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Malone HA, Roberts CWM. Chromatin remodellers as therapeutic targets. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2024; 23:661-681. [PMID: 39014081 DOI: 10.1038/s41573-024-00978-5] [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] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024]
Abstract
Large-scale cancer genome sequencing studies have revealed that chromatin regulators are frequently mutated in cancer. In particular, more than 20% of cancers harbour mutations in genes that encode subunits of SWI/SNF (BAF) chromatin remodelling complexes. Additional links of SWI/SNF complexes to disease have emerged with the findings that some oncogenes drive transformation by co-opting SWI/SNF function and that germline mutations in select SWI/SNF subunits are the basis of several neurodevelopmental disorders. Other chromatin remodellers, including members of the ISWI, CHD and INO80/SWR complexes, have also been linked to cancer and developmental disorders. Consequently, therapeutic manipulation of SWI/SNF and other remodelling complexes has become of great interest, and drugs that target SWI/SNF subunits have entered clinical trials. Genome-wide perturbation screens in cancer cell lines with SWI/SNF mutations have identified additional synthetic lethal targets and led to further compounds in clinical trials, including one that has progressed to FDA approval. Here, we review the progress in understanding the structure and function of SWI/SNF and other chromatin remodelling complexes, mechanisms by which SWI/SNF mutations cause cancer and neurological diseases, vulnerabilities that arise because of these mutations and efforts to target SWI/SNF complexes and synthetic lethal targets for therapeutic benefit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hayden A Malone
- Division of Molecular Oncology, Department of Oncology, and Comprehensive Cancer Center, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- St. Jude Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Charles W M Roberts
- Division of Molecular Oncology, Department of Oncology, and Comprehensive Cancer Center, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA.
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Kotagiri S, Wang Y, Han Y, Liang X, Blazanin N, Nguyen PK, Jiang Y, Lissanu Y. Discovery of Novel, Potent and Orally Bioavailable SMARCA2 PROTACs with Synergistic Anti-tumor Activity in Combination with KRAS G12C Inhibitors. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.08.23.608456. [PMID: 39253520 PMCID: PMC11383272 DOI: 10.1101/2024.08.23.608456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/11/2024]
Abstract
Cancer genomic studies have identified frequent mutations in subunits of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex including SMARCA4 in non-small cell lung cancer with a frequency of up to 33% in advanced stage disease, making it the most frequently mutated complex in lung cancer. We and others have identified SMARCA2 to be synthetic lethal to SMARCA4, indicating SMARCA2 is a high value therapeutic target. Here, we disclose the discovery and characterization of potent, selective and orally bioavailable Cereblon-based SMARCA2 PROTACs. Biochemically, YDR1 and YD54 are potent SMARCA2 degraders with an average DC 50 of 7.7nM and 3.5nM respectively in SMARCA4 mutant lung cancer cells. Phenotypically, both YDR1 and YD54 selectively inhibited growth of SMARCA4 mutant cancer cells. Further, we showed anti-tumor growth inhibitory activity of YDR1 and YD54 in SMARCA4 mutant xenograft models of lung cancer. Finally, we show that YDR1 and YD54 synergize with the KRAS G12C inhibitor sotorasib to inhibit growth of SMARCA4 and KRAS G12C co-mutant lung cancer cells. These findings provide additional evidence for the utility of single agent or combination regimens containing SMARCA2 PROTACs as synthetic lethal therapeutics against SMARCA4 mutant cancers.
