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Tang J, Chen H, Fan H, Chen T, Pu C, Guo Y. Research progress of BRD4 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: Therapeutic application of novel strategies and mechanisms. Bioorg Med Chem 2024; 113:117929. [PMID: 39317007 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2024.117929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2024] [Revised: 09/09/2024] [Accepted: 09/15/2024] [Indexed: 09/26/2024]
Abstract
Bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) belongs to the bromodomain and extra-terminal domain (BET) protein family, which plays a crucial role in recognizing acetylated lysine residues in chromatin. The abnormal expression of BRD4 contributes to the development of various human malignant tumors, including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Recent studies have shown that BRD4 inhibition can effectively prevent the proliferation and growth of HNSCC. However, the specific role and mechanism of BRD4 in HNSCC are not yet fully clarified. This article will briefly summarize the critical role of BRD4 in the pathogenesis of HNSCC and discuss the potential clinical applications of targeting BRD4 in HNSCC therapy. We further inquiry the challenges and opportunities for HNSCC therapies based on BRD4 inhibition, including BRD4 inhibitor combination with conventional chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy, as well as new strategies of BRD4-targeting drugs and BRD4 proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs). Moreover, we will also offer outlook on the associated challenges and future directions of targeting BRD4 for the treatment of patients with HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiao Tang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan 646000, China; Department of Laboratory Medicine, Xindu District People's Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan 610500, China
| | - Huaqiu Chen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Xichang People's Hospital, Xichang, Sichuan 615000, China
| | - Hengrui Fan
- Medical Research Center, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, The Second Chengdu Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University, Chengdu 610031, China
| | - Tao Chen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Xindu District People's Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan 610500, China
| | - Chunlan Pu
- Medical Research Center, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, The Second Chengdu Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University, Chengdu 610031, China.
| | - Yuanbiao Guo
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan 646000, China; Medical Research Center, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, The Second Chengdu Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University, Chengdu 610031, China.
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2
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Zaman SU, Pagare PP, Huang B, Rilee G, Ma Z, Zhang Y, Li J. Novel PROTAC probes targeting FOSL1 degradation to eliminate head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cancer stem cells. Bioorg Chem 2024; 151:107613. [PMID: 39002513 PMCID: PMC11365795 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2024.107613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2024] [Revised: 06/21/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/15/2024]
Abstract
Previously, we identified that AP-1 transcription factor FOSL1 is required to maintain cancer stem cells (CSCs) in HNSCC, and an AP-1 inhibitor, T-5224, can eliminate HNSCC CSCs. However, its potency is relatively low, and furthermore, whether T-5224 eradicates CSCs through targeting FOSL1 and whether FOSL1 serves as an effective target for eliminating CSCs in HNSCC, require further validation. We first found that T-5224 can bind to FOSL1 directly. As a proof-of-principle, several cereblon (CRBN)-recruiting PROTACs were designed and synthesized using T-5224 as a warhead for more effective of targeting FOSL1. The top compound can potently degrade FOSL1 in HNSCC, thereby effectively eliminating CSCs to suppress HNSCC tumorigenesis, with around 30 to 100-fold improved potency over T-5224. In summary, our study further validates FOSL1 as an effective target for eliminating CSCs in HNSCC and suggests that PROTACs may provide a unique molecular tool for the development of novel molecules for targeting FOSL1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shadid U Zaman
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0540, United States.
| | - Piyusha P Pagare
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0540, United States.
| | - Boshi Huang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0540, United States.
| | - Grace Rilee
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0540, United States.
| | - Zhikun Ma
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0540, United States.
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0540, United States; Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0540, United States.
| | - Jiong Li
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0540, United States; Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0540, United States; Department of Oral and Craniofacial Molecular Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0540, United States.
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3
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Li Z, Sun M, Yang R, Wang Z, Zhu Q, Zhang Y, Yang H, Meng Z, Hu L, Sui L. Mediator complex subunit 1 promotes oral squamous cell carcinoma progression by activating MMP9 transcription and suppressing CD8 + T cell antitumor immunity. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2024; 43:270. [PMID: 39343952 PMCID: PMC11440895 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-024-03191-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2024] [Accepted: 09/13/2024] [Indexed: 10/01/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The role of Mediator complex subunit 1 (MED1), a pivotal transcriptional coactivator implicated in diverse biological pathways, remains unexplored in the context of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). This study aims to elucidate the contributory mechanisms and potential impact of MED1 on the progression of OSCC. METHODS The expression and clinical significance of MED1 in OSCC tissues were evaluated through the bioinformatics analyses. The effects of MED1 on the biological behavior of OSCC cancer cells were assessed both in vitro and in vivo. Dual-luciferase reporter assay, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay, bioinformatic analysis, CD8+ T cell isolation experiment, coculture experiment, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and flow cytometric analysis were employed to elucidate the underlying mechanism through which MED1 operates in the progression of OSCC. RESULTS MED1 exhibited upregulation in both OSCC tissues and multiple OSCC cell lines, which correlated with decreased overall survival in patients. In vitro experiments demonstrated that knockdown of MED1 in metastatic OSCC cell lines SCC-9 and UPCI-SCC-154 hindered cell migration and invasion, while overexpression of MED1 promoted these processes. Whereas, MED1 knockdown had no impact on proliferation of cell lines mentioned above. In vivo studies further revealed that downregulation of MED1 effectively suppressed distant metastasis in OSCC. Mechanistically, MED1 enhanced the binding of transcription factors c-Jun and c-Fos to the matrix metalloprotein 9 (MMP9) promoters, resulting in a significant upregulation of MMP9 transcription. This process contributes to the migration and invasion of SCC-9 and UPCI-SCC-154 cells. Furthermore, MED1 modulated the expression of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) through the Notch signaling pathway, consequently impacting the tumor-killing capacity of CD8+ T cells in the tumor microenvironment. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that MED1 plays a pivotal role in OSCC progression through the activation of MMP9 transcription and suppression of CD8+ T cell antitumor immunity, suggesting that MED1 may serve as a novel prognostic marker and therapeutic target in OSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Li
- Department of Prosthodontics, Tianjin Medical University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Oral Soft and Hard Tissues Restoration and Regeneration, Tianjin Medical University Institute of Stomatology, 12 Qixiangtai Road, Tianjin, 300070, China
| | - Mengke Sun
- Immunology Department, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), Tianjin Medical University, 22 Qixiangtai Road, Tianjin, 300070, China
| | - Ruimeng Yang
- Department of Prosthodontics, Tianjin Medical University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Oral Soft and Hard Tissues Restoration and Regeneration, Tianjin Medical University Institute of Stomatology, 12 Qixiangtai Road, Tianjin, 300070, China
| | - Zheng Wang
- Department of Prosthodontics, Tianjin Medical University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Oral Soft and Hard Tissues Restoration and Regeneration, Tianjin Medical University Institute of Stomatology, 12 Qixiangtai Road, Tianjin, 300070, China
| | - Qianyu Zhu
- Immunology Department, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), Tianjin Medical University, 22 Qixiangtai Road, Tianjin, 300070, China
| | - Yue Zhang
- Department of Prosthodontics, Tianjin Medical University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Oral Soft and Hard Tissues Restoration and Regeneration, Tianjin Medical University Institute of Stomatology, 12 Qixiangtai Road, Tianjin, 300070, China
| | - Haosun Yang
- Department of Prosthodontics, Tianjin Medical University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Oral Soft and Hard Tissues Restoration and Regeneration, Tianjin Medical University Institute of Stomatology, 12 Qixiangtai Road, Tianjin, 300070, China
| | - Zhaosong Meng
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Tianjin Medical University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Oral Soft and Hard Tissues Restoration and Regeneration, Tianjin Medical University Institue of Stomatology, 12 Qixiangtai Road, Tianjin, 300070, China.
| | - Lizhi Hu
- Immunology Department, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), Tianjin Medical University, 22 Qixiangtai Road, Tianjin, 300070, China.
| | - Lei Sui
- Department of Prosthodontics, Tianjin Medical University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Oral Soft and Hard Tissues Restoration and Regeneration, Tianjin Medical University Institute of Stomatology, 12 Qixiangtai Road, Tianjin, 300070, China.
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4
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Koksalar Alkan F, Caglayan AB, Alkan HK, Benson E, Gunduz YE, Sensoy O, Durdagi S, Zarbaliyev E, Dyson G, Assad H, Shull A, Chadli A, Shi H, Ozturk G, Korkaya H. Dual activity of Minnelide chemosensitize basal/triple negative breast cancer stem cells and reprograms immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Sci Rep 2024; 14:22487. [PMID: 39341857 PMCID: PMC11439009 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-72989-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 09/12/2024] [Indexed: 10/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtype is characterized with higher EMT/stemness properties and immune suppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Women with advanced TNBC exhibit aggressive disease and have limited treatment options. Although immune suppressive TME is implicated in driving aggressive properties of basal/TNBC subtype and therapy resistance, effectively targeting it remains a challenge. Minnelide, a prodrug of triptolide currently being tested in clinical trials, has shown anti-tumorigenic activity in multiple malignancies via targeting super enhancers, Myc and anti-apoptotic pathways such as HSP70. Distinct super-enhancer landscape drives cancer stem cells (CSC) in TNBC subtype while inducing immune suppressive TME. We show that Minnelide selectively targets CSCs in human and murine TNBC cell lines compared to cell lines of luminal subtype by targeting Myc and HSP70. Minnelide in combination with cyclophosphamide significantly reduces the tumor growth and eliminates metastasis by reprogramming the tumor microenvironment and enhancing cytotoxic T cell infiltration in 4T1 tumor-bearing mice. Resection of residual tumors following the combination treatment leads to complete eradication of disseminated tumor cells as all mice are free of local and distant recurrences. All control mice showed recurrences within 3 weeks of post-resection while single Minnelide treatment delayed recurrence and one mouse was free of tumor. We provide evidence that Minnelide targets tumor intrinsic pathways and reprograms the immune suppressive microenvironment. Our studies also suggest that Minnelide in combination with cyclophosphamide may lead to durable responses in patients with basal/TNBC subtype warranting its clinical investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fulya Koksalar Alkan
- Department of Oncology, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University School of Medicine, HWCRC 723 4100 John R. Street, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
| | - Ahmet Burak Caglayan
- Department of Oncology, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University School of Medicine, HWCRC 723 4100 John R. Street, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
| | - Hilmi Kaan Alkan
- Department of Oncology, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University School of Medicine, HWCRC 723 4100 John R. Street, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
| | - Elayne Benson
- Georgia Cancer Center, Department of Biochemistry, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA
| | - Yunus Emre Gunduz
- Regenerative and Restorative Research Center (REMER), Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technologies (SABITA), Department of Physiology, International School of Medicine, Medipol University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Ozge Sensoy
- Regenerative and Restorative Research Center (REMER), Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technologies (SABITA), Department of Physiology, International School of Medicine, Medipol University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Serdar Durdagi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Bahcesehir University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Elbrus Zarbaliyev
- Department of Surgery, Gaziosmanpasa Hospital Istanbul, Istanbul Yeni Yuzyil University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Greg Dyson
- Department of Oncology, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University School of Medicine, HWCRC 723 4100 John R. Street, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
| | - Hadeel Assad
- Department of Oncology, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University School of Medicine, HWCRC 723 4100 John R. Street, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
| | - Austin Shull
- Department of Biology, Presbyterian College, Clinton, SC, USA
| | - Ahmed Chadli
- Georgia Cancer Center, Department of Biochemistry, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA
| | - Huidong Shi
- Georgia Cancer Center, Department of Biochemistry, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA
| | - Gurkan Ozturk
- Regenerative and Restorative Research Center (REMER), Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technologies (SABITA), Department of Physiology, International School of Medicine, Medipol University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Hasan Korkaya
- Department of Oncology, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University School of Medicine, HWCRC 723 4100 John R. Street, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA.
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5
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Wang A, Xia H, Li J, Diao P, Cheng J. Development of a novel prognostic signature derived from super-enhancer-associated gene by machine learning in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Oral Oncol 2024; 159:107016. [PMID: 39244857 DOI: 10.1016/j.oraloncology.2024.107016] [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: 07/22/2024] [Revised: 08/29/2024] [Accepted: 09/02/2024] [Indexed: 09/10/2024]
Abstract
Dysregulated super-enhancer (SE) results in aberrant transcription that drives cancer initiation and progression. SEs have been demonstrated as novel promising diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets across multiple human cancers. Here, we sought to develop a novel prognostic signature derived from SE-associated genes for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). SE was identified from H3K27ac ChIP-seq datasets in HNSCC cell lines by ROSE algorithm and SE-associated genes were further mapped and functionally annotated. A total number of 133 SE-associated genes with mRNA upregulation and prognostic significance was screened via differentially-expressed genes (DEGs) and Cox regression analyses. These candidates were subjected for prognostic model constructions by machine learning approaches using three independent HNSCC cohorts (TCGA-HNSC dataset as training cohort, GSE41613 and GSE42743 as validation cohorts). Among dozens of prognostic models, the random survival forest algorithm (RSF) stood out with the best performance as evidenced by the highest average concordance index (C-index). A prognostic nomogram integrating this SE-associated gene signature (SEAGS) plus tumor size demonstrated satisfactory predictive power and excellent calibration and discrimination. Moreover, WNT7A from SEARG was validated as a putative oncogene with transcriptional activation by SE to promote malignant phenotypes. Pharmacological disruption of SE functions by BRD4 or EP300 inhibitor significantly impaired tumor growth and diminished WNT7A expression in a HNSCC patient-derived xenograft model. Taken together, our results establish a novel, robust SE-derived prognostic model for HNSCC and suggest the translational potentials of SEs as promising therapeutic targets for HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- An Wang
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Affiliated Stomatological Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu 210029, People's Republic of China; State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Research, Prevention and Treatment for Oral Diseases, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu 210029, People's Republic of China; Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Stomatological Translational Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu 210029, People's Republic of China
| | - He Xia
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Affiliated Stomatological Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu 210029, People's Republic of China; State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Research, Prevention and Treatment for Oral Diseases, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu 210029, People's Republic of China; Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Stomatological Translational Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu 210029, People's Republic of China
| | - Jin Li
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Affiliated Stomatological Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu 210029, People's Republic of China; State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Research, Prevention and Treatment for Oral Diseases, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu 210029, People's Republic of China
| | - Pengfei Diao
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Affiliated Stomatological Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu 210029, People's Republic of China; State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Research, Prevention and Treatment for Oral Diseases, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu 210029, People's Republic of China
| | - Jie Cheng
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Affiliated Stomatological Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu 210029, People's Republic of China; State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Research, Prevention and Treatment for Oral Diseases, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu 210029, People's Republic of China.
