overexpressed in cancerous tissues of HCC patients at both gene and protein levels. Microarray analysis and in vitro experiments indicated that the anti-HCC activity of GSK343 was associated with the induction of metallothionein (MT) genes. In addition, the negative association of EZH2 and MT1/MT2A genes in cancer cell lines and tissues was found in public gene expression database. Taken together, our findings suggest that EZH2 inhibitors could be a good therapeutic option for HCC, and induction of MT genes was associated with the anti-HCC activity of EZH2 inhibitors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tsang-Pai Liu
- The Ph.D. Program for Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Surgery, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Mackay Junior College of Medicine, Nursing and Management, New Taipei City, Taiwan; Department of Medicine, Mackay Medical College, New Taipei City, Taiwan; Liver Medical Center, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Han Hong
- Department of Surgery, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Kwang-Yi Tung
- Department of Surgery, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Pei-Ming Yang
- The Ph.D. Program for Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Li J, Zhu S, Ke XX, Cui H. Role of several histone lysine methyltransferases in tumor development. Biomed Rep 2016; 4:293-299. [PMID: 26998265 PMCID: PMC4774316 DOI: 10.3892/br.2016.574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2015] [Accepted: 12/31/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The field of cancer epigenetics has been evolving rapidly in recent decades. Epigenetic mechanisms include DNA methylation, histone modifications and microRNAs. Histone modifications are important markers of function and chromatin state. Aberrant histone methylation frequently occurs in tumor development and progression. Multiple studies have identified that histone lysine methyltransferases regulate gene transcription through the methylation of histone, which affects cell proliferation and differentiation, cell migration and invasion, and other biological characteristics. Histones have variant lysine sites for different levels of methylation, catalyzed by different lysine methyltransferases, which have numerous effects on human cancers. The present review focused on the most recent advances, described the key function sites of histone lysine methyltransferases, integrated significant quantities of data to introduce several compelling histone lysine methyltransferases in various types of human cancers, summarized their role in tumor development and discussed their potential mechanisms of action.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jifu Li
- Cell Biology Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, P.R. China
| | - Shunqin Zhu
- School of Life Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, P.R. China
| | - Xiao-Xue Ke
- Cell Biology Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, P.R. China
| | - Hongjuan Cui
- Cell Biology Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, P.R. China
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Clinical and prognostic relevance of EZH2 in breast cancer: A meta-analysis. Biomed Pharmacother 2015; 75:218-25. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2015.07.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2015] [Accepted: 07/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
|
36
|
Yamamuro S, Sano E, Okamoto Y, Ochiai Y, Ohta T, Ogino A, Natsume A, Wakabayashi T, Ueda T, Hara H, Nakayama T, Yoshino A, Katayama Y. Antitumorigenic effect of interferon-β by inhibition of undifferentiated glioblastoma cells. Int J Oncol 2015; 47:1647-54. [PMID: 26397698 PMCID: PMC4599190 DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2015.3165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2015] [Accepted: 08/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Glioma stem-like cells (GSCs) are undifferentiated cells that are considered to be an origin of glioblastomas. Furthermore, they may contribute to treatment resistance and recurrence in glioblastomas. GSCs differentiate into differentiated glioma cells (non-glioma stem-like cells: non-GSCs), and interconversion might occur between GSCs and non-GSCs. We investigated whether interferon-beta (IFN-β) could exert any efficacy towards GSCs or such interconversion processes. The neural stem cell marker CD133 and pluripotency marker Nanog in GSCs were analyzed to evaluate their differentiation levels. GSCs were considered to undergo differentiation into non-GSCs upon serum exposure, since the expression of CD133 and Nanog in the GSCs was negatively affected. Furthermore, the cells regained their undifferentiated features upon removal of the serum. However, we verified that IFN-β reduced cell proliferation and tumor sphere formation in GSCs, and induced suppression of the restoration of such undifferentiated features. In addition, we also confirmed that IFN-β suppressed the acquisition process of undifferentiated features in human malignant glioma cell lines. Our data thus suggest that IFN-β could be an effective agent not only through its cell growth inhibitory effect on GSCs but also as a means of targeting the interconversion between GSCs and non-GSCs, indicating the possibility of IFN-β being used to prevent treatment resistance and recurrence in glioblastomas, via the inhibition of undifferentiated features.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shun Yamamuro