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Martinez M, Kiselar J, Wang B, Sadalge D, Zawadzke L, Taherbhoy A, Musser D, Davenport Y, Setser J, Chance MR, Bellon S. Mass Spectrometry-Based Protein Footprinting Defines the Binding Pocket of Crotonylated H3K14 in the PHD1 Domain of BAF45D within the BAF Chromatin Remodeling Complex. ACS BIO & MED CHEM AU 2024; 4:204-213. [PMID: 39184054 PMCID: PMC11342342 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomedchemau.4c00009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 05/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 08/27/2024]
Abstract
The BRG-/BRM-associated factor (BAF) chromatin remodeling complex is a central actor in transcription. One mechanism by which BAF affects gene expression is via its various histone mark readers, including double plant homeodomains (DPF), located in the BAF45D subunit. DPF domains recognize lysine acetyl and acylations, including crotonylation, localized at promoters and enhancers. Despite a significant degree of conservation between DPF domains, attempts to crystallize BAF45D with a crotonylated histone 3 peptide (H3K14Cr) were unsuccessful. In addition, recent cryoEM and modeled structures failed to define the Req domain of BAF45D, which is responsible for reading lysine modifications. Thus, the precise mechanism of crotonyl group recognition and binding by BAF45D within the BAF complex remains unclear. We turned to protein footprinting mass spectrometry to map the binding interface between H3K14Cr and BAF45D. This technique is able to demarcate protein-binding interfaces by modifying surface-accessible residues and is not limited by protein size or composition. Experiments performed in the isolated DPF domain of BAF45D (BAF45DDPF)-delineated H3K14Cr peptide binding across the PHD1 and PHD2 pockets. We observed markedly similar effects on the BAF45D subunit when assessing H3K14Cr binding in the purified full BAF complex. The ATPase motor, BRM, also displayed H3K14Cr-protected peptides in two separate domains that were subsequently evaluated in direct binding assays. These data confirm the BAF45D-crotonylamide interaction within its obligate complex and are the first to demonstrate H3K14Cr direct binding to BRM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marissa
R. Martinez
- Foghorn
Therapeutics, 500 Technology Square, Suite 700, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Janna Kiselar
- NeoProteomics, Moreland Hills, Ohio 44022, United States
- Center
for Proteomics and Bioinformatics, Department of Nutrition, Case Western Reserve University, 10009 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
| | - Benlian Wang
- Center
for Proteomics and Bioinformatics, Department of Nutrition, Case Western Reserve University, 10009 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
| | - Dipti Sadalge
- Foghorn
Therapeutics, 500 Technology Square, Suite 700, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Laura Zawadzke
- Foghorn
Therapeutics, 500 Technology Square, Suite 700, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Asad Taherbhoy
- Foghorn
Therapeutics, 500 Technology Square, Suite 700, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Derek Musser
- Foghorn
Therapeutics, 500 Technology Square, Suite 700, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Yunji Davenport
- Foghorn
Therapeutics, 500 Technology Square, Suite 700, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Jeremy Setser
- Foghorn
Therapeutics, 500 Technology Square, Suite 700, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Mark R. Chance
- NeoProteomics, Moreland Hills, Ohio 44022, United States
- Center
for Proteomics and Bioinformatics, Department of Nutrition, Case Western Reserve University, 10009 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
| | - Steve Bellon
- Foghorn
Therapeutics, 500 Technology Square, Suite 700, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
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4
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Liao J, Ho J, Burns M, Dykhuizen EC, Hargreaves DC. Collaboration between distinct SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complexes directs enhancer selection and activation of macrophage inflammatory genes. Immunity 2024; 57:1780-1795.e6. [PMID: 38843835 PMCID: PMC11324393 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2024.05.008] [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: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024]
Abstract
Macrophages elicit immune responses to pathogens through induction of inflammatory genes. Here, we examined the role of three variants of the SWI/SNF nucleosome remodeling complex-cBAF, ncBAF, and PBAF-in the macrophage response to bacterial endotoxin (lipid A). All three SWI/SNF variants were prebound in macrophages and retargeted to genomic sites undergoing changes in chromatin accessibility following stimulation. Cooperative binding of all three variants associated with de novo chromatin opening and latent enhancer activation. Isolated binding of ncBAF and PBAF, in contrast, associated with activation and repression of active enhancers, respectively. Chemical and genetic perturbations of variant-specific subunits revealed pathway-specific regulation in the activation of lipid A response genes, corresponding to requirement for cBAF and ncBAF in inflammatory and interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) activation, respectively, consistent with differential engagement of SWI/SNF variants by signal-responsive transcription factors. Thus, functional diversity among SWI/SNF variants enables increased regulatory control of innate immune transcriptional programs, with potential for specific therapeutic targeting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingwen Liao