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6
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Li J, Wang Y, Wang Z, Wei Y, Diao P, Wu Y, Wang D, Jiang H, Wang Y, Cheng J. Super-Enhancer Driven LIF/LIFR-STAT3-SOX2 Regulatory Feedback Loop Promotes Cancer Stemness in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024:e2404476. [PMID: 39206755 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202404476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2024] [Revised: 08/17/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
Super-enhancers (SEs) have been recognized as key epigenetic regulators underlying cancer stemness and malignant traits by aberrant transcriptional control and promising therapeutic targets against human cancers. However, the SE landscape and their roles during head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) development especially in cancer stem cells (CSCs) maintenance remain underexplored yet. Here, we identify leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF)-SE as a representative oncogenic SE to activate LIF transcription in HNSCC. LIF secreted from cancer cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts promotes cancer stemness by driving SOX2 transcription in an autocrine/paracrine manner, respectively. Mechanistically, enhancer elements E1, 2, 4 within LIF-SE recruit SOX2/SMAD3/BRD4/EP300 to facilitate LIF transcription; LIF activates downstream LIFR-STAT3 signaling to drive SOX2 transcription, thus forming a previously unknown regulatory feedback loop (LIF-SE-LIF/LIFR-STAT3-SOX2) to maintain LIF overexpression and CSCs stemness. Clinically, increased LIF abundance in clinical samples correlate with malignant clinicopathological features and patient prognosis; higher LIF concentrations in presurgical plasma dramatically diminish following cancer eradication. Therapeutically, pharmacological targeting LIF-SE-LIF/LIFR-STAT3 significantly impairs tumor growth and reduces CSC subpopulations in xenograft and PDX models. Our findings reveal a hitherto uncharacterized LIF-SE-mediated auto-regulatory loop in regulating HNSCC stemness and highlight LIF as a novel noninvasive biomarker and potential therapeutic target for HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Li
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu, 210029, China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu, 210029, China
- Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Stomatological Translational Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu, 210029, China
| | - Yuhan Wang
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu, 210029, China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu, 210029, China
- Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Stomatological Translational Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu, 210029, China
| | - Ziyu Wang
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu, 210029, China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu, 210029, China
- Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Stomatological Translational Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu, 210029, China
| | - Yuxiang Wei
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu, 210029, China
- Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Stomatological Translational Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu, 210029, China
| | - Pengfei Diao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu, 210029, China
- Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Stomatological Translational Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu, 210029, China
| | - Yaping Wu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu, 210029, China
- Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Stomatological Translational Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu, 210029, China
| | - Dongmiao Wang
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu, 210029, China
| | - Hongbing Jiang
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu, 210029, China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu, 210029, China
- Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Stomatological Translational Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu, 210029, China
| | - Yanling Wang
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu, 210029, China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu, 210029, China
| | - Jie Cheng
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu, 210029, China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu, 210029, China
- Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Stomatological Translational Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu, 210029, China
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Gao J, Jiang X, Lei S, Cheng W, Lai Y, Li M, Yang L, Liu P, Chen XH, Huang M, Yu H, Xu H, Xu Z. A region-confined PROTAC nanoplatform for spatiotemporally tunable protein degradation and enhanced cancer therapy. Nat Commun 2024; 15:6608. [PMID: 39098906 PMCID: PMC11298519 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50735-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The antitumor performance of PROteolysis-TArgeting Chimeras (PROTACs) is limited by its insufficient tumor specificity and poor pharmacokinetics. These disadvantages are further compounded by tumor heterogeneity, especially the presence of cancer stem-like cells, which drive tumor growth and relapse. Herein, we design a region-confined PROTAC nanoplatform that integrates both reactive oxygen species (ROS)-activatable and hypoxia-responsive PROTAC prodrugs for the precise manipulation of bromodomain and extraterminal protein 4 expression and tumor eradication. These PROTAC nanoparticles selectively accumulate within and penetrate deep into tumors via response to matrix metalloproteinase-2. Photoactivity is then reactivated in response to the acidic intracellular milieu and the PROTAC is discharged due to the ROS generated via photodynamic therapy specifically within the normoxic microenvironment. Moreover, the latent hypoxia-responsive PROTAC prodrug is restored in hypoxic cancer stem-like cells overexpressing nitroreductase. Here, we show the ability of region-confined PROTAC nanoplatform to effectively degrade BRD4 in both normoxic and hypoxic environments, markedly hindering tumor progression in breast and head-neck tumor models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology & Center of Pharmaceutics, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China
- Department of Ultrasound, Zhongshan Hospital, Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
- Department of Medical Ultrasound and Center of Minimally Invasive Treatment for Tumor, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200072, China
| | - Xingyu Jiang
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Shumin Lei
- School of Chinese Materia Medica, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Wenhao Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology & Center of Pharmaceutics, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Yi Lai
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology & Center of Pharmaceutics, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Min Li
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology & Center of Pharmaceutics, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Lei Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology & Center of Pharmaceutics, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Peifeng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Xiao-Hua Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Min Huang
- Division of Antitumor Pharmacology, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Haijun Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology & Center of Pharmaceutics, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China.
- School of Chinese Materia Medica, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China.
| | - Huixiong Xu
- Department of Ultrasound, Zhongshan Hospital, Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
| | - Zhiai Xu
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China.
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8
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Kiri S, Ryba T. Cancer, metastasis, and the epigenome. Mol Cancer 2024; 23:154. [PMID: 39095874 PMCID: PMC11295362 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-024-02069-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide and disease burden is expected to increase globally throughout the next several decades, with the majority of cancer-related deaths occurring in metastatic disease. Cancers exhibit known hallmarks that endow them with increased survival and proliferative capacities, frequently as a result of de-stabilizing mutations. However, the genomic features that resolve metastatic clones from primary tumors are not yet well-characterized, as no mutational landscape has been identified as predictive of metastasis. Further, many cancers exhibit no known mutation signature. This suggests a larger role for non-mutational genome re-organization in promoting cancer evolution and dissemination. In this review, we highlight current critical needs for understanding cell state transitions and clonal selection advantages for metastatic cancer cells. We examine links between epigenetic states, genome structure, and misregulation of tumor suppressors and oncogenes, and discuss how recent technologies for understanding domain-scale regulation have been leveraged for a more complete picture of oncogenic and metastatic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saurav Kiri
- College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, 6850 Lake Nona Blvd., Orlando, 32827, Florida, USA.
| | - Tyrone Ryba
- Department of Natural Sciences, New College of Florida, 5800 Bay Shore Rd., Sarasota, 34243, Florida, USA.
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9
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Ma H, Qu J, Pang Z, Luo J, Yan M, Xu W, Zhuang H, Liu L, Qu Q. Super-enhancer omics in stem cell. Mol Cancer 2024; 23:153. [PMID: 39090713 PMCID: PMC11293198 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-024-02066-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/12/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024] Open
Abstract
The hallmarks of stem cells, such as proliferation, self-renewal, development, differentiation, and regeneration, are critical to maintain stem cell identity which is sustained by genetic and epigenetic factors. Super-enhancers (SEs), which consist of clusters of active enhancers, play a central role in maintaining stemness hallmarks by specifically transcriptional model. The SE-navigated transcriptional complex, including SEs, non-coding RNAs, master transcriptional factors, Mediators and other co-activators, forms phase-separated condensates, which offers a toggle for directing diverse stem cell fate. With the burgeoning technologies of multiple-omics applied to examine different aspects of SE, we firstly raise the concept of "super-enhancer omics", inextricably linking to Pan-omics. In the review, we discuss the spatiotemporal organization and concepts of SEs, and describe links between SE-navigated transcriptional complex and stem cell features, such as stem cell identity, self-renewal, pluripotency, differentiation and development. We also elucidate the mechanism of stemness and oncogenic SEs modulating cancer stem cells via genomic and epigenetic alterations hijack in cancer stem cell. Additionally, we discuss the potential of targeting components of the SE complex using small molecule compounds, genome editing, and antisense oligonucleotides to treat SE-associated organ dysfunction and diseases, including cancer. This review also provides insights into the future of stem cell research through the paradigm of SEs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongying Ma
- Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No.87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, People's Republic of China
- Institute for Rational and Safe Medication Practices, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, People's Republic of China
| | - Jian Qu
- Department of Pharmacy, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South University, Changsha, 410011, People's Republic of China
- Hunan key laboratory of the Research and Development of Novel Pharmaceutical Preparations, Changsha Medical University, Changsha, 410219, China
| | - Zicheng Pang
- Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No.87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, People's Republic of China
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Jian Luo
- Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No.87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, People's Republic of China
- Institute for Rational and Safe Medication Practices, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, People's Republic of China
| | - Min Yan
- Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No.87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, People's Republic of China
- Institute for Rational and Safe Medication Practices, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, People's Republic of China
| | - Weixin Xu
- Department of Pharmacy, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South University, Changsha, 410011, People's Republic of China
| | - Haihui Zhuang
- Department of Pharmacy, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South University, Changsha, 410011, People's Republic of China
| | - Linxin Liu
- Department of Hematology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410011, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiang Qu
- Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No.87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, People's Republic of China.
- Institute for Rational and Safe Medication Practices, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, People's Republic of China.
- Department of Hematology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410011, People's Republic of China.
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10
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Liu S, Dai W, Jin B, Jiang F, Huang H, Hou W, Lan J, Jin Y, Peng W, Pan J. Effects of super-enhancers in cancer metastasis: mechanisms and therapeutic targets. Mol Cancer 2024; 23:122. [PMID: 38844984 PMCID: PMC11157854 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-024-02033-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Metastasis remains the principal cause of cancer-related lethality despite advancements in cancer treatment. Dysfunctional epigenetic alterations are crucial in the metastatic cascade. Among these, super-enhancers (SEs), emerging as new epigenetic regulators, consist of large clusters of regulatory elements that drive the high-level expression of genes essential for the oncogenic process, upon which cancer cells develop a profound dependency. These SE-driven oncogenes play an important role in regulating various facets of metastasis, including the promotion of tumor proliferation in primary and distal metastatic organs, facilitating cellular migration and invasion into the vasculature, triggering epithelial-mesenchymal transition, enhancing cancer stem cell-like properties, circumventing immune detection, and adapting to the heterogeneity of metastatic niches. This heavy reliance on SE-mediated transcription delineates a vulnerable target for therapeutic intervention in cancer cells. In this article, we review current insights into the characteristics, identification methodologies, formation, and activation mechanisms of SEs. We also elaborate the oncogenic roles and regulatory functions of SEs in the context of cancer metastasis. Ultimately, we discuss the potential of SEs as novel therapeutic targets and their implications in clinical oncology, offering insights into future directions for innovative cancer treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shenglan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases, Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Provincal Key Laboratory of Tissue Engineering, School of Pharmacy, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, 314000, China
| | - Wei Dai
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases, Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Provincal Key Laboratory of Tissue Engineering, School of Pharmacy, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, 314000, China
| | - Bei Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510060, China
| | - Feng Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases, Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Provincal Key Laboratory of Tissue Engineering, School of Pharmacy, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, 314000, China
| | - Hao Huang
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases, Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Provincal Key Laboratory of Tissue Engineering, School of Pharmacy, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, 314000, China
| | - Wen Hou
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases, Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Provincal Key Laboratory of Tissue Engineering, School of Pharmacy, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, 314000, China
| | - Jinxia Lan
- College of Public Health and Health Management, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, 341000, China
| | - Yanli Jin
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University Institute of Tumor Pharmacology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Weijie Peng
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases, Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Provincal Key Laboratory of Tissue Engineering, School of Pharmacy, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, 314000, China.
| | - Jingxuan Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510060, China.
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11
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Guan X, Liu R, Wang B, Xiong R, Cui L, Liao Y, Ruan Y, Fang L, Lu X, Yu X, Su D, Ma Y, Dang T, Chen Z, Yao Y, Liu C, Zhang Y. Inhibition of HDAC2 sensitises antitumour therapy by promoting NLRP3/GSDMD-mediated pyroptosis in colorectal cancer. Clin Transl Med 2024; 14:e1692. [PMID: 38804602 PMCID: PMC11131357 DOI: 10.1002/ctm2.1692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2023] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/27/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although numerous studies have indicated that activated pyroptosis can enhance the efficacy of antitumour therapy in several tumours, the precise mechanism of pyroptosis in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unclear. METHODS Pyroptosis in CRC cells treated with antitumour agents was assessed using various techniques, including Western blotting, lactate dehydrogenase release assay and microscopy analysis. To uncover the epigenetic mechanisms that regulate NLRP3, chromatin changes and NLRP3 promoter histone modifications were assessed using Assay for Transposase-Accessible Chromatin using sequencing and RNA sequencing. Chromatin immunoprecipitation‒quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to investigate the NLRP3 transcriptional regulatory mechanism. Additionally, xenograft and patient-derived xenograft models were constructed to validate the effects of the drug combinations. RESULTS As the core molecule of the inflammasome, NLRP3 expression was silenced in CRC, thereby limiting gasdermin D (GSDMD)-mediated pyroptosis. Supplementation with NLRP3 can rescue pyroptosis induced by antitumour therapy. Overexpression of HDAC2 in CRC silences NLRP3 via epigenetic regulation. Mechanistically, HDAC2 suppressed chromatin accessibility by eliminating H3K27 acetylation. HDAC2 knockout promotes H3K27ac-mediated recruitment of the BRD4-p-P65 complex to enhance NLRP3 transcription. Inhibiting HDAC2 by Santacruzamate A in combination with classic antitumour agents (5-fluorouracil or regorafenib) in CRC xenograft-bearing animals markedly activated pyroptosis and achieved a significant therapeutic effect. Clinically, HDAC2 is inversely correlated with H3K27ac/p-P65/NLRP3 and is a prognostic factor for CRC patients. CONCLUSION Collectively, our data revealed a crucial role for HDAC2 in inhibiting NLRP3/GSDMD-mediated pyroptosis in CRC cells and highlighted HDAC2 as a potential therapeutic target for antitumour therapy. HIGHLIGHTS Silencing of NLRP3 limits the GSDMD-dependent pyroptosis in colorectal cancer. HDAC2-mediated histone deacetylation leads to epigenetic silencing of NLRP3. HDAC2 suppresses the NLRP3 transcription by inhibiting the formation of H3K27ac/BRD4/p-P65 complex. Targeting HDAC2 activates pyroptosis and enhances therapeutic effect.