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Emiko Sano
- Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Chiba, Japan
| | - Yutaka Okamoto
- Department of Research Promotion, Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Yushi Ochiai
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takashi Ohta
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Akiyoshi Ogino
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Atsushi Natsume
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | | | - Takuya Ueda
- Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Chiba, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Hara
- Department of Functional Morphology, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tomohiro Nakayama
- Division of Companion Diagnostics, Department of Pathology of Microbiology, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Atsuo Yoshino
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoichi Katayama
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
S-Adenosyl-L-methionine-competitive inhibitors of the histone methyltransferase EZH2 induce autophagy and enhance drug sensitivity in cancer cells. Anticancer Drugs 2015; 26:139-47. [PMID: 25203626 PMCID: PMC4276571 DOI: 10.1097/cad.0000000000000166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) has emerged as a novel anticancer target. Various EZH2 inhibitors have been developed in recent years. Among these, 3-deazaneplanocin A (DZNep) is known to deplete EZH2 protein expression through an indirect pathway. In contrast, GSK343 directly inhibits enzyme activity through an S-adenosyl-L-methionine-competitive pathway. Therefore, we proposed that DZNep and GSK343 may exert differential effects against cancer cells. In this study, we found that GSK343 but not DZNep induced autophagic cell death of cancer cells. Inhibition of EZH2 expression was not required for GSK343-induced autophagy. In addition, GSK343 enhanced the anticancer activity of a multikinase inhibitor, sorafenib, in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Our results show that GSK343 is a more potent anticancer agent than DZNep, and for the first time, we show that it acts as an autophagy inducer.
Collapse
|
38
|
Abstract
Post-translational modifications of histones (so-called epigenetic modifications) play a major role in transcriptional control and normal development, and are tightly regulated. Disruption of their control is a frequent event in disease. In particular, the methylation of lysine 27 on histone H3 (H3K27), induced by the methylase EZH2, emerges as a key control of gene expression and a major regulator of cell physiology. The identification of driver mutations in EZH2 has already led to new prognostic and therapeutic advances, and new classes of potent and specific inhibitors for EZH2 show promising results in preclinical trials. This review examines the roles of histone lysine methylases and demethylases in cells and focuses on the recent knowledge and developments about EZH2.
Collapse
|
39
|
Yang WS, Chadalapaka G, Cho SG, Lee SO, Jin UH, Jutooru I, Choi K, Leung YK, Ho SM, Safe S, Kim K. The transcriptional repressor ZBTB4 regulates EZH2 through a MicroRNA-ZBTB4-specificity protein signaling axis. Neoplasia 2015; 16:1059-69. [PMID: 25499219 PMCID: PMC4309261 DOI: 10.1016/j.neo.2014.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2014] [Revised: 09/22/2014] [Accepted: 09/29/2014] [Indexed: 10/28/2022] Open
Abstract
ZBTB4 is a transcriptional repressor and examination of publically-available microarray data sets demonstrated an inverse relationship in the prognostic value and expression of ZBTB4 and the histone methyltransferase EZH2 in tumors from breast cancer patients. The possibility of functional interactions between EZH2 and ZBTB4 was investigated in breast cancer cells and the results showed that EZH2 is directly suppressed by ZBTB4 which in turn is regulated (suppressed) by miR-106b and other paralogues from the miR-17-92, miR-106b-25 and miR-106a-363 clusters that are highly expressed in breast and other tumors. ZBTB4 also acts a suppressor of specificity protein (Sp) transcription factors Sp1, Sp3 and Sp4, and RNA interference studies show that Sp proteins are required for EZH2 expression. The prediction analysis results from breast cancer patient array data sets confirm an association of Sp1-dependent EZH2 gene signature with decreased survival of breast cancer patients. Disruption of oncogenic miR-ZBTB4 signaling axis by anticancer agent such as betulinic acid that induce down-regulation of Sp proteins in breast cancer cells resulted in inhibition of tumor growth and colonization of breast cancer cells in a mouse model. Thus, EZH2 is reciprocally regulated by a novel signaling network consisting of Sp proteins, oncogenic miRs and ZBTB4, and modulation of this gene network is a novel therapeutic approach for treatment of breast cancer and possibly other cancers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Won Seok Yang
- Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, 3223 Eden Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45267
| | - Gayathri Chadalapaka
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, Texas A&M University, 4466 Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843
| | - Sung-Gook Cho
- Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, 1 Hoegi, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 130-701, Republic of Korea
| | - Syng-Ook Lee
- Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, 2121 W. Holcombe Blvd., Houston, TX 77030
| | - Un-Ho Jin
- Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, 2121 W. Holcombe Blvd., Houston, TX 77030
| | - Indira Jutooru
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, Texas A&M University, 4466 Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843
| | - Kwangmin Choi
- Division of Experimental Biology and Cancer Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229
| | - Yuet-Kin Leung
- Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, 3223 Eden Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45267
| | - Shuk-Mei Ho
- Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, 3223 Eden Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45267
| | - Stephen Safe
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, Texas A&M University, 4466 Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843; Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, 2121 W. Holcombe Blvd., Houston, TX 77030
| | - Kyounghyun Kim
- Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, 3223 Eden Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45267
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Purkait S, Sharma V, Jha P, Sharma MC, Suri V, Suri A, Sharma BS, Sarkar C. EZH2 expression in gliomas: Correlation with CDKN2A gene deletion/ p16 loss and MIB-1 proliferation index. Neuropathology 2015; 35:421-31. [PMID: 26096306 DOI: 10.1111/neup.12201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2014] [Revised: 01/22/2015] [Accepted: 01/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) mediated down-regulation of CDKN2A/p16 has been observed in cell lines as well as in a few carcinomas. However, there is no study correlating EZH2 expression with CDKN2A/p16 status in gliomas. Hence, the present study was conducted to evaluate EZH2 expression in astrocytic and oligodendroglial tumors and correlate with CDKN2A/p16 status as well as MIB-1 labeling index (LI). Gliomas of all grades (n = 118) were studied using immunohistochemistry to assess EZH2, p16 and MIB-1 LI and fluorescence in situ hybrization to evaluate CDKN2A gene status. EZH2 expression and CDKN2A homozygous deletion (HD) were both significantly more frequent in high-grade gliomas (HGG). Further, strong EZH2 expression (LI ≥ 25%) was significantly more common in HGGs without CDKN2A HD (48.7%; 19/39) as compared to cases with deletion (15.8%; 3/19). Loss of p16 expression was noted in 100% and 51.3% of CDKN2A deleted and non-deleted tumors, respectively. Notably, 80% (16/20) of the CDKN2A non-deleted HGGs with p16 loss had strong EZH2 expression, in contrast to only 15.8% (3/19) in the deleted group. Loss of p16 expression significantly correlated with MIB-1 LI, irrespective of EZH2 status. Thus, this study shows that EZH2 expression correlates with tumor grade in both astrocytic and oligodendroglial tumors and hence can be used as a diagnostic marker to differentiate between low and HGGs. Further, this is the first report demonstrating an inverse correlation of strong EZH2 expression with CDKN2A HD in HGGs. Loss of p16 protein expression is mostly attributable to CDKN2A HD and correlates significantly with MIB-1 LI. Notably, our study for the first time suggests a possible epigenetic mechanism of p16 loss in CDKN2A non-deleted HGGs mediated by strong EZH2 expression. A hypothetical model for control of proliferative activity in low versus HGGs is therefore proposed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Suvendu Purkait
- Department of Pathology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India
| | - Vikas Sharma
- Department of Pathology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India
| | - Prerana Jha
- Department of Pathology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India
| | - Mehar Chand Sharma
- Department of Pathology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India
| | - Vaishali Suri
- Department of Pathology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India
| | - Ashish Suri
- Department of Neurosurgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India
| | - B S Sharma
- Department of Neurosurgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India
| | - Chitra Sarkar
