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Mabe NW, Perry JA, Malone CF, Stegmaier K. Pharmacological targeting of the cancer epigenome. NATURE CANCER 2024; 5:844-865. [PMID: 38937652 DOI: 10.1038/s43018-024-00777-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024]
Abstract
Epigenetic dysregulation is increasingly appreciated as a hallmark of cancer, including disease initiation, maintenance and therapy resistance. As a result, there have been advances in the development and evaluation of epigenetic therapies for cancer, revealing substantial promise but also challenges. Three epigenetic inhibitor classes are approved in the USA, and many more are currently undergoing clinical investigation. In this Review, we discuss recent developments for each epigenetic drug class and their implications for therapy, as well as highlight new insights into the role of epigenetics in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel W Mabe
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jennifer A Perry
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Clare F Malone
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Kimberly Stegmaier
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
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2
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Abla O, Ries RE, Triche T, Gerbing RB, Hirsch B, Raimondi S, Cooper T, Farrar JE, Buteyn N, Harmon LM, Wen H, Deshpande AJ, Kolb EA, Gamis AS, Aplenc R, Alonzo T, Meshinchi S. Structural variants involving MLLT10 fusion are associated with adverse outcomes in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia. Blood Adv 2024; 8:2005-2017. [PMID: 38306602 PMCID: PMC11024924 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2023010805] [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: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT MLLT10 gene rearrangements with KMT2A occur in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and confer poor prognosis, but the prognostic impact of MLLT10 in partnership with other genes is unknown. We conducted a retrospective study with 2080 children and young adults with AML registered on the Children's Oncology Group AAML0531 (NCT00372593) and AAML1031 trials (NCT01371981). Transcriptome profiling and/or karyotyping were performed to identify leukemia-associated fusions associated with prognosis. Collectively, 127 patients (6.1%) were identified with MLLT10 fusions: 104 (81.9%) with KMT2A::MLLT10, 13 (10.2%) with PICALM::MLLT10, and 10 (7.9%) X::MLLT10: (2 each of DDX3X and TEC), with 6 partners (DDX3Y, CEP164, SCN2B, TREH, NAP1L1, and XPO1) observed in single patients. Patients with MLLT10 (n = 127) demonstrated adverse outcomes, with 5-year event-free survival (EFS) of 18.6% vs 49% in patients without MLLT10 (n = 1953, P < .001), inferior 5-year overall survival (OS) of 38.2% vs 65.7% (P ≤ .001), and a higher relapse risk of 76% vs 38.6% (P < .001). Patients with KMT2A::MLLT10 had an EFS from study entry of 19.5% vs 12.7% (P = .628), and an OS from study entry of 40.4% vs 27.6% (P = .361) in those with other MLLT10 fusion partners. Patients with PICALM::MLLT10 had an EFS of 9.2% vs 20% in other MLLT10- without PICALM (X::MLLT10; P = .788). Patients with PICALM::MLLT10 and X::MLLT10 fusions exhibit a DNA hypermethylation signature resembling NUP98::NSD1 fusions, whereas patients with KMT2A::MLLT10 bear aberrations primarily affecting distal regulatory elements. Regardless of the fusion partner, patients with AML harboring MLLT10 fusions exhibit very high-risk features and should be prioritized for alternative therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oussama Abla
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Rhonda E. Ries
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA
| | - Tim Triche
- Center for Epigenetics, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI
| | | | - Betsy Hirsch
- Division of Laboratory Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN
| | - Susana Raimondi
- Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Todd Cooper
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Seattle Children's Hospital, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Jason E. Farrar
- Department of Pediatrics, Hematology-Oncology Section, Arkansas Children's Research Institute, Little Rock, AR
| | | | | | - Hong Wen
- Center for Epigenetics, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI
| | | | - E. Anders Kolb
- Nemours Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders and Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE
| | - Alan S. Gamis
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, Kansas City, MO
| | | | - Todd Alonzo
- Department of Translational Genomics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Soheil Meshinchi
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Seattle Children's Hospital, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
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Ye Z, Soshnev AA, Soto-Feliciano Y. Unlocking the Mysteries of Chromatin Biology through Functional Epigenomics. Cancer Res 2023; 83:4010-4012. [PMID: 37851524 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-23-3253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
In the ever evolving field of functional genomics, CRISPR-based screening technologies have become pivotal tools for elucidating gene function across various cell types. A recent study by Gilan and colleagues advances this technological frontier by introducing CRISPR-ChIP, a platform designed to investigate the complex dynamics of epigenetic regulation of chromatin. In proof-of-concept experiments, the authors demonstrate the potential of this tool to identify key molecular regulators of two major histone modifications associated with active transcription, H3 lysine 4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) and H3 lysine 79 dimethylation (H3K79me2). They further unveiled a previously unknown functional partitioning of the H3K79-specific methyltransferase DOT1L into an oncogenic complex with MLL-AF9 and a native complex with MLLT10, which cooperatively regulate mixed lineage leukemia fusion protein (MLL-FP) target gene expression. This novel epigenomic approach integrates high-throughput CRISPR screening with chromatin immunoprecipitation-based direct readout of chromatin modifications in situ, offering a powerful tool to investigate the epigenetic regulatory layers across a diverse spectrum of biological processes and disease states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyang Ye
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Alexey A Soshnev
- Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, University of Texas, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Yadira Soto-Feliciano
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts
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Demetriadou C, Kantner DS, Snyder NW. Dietary branched-chain amino acids get to the heart of H3K23Pr. J Clin Invest 2023; 133:e174953. [PMID: 37966112 PMCID: PMC10645384 DOI: 10.1172/jci174953] [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] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Cardiac metabolism provides effects that extend beyond the transformation of energy for the heart to operate effectively. Some metabolites also function as signaling molecules and exert transcriptional changes. Heart failure is a progressive pathology in which these metabolite functions falter. In this issue of the JCI, Yang et al. describe a protective effect from a low-branched chain amino acid (BCAA) diet in a mouse model of heart failure. The findings implicate a propionylation mark on histone H3 lysine 23 (H3K23Pr), previously shown to be dependent on the BCAA isoleucine, in transcriptional control of the cardiac stress response. The result underscores the interplay between metabolism and histone acylation, highlighting targeted dietary and pharmacological intervention as a means to decelerate cardiac hypertrophy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Demetriadou
- Department of Cancer Biology and
- Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Aging + Cardiovascular Discovery Center, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Daniel S. Kantner
- Aging + Cardiovascular Discovery Center, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Nathaniel W. Snyder
- Aging + Cardiovascular Discovery Center, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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Mack R, Gozani O. Functional epigenomics: chromatin complexity untangled. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2023; 30:1403-1405. [PMID: 37684554 PMCID: PMC10753929 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-023-01088-3] [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] [Indexed: 09/10/2023]
Abstract
The development of an epigenetics-focused, CRISPR-based high-content functional genomics screening platform provides insight into chromatin regulation and uncovers a potential strategy to treat an aggressive type of leukemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Mack
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Or Gozani
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
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