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12
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Yongprayoon V, Wattanakul N, Khomate W, Apithanangsiri N, Kasitipradit T, Nantajit D, Tavassoli M. Targeting BRD4: Potential therapeutic strategy for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (Review). Oncol Rep 2024; 51:74. [PMID: 38606512 DOI: 10.3892/or.2024.8733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
As a member of BET (bromodomain and extra-terminal) protein family, BRD4 (bromodomain‑containing protein 4) is a chromatin‑associated protein that interacts with acetylated histones and actively recruits regulatory proteins, leading to the modulation of gene expression and chromatin remodeling. The cellular and epigenetic functions of BRD4 implicate normal development, fibrosis and inflammation. BRD4 has been suggested as a potential therapeutic target as it is often overexpressed and plays a critical role in regulating gene expression programs that drive tumor cell proliferation, survival, migration and drug resistance. To address the roles of BRD4 in cancer, several drugs that specifically target BRD4 have been developed. Inhibition of BRD4 has shown promising results in preclinical models, with several BRD4 inhibitors undergoing clinical trials for the treatment of various cancers. Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), a heterogeneous group of cancers, remains a health challenge with a high incidence rate and poor prognosis. Conventional therapies for HNSCC often cause adverse effects to the patients. Targeting BRD4, therefore, represents a promising strategy to sensitize HNSCC to chemo‑ and radiotherapy allowing de‑intensification of the current therapeutic regime and subsequent reduced side effects. However, further studies are required to fully understand the underlying mechanisms of action of BRD4 in HNSCC in order to determine the optimal dosing and administration of BRD4‑targeted drugs for the treatment of patients with HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Voraporn Yongprayoon
- Princess Srisavangavadhana College of Medicine, Chulabhorn Royal Academy, Bangkok 10210, Thailand
| | - Napasporn Wattanakul
- Princess Srisavangavadhana College of Medicine, Chulabhorn Royal Academy, Bangkok 10210, Thailand
| | - Winnada Khomate
- Princess Srisavangavadhana College of Medicine, Chulabhorn Royal Academy, Bangkok 10210, Thailand
| | - Nathakrit Apithanangsiri
- Princess Srisavangavadhana College of Medicine, Chulabhorn Royal Academy, Bangkok 10210, Thailand
| | - Tarathip Kasitipradit
- Princess Srisavangavadhana College of Medicine, Chulabhorn Royal Academy, Bangkok 10210, Thailand
| | - Danupon Nantajit
- Princess Srisavangavadhana College of Medicine, Chulabhorn Royal Academy, Bangkok 10210, Thailand
| | - Mahvash Tavassoli
- Centre for Host Microbiome Interactions, King's College London, London SE1 1UL, UK
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13
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Baquero J, Tang XH, Ferrotta A, Zhang T, DiKun KM, Gudas LJ. The transcription factor BMI1 increases hypoxic signaling in oral cavity epithelia. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2024; 1870:167161. [PMID: 38599260 PMCID: PMC11370312 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2024.167161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
The tongue epithelium is maintained by a proliferative basal layer. This layer contains long-lived stem cells (SCs), which produce progeny cells that move up to the surface as they differentiate. B-lymphoma Mo-MLV insertion region 1 (BMI1), a protein in mammalian Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (PRC1) and a biomarker of oral squamous cell carcinoma, is expressed in almost all basal epithelial SCs of the tongue, and single, Bmi1-labelled SCs give rise to cells in all epithelial layers. We previously developed a transgenic mouse model (KrTB) containing a doxycycline- (dox) controlled, Tet-responsive element system to selectively overexpress Bmi1 in the tongue basal epithelial SCs. Here, we used this model to assess BMI1 actions in tongue epithelia. Genome-wide transcriptomics revealed increased levels of transcripts involved in the cellular response to hypoxia in Bmi1-overexpressing (KrTB+DOX) oral epithelia even though these mice were not subjected to hypoxia conditions. Ectopic Bmi1 expression in tongue epithelia increased the levels of hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF1α) and HIF1α targets linked to metabolic reprogramming during hypoxia. We used chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) to demonstrate that Bmi1 associates with the promoters of HIF1A and HIF1A-activator RELA (p65) in tongue epithelia. We also detected increased SC proliferation and oxidative stress in Bmi1-overexpressing tongue epithelia. Finally, using a human oral keratinocyte line (OKF6-TERT1R), we showed that ectopic BMI1 overexpression decreases the oxygen consumption rate while increasing the extracellular acidification rate, indicative of elevated glycolysis. Thus, our data demonstrate that high BMI1 expression drives hypoxic signaling, including metabolic reprogramming, in normal oral cavity epithelia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Baquero
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA; Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Xiao-Han Tang
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA; Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Annalisa Ferrotta
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA; Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, New York, NY, USA
| | - Tuo Zhang
- Weill Cornell Genomics Core Facility, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
| | - Krysta M DiKun
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA; Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lorraine J Gudas
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA; Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, New York, NY, USA.
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14
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Loh JJ, Ma S. Hallmarks of cancer stemness. Cell Stem Cell 2024; 31:617-639. [PMID: 38701757 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2024.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2023] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024]
Abstract
Cancer stemness is recognized as a key component of tumor development. Previously coined "cancer stem cells" (CSCs) and believed to be a rare population with rigid hierarchical organization, there is good evidence to suggest that these cells exhibit a plastic cellular state influenced by dynamic CSC-niche interplay. This revelation underscores the need to reevaluate the hallmarks of cancer stemness. Herein, we summarize the techniques used to identify and characterize the state of these cells and discuss their defining and emerging hallmarks, along with their enabling and associated features. We also highlight potential future directions in this field of research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Jian Loh
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Stephanie Ma
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong SAR, China; Centre for Translational and Stem Cell Biology, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong SAR, China.
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15
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Lavaud M, Tesfaye R, Lassous L, Brounais B, Baud'huin M, Verrecchia F, Lamoureux F, Georges S, Ory B. Super-enhancers: drivers of cells' identities and cells' debacles. Epigenomics 2024; 16:681-700. [PMID: 38587919 PMCID: PMC11160454 DOI: 10.2217/epi-2023-0409] [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: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Precise spatiotemporal regulations of gene expression are essential for determining cells' fates and functions. Enhancers are cis-acting DNA elements that act as periodic transcriptional thrusters and their activities are cell type specific. Clusters of enhancers, called super-enhancers, are more densely occupied by transcriptional activators than enhancers, driving stronger expression of their target genes, which have prominent roles in establishing and maintaining cellular identities. Here we review the current knowledge on the composition and structure of super-enhancers to understand how they robustly stimulate the expression of cellular identity genes. We also review their involvement in the development of various cell types and both noncancerous and cancerous disorders, implying the therapeutic interest of targeting them to fight against various diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mélanie Lavaud
- CRCI2NA, INSERM UMR 1307, CNRS UMR 6075, Nantes University & Angers University, Medical School, Nantes, 44035, France
| | - Robel Tesfaye
- CRCI2NA, INSERM UMR 1307, CNRS UMR 6075, Nantes University & Angers University, Medical School, Nantes, 44035, France
- Cancéropôle Grand-Ouest, Réseau Épigénétique, Medical School, Nantes, 44035, France
- EpiSAVMEN, Epigenetic consortium Pays de la Loire, France
| | - Léa Lassous
- CRCI2NA, INSERM UMR 1307, CNRS UMR 6075, Nantes University & Angers University, Medical School, Nantes, 44035, France
| | - Bénédicte Brounais
- CRCI2NA, INSERM UMR 1307, CNRS UMR 6075, Nantes University & Angers University, Medical School, Nantes, 44035, France
| | - Marc Baud'huin
- CRCI2NA, INSERM UMR 1307, CNRS UMR 6075, Nantes University & Angers University, Medical School, Nantes, 44035, France
| | - Franck Verrecchia
- CRCI2NA, INSERM UMR 1307, CNRS UMR 6075, Nantes University & Angers University, Medical School, Nantes, 44035, France
| | - François Lamoureux
- CRCI2NA, INSERM UMR 1307, CNRS UMR 6075, Nantes University & Angers University, Medical School, Nantes, 44035, France
| | - Steven Georges
- CRCI2NA, INSERM UMR 1307, CNRS UMR 6075, Nantes University & Angers University, Medical School, Nantes, 44035, France
| | - Benjamin Ory
- CRCI2NA, INSERM UMR 1307, CNRS UMR 6075, Nantes University & Angers University, Medical School, Nantes, 44035, France
- Cancéropôle Grand-Ouest, Réseau Épigénétique, Medical School, Nantes, 44035, France
- EpiSAVMEN, Epigenetic consortium Pays de la Loire, France
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16
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Song P, Han R, Yang F. Super enhancer lncRNAs: a novel hallmark in cancer. Cell Commun Signal 2024; 22:207. [PMID: 38566153 PMCID: PMC10986047 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-024-01599-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Super enhancers (SEs) consist of clusters of enhancers, harboring an unusually high density of transcription factors, mediator coactivators and epigenetic modifications. SEs play a crucial role in the maintenance of cancer cell identity and promoting oncogenic transcription. Super enhancer lncRNAs (SE-lncRNAs) refer to either transcript from SEs locus or interact with SEs, whose transcriptional activity is highly dependent on SEs. Moreover, these SE-lncRNAs can interact with their associated enhancer regions in cis and modulate the expression of oncogenes or key signal pathways in cancers. Inhibition of SEs would be a promising therapy for cancer. In this review, we summarize the research of SE-lncRNAs in different kinds of cancers so far and decode the mechanism of SE-lncRNAs in carcinogenesis to provide novel ideas for the cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Song
- Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Westlake University, Hangzhou, 310006, Zhejiang Province, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine for Biliary and Pancreatic Diseases of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310006, China
- Hangzhou Institute of Digestive Diseases, Hangzhou, 310006, China
| | - Rongyan Han
- Department of emergency, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Westlake University, Hangzhou, 310006, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Fan Yang
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Westlake University, Hangzhou, 310006, Zhejiang Province, China.
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17
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Zhang Z, Zhang Y. Transcriptional regulation of cancer stem cell: regulatory factors elucidation and cancer treatment strategies. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2024; 43:99. [PMID: 38561775 PMCID: PMC10986082 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-024-03021-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) were first discovered in the 1990s, revealing the mysteries of cancer origin, migration, recurrence and drug-resistance from a new perspective. The expression of pluripotent genes and complex signal regulatory networks are significant features of CSC, also act as core factors to affect the characteristics of CSC. Transcription is a necessary link to regulate the phenotype and potential of CSC, involving chromatin environment, nucleosome occupancy, histone modification, transcription factor (TF) availability and cis-regulatory elements, which suffer from ambient pressure. Especially, the expression and activity of pluripotent TFs are deeply affected by both internal and external factors, which is the foundation of CSC transcriptional regulation in the current research framework. Growing evidence indicates that regulating epigenetic modifications to alter cancer stemness is effective, and some special promoters and enhancers can serve as targets to influence the properties of CSC. Clarifying the factors that regulate CSC transcription will assist us directly target key stem genes and TFs, or hinder CSC transcription through environmental and other related factors, in order to achieve the goal of inhibiting CSC and tumors. This paper comprehensively reviews the traditional aspects of transcriptional regulation, and explores the progress and insights of the impact on CSC transcription and status through tumor microenvironment (TME), hypoxia, metabolism and new meaningful regulatory factors in conjunction with the latest research. Finally, we present opinions on omnidirectional targeting CSCs transcription to eliminate CSCs and address tumor resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengyue Zhang
- Department of Oncology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 201900, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Institute of Precision Medicine, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200125, People's Republic of China
| | - Yanjie Zhang
- Department of Oncology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 201900, People's Republic of China.
- Shanghai Institute of Precision Medicine, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200125, People's Republic of China.
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18
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Fan G, Xie T, Li L, Tang L, Han X, Shi Y. Single-cell and spatial analyses revealed the co-location of cancer stem cells and SPP1+ macrophage in hypoxic region that determines the poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma. NPJ Precis Oncol 2024; 8:75. [PMID: 38521868 PMCID: PMC10960828 DOI: 10.1038/s41698-024-00564-3] [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: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024] Open
Abstract
In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), classical cancer stem cells (CSC) markers were shared by normal stem cells, targeting which may hinder hepatic regeneration and cause liver failure. Additionally, the spatial structure of CSC still remained elusive. To address these limitations, we undertook a comprehensive study combining single-cell data (56,022 cells from 20 samples) and spatial data (38,191 spots from eight samples) to obtain CSC signature and uncover its spatial structure. Utilizing the CytoTRACE algorithm, we discretely identified CSC, which displayed upregulated proliferation pathways regulated by HIF1A. A CSC signature of 107 genes was then developed using Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA). Notably, HCC patients with high CSC levels exhibited an accumulation of SPP1+ macrophages (Macro_SPP1) expressing metalloproteinases (MMP9, MMP12, and MMP7) regulated by HIF1A, suggesting a hypoxic tumor region connecting Macro_SPP1 and CSC. Both CSC and Macro_SPP1 correlated with worse prognosis and undesirable immunotherapy response. Spatial analysis revealed the co-location of CSC and Macro_SPP1, with CD8 T cells excluded from the tumor region. The co-location area and non-tumor area of boundary exhibited a high level of hypoxia, with the HAVRC2 checkpoint highly expressed. Within the co-location area, the SPP1 signaling pathway was most active in cell-cell communication, with SPP1-CD44 and SPP1-ITGA/ITGB identified as the main ligand-receptor pairs. This study successfully constructed a CSC signature and demonstrated the co-location of CSC and Macro_SPP1 in a hypoxic region that exacerbates the tumor microenvironment in HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangyu Fan
- Department of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing Key Laboratory of Clinical Study on Anticancer Molecular Targeted Drugs; No. 17 Panjiayuan Nanli, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - Tongji Xie
- Department of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing Key Laboratory of Clinical Study on Anticancer Molecular Targeted Drugs; No. 17 Panjiayuan Nanli, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - Lin Li
- Department of Pathology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - Le Tang
- Department of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing Key Laboratory of Clinical Study on Anticancer Molecular Targeted Drugs; No. 17 Panjiayuan Nanli, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - Xiaohong Han
- Clinical Pharmacology Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, NMPA Key Laboratory for Clinical Research and Evaluation of Drug, Beijing Key Laboratory of Clinical PK & PD Investigation for Innovative Drugs, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College; No.1, Shuaifuyuan, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100730, China.
| | - Yuankai Shi
- Department of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing Key Laboratory of Clinical Study on Anticancer Molecular Targeted Drugs; No. 17 Panjiayuan Nanli, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100021, China.
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Cai H, Liang J, Jiang Y, Wang Z, Li H, Wang W, Wang C, Hou J. KLF7 regulates super-enhancer-driven IGF2BP2 overexpression to promote the progression of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2024; 43:69. [PMID: 38443991 PMCID: PMC10913600 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-024-02996-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Head and neck squamous carcinoma (HNSCC) is known for its high aggressiveness and susceptibility to cervical lymph node metastasis, which greatly contributes to its poor prognosis. During tumorigenesis, many types of cancer cells acquire oncogenic super-enhancers (SEs) that drive the overexpression of oncogenes, thereby maintaining malignant progression. This study aimed to identify and validate the role of oncogenic SE-associated genes in the malignant progression of HNSCC. METHODS We identified HNSCC cell-specific SE-associated genes through H3K27Ac ChIP-seq and overlapped them with HNSCC-associated genes obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets using weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) to identify hub genes. The expression of IGF2BP2 and KLF7 in HNSCC was detected using clinical samples. To determine the biological role of IGF2BP2, we performed CCK-8, colony formation assay, Transwell migration assay, invasion assay, and orthotopic xenograft model experiments. Furthermore, we utilized a CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing system, small-molecule inhibitors, ChIP-qPCR, and dual-luciferase reporter assays to investigate the molecular mechanisms of IGF2BP2 and its upstream transcription factors. RESULTS Our study identified IGF2BP2 as a hub SE-associated gene that exhibited aberrant expression in HNSCC tissues. Increased expression of IGF2BP2 was observed to be linked with malignant progression and unfavorable prognosis in HNSCC patients. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments confirmed that IGF2BP2 promotes the tumorigenicity and metastasis of HNSCC by promoting cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Mechanistically, the IGF2BP2-SE region displayed enrichment for H3K27Ac, BRD4, and MED1, which led to the inhibition of IGF2BP2 transcription and expression through deactivation of the SE-associated transcriptional program. Additionally, KLF7 was found to induce the transcription of IGF2BP2 and directly bind to its promoter and SE regions. Moreover, the abundance of KLF7 exhibited a positive correlation with the abundance of IGF2BP2 in HNSCC. Patients with high expression of both KLF7 and IGF2BP2 showed poorer prognosis. Lastly, we demonstrated that the small molecule inhibitor JQ1, targeting BRD4, attenuated the proliferation and metastatic abilities of HNSCC cells. CONCLUSIONS Our study reveals the critical role of IGF2BP2 overexpression mediated by SE and KLF7 in promoting HNSCC progression. Targeting SE-associated transcriptional programs may represent a potential therapeutic strategy in managing HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongshi Cai
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Hospital of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology,, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 51055, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Jianfeng Liang
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Hospital of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology,, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 51055, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Yaoqi Jiang
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Hospital of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology,, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 51055, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Ziyi Wang
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Hospital of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology,, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 51055, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Hongyu Li
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Hospital of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology,, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 51055, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Wenjin Wang
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Hospital of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology,, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 51055, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Cheng Wang
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Hospital of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology,, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 51055, China.