- Department of Pathology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Li Q, Sun H, Shu Y, Zou X, Zhao Y, Ge C. hMOF (human males absent on the first), an oncogenic protein of human oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma, targeting EZH2 (enhancer of zeste homolog 2). Cell Prolif 2015; 48:436-42. [PMID: 26032517 DOI: 10.1111/cpr.12177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2014] [Accepted: 11/25/2014] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES MOF (males absent on the first) is a histone acetyltransferase belonging to the MYST (MOZ, Ybf2/Sas3, Sas2 and TIP60) family. In mammals, MOF plays critical roles in transcription activation by acetylating histone H4 at K16. Human MOF (hMOF) essentially participates in behaviour of several human cancers. However, its role in human oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) remains elusive, but we propose that hMOF regulates OTSCC cell population growth. MATERIALS AND METHODS Real time PCR and western blot analysis were applied, and it was found that hMOF level was up-regulated in human OTSCC. High hMOF expression predicted poor overall and disease-free survival. hMOF knockdown attenuated OTSCC cell growth and transformation. RESULTS EZH2 (enhancer of zeste homolog 2) was up-regulated in human OTSCC tissues and its level positively correlated with level of hMOF. hMOF knockdown inhibited EZH2 expression by reducing its promoter activity. Moreover, we have demonstrated that EZH2 was critically essential for function of hMOF in human OTSCC. CONCLUSIONS Human males absent on the first regulated OSTCC growth through EZH2, thus EZH2 may serve as a candidate for anti-OTSCC therapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qihong Li
- Department of Stomatology, Affiliated Hospital of Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Haiyan Sun
- Department of Stomatology, Affiliated Hospital of Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Yao Shu
- Department of Stomatology, Affiliated Hospital of Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Xuan Zou
- Department of Stomatology, Affiliated Hospital of Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Yantao Zhao
- Department of Orthopaedics, First Affiliated Hospital of the General Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Beijing, 100048, China
| | - Cheng Ge
- Department of Stomatology, Affiliated Hospital of Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100071, China
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
WU JIANCHUN, CROWE DAVIDL. The histone methyltransferase EZH2 promotes mammary stem and luminal progenitor cell expansion, metastasis and inhibits estrogen receptor-positive cellular differentiation in a model of basal breast cancer. Oncol Rep 2015; 34:455-60. [DOI: 10.3892/or.2015.4003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2015] [Accepted: 04/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
|
43
|
Luzhna L, Kutanzi K, Kovalchuk O. Gene expression and epigenetic profiles of mammary gland tissue: Insight into the differential predisposition of four rat strains to mammary gland cancer. MUTATION RESEARCH-GENETIC TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MUTAGENESIS 2015; 779:39-56. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mrgentox.2014.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2013] [Revised: 07/15/2014] [Accepted: 07/18/2014] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
|
44
|
Le JM, Squarize CH, Castilho RM. Histone modifications: Targeting head and neck cancer stem cells. World J Stem Cells 2014; 6:511-525. [PMID: 25426249 PMCID: PMC4178252 DOI: 10.4252/wjsc.v6.i5.511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2014] [Revised: 09/10/2014] [Accepted: 09/17/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide, and is responsible for a quarter of a million deaths annually. The survival rate for HNSCC patients is poor, showing only minor improvement in the last three decades. Despite new surgical techniques and chemotherapy protocols, tumor resistance to chemotherapy remains a significant challenge for HNSCC patients. Numerous mechanisms underlie chemoresistance, including genetic and epigenetic alterations in cancer cells that may be acquired during treatment and activation of mitogenic signaling pathways, such as nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer-of activated B cell, that cause reduced apoptosis. In addition to dysfunctional molecular signaling, emerging evidence reveals involvement of cancer stem cells (CSCs) in tumor development and in tumor resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. These observations have sparked interest in understanding the mechanisms involved in the control of CSC function and fate. Post-translational modifications of histones dynamically influence gene expression independent of alterations to the DNA sequence. Recent findings from our group have shown that pharmacological induction of post-translational modifications of tumor histones dynamically modulates CSC plasticity. These findings suggest that a better understanding of the biology of CSCs in response to epigenetic switches and pharmacological inhibitors of histone function may directly translate to the development of a mechanism-based strategy to disrupt CSCs. In this review, we present and discuss current knowledge on epigenetic modifications of HNSCC and CSC response to DNA methylation and histone modifications. In addition, we discuss chromatin modifications and their role in tumor resistance to therapy.