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
| | - Jinsong Hou
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Hospital of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology,, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 51055, China.
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
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20
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Luo X, Wang J, Chen Y, Zhou X, Shao Z, Liu K, Shang Z. Melatonin inhibits the stemness of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma by modulating HA synthesis via the FOSL1/HAS3 axis. J Pineal Res 2024; 76:e12940. [PMID: 38402581 DOI: 10.1111/jpi.12940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Revised: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan and the main component of the extracellular matrix (ECM), which has been reported to interact with its receptor CD44 to play critical roles in the self-renewal and maintenance of cancer stem cells (CSCs) of multiple malignancies. Melatonin is a neuroendocrine hormone with pleiotropic antitumor properties. However, whether melatonin could regulate HA accumulation in the ECM to modulate the stemness of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains unknown. In this study, we found that melatonin suppressed CSC-related markers, such as CD44, of HNSCC cells and decreased the tumor-initiating frequency of CSCs in vivo. In addition, melatonin modulated HA synthesis of HNSCC cells by downregulating the expression of hyaluronan synthase 3 (HAS3). Further study showed that the Fos-like 1 (FOSL1)/HAS3 axis mediated the inhibitory effects of melatonin on HA accumulation and stemness of HNSCC in a receptor-independent manner. Taken together, melatonin modulated HA synthesis through the FOSL1/HAS3 axis to inhibit the stemness of HNSCC cells, which elucidates the effect of melatonin on the ECM and provides a novel perspective on melatonin in HNSCC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyue Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Jingjing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiaocheng Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhe Shao
- State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial-Head and Neck oncology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Ke Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial-Head and Neck oncology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhengjun Shang
- State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial-Head and Neck oncology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
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Yu L, Huang T, Liu S, Yu J, Hou M, Su S, Jiang T, Li X, Li Y, Damba T, Zhou L, Liang Y. The landscape of super-enhancer regulates remote target gene transcription through loop domains in adipose tissue of pig. Heliyon 2024; 10:e25725. [PMID: 38390098 PMCID: PMC10881545 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e25725] [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: 07/17/2023] [Revised: 01/27/2024] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Background A super-enhancer (SE) is a huge cluster of multiple enhancers that control the key genes for cell identity and function. The rise of advanced chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) technology such as Cleavage Under Targets and Tagmentation (CUT&Tag) allows more SEs to be discovered. However, SE studies in Luchuan and Duroc pigs are very rare in animal husbandry. Results We used the CUT&Tag technique to identify 145 and 378 SEs from the adipose tissues of Luchuan and Duroc pigs, respectively. There were significant differences in the peak coverage ratio of SE peaks in the gene promoter region between the two breeds. Not only that, peak signals at the start and end point of the SE peak profile showed obvious spikes. The proximal target genes of SE were highly expressed compared with the background genes and the typical enhancer target genes. Subsequently, in conjoint analysis with high-throughput chromosome conformation capture sequencing (Hi-C seq) data, we predicted the remote regulatory genes of SE and found that their expression level was related to the distance of SE extended to the loop's anchor, but not the length of loops. According to our prediction model, SEs can maintain promoter accessibility of partial remote target genes through loop domains. Finally, a batch of SEs closely related to fat metabolism traits were obtained by performing a coalition analysis of quantitative trait loci and SE data. Conclusions This work enabled us to obtain hundreds of SEs from Luchuan and Duroc pigs. Our model provides a new method for predicting the SE remote target genes based on loop domains, and to further explore the potential role of super-enhancer in the regulation of fat metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Yu
- Institute of Digestive Disease, Guangxi Academy of Medical Sciences, The People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Tengda Huang
- Institute of Digestive Disease, Guangxi Academy of Medical Sciences, The People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Siqi Liu
- Institute of Digestive Disease, Guangxi Academy of Medical Sciences, The People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Jingsu Yu
- Institute of Digestive Disease, Guangxi Academy of Medical Sciences, The People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Menglong Hou
- Institute of Digestive Disease, Guangxi Academy of Medical Sciences, The People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Songtao Su
- Institute of Digestive Disease, Guangxi Academy of Medical Sciences, The People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Tianyu Jiang
- Institute of Digestive Disease, Guangxi Academy of Medical Sciences, The People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Xiangling Li
- Institute of Digestive Disease, Guangxi Academy of Medical Sciences, The People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Yixing Li
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Turtushikh Damba
- School of Pharmacy, Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences, Ulan Bator, Mongolia
| | - Lei Zhou
- Institute of Digestive Disease, Guangxi Academy of Medical Sciences, The People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Yunxiao Liang
- Institute of Digestive Disease, Guangxi Academy of Medical Sciences, The People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
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Korkaya H, Koksalar Alkan F, Caglayan A, Alkan H, Benson E, Gunduz Y, Sensoy O, Durdagi S, Zarbaliyev E, Dyson G, Assad H, Shull A, Chadli A, Shi H, Ozturk G. Dual activity of Minnelide chemosensitize basal/triple negative breast cancer stem cells and reprograms immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. RESEARCH SQUARE 2024:rs.3.rs-3959342. [PMID: 38464167 PMCID: PMC10925405 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3959342/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtype is characterized with higher EMT/stemness properties and immune suppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Women with advanced TNBC exhibit aggressive disease and have limited treatment options. Although immune suppressive TME is implicated in driving aggressive properties of basal/TNBC subtype and therapy resistance, effectively targeting it remains a challenge. Minnelide, a prodrug of triptolide currently being tested in clinical trials, has shown anti-tumorigenic activity in multiple malignancies via targeting super enhancers, Myc and anti-apoptotic pathways such as HSP70. Distinct super-enhancer landscape drives cancer stem cells (CSC) in TNBC subtype while inducing immune suppressive TME. We show that Minnelide selectively targets CSCs in human and murine TNBC cell lines compared to cell lines of luminal subtype by targeting Myc and HSP70. Minnelide in combination with cyclophosphamide significantly reduces the tumor growth and eliminates metastasis by reprogramming the tumor microenvironment and enhancing cytotoxic T cell infiltration in 4T1 tumor-bearing mice. Resection of residual tumors following the combination treatment leads to complete eradication of disseminated tumor cells as all mice are free of local and distant recurrences. All control mice showed recurrences within 3 weeks of post-resection while single Minnelide treatment delayed recurrence and one mouse was free of tumor. We provide evidence that Minnelide targets tumor intrinsic pathways and reprograms the immune suppressive microenvironment. Our studies also suggest that Minnelide in combination with cyclophosphamide may lead to durable responses in patients with basal/TNBC subtype warranting its clinical investigation.
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He KJ, Gong G, Liang E, Lv Y, Lin S, Xu J. Pan-cancer analysis of 60S Ribosomal Protein L7-Like 1 (RPL7L1) and validation in liver hepatocellular carcinoma. Transl Oncol 2024; 40:101844. [PMID: 38042135 PMCID: PMC10701367 DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2023.101844] [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: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 11/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS There is an association between cancer and increased ribosome biogenesis. At present, the RPL7L1 (60S Ribosomal Protein L7-Like 1) were less reported by literature search. Study reports that RPL7L1 is associated with mouse embryonic and skeletal muscle. The study of RPL7L1 on tumors has not been reported. METHODS Our team downloaded the pan-cancer dataset that is uniformly normalized from the UCSC database (N=19131). Our study examined the relationship between RPL7L1 expression level and clinical prognosis with methylation, anti-tumour immunity, functional states, MSI, TMB, DNSss, LOH and chemotherapeutic responses in 43 cancer types and subtypes. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS RPL7L1 was overexpressed in nine tumor types. Gene mutation, tumor microenvironment and methylation modification of RPL7L1 plays a key role in patient prognosis. And the high expression of RPL7L1 was associated with TMB, MSI, LOH especially LIHC and HNSC. We experimentally verified that genes can promote the proliferation and migration of tumor cells. Our study suggested that RPL7L1 biomarker can be used for treating cancer, detecting it, and predicting its prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke-Jie He
- The Quzhou Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Quzhou People's Hospital, Quzhou city, Zhejiang Province, China.
| | - Guoyu Gong
- School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen China
| | - E Liang
- Xiamen Xianyue Hospital, Xiamen China
| | - Yangbo Lv
- The Quzhou Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Quzhou People's Hospital, Quzhou city, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Shuiquan Lin
- The Quzhou Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Quzhou People's Hospital, Quzhou city, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Jianguang Xu
- The Quzhou Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Quzhou People's Hospital, Quzhou city, Zhejiang Province, China.
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24
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Gu J, Chen J, Yin Q, Dong M, Zhang Y, Chen M, Chen X, Min J, He X, Tan Y, Zheng L, Jiang H, Wang B, Li X, Chen H. lncRNA JPX-Enriched Chromatin Microenvironment Mediates Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Senescence and Promotes Atherosclerosis. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2024; 44:156-176. [PMID: 37942612 DOI: 10.1161/atvbaha.122.319250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Senescence is a series of degenerative changes in the structure and physiological function of an organism. Whether JPX (just proximal to XIST)-a newly identified age-related noncoding RNA by us-is associated with atherosclerosis is still unknown. Our study was to investigate the role of JPX and provide insights into potential therapies targeting atherosclerosis. METHODS We analyzed clinical data from multiple tissues including meniscus tissue, leukemia cells, and peripheral blood monocytes to identify age-related noncoding RNAs in senescent vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). The molecular mechanism of JPX was investigated by capture hybridization analysis of RNA targets and chromatin immunoprecipitation. IGVTools and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction were used to evaluate the JPX expression during phenotype regulation in age-related disease models. The therapeutic potential of JPX was evaluated after establishing an atherosclerosis model in smooth muscle-specific Jpx knockout mice. RESULTS JPX expression was upregulated in activated ras allele (H-rasV12)-induced senescent VSMCs and atherosclerotic arteries. JPX knockdown substantially reduced the elevation of senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) genes in senescent VSMCs. Cytoplasmic DNA leaked from mitochondria via mitochondrial permeability transition pore formed by VDAC1 (voltage-dependent anion channel 1) oligomer activates the STING (stimulator of interferon gene) pathway. JPX could act as an enhancer for the SASP genes and functions as a scaffold molecule through interacting with phosphorylated p65/RelA and BRD4 (bromodomain-containing protein 4) in chromatin remodeling complex, promoting the transcription of SASP genes via epigenetic regulation. Smooth muscle knockout of Jpx in ApoeKO mice resulted in a decrease in plaque area, a reduction in SASP gene expression, and a decrease in senescence compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS As an enhancer RNA, JPX can integrate p65 and BRD4 to form a chromatin remodeling complex, activating SASP gene transcription and promoting cellular senescence. These findings suggest that JPX is a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of age-related atherosclerosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaming Gu
- Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Medicine, School of Pharmacy (J.G., Q.Y., M.D., Y.Z., M.C., X.C., J.M., X.H., Y.T., L.Z., H.J., X.L., H.C.), Nanjing Medical University, China
| | - Jiajing Chen
- Department of Pharmacy, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China (J.C.)
| | - Quanwen Yin
- Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Medicine, School of Pharmacy (J.G., Q.Y., M.D., Y.Z., M.C., X.C., J.M., X.H., Y.T., L.Z., H.J., X.L., H.C.), Nanjing Medical University, China
| | - Mengdie Dong
- Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Medicine, School of Pharmacy (J.G., Q.Y., M.D., Y.Z., M.C., X.C., J.M., X.H., Y.T., L.Z., H.J., X.L., H.C.), Nanjing Medical University, China
| | - Yunjia Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Medicine, School of Pharmacy (J.G., Q.Y., M.D., Y.Z., M.C., X.C., J.M., X.H., Y.T., L.Z., H.J., X.L., H.C.), Nanjing Medical University, China
| | - Minghong Chen
- Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Medicine, School of Pharmacy (J.G., Q.Y., M.D., Y.Z., M.C., X.C., J.M., X.H., Y.T., L.Z., H.J., X.L., H.C.), Nanjing Medical University, China
| | - Xiang Chen
- Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Medicine, School of Pharmacy (J.G., Q.Y., M.D., Y.Z., M.C., X.C., J.M., X.H., Y.T., L.Z., H.J., X.L., H.C.), Nanjing Medical University, China
| | - Jiao Min
- Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Medicine, School of Pharmacy (J.G., Q.Y., M.D., Y.Z., M.C., X.C., J.M., X.H., Y.T., L.Z., H.J., X.L., H.C.), Nanjing Medical University, China
| | - Xian He
- Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Medicine, School of Pharmacy (J.G., Q.Y., M.D., Y.Z., M.C., X.C., J.M., X.H., Y.T., L.Z., H.J., X.L., H.C.), Nanjing Medical University, China
| | - Yongkang Tan
- Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Medicine, School of Pharmacy (J.G., Q.Y., M.D., Y.Z., M.C., X.C., J.M., X.H., Y.T., L.Z., H.J., X.L., H.C.), Nanjing Medical University, China
| | - Longbin Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Medicine, School of Pharmacy (J.G., Q.Y., M.D., Y.Z., M.C., X.C., J.M., X.H., Y.T., L.Z., H.J., X.L., H.C.), Nanjing Medical University, China
| | - Hong Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Medicine, School of Pharmacy (J.G., Q.Y., M.D., Y.Z., M.C., X.C., J.M., X.H., Y.T., L.Z., H.J., X.L., H.C.), Nanjing Medical University, China
| | - Bingjian Wang
- Department of Cardiology, Huai'an First People's Hospital Affiliated With Nanjing Medical University, China (B.W., H.C.)
| | - Xuesong Li
- Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Medicine, School of Pharmacy (J.G., Q.Y., M.D., Y.Z., M.C., X.C., J.M., X.H., Y.T., L.Z., H.J., X.L., H.C.), Nanjing Medical University, China
| | - Hongshan Chen
- Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Medicine, School of Pharmacy (J.G., Q.Y., M.D., Y.Z., M.C., X.C., J.M., X.H., Y.T., L.Z., H.J., X.L., H.C.), Nanjing Medical University, China
- Key Laboratory of Targeted Intervention of Cardiovascular Disease, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cardiovascular Disease Translational Medicine (H.C.), Nanjing Medical University, China
- Department of Cardiology, Huai'an First People's Hospital Affiliated With Nanjing Medical University, China (B.W., H.C.)
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, China (H.C.)
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25
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Wang W, Yun B, Hoyle RG, Ma Z, Zaman SU, Xiong G, Yi C, Xie N, Zhang M, Liu X, Bandyopadhyay D, Li J, Wang C. CYTOR Facilitates Formation of FOSL1 Phase Separation and Super Enhancers to Drive Metastasis of Tumor Budding Cells in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024; 11:e2305002. [PMID: 38032139 PMCID: PMC10811474 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202305002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Tumor budding (TB) is a small tumor cell cluster with highly aggressive behavior located ahead of the invasive tumor front. However, the molecular and biological characteristics of TB and the regulatory mechanisms governing TB phenotypes remain unclear. This study reveals that TB exhibits a particular dynamic gene signature with stemness and partial epithelial-mesenchymal transition (p-EMT). Importantly, nuclear expression of CYTOR is identified to be the key regulator governing stemness and the p-EMT phenotype of TB cells, and targeting CYTOR significantly inhibits TB formation, tumor growth and lymph node metastasis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Mechanistically, CYTOR promotes tumorigenicity and metastasis of TB cells by facilitating the formation of FOSL1 phase-separated condensates to establish FOSL1-dependent super enhancers (SEs). Depletion of CYTOR leads to the disruption of FOSL1-dependent SEs, which results in the inactivation of cancer stemness and pro-metastatic genes. In turn, activation of FOSL1 promotes the transcription of CYTOR. These findings indicate that CYTOR is a super-lncRNA that controls the stemness and metastasis of TB cells through facilitating the formation of FOSL1 phase separation and SEs, which may be an attractive target for therapeutic interventions in HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjin Wang
- Hospital of StomatologySun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhou510055China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of StomatologyGuangzhou510080China
- Guanghua School of StomatologySun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhou510055China
| | - Bokai Yun
- Hospital of StomatologySun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhou510055China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of StomatologyGuangzhou510080China
- Guanghua School of StomatologySun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhou510055China
| | - Rosalie G Hoyle
- Department of Medicinal ChemistrySchool of PharmacyVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmondVA23298‐0540USA
| | - Zhikun Ma
- Department of Medicinal ChemistrySchool of PharmacyVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmondVA23298‐0540USA
| | - Shadid Uz Zaman
- Department of Medicinal ChemistrySchool of PharmacyVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmondVA23298‐0540USA
| | - Gan Xiong
- Hospital of StomatologySun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhou510055China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of StomatologyGuangzhou510080China
- Guanghua School of StomatologySun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhou510055China
| | - Chen Yi
- Hospital of StomatologySun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhou510055China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of StomatologyGuangzhou510080China
- Guanghua School of StomatologySun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhou510055China
| | - Nan Xie
- Hospital of StomatologySun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhou510055China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of StomatologyGuangzhou510080China
- Guanghua School of StomatologySun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhou510055China
| | - Ming Zhang
- Hospital of StomatologySun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhou510055China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of StomatologyGuangzhou510080China
- Guanghua School of StomatologySun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhou510055China
| | - Xiqiang Liu
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial SurgeryNanfang Hospital, Southern Medical UniversityGuangzhou510515China
| | - Dipankar Bandyopadhyay
- Department of BiostatisticsSchool of MedicineVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmondVA23298‐0540USA
- Massey Cancer CenterVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmondVA23298‐0540USA
| | - Jiong Li
- Department of Medicinal ChemistrySchool of PharmacyVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmondVA23298‐0540USA
- Massey Cancer CenterVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmondVA23298‐0540USA
- Department of Oral and Craniofacial Molecular BiologySchool of DentistryVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmondVA23298‐0540USA
- Philips Institute for Oral Health ResearchSchool of DentistryVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmondVA23298‐0540USA
| | - Cheng Wang
- Hospital of StomatologySun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhou510055China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of StomatologyGuangzhou510080China
- Guanghua School of StomatologySun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhou510055China
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Liu S, Qin Z, Mao Y, Wang N, Zhang W, Wang Y, Chen Y, Jia L, Peng X. Pharmacological inhibition of MYC to mitigate chemoresistance in preclinical models of squamous cell carcinoma. Theranostics 2024; 14:622-639. [PMID: 38169606 PMCID: PMC10758066 DOI: 10.7150/thno.88759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Rationale: Cisplatin-based chemotherapy is the first-line treatment for late-stage head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). However, resistance to cisplatin has become a major obstacle for effective therapy. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are critical for tumor initiation, growth, metastasis, and chemoresistance. How to effectively eliminate CSCs and overcome chemoresistance remains a key challenge. Herein, we confirmed that MYC plays critical roles in chemoresistance, and explored targeting MYC to overcome cisplatin resistance in preclinical models. Methods: The roles of MYC in HNSCC cisplatin resistance and cancer stemness were tested in vitro and in vivo. The combined therapeutic efficiency of MYC targeting using the small molecule MYC inhibitor MYCi975 and cisplatin was assessed in a 4‑nitroquinoline 1-oxide-induced model and in a patient-derived xenograft model. Results: MYC was highly-expressed in cisplatin-resistant HNSCC. Targeting MYC using MYCi975 eliminated CSCs, prevented metastasis, and overcame cisplatin resistance. MYCi975 also induced tumor cell-intrinsic immune responses, and promoted CD8+ T cell infiltration. Mechanistically, MYCi975 induced the DNA damage response and activated the cGAS-STING-IRF3 signaling pathway to increase CD8+ T cell-recruiting chemokines. Conclusions: Our findings suggested that targeting MYC might eliminate CSCs, prevent metastasis, and activate antitumor immunity to overcome cisplatin resistance in HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Lingfei Jia
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing 100081, China. National Center of Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Laboratory for Digital and Material Technology of Stomatology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Xin Peng
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing 100081, China. National Center of Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Laboratory for Digital and Material Technology of Stomatology, Beijing 100081, China
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Li Z, Zheng C, Liu H, Lv J, Wang Y, Zhang K, Kong S, Chen F, Kong Y, Yang X, Cheng Y, Yang Z, Zhang C, Tian Y. A novel oxidative stress-related gene signature as an indicator of prognosis and immunotherapy responses in HNSCC. Aging (Albany NY) 2023; 15:14957-14984. [PMID: 38157249 PMCID: PMC10781479 DOI: 10.18632/aging.205323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE To identify molecular subtypes of oxidative stress-related genes in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and to construct a scoring model of oxidative stress-related genes. METHODS R language based scRNA-seq and bulk RNA-seq analyses were used to identify molecular isoforms of oxidative stress-related genes in HNSCC. An oxidative stress-related gene scoring (OSRS) model was constructed, which were verified through online data and immunohistochemical staining of clinical samples. RESULTS Using TCGA-HNSCC datasets, nine predictive genes for overall patient survival, rarely reported in previous similar studies, were screened. AREG and CES1 were identified as prognostic risk factors. CSTA, FDCSP, JCHAIN, IFFO2, PGLYRP4, SPOCK2 and SPINK6 were identified as prognostic factors. Collectively, all genes formed a prognostic risk signature model for oxidative stress in HNSCC, which were validated in GSE41613, GSE103322 and PRJEB23709 datasets. Immunohistochemical staining of SPINK6 in nasopharyngeal cancer samples validated the gene panel. Subsequent analysis indicated that subgroups of the oxidative stress prognostic signature played important roles during cellular communication, the immune microenvironment, the differential activation of transcription factors, oxidative stress and immunotherapeutic responses. CONCLUSIONS The risk model might predict HNSCC prognosis and immunotherapeutic responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuoqi Li
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Shandong Provincial ENT Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250299, P.R. China
- Radiotherapy Department, Shandong Second Provincial General Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250299, P.R. China
| | - Chunning Zheng
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong 250021, P.R. China
| | - Hongtao Liu
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong Medicine and Health Key Laboratory of Clinical Pathology, Shandong Lung Cancer Institute, Shandong Institute of Nephrology, Jinan, Shandong 250014, P.R. China
| | - Jiling Lv
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Shandong Second Provincial General Hospital, Jinan, Shandong 250299, P.R. China
| | - Yuanyuan Wang
- Department of Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong 250299, P.R. China
| | - Kai Zhang
- Generalsurgery Department, Wenshang County People’s Hospital, Wenshang, Shandong 272500, P.R. China
| | - Shuai Kong
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong 250021, P.R. China
| | - Feng Chen
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong 250117, P.R. China
| | - Yongmei Kong
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Shandong Provincial ENT Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250299, P.R. China
- Radiotherapy Department, Shandong Second Provincial General Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250299, P.R. China
| | - Xiaowei Yang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Intervention, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 102218, P.R. China
| | - Yuxia Cheng
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong Medicine and Health Key Laboratory of Clinical Pathology, Shandong Lung Cancer Institute, Shandong Institute of Nephrology, Jinan, Shandong 250014, P.R. China
| | - Zhensong Yang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital, Qingdao University, Yantai, Shandong 264000, P.R. China
| | - Chi Zhang
- Department of Cardiology, The Second Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250033, P.R. China
| | - Yuan Tian
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Shandong Provincial ENT Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250299, P.R. China
- Radiotherapy Department, Shandong Second Provincial General Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250299, P.R. China
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Qian H, Zhu M, Tan X, Zhang Y, Liu X, Yang L. Super-enhancers and the super-enhancer reader BRD4: tumorigenic factors and therapeutic targets. Cell Death Discov 2023; 9:470. [PMID: 38135679 PMCID: PMC10746725 DOI: 10.1038/s41420-023-01775-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 12/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcriptional super-enhancers and the BET bromodomain protein BRD4 are emerging as critical drivers of tumorigenesis and therapeutic targets. Characterized by substantial accumulation of histone H3 lysine 27 acetylation (H3K27ac) signals at the loci of cell identity genes and critical oncogenes, super-enhancers are recognized, bound and activated by BRD4, resulting in considerable oncogene over-expression, malignant transformation, cancer cell proliferation, survival, tumor initiation and progression. Small molecule compound BRD4 BD1 and BD2 bromodomain inhibitors block BRD4 binding to super-enhancers, suppress oncogene transcription and expression, reduce cancer cell proliferation and survival, and repress tumor progression in a variety of cancer types. Like other targeted therapy agents, BRD4 inhibitors show moderate anticancer effects on their own, and exert synergistic anticancer effects in vitro and in preclinical models, when combined with other anticancer agents including CDK7 inhibitors, CBP/p300 inhibitors and histone deacetylase inhibitors. More recently, BRD4 BD2 bromodomain selective inhibitors, proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) BRD4 protein degraders, and dual BRD4 and CBP/p300 bromodomain co-inhibitors have been developed and shown better anticancer efficacy and/or safety profile. Importantly, more than a dozen BRD4 inhibitors have entered clinical trials in patients with cancer of various organ origins. In summary, super-enhancers and their reader BRD4 are critical tumorigenic drivers, and BRD4 BD1 and BD2 bromodomain inhibitors, BRD4 BD2 bromodomain selective inhibitors, PROTAC BRD4 protein degraders, and dual BRD4 and CBP/p300 bromodomain co-inhibitors are promising novel anticancer agents for clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haihong Qian
- Yangpu Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200090, China
| | - Min Zhu
- Yangpu Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200090, China
| | - Xinyu Tan
- Department of Dentistry, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650032, China
| | - Yixing Zhang
- Yangpu Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200090, China
| | - Xiangning Liu
- Yangpu Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200090, China
| | - Li Yang
- Yangpu Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200090, China.
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Janin M, Davalos V, Esteller M. Cancer metastasis under the magnifying glass of epigenetics and epitranscriptomics. Cancer Metastasis Rev 2023; 42:1071-1112. [PMID: 37369946 PMCID: PMC10713773 DOI: 10.1007/s10555-023-10120-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
Most of the cancer-associated mortality and morbidity can be attributed to metastasis. The role of epigenetic and epitranscriptomic alterations in cancer origin and progression has been extensively demonstrated during the last years. Both regulations share similar mechanisms driven by DNA or RNA modifiers, namely writers, readers, and erasers; enzymes responsible of respectively introducing, recognizing, or removing the epigenetic or epitranscriptomic modifications. Epigenetic regulation is achieved by DNA methylation, histone modifications, non-coding RNAs, chromatin accessibility, and enhancer reprogramming. In parallel, regulation at RNA level, named epitranscriptomic, is driven by a wide diversity of chemical modifications in mostly all RNA molecules. These two-layer regulatory mechanisms are finely controlled in normal tissue, and dysregulations are associated with every hallmark of human cancer. In this review, we provide an overview of the current state of knowledge regarding epigenetic and epitranscriptomic alterations governing tumor metastasis, and compare pathways regulated at DNA or RNA levels to shed light on a possible epi-crosstalk in cancer metastasis. A deeper understanding on these mechanisms could have important clinical implications for the prevention of advanced malignancies and the management of the disseminated diseases. Additionally, as these epi-alterations can potentially be reversed by small molecules or inhibitors against epi-modifiers, novel therapeutic alternatives could be envisioned.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxime Janin
- Cancer Epigenetics Group, Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), IJC Building, Germans Trias I Pujol, Ctra de Can Ruti, Cami de Les Escoles S/N, 08916 Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigacion Biomedica en Red Cancer (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Veronica Davalos
- Cancer Epigenetics Group, Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), IJC Building, Germans Trias I Pujol, Ctra de Can Ruti, Cami de Les Escoles S/N, 08916 Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Manel Esteller
- Cancer Epigenetics Group, Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), IJC Building, Germans Trias I Pujol, Ctra de Can Ruti, Cami de Les Escoles S/N, 08916 Badalona, Barcelona, Spain.
- Centro de Investigacion Biomedica en Red Cancer (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain.