Collapse
|
45
|
Fan TY, Wang H, Xiang P, Liu YW, Li HZ, Lei BX, Yu M, Qi ST. Inhibition of EZH2 reverses chemotherapeutic drug TMZ chemosensitivity in glioblastoma. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PATHOLOGY 2014; 7:6662-6670. [PMID: 25400745 PMCID: PMC4230130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2014] [Accepted: 09/18/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Glioblastoma remains among the most devastating cancers with a median survival of less than 15 months and virtually no survival beyond five years. Currently, the treatment of glioma includes surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and comprehensive treatment. Intrinsic or acquired resistance to TMZ, is one of the greatest obstacles in successful GB treatment, and is thought to be influenced by a variety of mechanisms. The EZH2 gene, which is expressed in various solid tumors, can regulate gene transcription and promote the generation and progression of tumors. Our aim was to investigate the relationship between EZH2 and multidrug-resistance of human glioblastoma cells. In this study, we established TMZ-resistant U251 and U87 clones (U251/TMZ and U87/TMZ cells), which expressed high level of EZH2. Using RNA interference, we demonstrated that the downregulation of Ezh2 expression in U251/TMZ and U87/TMZ cells resulted in apoptosis and a cell cycle arrest in the G1/S phase. Furthermore, the reduced expression of Ezh2 altered the MDR, MRP and BCRP mRNA and protein levels. These findings suggest that EZH2 plays an important part in the development of multidrug resistance and may represent a novel therapeutic target for multidrug-resistant glioblastoma.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tian-Yu Fan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nan-Fang Hospital of Southern Medical UniversityGuangzhou 510515, P.R. China
- Department of Neurosurgery, Chang-Sha Central HospitalChangsha 410004, Hunan, P.R. China
| | - Hai Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nan-Fang Hospital of Southern Medical UniversityGuangzhou 510515, P.R. China
| | - Peng Xiang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Chang-Sha Central HospitalChangsha 410004, Hunan, P.R. China
| | - Ya-Wei Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nan-Fang Hospital of Southern Medical UniversityGuangzhou 510515, P.R. China
| | - He-Zhen Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nan-Fang Hospital of Southern Medical UniversityGuangzhou 510515, P.R. China
| | - Bing-Xi Lei
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nan-Fang Hospital of Southern Medical UniversityGuangzhou 510515, P.R. China
| | - Meng Yu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nan-Fang Hospital of Southern Medical UniversityGuangzhou 510515, P.R. China
| | - Song-Tao Qi
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nan-Fang Hospital of Southern Medical UniversityGuangzhou 510515, P.R. China
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Reijm EA, Timmermans AM, Look MP, Meijer-van Gelder ME, Stobbe CK, van Deurzen CHM, Martens JWM, Sleijfer S, Foekens JA, Berns PMJJ, Jansen MPHM. High protein expression of EZH2 is related to unfavorable outcome to tamoxifen in metastatic breast cancer. Ann Oncol 2014; 25:2185-2190. [PMID: 25193989 DOI: 10.1093/annonc/mdu391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is a highly heterogeneous disease with great differences in outcome to both chemo- and endocrine therapy. Better insight into the mechanisms underlying resistance is essential to better predict outcome to therapy and to obtain a more tailored treatment approach. We have previously described that increased mRNA expression levels of Enhancer of Zeste homolog (EZH2) are associated with worse outcome to tamoxifen therapy in MBC. Here, we explored whether this is also the case for EZH2 protein expression. PATIENTS AND METHODS A tissue microarray (TMA) was created using formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded estrogen receptor (ER)-positive primary breast tumor tissues of 250 MBC patients treated with first-line tamoxifen. Quantity and intensity of EZH2 expression were determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and both were used to generate and group scores according to a previously described method for scoring EZH2. RESULTS In total, 116 tumors (46%) were considered to be EZH2 positive. The presence of EZH2 protein expression was significantly associated with progression-free survival (PFS) in both univariate [hazard ratio (HR) 1.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.17-1.97, P = 0.002] and multivariate analysis including traditional factors associated with tamoxifen outcome (HR 1.41, 95% CI 1.06-1.88, P = 0.017). Considering quantity irrespective of intensity, tumors with >50% EZH2-positive cells had the worst PFS (HR 2.15, 95% CI 1.42-3.27, P < 0.001), whereas intensity alone did not show a significant association with PFS. Application of other methods of scoring EZH2 positivity resulted in a similar significant association between the amount of EZH2 positive cells and PFS. CONCLUSION In addition to EZH2 mRNA levels, these results suggest that protein expression of EZH2 can be used as a marker to predict outcome to tamoxifen therapy. This provides new rationale to explore EZH2 inhibition in the clinical setting and increases the possibilities for a more personalized treatment approach in MBC patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- E A Reijm
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Genomics Netherlands
| | - A M Timmermans
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Genomics Netherlands
| | - M P Look
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Genomics Netherlands
| | | | - C K Stobbe
- Department of PATHAN BV, Laboratory Pathology, Sint Franciscus Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - C H M van Deurzen
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Genomics Netherlands; Department of Pathology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam
| | - J W M Martens
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Genomics Netherlands
| | - S Sleijfer
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Genomics Netherlands
| | - J A Foekens
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Genomics Netherlands
| | - P M J J Berns
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Genomics Netherlands.