- Institucio Catalana de Recerca I Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
- Physiological Sciences Department, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
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30
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Negri A, Marozzi M, Trisciuoglio D, Rotili D, Mai A, Rizzi F. Simultaneous administration of EZH2 and BET inhibitors inhibits proliferation and clonogenic ability of metastatic prostate cancer cells. J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem 2023; 38:2163242. [PMID: 36629431 PMCID: PMC9848337 DOI: 10.1080/14756366.2022.2163242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is a common treatment for recurrent prostate cancer (PC). However, after a certain period of responsiveness, ADT resistance occurs virtually in all patients and the disease progresses to lethal metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Aberrant expression and function of the epigenetic modifiers EZH2 and BET over activates c-myc, an oncogenic transcription factor critically contributing to mCRPC. In the present work, we tested, for the first time, the combination of an EZH2 inhibitor with a BET inhibitor in metastatic PC cells. The combination outperformed single drugs in inhibiting cell viability, cell proliferation and clonogenic ability, and concomitantly reduced both c-myc and NF-kB expression. Although these promising results will warrant further in vivo validation, they represent the first step to establishing the rationale that the proposed combination might be suitable for mCRPC treatment, by exploiting molecular targets different from androgen receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aide Negri
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Marina Marozzi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Daniela Trisciuoglio
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology (IMBP), National Research Council (CNR) c/o Department of Biology and Biotechnology “Charles Darwin,” Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Dante Rotili
- Department of Chemistry and Technology of Drugs, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonello Mai
- Department of Chemistry and Technology of Drugs, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Federica Rizzi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy,National Institute of Biostructure and Biosystems (INBB), Rome, Italy,CONTACT Federica Rizzi Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
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31
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Sharma D, Hager CG, Shang L, Tran L, Zhu Y, Ma A, Magnuson B, Lesko MW, Wicha MS, Burness ML. The BET degrader ZBC260 suppresses stemness and tumorigenesis and promotes differentiation in triple-negative breast cancer by disrupting inflammatory signaling. Breast Cancer Res 2023; 25:144. [PMID: 37968653 PMCID: PMC10648675 DOI: 10.1186/s13058-023-01715-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) are resistant to standard therapies, facilitate tumor dissemination, and contribute to relapse and progression. Super-enhancers are regulators of stemness, and BET proteins, which are critical for super-enhancer function, are a potential therapeutic target. Here, we investigated the effects of BET proteins on the regulation of breast cancer stemness using the pan-BET degrader ZBC260. METHODS We evaluated the effect of ZBC260 on CSCs in TNBC cell lines. We assessed the effect of ZBC260 on cellular viability and tumor growth and measured its effects on cancer stemness. We used RNA sequencing and stemness index to determine the global transcriptomic changes in CSCs and bulk cells and further validated our findings by qPCR, western blot, and ELISA. RESULTS ZBC260 potently inhibited TNBC growth both in vitro and in vivo. ZBC260 reduced stemness as measured by cell surface marker expression, ALDH activity, tumorsphere number, and stemness index while increasing differentiated cells. GSEA analysis indicated preferential downregulation of stemness-associated and inflammatory genes by ZBC260 in ALDH+ CSCs. CONCLUSIONS The BET degrader ZBC260 is an efficient degrader of BET proteins that suppresses tumor progression and decreases CSCs through the downregulation of inflammatory genes and pathways. Our findings support the further development of BET degraders alone and in combination with other therapeutics as CSC targeting agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deeksha Sharma
- Department, Unit, and Laboratories, Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Cody G Hager
- Department, Unit, and Laboratories, Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Li Shang
- Department, Unit, and Laboratories, Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Lam Tran
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan, NCRC 26-319S, SPC 2800, 2800 Plymouth Rd, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Yongyou Zhu
- Department, Unit, and Laboratories, Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Elevate Bio, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Aihui Ma
- Department, Unit, and Laboratories, Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
| | - Brian Magnuson
- Department, Unit, and Laboratories, Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Matthew W Lesko
- Department, Unit, and Laboratories, Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA
| | - Max S Wicha
- Department, Unit, and Laboratories, Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Monika L Burness
- Department, Unit, and Laboratories, Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
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Dorna D, Paluszczak J. Targeting cancer stem cells as a strategy for reducing chemotherapy resistance in head and neck cancers. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2023; 149:13417-13435. [PMID: 37453969 PMCID: PMC10587253 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-023-05136-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy is the primary cause of a poor prognosis in oncological patients. Researchers identified many possible mechanisms involved in gaining a therapy-resistant phenotype by cancer cells, including alterations in intracellular drug accumulation, detoxification, and enhanced DNA damage repair. All these features are characteristic of stem cells, making them the major culprit of chemoresistance. This paper reviews the most recent evidence regarding the association between the stemness phenotype and chemoresistance in head and neck cancers. It also investigates the impact of pharmacologically targeting cancer stem cell populations in this subset of malignancies. METHODS This narrative review was prepared based on the search of the PubMed database for relevant papers. RESULTS Head and neck cancer cells belonging to the stem cell population are distinguished by the high expression of certain surface proteins (e.g., CD10, CD44, CD133), pluripotency-related transcription factors (SOX2, OCT4, NANOG), and increased activity of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). Chemotherapy itself increases the percentage of stem-like cells. Importantly, the intratumor heterogeneity of stem cell subpopulations reflects cell plasticity which has great importance for chemoresistance induction. CONCLUSIONS Evidence points to the advantage of combining classical chemotherapeutics with stemness modulators thanks to the joint targeting of the bulk of proliferating tumor cells and chemoresistant cancer stem cells, which could cause recurrence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dawid Dorna
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biochemistry, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Ul. Święcickiego 4, 60-781 Poznan, Poland
| | - Jarosław Paluszczak
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biochemistry, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Ul. Święcickiego 4, 60-781 Poznan, Poland
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Lee H, Nam J, Jang H, Park YS, Son MH, Lee IH, Eyun SI, Jeon J, Yang S. Novel molecule BBC0901 inhibits BRD4 and acts as a catabolic regulator in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 166:115426. [PMID: 37666177 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.115426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Osteoarthritis (OA) is induced by matrix degradation and inflammation mediated by bromo-domain-containing protein 4 (BRD4)-dependent catabolic factors. BRD4 acts as both a transcriptional regulator and an epigenetic reader. BBC0901 was identified as an inhibitor of BRD4 using a DNA-encoded library screening system. We aimed to demonstrate the effects of BBC0901 on OA pathogenesis by in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo analyses. BBC0901 inhibited the expression of catabolic factors that degrade cartilage without significantly affecting the viability of mouse articular chondrocytes. Additionally, ex vivo experiments under conditions mimicking OA showed that BBC0901 suppressed extracellular matrix degradation. RNA sequencing analysis of gene expression patterns showed that BBC0901 inhibited the expression of catabolic factors, such as matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and cyclooxygenase (COX)2, along with reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Furthermore, intra-articular (IA) injection of BBC0901 into the knee joint blocked osteoarthritic cartilage destruction by inhibition of MMP3, MMP13, COX2, interleukin (IL)6, and ROS production, thereby obstructing the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cell and mitogen activated protein kinase signaling. In conclusion, BBC0901-mediated BRD4 inhibition prevented OA development by attenuating catabolic signaling and hence, can be considered a promising IA therapeutic for OA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyemi Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea.
| | - Jiho Nam
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea.
| | - Hahyeong Jang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea.
| | - Young-Sik Park
- Benobio Co., Ltd., Gyeonggi-do 13494, Republic of Korea.
| | - Min-Hee Son
- Benobio Co., Ltd., Gyeonggi-do 13494, Republic of Korea.
| | - In-Hyun Lee
- Benobio Co., Ltd., Gyeonggi-do 13494, Republic of Korea.
| | - Seong-Il Eyun
- Department of Life Science, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974, Republic of Korea.
| | - Jimin Jeon
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea.
| | - Siyoung Yang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea.
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Das ND, Chang JC, Hon CC, Kelly ST, Ito S, Lizio M, Kaczkowski B, Watanabe H, Katsushima K, Natsume A, Koseki H, Kondo Y, Minoda A, Umehara T. Defining super-enhancers by highly ranked histone H4 multi-acetylation levels identifies transcription factors associated with glioblastoma stem-like properties. BMC Genomics 2023; 24:574. [PMID: 37759202 PMCID: PMC10523799 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09659-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Super-enhancers (SEs), which activate genes involved in cell-type specificity, have mainly been defined as genomic regions with top-ranked enrichment(s) of histone H3 with acetylated K27 (H3K27ac) and/or transcription coactivator(s) including a bromodomain and extra-terminal domain (BET) family protein, BRD4. However, BRD4 preferentially binds to multi-acetylated histone H4, typically with acetylated K5 and K8 (H4K5acK8ac), leading us to hypothesize that SEs should be defined by high H4K5acK8ac enrichment at least as well as by that of H3K27ac. RESULTS Here, we conducted genome-wide profiling of H4K5acK8ac and H3K27ac, BRD4 binding, and the transcriptome by using a BET inhibitor, JQ1, in three human glial cell lines. When SEs were defined as having the top ranks for H4K5acK8ac or H3K27ac signal, 43% of H4K5acK8ac-ranked SEs were distinct from H3K27ac-ranked SEs in a glioblastoma stem-like cell (GSC) line. CRISPR-Cas9-mediated deletion of the H4K5acK8ac-preferred SEs associated with MYCN and NFIC decreased the stem-like properties in GSCs. CONCLUSIONS Collectively, our data highlights H4K5acK8ac's utility for identifying genes regulating cell-type specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nando D Das
- Laboratory for Epigenetics Drug Discovery, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Jen-Chien Chang
- Laboratory for Cellular Epigenomics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS), Yokohama, Japan
| | - Chung-Chau Hon
- Laboratory for Genome Information Analysis, RIKEN IMS, Yokohama, Japan
| | - S Thomas Kelly
- Laboratory for Cellular Epigenomics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS), Yokohama, Japan
| | - Shinsuke Ito
- Laboratory of Developmental Genetics, RIKEN IMS, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Marina Lizio
- Laboratory for Genome Information Analysis, RIKEN IMS, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Bogumil Kaczkowski
- Laboratory for Applied Regulatory Genomics Network Analysis, RIKEN IMS, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Hisami Watanabe
- Laboratory for Epigenetics Drug Discovery, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Keisuke Katsushima
- Division of Cancer Biology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Atsushi Natsume
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Haruhiko Koseki
- Laboratory of Developmental Genetics, RIKEN IMS, Yokohama, Japan
- Immune Regulation, Advanced Research Departments, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Yutaka Kondo
- Division of Cancer Biology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Aki Minoda
- Laboratory for Cellular Epigenomics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS), Yokohama, Japan
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Takashi Umehara
- Laboratory for Epigenetics Drug Discovery, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Yokohama, Japan.
- PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi, Saitama, Japan.
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Wei Z, Zhou C, Shen Y, Deng H, Shen Z. Identification of a new anoikis-related gene signature for prognostic significance in head and neck squamous carcinomas. Medicine (Baltimore) 2023; 102:e34790. [PMID: 37682196 PMCID: PMC10489427 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000034790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Anoikis, a mode of programmed cell death, is essential for normal development and homeostasis in the organism and plays an important role in the onset and progression of cancers. The authors of this research sought to establish a gene signature associated with anoikis to predict therapy outcomes and patient prognosis for individuals with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Transcriptome data of anoikis-related genes (ARGs) in individuals with HNSCC were retrieved from public databases to aid in the formulation of the gene signature. A novel ARG signature was then created using a combination of the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator regression and Cox regression analysis. The relationship between ARGs and tumor immune microenvironment in HNSCC was explored using single-cell analysis. HNSCC individuals were classified into high-risk and low-risk groups as per the median value of risk score. The study also investigated the variations in the infiltration status of immune cells, tumor microenvironment, sensitivity to immunotherapy and chemotherapeutics, as well as functional enrichment between the low-risk and high-risk categories. A total of 18 ARGs were incorporated in the formulation of the signature. Our signature's validity as a standalone predictive predictor was validated by multivariate Cox regression analysis and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Generally, the prognosis was worse for high-risk individuals. Subjects in the low-risk groups had a better prognosis and responded in a better way to combination immunotherapy, had higher immunological ratings and activity levels, and had more immune cell infiltration. In addition, gene set enrichment analysis findings showed that the low-risk subjects exhibited heightened activity in several immune-related pathways. However, the high-risk patients responded better to chemotherapy. The aim of this research was to develop a new ARG signature to predict the prognosis and sensitivity to immunotherapeutic and chemotherapeutic schemes for HNSCC patient. As a result, this could help spur the creation of new chemotherapeutics and immunotherapeutic approaches for patients with HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengyu Wei
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Affiliated Lihuili Hospital, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Ningbo Medical Centre Lihuili Hospital, Ningbo, China
- Health Science Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Chongchang Zhou
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Affiliated Lihuili Hospital, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Ningbo Medical Centre Lihuili Hospital, Ningbo, China
| | - Yi Shen
- Health Science Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Hongxia Deng
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Affiliated Lihuili Hospital, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Ningbo Medical Centre Lihuili Hospital, Ningbo, China
| | - Zhisen Shen
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Affiliated Lihuili Hospital, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Ningbo Medical Centre Lihuili Hospital, Ningbo, China
- Health Science Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
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Oyelakin A, Sosa J, Nayak K, Glathar A, Gluck C, Sethi I, Tsompana M, Nowak N, Buck M, Romano RA, Sinha S. An integrated genomic approach identifies follistatin as a target of the p63-epidermal growth factor receptor oncogenic network in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. NAR Cancer 2023; 5:zcad038. [PMID: 37492374 PMCID: PMC10365026 DOI: 10.1093/narcan/zcad038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Although numerous putative oncogenes have been associated with the etiology of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), the mechanisms by which these oncogenes and their downstream targets mediate tumor progression have not been fully elucidated. We performed an integrative analysis to identify a crucial set of targets of the oncogenic transcription factor p63 that are common across multiple transcriptomic datasets obtained from HNSCC patients, and representative cell line models. Notably, our analysis revealed FST which encodes follistatin, a secreted glycoprotein that inhibits the transforming growth factor TGFβ/activin signaling pathways, to be a direct transcriptional target of p63. In addition, we found that FST expression is also driven by epidermal growth factor receptor EGFR signaling, thus mediating a functional link between the TGF-β and EGFR pathways. We show through loss- and gain-of-function studies that FST predominantly imparts a tumor-growth and migratory phenotype in HNSCC cells. Furthermore, analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing data from HNSCC patients unveiled cancer cells as the dominant source of FST within the tumor microenvironment and exposed a correlation between the expression of FST and its regulators with immune infiltrates. We propose FST as a prognostic biomarker for patient survival and a compelling candidate mediating the broad effects of p63 on the tumor and its associated microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akinsola Oyelakin
- Department of Oral Biology, School of Dental Medicine, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Jennifer Sosa
- Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Kasturi Bala Nayak
- Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Alexandra Glathar
- Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Christian Gluck
- Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Isha Sethi
- Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Maria Tsompana
- Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Norma Nowak
- Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Michael Buck
- Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Rose-Anne Romano
- Department of Oral Biology, School of Dental Medicine, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Satrajit Sinha
- Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
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Wang M, Chen Q, Wang S, Xie H, Liu J, Huang R, Xiang Y, Jiang Y, Tian D, Bian E. Super-enhancers complexes zoom in transcription in cancer. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2023; 42:183. [PMID: 37501079 PMCID: PMC10375641 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-023-02763-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Super-enhancers (SEs) consist of multiple typical enhancers enriched at high density with transcription factors, histone-modifying enzymes and cofactors. Oncogenic SEs promote tumorigenesis and malignancy by altering protein-coding gene expression and noncoding regulatory element function. Therefore, they play central roles in the treatment of cancer. Here, we review the structural characteristics, organization, identification, and functions of SEs and the underlying molecular mechanism by which SEs drive oncogenic transcription in tumor cells. We then summarize abnormal SE complexes, SE-driven coding genes, and noncoding RNAs involved in tumor development. In summary, we believe that SEs show great potential as biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- MengTing Wang
- Department of Orthopaedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 678 Fu Rong Road, Hefei, 230601, Anhui Province, China
- Institute of Orthopaedics, Research Center for Translational Medicine, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230601, China
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China
| | - QingYang Chen
- Department of Clinical MedicineThe Second School of Clinical Medical, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - ShuJie Wang
- Department of Clinical MedicineThe Second School of Clinical Medical, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Han Xie
- Department of Orthopaedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 678 Fu Rong Road, Hefei, 230601, Anhui Province, China
- Institute of Orthopaedics, Research Center for Translational Medicine, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230601, China
| | - Jun Liu
- Department of Orthopaedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 678 Fu Rong Road, Hefei, 230601, Anhui Province, China
- Institute of Orthopaedics, Research Center for Translational Medicine, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230601, China
| | - RuiXiang Huang
- Department of Orthopaedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 678 Fu Rong Road, Hefei, 230601, Anhui Province, China
- Institute of Orthopaedics, Research Center for Translational Medicine, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230601, China
| | - YuFei Xiang
- Department of Orthopaedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 678 Fu Rong Road, Hefei, 230601, Anhui Province, China
- Institute of Orthopaedics, Research Center for Translational Medicine, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230601, China
| | - YanYi Jiang
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Medical Physics and Technology, Institute of Health and Medical Technology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China.
- Hefei Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China.
| | - DaSheng Tian
- Department of Orthopaedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 678 Fu Rong Road, Hefei, 230601, Anhui Province, China.
- Institute of Orthopaedics, Research Center for Translational Medicine, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230601, China.
| | - ErBao Bian
- Department of Orthopaedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 678 Fu Rong Road, Hefei, 230601, Anhui Province, China.
- Institute of Orthopaedics, Research Center for Translational Medicine, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230601, China.
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China.
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Tang ZC, Qu Q, Teng XQ, Zhuang HH, Xu WX, Qu J. Bibliometric analysis of evolutionary trends and hotspots of super-enhancers in cancer. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1192855. [PMID: 37576806 PMCID: PMC10415222 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1192855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: In the past decade, super-enhancer (SE) has become a research hotspot with increasing attention on cancer occurrence, development, and prognosis. To illustrate the hotspots of SE in cancer research and its evolutionary tendency, bibliometric analysis was carried out for this topic. Methods: Literature published before Dec 31, 2022, in WOSCC, was systematically classified, and Citespace, bibliometric.com/app, and GraphPad Prism analyzed the data. Results: After screening out inappropriate documents and duplicate data, 911 publications were selected for further bibliometric analysis. The top five research areas were Oncology (257, 28.211%), Cell Biology (210, 23.052%), Biochemistry Molecular Biology (209, 22.942%), Science Technology Other Topics (138, 15.148%), and Genetics Heredity (132, 14.490%). The United States of America (United States) has the highest number of documents (462, 50.71%), followed by China (303, 33.26%). Among the most productive institutions, four of which are from the United States and one from Singapore, the National University of Singapore. Harvard Medical School (7.68%) has the highest percentage of articles. Young, Richard A, with 32 publications, ranks first in the number of articles. The top three authors came from Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research as a research team. More than two-thirds of the research are supported by the National Institutes of Health of the United States (337, 37.654%) and the United States Department of Health Human Services (337, 37.654%). And "super enhancer" (525), "cell identity" (258), "expression" (223), "cancer" (205), and "transcription factor" (193) account for the top 5 occurrence keywords. Discussion: Since 2013, SE and cancer related publications have shown a rapid growth trend. The United States continues to play a leading role in this field, as the top literature numbers, affiliations, funding agencies, and authors were all from the United States, followed by China and European countries. A high degree of active cooperation is evident among a multitude of countries. The role of SEs in cell identity, gene transcription, expression, and inhibition, as well as the relationship between SEs and TFs, and the selective inhibition of SEs, have received much attention, suggesting that they are hot issues for research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen-Chu Tang
- Department of Neurology, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Tumor Models and Individualized Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Qiang Qu
- Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
- Institute of Hospital Management, Central South University, Changsha, China
- Hunan Key Laboratory of the Research and Development of Novel Pharmaceutical Preparations, Changsha Medical University, Changsha, China
| | - Xin-Qi Teng
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Hai-Hui Zhuang
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Wei-Xin Xu
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Jian Qu
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South University, Changsha, China
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Bacabac M, Xu W. Oncogenic super-enhancers in cancer: mechanisms and therapeutic targets. Cancer Metastasis Rev 2023; 42:471-480. [PMID: 37059907 PMCID: PMC10527203 DOI: 10.1007/s10555-023-10103-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2023]
Abstract
Activation of oncogenes to sustain proliferative signaling and initiate metastasis are important hallmarks of cancer. Oncogenes are amplified or overexpressed in cancer cells and overexpression is often controlled at the level of transcription. Gene expression is tightly controlled by many cis-regulatory elements and trans-acting factors. Large clusters of enhancers known as "super-enhancers" drive robust expression of cell-fate determining transcription factors in cell identity. Cancer cells can take advantage of super-enhancers and become transcriptionally addicted to them leading to tumorigenesis and metastasis. Additionally, the cis-regulatory landscape of cancer includes aberrant super-enhancers that are not present in normal cells. The landscape of super-enhancers in cancer is characterized by high levels of histone H3K27 acetylation and bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4), and Mediator complex. These chromatin features facilitate the identification of cancer type-specific and cell-type-specific super-enhancers that control the expression of important oncogenes to stimulate their growth. Disruption of super-enhancers via inhibiting BRD4 or other epigenetic proteins is a potential therapeutic option. Here, we will describe the discovery of super-enhancers and their unique characteristics compared to typical enhancers. Then, we will highlight how super-enhancer-associated genes contribute to cancer progression in different solid tumor types. Lastly, we will cover therapeutic targets and their epigenetic modulators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan Bacabac
- McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1111 Highland Ave, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
- School of Medicine and Public Health, UW Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Wei Xu
- McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1111 Highland Ave, Madison, WI, 53705, USA.
- School of Medicine and Public Health, UW Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
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40
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Chen D, Cao Y, Tang H, Zang L, Yao N, Zhu Y, Jiang Y, Zhai S, Liu Y, Shi M, Zhao S, Wang W, Wen C, Peng C, Chen H, Deng X, Jiang L, Shen B. Comprehensive machine learning-generated classifier identifies pro-metastatic characteristics and predicts individual treatment in pancreatic cancer: A multicenter cohort study based on super-enhancer profiling. Theranostics 2023; 13:3290-3309. [PMID: 37351165 PMCID: PMC10283048 DOI: 10.7150/thno.84978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Rationale: Accumulating evidence illustrated that the reprogramming of the super-enhancers (SEs) landscape could promote the acquisition of metastatic features in pancreatic cancer (PC). Given the anatomy-based TNM staging is limited by the heterogeneous clinical outcomes in treatment, it is of great clinical significance to tailor individual stratification and to develop alternative therapeutic strategies for metastatic PC patients based on SEs. Methods: In our study, ChIP-Seq analysis for H3K27ac was performed in primary pancreatic tumors (PTs) and hepatic metastases (HMs). Bootstrapping and univariate Cox analysis were implemented to screen prognostic HM-acquired, SE-associated genes (HM-SE genes). Then, based on 1705 PC patients from 14 multicenter cohorts, 188 machine-learning (ML) algorithm integrations were utilized to develop a comprehensive super-enhancer-related metastatic (SEMet) classifier. Results: We established a novel SEMet classifier based on 38 prognostic HM-SE genes. Compared to other clinical traits and 33 published signatures, the SEMet classifier possessed robust and powerful performance in predicting prognosis. In addition, patients in the SEMetlow subgroup owned dismal survival rates, more frequent genomic alterations, and more activated cancer immunity cycle as well as better benefits in immunotherapy. Remarkably, there existed a tight correlation between the SEMetlow subgroup and metastatic phenotypes of PC. Among 18 SEMet genes, we demonstrated that E2F7 may promote PC metastasis through the upregulation of TGM2 and DKK1. Finally, after in silico screening of potential compounds targeted SEMet classifier, results revealed that flumethasone could enhance the sensitivity of metastatic PC to routine gemcitabine chemotherapy. Conclusion: Overall, our study provided new insights into personalized treatment approaches in the clinical management of metastatic PC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongjie Chen
- Department of General Surgery, Pancreatic Disease Center, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Research Institute of Pancreatic Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Pancreatic Neoplasms, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Yizhi Cao
- Department of General Surgery, Pancreatic Disease Center, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Research Institute of Pancreatic Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Pancreatic Neoplasms, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Haoyu Tang
- Department of General Surgery, Pancreatic Disease Center, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Research Institute of Pancreatic Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Pancreatic Neoplasms, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Longjun Zang
- Department of General Surgery, Taiyuan Central Hospital, Shanxi, P.R. China
| | - Na Yao
- Department of General Surgery, Pancreatic Disease Center, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Research Institute of Pancreatic Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Pancreatic Neoplasms, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Youwei Zhu
- Department of General Surgery, Pancreatic Disease Center, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Research Institute of Pancreatic Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Pancreatic Neoplasms, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Yongsheng Jiang
- Department of General Surgery, Pancreatic Disease Center, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Research Institute of Pancreatic Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Pancreatic Neoplasms, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Shuyu Zhai
- Department of General Surgery, Pancreatic Disease Center, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Research Institute of Pancreatic Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Pancreatic Neoplasms, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Yihao Liu
- Department of General Surgery, Pancreatic Disease Center, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Research Institute of Pancreatic Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Pancreatic Neoplasms, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Minmin Shi
- Department of General Surgery, Pancreatic Disease Center, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Research Institute of Pancreatic Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Pancreatic Neoplasms, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Shulin Zhao
- Department of General Surgery, Pancreatic Disease Center, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Research Institute of Pancreatic Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Pancreatic Neoplasms, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Weishen Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Pancreatic Disease Center, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Research Institute of Pancreatic Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Pancreatic Neoplasms, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Chenlei Wen
- Department of General Surgery, Pancreatic Disease Center, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Research Institute of Pancreatic Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Pancreatic Neoplasms, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Chenghong Peng
- Department of General Surgery, Pancreatic Disease Center, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Research Institute of Pancreatic Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Pancreatic Neoplasms, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Hao Chen
- Department of General Surgery, Pancreatic Disease Center, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Research Institute of Pancreatic Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Pancreatic Neoplasms, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Xiaxing Deng
- Department of General Surgery, Pancreatic Disease Center, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Research Institute of Pancreatic Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Pancreatic Neoplasms, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Lingxi Jiang
- Department of General Surgery, Pancreatic Disease Center, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Research Institute of Pancreatic Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Pancreatic Neoplasms, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Baiyong Shen
- Department of General Surgery, Pancreatic Disease Center, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Research Institute of Pancreatic Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Pancreatic Neoplasms, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P.R. China
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Goričan L, Büdefeld T, Čelešnik H, Švagan M, Lanišnik B, Potočnik U. Gene Expression Profiles of Methyltransferases and Demethylases Associated with Metastasis, Tumor Invasion, CpG73 Methylation, and HPV Status in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2023; 45:4632-4646. [PMID: 37367043 DOI: 10.3390/cimb45060294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic studies on the role of DNA-modifying enzymes in HNSCC tumorigenesis have focused on a single enzyme or a group of enzymes. To acquire a more comprehensive insight into the expression profile of methyltransferases and demethylases, in the present study, we examined the mRNA expression of the DNA methyltransferases DNMT1, DNMT3A, and DNMT3B, the DNA demethylases TET1, TET2, TET3, and TDG, and the RNA methyltransferase TRDMT1 by RT-qPCR in paired tumor-normal tissue samples from HNSCC patients. We characterized their expression patterns in relation to regional lymph node metastasis, invasion, HPV16 infection, and CpG73 methylation. Here, we show that tumors with regional lymph node metastases (pN+) exhibited decreased expression of DNMT1, 3A and 3B, and TET1 and 3 compared to non-metastatic tumors (pN0), suggesting that metastasis requires a distinct expression profile of DNA methyltransferases/demethylases in solid tumors. Furthermore, we identified the effect of perivascular invasion and HPV16 on DNMT3B expression in HNSCC. Finally, the expression of TET2 and TDG was inversely correlated with the hypermethylation of CpG73, which has previously been associated with poorer survival in HNSCC. Our study further confirms the importance of DNA methyltransferases and demethylases as potential prognostic biomarkers as well as molecular therapeutic targets for HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Larisa Goričan
- Centre for Human Genetics and Pharmacogenomics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Tomaž Büdefeld
- Centre for Human Genetics and Pharmacogenomics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Helena Čelešnik
- Centre for Human Genetics and Pharmacogenomics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
- Laboratory for Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Genomics, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Matija Švagan
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Cervical and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Medical Centre Maribor, Ljubljanska ulica 5, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Boštjan Lanišnik
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Cervical and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Medical Centre Maribor, Ljubljanska ulica 5, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Uroš Potočnik
- Centre for Human Genetics and Pharmacogenomics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
- Laboratory for Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Genomics, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
- Department for Science and Research, University Medical Centre Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
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42
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Mima M, Okabe A, Hoshii T, Nakagawa T, Kurokawa T, Kondo S, Mizokami H, Fukuyo M, Fujiki R, Rahmutulla B, Yoshizaki T, Hanazawa T, Misawa K, Kaneda A. Tumorigenic activation around HPV integrated sites in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Int J Cancer 2023; 152:1847-1862. [PMID: 36650703 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.34439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Revised: 12/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is causally involved in the development of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The integration of HPV drives tumorigenesis through expression of oncogenic viral genes as well as genomic alterations in surrounding regions. To elucidate involvement of epigenetic dysregulation in tumorigenesis, we here performed integrated analyses of the epigenome, transcriptome and interactome using ChIP-seq, RNA-seq and Hi-C and 4C-seq for HPV(+) HNSCCs. We analyzed clinical HNSCC using The Cancer Genome Atlas data and found that genes neighboring HPV integration sites were significantly upregulated and were correlated with oncogenic phenotypes in HPV(+) HNSCCs. While we found four HPV integration sites in HPV(+) HNSCC cell line UPCI-SCC-090 through target enrichment sequencing, 4C-seq revealed 0.5 to 40 Mb of HPV-interacting regions (HPVIRs) where host genomic regions interacted with integrated HPV genomes. While 9% of the HPVIRs were amplified and activated epigenetically forming super-enhancers, the remaining non-amplified regions were found to show a significant increase in H3K27ac levels and an upregulation of genes associated with GO terms, for example, Signaling by WNT and Cell Cycle. Among those genes, ITPR3 was significantly upregulated, involving UPCI-SCC-090-specific super-enhancer formation around the ITPR3 promoter and in the 80-kb-downstream region. The knockdown of ITPR3 by siRNA or CRISPR deletions of the distant enhancer region led to a significant suppression of cell proliferation. The epigenetic activation of HPVIRs was also confirmed in other cell lines, UM-SCC-47 and UM-SCC-104. These data indicate that epigenetic activation in HPVIRs contributes, at least partially, to genesis of HPV(+) HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masato Mima
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan.,Department of Molecular Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Atsushi Okabe
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Takayuki Hoshii
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Takuya Nakagawa
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.,Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Tomoya Kurokawa
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.,Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Satoru Kondo
- Division of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Harue Mizokami
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.,Division of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Masaki Fukuyo
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Ryoji Fujiki
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Bahityar Rahmutulla
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Tomokazu Yoshizaki
- Division of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Toyoyuki Hanazawa
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Kiyoshi Misawa
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan
| | - Atsushi Kaneda
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
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43
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Di Benedetto C, Khan T, Serrano-Saenz S, Rodriguez-Lemus A, Klomsiri C, Beutel TM, Thach A, Walczak H, Betancur P. Enhancer Clusters Drive Type I Interferon-Induced TRAIL Overexpression in Cancer, and Its Intracellular Protein Accumulation Fails to Induce Apoptosis. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:967. [PMID: 36765925 PMCID: PMC9913803 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15030967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 01/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is a cytokine produced and secreted by immune cells in response to an infection, often in response to interferon (IFN) stimulation. In cancer, it has also been shown that IFN stimulates the production of TRAIL, and it has been proposed that this TRAIL can induce apoptosis in an autocrine or paracrine manner in different cancer cells. Yet, the mechanism mediating TRAIL upregulation and the implications of TRAIL as an apoptotic molecule in cancer cells are still poorly understood. We show here that in certain cancer cells, TRAIL is upregulated by enhancer clusters, potent genomic regulatory regions containing densely packed enhancers that have combinatorial and additive activity and that are usually found to be associated with cancer-promoting genes. Moreover, we found that TRAIL upregulation by IFNα is mediated by these enhancer clusters in breast and lung cancer cells. Surprisingly, IFNα stimulation leads to the intracellular accumulation of TRAIL protein in these cancer cells. Consequently, this TRAIL is not capable of inducing apoptosis. Our study provides novel insights into the mechanism behind the interferon-mediated upregulation of TRAIL and its protein accumulation in cancer cells. Further investigation is required to understand the role of intracellular TRAIL or depict the mechanisms mediating its apoptosis impairment in cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Di Benedetto
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Taimoor Khan
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Santiago Serrano-Saenz
- CECAD Cluster of Excellence, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
- Center for Biochemistry, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Anthony Rodriguez-Lemus
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Chananat Klomsiri
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Tim-Mathis Beutel
- CECAD Cluster of Excellence, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