| | - M P H M Jansen
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Genomics Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Chen Y, Lian G, Zhang Q, Zeng L, Qian C, Chen S, Huang K. Overexpression of Bmi-1 induces the malignant transformation of gastric epithelial cells in vitro. Oncol Res 2014; 21:33-41. [PMID: 24330850 DOI: 10.3727/096504013x13786659070316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Oncogene Bmi-1 (B-cell-specific Moloney murine leukemia virus integration site 1) has attracted much attention for its involvement in the initiation of a variety of tumors. Our previous study showed that Bmi-1 was highly expressed in gastric cancer and correlated with patient prognosis. However, whether aberrant Bmi-1 expression was critical for the transformation of gastric epithelial cells remains unknown. In this study, we stably expressed Bmi-1 in a human gastric epithelial immortalized cell line, GES-1. The overexpression of Bmi-1 promoted cell growth and proliferation, inhibited apoptosis, enhanced clone formation capability, possessed the characteristics of anchorage-independent growth, and increased migration and invasion abilities. Therefore, our findings demonstrated that ectopic expression of Bmi-1 played an important role in the malignant transformation of gastric epithelial cells.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yinting Chen
- Department of Gastroenterology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
48
|
Ciarapica R, Carcarino E, Adesso L, De Salvo M, Bracaglia G, Leoncini PP, Dall'agnese A, Verginelli F, Milano GM, Boldrini R, Inserra A, Stifani S, Screpanti I, Marquez VE, Valente S, Mai A, Puri PL, Locatelli F, Palacios D, Rota R. Pharmacological inhibition of EZH2 as a promising differentiation therapy in embryonal RMS. BMC Cancer 2014; 14:139. [PMID: 24575771 PMCID: PMC4016511 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2407-14-139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2013] [Accepted: 02/12/2014] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a pediatric soft-tissue sarcoma derived from myogenic precursors that is characterized by a good prognosis in patients with localized disease. Conversely, metastatic tumors often relapse, leading to a dismal outcome. The histone methyltransferase EZH2 epigenetically suppresses skeletal muscle differentiation by repressing the transcription of myogenic genes. Moreover, de-regulated EZH2 expression has been extensively implied in human cancers. We have previously shown that EZH2 is aberrantly over-expressed in RMS primary tumors and cell lines. Moreover, it has been recently reported that EZH2 silencing in RD cells, a recurrence-derived embryonal RMS cell line, favors myofiber-like structures formation in a pro-differentiation context. Here we evaluate whether similar effects can be obtained also in the presence of growth factor-supplemented medium (GM), that mimics a pro-proliferative microenvironment, and by pharmacological targeting of EZH2 in RD cells and in RD tumor xenografts. Methods Embryonal RMS RD cells were cultured in GM and silenced for EZH2 or treated with either the S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase inhibitor 3-deazaneplanocin A (DZNep) that induces EZH2 degradation, or with a new class of catalytic EZH2 inhibitors, MC1948 and MC1945, which block the catalytic activity of EZH2. RD cell proliferation and myogenic differentiation were evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. Results Here we show that EZH2 protein was abnormally expressed in 19 out of 19 (100%) embryonal RMS primary tumors and cell lines compared to their normal counterparts. Genetic down-regulation of EZH2 by silencing in GM condition reduced RD cell proliferation up-regulating p21Cip1. It also resulted in myogenic-like differentiation testified by the up-regulation of myogenic markers Myogenin, MCK and MHC. These effects were reverted by enforced over-expression of a murine Ezh2, highlighting an EZH2-specific effect. Pharmacological inhibition of EZH2 using either DZNep or MC inhibitors phenocopied the genetic knockdown of EZH2 preventing cell proliferation and restoring myogenic differentiation both in vitro and in vivo. Conclusions These results provide evidence that EZH2 function can be counteracted by pharmacological inhibition in embryonal RMS blocking proliferation even in a pro-proliferative context. They also suggest that this approach could be exploited as a differentiation therapy in adjuvant therapeutic intervention for embryonal RMS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Ciarapica
- Department of Oncohematology, Laboratory of Angiogenesis, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, IRCCS, Piazza S, Onofrio 4, 00165 Rome, Italy.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