- Center for Biochemistry, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Alysia Thach
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Henning Walczak
- CECAD Cluster of Excellence, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
- Center for Biochemistry, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
- Centre for Cell Death, Cancer, and Inflammation (CCCI), UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, London WC1E 6DD, UK
| | - Paola Betancur
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
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Ren R, Ma K, Jiang Y, Chen J, Kou Y, Ge Z, Chen Z, Wei X, Yu L. Endothelial miR-196b-5p regulates angiogenesis via the hypoxia/miR-196b-5p/HMGA2/HIF1α loop. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2023; 324:C407-C419. [PMID: 36534502 DOI: 10.1152/ajpcell.00309.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Angiogenesis is involved in development, reproduction, wound healing, homeostasis, and other pathophysiological events. Imbalanced angiogenesis predisposes patients to various pathological processes, such as angiocardiopathy, inflammation, and tumorigenesis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been found to be important in regulating cellular processing and physiological events including angiogenesis. However, the role of miRNAs that regulate angiogenesis (angiomiRs) is not fully understood. Here, we observed a downregulation of the miR-196 family in endothelial cells upon hypoxia. Functionally, miR-196b-5p inhibited the angiogenic functions of endothelial cells in vitro and suppressed angiogenesis in Matrigel plugs and skin wound healing in vivo. Mechanistically, miR-196b-5p bound onto the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of high-mobility group AT-hook 2 (HMGA2) mRNA and repressed the translation of HMGA2, which in turn represses HIF1α accumulation in endothelial cells upon hypoxia. Together, our results establish the role of endothelial miR-196b-5p as an angiomiR that negatively regulates endothelial growth in angiogenesis via the hypoxia/miR-196b-5p/HMGA2/HIF1α loop. miR-196b-5p and its regulatory loop could be an important addition to the molecular mechanisms underlying angiogenesis and may serve as potential targets for antiangiogenic therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruizhe Ren
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection of College of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Intervention and Regenerative Medicine of Zhejiang Province of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.,College of Life Sciences-iCell Biotechnology Regenerative Biomedicine Laboratory, Joint Research Centre for Engineering Biology, Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute, Zhejiang University, Haining, People's Republic of China
| | - Kefan Ma
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection of College of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Intervention and Regenerative Medicine of Zhejiang Province of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.,College of Life Sciences-iCell Biotechnology Regenerative Biomedicine Laboratory, Joint Research Centre for Engineering Biology, Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute, Zhejiang University, Haining, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuanqing Jiang
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection of College of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Intervention and Regenerative Medicine of Zhejiang Province of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.,College of Life Sciences-iCell Biotechnology Regenerative Biomedicine Laboratory, Joint Research Centre for Engineering Biology, Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute, Zhejiang University, Haining, People's Republic of China
| | - Junbo Chen
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection of College of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Intervention and Regenerative Medicine of Zhejiang Province of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.,College of Life Sciences-iCell Biotechnology Regenerative Biomedicine Laboratory, Joint Research Centre for Engineering Biology, Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute, Zhejiang University, Haining, People's Republic of China
| | - Yaohui Kou
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection of College of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Intervention and Regenerative Medicine of Zhejiang Province of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.,College of Life Sciences-iCell Biotechnology Regenerative Biomedicine Laboratory, Joint Research Centre for Engineering Biology, Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute, Zhejiang University, Haining, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhen Ge
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhaoming Chen
- Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiyang Wei
- Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Luyang Yu
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection of College of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Intervention and Regenerative Medicine of Zhejiang Province of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.,College of Life Sciences-iCell Biotechnology Regenerative Biomedicine Laboratory, Joint Research Centre for Engineering Biology, Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute, Zhejiang University, Haining, People's Republic of China
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45
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Stabenau KA, Samuels TL, Lam TK, Mathison AJ, Wells C, Altman KW, Battle MA, Johnston N. Pepsinogen/Proton Pump Co-Expression in Barrett's Esophageal Cells Induces Cancer-Associated Changes. Laryngoscope 2023; 133:59-69. [PMID: 35315085 DOI: 10.1002/lary.30109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Revised: 02/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVE At the conclusion of this presentation, participants should better understand the carcinogenic potential of pepsin and proton pump expression in Barrett's esophagus. OBJECTIVE Barrett's esophagus (BE) is a well-known risk factor for esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Gastric H+ /K+ ATPase proton pump and pepsin expression has been demonstrated in some cases of BE; however, the contribution of local pepsin and proton pump expression to carcinogenesis is unknown. In this study, RNA sequencing was used to examine global transcriptomic changes in a BE cell line ectopically expressing pepsinogen and/or gastric H+ /K+ ATPase proton pumps. STUDY DESIGN In vitro translational. METHODS BAR-T, a human BE cell line devoid of expression of pepsinogen or proton pumps, was transduced by lentivirus-encoding pepsinogen (PGA5) and/or gastric proton pump subunits (ATP4A, ATP4B). Changes relative to the parental line were assessed by RNA sequencing. RESULTS Top canonical pathways associated with protein-coding genes differentially expressed in pepsinogen and/or proton pump expressing BAR-T cells included those involved in the tumor microenvironment and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Top upstream regulators of coding transcripts included TGFB1 and ERBB2, which are associated with the pathogenesis and prognosis of BE and EAC. Top upstream regulators of noncoding transcripts included p300-CBP, I-BET-151, and CD93, which have previously described associations with EAC or carcinogenesis. The top associated disease of both coding and noncoding transcripts was cancer. CONCLUSIONS These data support the carcinogenic potential of pepsin and proton pump expression in BE and reveal molecular pathways affected by their expression. Further study is warranted to investigate the role of these pathways in carcinogenesis associated with BE. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE NA Laryngoscope, 133:59-69, 2023.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaleigh A Stabenau
- Department of Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Tina L Samuels
- Department of Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Tina K Lam
- Department of Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Angela J Mathison
- Genomic Sciences and Precision Medicine Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.,Division of Research, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Clive Wells
- Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Kenneth W Altman
- Department of Otolaryngology, Geisinger Health System, Danville, California, USA
| | - Michele A Battle
- Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Nikki Johnston
- Department of Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
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46
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Liu S, Qin Z, Mao Y, Zhang W, Wang Y, Jia L, Peng X. Therapeutic Targeting of MYC in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Oncoimmunology 2022; 11:2130583. [PMID: 36211811 PMCID: PMC9543056 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2022.2130583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
MYC plays critical roles in tumorigenesis and is considered an attractive cancer therapeutic target. Small molecules that directly target MYC and are well tolerated in vivo represent invaluable anti-cancer therapeutic agents. Here, we aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of MYC inhibitors in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The results showed that pharmacological and genetic inhibition of MYC inhibited HNSCC proliferation and migration. MYC inhibitor 975 (MYCi975), inhibited HNSCC growth in both cell line-derived xenograft and syngeneic murine models. MYC inhibition also induced tumor cell-intrinsic immune responses, and promoted CD8+ T cell infiltration. Mechanistically, MYC inhibition increased CD8+ T cell-recruiting chemokines by inducing the DNA damage related cGAS-STING pathway. High expression of MYC combined with a low level of infiltrated CD8+ T cell in HNSCC correlated with poor prognosis. These results suggested the potential of small-molecule MYC inhibitors as anti-cancer therapeutic agents in HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuo Liu
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, China
- National Center of Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Laboratory for Digital and Material Technology of Stomatology, Beijing, China
| | - Zhen Qin
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, China
- National Center of Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Laboratory for Digital and Material Technology of Stomatology, Beijing, China
- Department of Central Laboratory, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, China
| | - Yaqing Mao
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, China
- National Center of Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Laboratory for Digital and Material Technology of Stomatology, Beijing, China
| | - Wenbo Zhang
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, China
- National Center of Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Laboratory for Digital and Material Technology of Stomatology, Beijing, China
| | - Yujia Wang
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, China
- National Center of Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Laboratory for Digital and Material Technology of Stomatology, Beijing, China
- Department of Central Laboratory, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, China
| | - Lingfei Jia
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, China
- National Center of Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Laboratory for Digital and Material Technology of Stomatology, Beijing, China
- Department of Central Laboratory, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, China
| | - Xin Peng
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, China
- National Center of Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Laboratory for Digital and Material Technology of Stomatology, Beijing, China
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47
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Fang F, Lu J, Sang X, Tao YF, Wang JW, Zhang ZM, Zhang YP, Li XL, Xie Y, Wu SY, Chu XR, Li G, Wu D, Chen YL, Yu JJ, Jia SQ, Feng CX, Tian YY, Li ZH, Ling J, Hu SY, Pan J. Super-enhancer profiling identifies novel critical and targetable cancer survival gene LYL1 in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2022; 41:225. [PMID: 35842703 PMCID: PMC9288051 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-022-02428-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a myeloid neoplasm makes up 7.6% of hematopoietic malignancies. Super-enhancers (SEs) represent a special group of enhancers, which have been reported in multiple cell types. In this study, we explored super-enhancer profiling through ChIP-Seq analysis of AML samples and AML cell lines, followed by functional analysis. Methods ChIP-seq analysis for H3K27ac was performed in 11 AML samples, 7 T-ALL samples, 8 B-ALL samples, and in NB4 cell line. Genes and pathways affected by GNE-987 treatment were identified by gene expression analysis using RNA-seq. One of the genes associated with super-enhancer and affected by GNE-987 treatment was LYL1 basic helix-loop-helix family member (LYL1). shRNA mediated gene interference was used to down-regulate the expression of LYL1 in AML cell lines, and knockdown efficiency was detected by RT-qPCR and western blotting. The effect of knockdown on the growth of AML cell lines was evaluated by CCK-8. Western blotting was used to detect PARP cleavage, and flow cytometry were used to determine the effect of knockdown on apoptosis of AML cells. Results We identified a total of 200 genes which were commonly associated with super-enhancers in ≧10 AML samples, and were found enriched in regulation of transcription. Using the BRD4 inhibitor GNE-987, we assessed the dependence of AML cells on transcriptional activation for growth and found GNE-987 treatment predominantly inhibits cell growth in AML cells. Moreover, 20 candidate genes were selected by super-enhancer profile and gene expression profile and among which LYL1 was observed to promote cell growth and survival in human AML cells. Conclusions In summary, we identified 200 common super-enhancer-associated genes in AML samples, and a series of those genes are cancer genes. We also found GNE-987 treatment downregulates the expression of super-enhancer-associated genes in AML cells, including the expression of LYL1. Further functional analysis indicated that LYL1 is required for AML cell growth and survival. These findings promote understanding of AML pathophysiology and elucidated an important role of LYL1 in AML progression. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13046-022-02428-9.
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Rodriguez Calleja L, Lavaud M, Tesfaye R, Brounais-Le-Royer B, Baud’huin M, Georges S, Lamoureux F, Verrecchia F, Ory B. The p53 Family Members p63 and p73 Roles in the Metastatic Dissemination: Interactions with microRNAs and TGFβ Pathway. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14235948. [PMID: 36497429 PMCID: PMC9741383 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14235948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
TP53 (TP53), p73 (TP73), and p63 (TP63) are members of the p53 transcription factor family, which has many activities spanning from embryonic development through to tumor suppression. The utilization of two promoters and alternative mRNA splicing has been shown to yield numerous isoforms in p53, p63, and p73. TAp73 is thought to mediate apoptosis as a result of nuclear accumulation following chemotherapy-induced DNA damage, according to a number of studies. Overexpression of the nuclear ΔNp63 and ΔNp73 isoforms, on the other hand, suppresses TAp73's pro-apoptotic activity in human malignancies, potentially leading to metastatic spread or inhibition. Another well-known pathway that has been associated to metastatic spread is the TGF pathway. TGFs are a family of structurally related polypeptide growth factors that regulate a variety of cellular functions including cell proliferation, lineage determination, differentiation, motility, adhesion, and cell death, making them significant players in development, homeostasis, and wound repair. Various studies have already identified several interactions between the p53 protein family and the TGFb pathway in the context of tumor growth and metastatic spread, beginning to shed light on this enigmatic intricacy.
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49
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Zhang M, Wang G, Ma Z, Xiong G, Wang W, Huang Z, Wan Y, Xu X, Hoyle RG, Yi C, Hou J, Liu X, Chen D, Li J, Wang C. BET inhibition triggers antitumor immunity by enhancing MHC class I expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Mol Ther 2022; 30:3394-3413. [PMID: 35923111 PMCID: PMC9637808 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2022.07.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2021] [Revised: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BET inhibition has been shown to have a promising antitumor effect in multiple tumors. However, the impact of BET inhibition on antitumor immunity was still not well documented in HNSCC. In this study, we aim to assess the functional role of BET inhibition in antitumor immunity and clarify its mechanism. We show that BRD4 is highly expressed in HNSCC and inversely correlated with the infiltration of CD8+ T cells. BET inhibition potentiates CD8+ T cell-based antitumor immunity in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, BRD4 acts as a transcriptional suppressor and represses the expression of MHC class I molecules by recruiting G9a. Pharmacological inhibition or genetic depletion of BRD4 potently increases the expression of MHC class I molecules in the absence and presence of IFN-γ. Moreover, compared to PD-1 blocking antibody treatment or JQ1 treatment individually, the combination of BET inhibition with anti-PD-1 antibody treatment significantly enhances the antitumor response in HNSCC. Taken together, our data unveil a novel mechanism by which BET inhibition potentiates antitumor immunity via promoting the expression of MHC class I molecules and provides a rationale for the combination of ICBs with BET inhibitors for HNSCC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Zhang
- Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 51055, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Guangzhou 510080, China; Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 51055, China
| | - Ganping Wang
- Department of Urology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510000, China
| | - Zhikun Ma
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0540, USA; Institute for Structural Biology, Drug Discovery, and Development, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0540, USA
| | - Gan Xiong
- Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 51055, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Guangzhou 510080, China; Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 51055, China
| | - Wenjin Wang
- Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 51055, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Guangzhou 510080, China; Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 51055, China
| | - Zhengxian Huang
- Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 51055, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Guangzhou 510080, China; Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 51055, China
| | - Yuehan Wan
- Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 51055, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Guangzhou 510080, China; Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 51055, China
| | - Xiuyun Xu
- Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 51055, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Guangzhou 510080, China; Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 51055, China
| | - Rosalie G Hoyle
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0540, USA; Institute for Structural Biology, Drug Discovery, and Development, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0540, USA
| | - Chen Yi
- Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 51055, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Guangzhou 510080, China; Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 51055, China
| | - Jinsong Hou
- Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 51055, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Guangzhou 510080, China; Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 51055, China
| | - Xiqiang Liu
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Demeng Chen
- Center for Translational Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Jiong Li
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0540, USA; Institute for Structural Biology, Drug Discovery, and Development, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0540, USA; Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0540, USA; Department of Oral and Craniofacial Molecular Biology, School of Dentistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0540, USA; Philips Institute for Oral Health Research, School of Dentistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0540, USA.
| | - Cheng Wang
- Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 51055, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Guangzhou 510080, China; Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 51055, China.
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50
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Hamad M, Ali A, Muhammad JS. BRD4 regulates the induction and maintenance of cancer stem cells in squamous cell carcinoma. Stem Cell Investig 2022; 9:6. [PMID: 36393920 PMCID: PMC9640355 DOI: 10.21037/sci-2022-033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Mawieh Hamad
- Research Institute of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates;,Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Amjad Ali
- Research Institute of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Jibran Sualeh Muhammad
- Research Institute of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates;,Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
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