49
|
Song QC, Shi ZB, Zhang YT, Ji L, Wang KZ, Duan DP, Dang XQ. Downregulation of microRNA-26a is associated with metastatic potential and the poor prognosis of osteosarcoma patients. Oncol Rep 2014; 31:1263-70. [PMID: 24452597 DOI: 10.3892/or.2014.2989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2013] [Accepted: 12/30/2013] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Accumulating evidence indicates that microRNAs are involved in multiple processes in cancer development and progression. microRNA-26a (miR-26a) has been identified as a tumor suppressor and its downregulation is associated with poor prognosis in several types of human cancer. However, the specific function of miR-26a in osteosarcoma remains unclear. In the present study, we found that the expression of miR-26a in osteosarcoma tissues and cell lines was much lower than that in the normal controls, respectively. In addition, downregulation of miR-26a more frequently occurred in osteosarcoma specimens with adverse clinical stage and with the presence of distant metastasis. Moreover, multivariate survival analyses demonstrated that loss of miR-26a is an independent prognostic factor for both disease-free and overall survival in osteosarcoma. In addition, restoration of miR-26a expression inhibited the invasion and migration in osteosarcoma cells, and miR-26a directly inhibited enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) expression by targeting its 3'-UTR. Moreover, EZH2 was upregulated and inversely correlated with miR-26a expression in the osteosarcoma tissues. Thus, for the first time, we provide convincing evidence that downregulation of miR-26a is associated with tumor aggressiveness and tumor metastasis, and miR-26a inhibits cell migration and invasion by targeting the EZH2 gene in osteosarcoma. Thus, miR-26a is an independent prognostic marker for osteosarcoma patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qi-Chun Song
- Department of Orthopedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710004, P.R. China
| | - Zhi-Bin Shi
- Department of Orthopedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710004, P.R. China
| | - Yong-Tao Zhang
- Department of Orthopedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710004, P.R. China
| | - Le Ji
- Department of Orthopedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710004, P.R. China
| | - Kun-Zheng Wang
- Department of Orthopedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710004, P.R. China
| | - Da-Peng Duan
- Department of Orthopedics, Shaanxi Provincial People's Hospital, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710068, P.R. China
| | - Xiao-Qian Dang
- Department of Orthopedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710004, P.R. China
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
SUPT6H controls estrogen receptor activity and cellular differentiation by multiple epigenomic mechanisms. Oncogene 2014; 34:465-73. [PMID: 24441044 DOI: 10.1038/onc.2013.558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2013] [Revised: 11/21/2013] [Accepted: 11/22/2013] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) is the central transcriptional regulator of ductal mammary epithelial lineage specification and is an important prognostic marker in human breast cancer. Although antiestrogen therapies are initially highly effective at treating ERα-positive tumors, a large number of tumors progress to a refractory, more poorly differentiated phenotype accompanied by reduced survival. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the progression from estrogen-dependent to hormone-resistant breast cancer may uncover new targets for treatment and the discovery of new predictive markers. Recent studies have uncovered an important role for transcriptional elongation and chromatin modifications in controlling ERα activity and estrogen responsiveness. The human Suppressor of Ty Homologue-6 (SUPT6H) is a histone chaperone that links transcriptional elongation to changes in chromatin structure. We show that SUPT6H is required for estrogen-regulated transcription and the maintenance of chromatin structure in breast cancer cells, possibly in part through interaction with RNF40 and regulation of histone H2B monoubiquitination (H2Bub1). Moreover, we demonstrate that SUPT6H protein levels decrease with malignancy in breast cancer. Consistently, SUPT6H, similar to H2Bub1, is required for cellular differentiation and suppression of the repressive histone mark H3K27me3 on lineage-specific genes. Together, these data identify SUPT6H as a new epigenetic regulator of ERα activity and cellular differentiation.
Collapse
|