- Division of Biological Sciences, Department of Molecular Biology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92039, USA; Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 N. Torrey Pines Rd., La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Josephine Ho
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 N. Torrey Pines Rd., La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Mannix Burns
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 N. Torrey Pines Rd., La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Emily C Dykhuizen
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Diana C Hargreaves
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 N. Torrey Pines Rd., La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
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Chen X, Yang W, Roberts CWM, Zhang J. Developmental origins shape the paediatric cancer genome. Nat Rev Cancer 2024; 24:382-398. [PMID: 38698126 DOI: 10.1038/s41568-024-00684-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024]
Abstract
In the past two decades, technological advances have brought unprecedented insights into the paediatric cancer genome revealing characteristics distinct from those of adult cancer. Originating from developing tissues, paediatric cancers generally have low mutation burden and are driven by variants that disrupt the transcriptional activity, chromatin state, non-coding cis-regulatory regions and other biological functions. Within each tumour, there are multiple populations of cells with varying states, and the lineages of some can be tracked to their fetal origins. Genome-wide genetic screening has identified vulnerabilities associated with both the cell of origin and transcription deregulation in paediatric cancer, which have become a valuable resource for designing new therapeutic approaches including those for small molecules, immunotherapy and targeted protein degradation. In this Review, we present recent findings on these facets of paediatric cancer from a pan-cancer perspective and provide an outlook on future investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolong Chen
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Wentao Yang
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Charles W M Roberts
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- Department of Oncology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Jinghui Zhang
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA.
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Cheung AHK, Wong KY, Chau SL, Xie F, Mui Z, Li GYH, Li MSC, Tong J, Ng CSH, Mok TS, Kang W, To KF. SMARCA4 deficiency and mutations are frequent in large cell lung carcinoma and are prognostically significant. Pathology 2024; 56:504-515. [PMID: 38413251 DOI: 10.1016/j.pathol.2023.12.414] [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: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
SMARCA4 mutation has emerged as a marker of poor prognosis in lung cancer and has potential predictive value in cancer treatment, but recommendations for which patients require its investigation are lacking. We comprehensively studied SMARCA4 alterations and the clinicopathological significance in a large cohort of immunohistochemically-subtyped non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A total of 1416 patients was studied for the presence of SMARCA4 deficiency by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Thereafter, comprehensive sequencing of tumours was performed for 397 of these patients to study the mutational spectrum of SWI/SNF and SMARCA4 aberrations. IHC evidence of SMARCA4 deficiency was found in 2.9% of NSCLC. Of the sequenced tumours, 38.3% showed aberration in SWI/SNF complex, and 9.3% had SMARCA4 mutations. Strikingly, SMARCA4 aberrations were much more prevalent in large cell carcinoma (LCC) than other histological tumour subtypes. SMARCA4-deficient and SMARCA4-mutated tumours accounted for 40.5% and 51.4% of all LCC, respectively. Multivariable analyses confirmed SMARCA4 mutation was an independent prognostic factor in lung cancer. The immunophenotype of a subset of these tumours frequently showed TTF1 negativity and HepPAR1 positivity. SMARCA4 mutation or its deficiency was associated with positive smoking history and poor prognosis. It also demonstrated mutual exclusion with EGFR mutation. Taken together, the high incidence of SMARCA4 aberrations in LCC may indicate its diagnostic and prognostic value. Our study established the necessity of SMARCA4 IHC in the identification of SMARCA4-aberrant tumours, and this may be of particular importance in LCC and tumours without known driver events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvin Ho-Kwan Cheung
- Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, State Key Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Kit-Yee Wong
- Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, State Key Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Shuk-Ling Chau
- Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, State Key Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Fuda Xie
- Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, State Key Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; State Key Laboratory of Digestive Disease, Institute of Digestive Disease, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Zeta Mui
- Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, State Key Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Gordon Yuan-Ho Li
- Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, State Key Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Molly Siu Ching Li
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Joanna Tong
- Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, State Key Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Calvin Sze-Hang Ng
- Department of Surgery, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Tony S Mok
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Wei Kang
- Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, State Key Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; State Key Laboratory of Digestive Disease, Institute of Digestive Disease, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Ka-Fai To
- Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, State Key Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; State Key Laboratory of Digestive Disease, Institute of Digestive Disease, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
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Zhang D, Ma B, Dragovich PS, Ma L, Chen S, Chen EC, Ye X, Liu J, Pizzano J, Bortolon E, Chan E, Zhang X, Chen YC, Levy ES, Yauch RL, Khojasteh SC, Hop CECA. Tissue distribution and retention drives efficacy of rapidly clearing VHL-based PROTACs. COMMUNICATIONS MEDICINE 2024; 4:87. [PMID: 38755248 PMCID: PMC11099041 DOI: 10.1038/s43856-024-00505-y] [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: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) are being developed for therapeutic use. However, they have poor pharmacokinetic profiles and their tissue distribution kinetics are not known. METHODS A typical von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor (VHL)-PROTAC 14C-A947 (BRM degrader)-was synthesized and its tissue distribution kinetics was studied by quantitative whole-body autoradiography (QWBA) and tissue excision in rats following IV dosing. Bile duct-cannulated (BDC) rats allowed the elucidation of in vivo clearance pathways. Distribution kinetics was evaluated in the tissues and tumors of mice to support PK-PD correlation. In vitro studies enabled the evaluation of cell uptake mechanisms and cell retention properties. RESULTS Here, we show that A947 quickly distributes into rat tissues after IV dosing, where it accumulates and is retained in tissues such as the lung and liver although it undergoes fast clearance from circulation. Similar uptake/retention kinetics enable tumor growth inhibition over 2-3 weeks in a lung cancer model. A947 quickly excretes in the bile of rats. Solute carrier (SLC) transporters are involved in hepatocyte uptake of PROTACs. Sustained BRM protein degradation is seen after extensive washout that supports prolonged cell retention of A947 in NCI-H1944 cells. A947 tissue exposure and pharmacodynamics are inversely correlated in tumors. CONCLUSIONS Plasma sampling for VHL-PROTAC does not represent the tissue concentrations necessary for efficacy. Understanding of tissue uptake and retention could enable less frequent IV administration to be used for therapeutic dosing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donglu Zhang
- Genentech; 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA.
| | - Bin Ma
- Genentech; 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | | | - Li Ma
- Genentech; 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Shu Chen
- Genentech; 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Eugene C Chen
- Genentech; 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Xiaofen Ye
- Genentech; 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Joyce Liu
- Genentech; 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Jennifer Pizzano
- Arvinas; 5 Science Park, 395 Winchester Ave, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | | | - Emily Chan
- Genentech; 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Xing Zhang
- Genentech; 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Yi-Chen Chen
- Genentech; 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | | | - Robert L Yauch
- Genentech; 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
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Magarifuchi N, Iwasaki T, Katayama Y, Tomonaga T, Nakashima M, Narutomi F, Kato K, Oda Y. Gene amplification of chromatin remodeling factor SMARCC2 and low protein expression of ACTL6A are unfavorable factors in ovarian high‑grade serous carcinoma. Oncol Lett 2024; 27:196. [PMID: 38516682 PMCID: PMC10955683 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2024.14329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma (OHGSC) is the most common type of ovarian cancer worldwide. Genome sequencing has identified mutations in chromatin remodeling factors (CRFs) in gynecological cancer, such as clear cell carcinoma, endometrioid carcinoma and endometrial serous carcinoma. However, to the best of our knowledge, the association between CRFs and OHGSC remains unexplored. The present study aimed to investigate the clinicopathological and molecular characteristics of CRF dysfunction in OHGSC. CRF alterations were analyzed through numerous methods, including the analysis of public next-generation sequencing (NGS) data from 585 ovarian serous carcinoma cases from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), immunohistochemistry (IHC), and DNA copy number assays, which were performed on 203 surgically resected OHGSC samples. In the public NGS dataset, the most frequent genetic alteration was actin-like protein 6A (ACTL6A) amplification at 19.5%. Switch/sucrose non-fermentable related, matrix associated, actin dependent regulator of chromatin subfamily c member 2 (SMARCC2) amplification (3.1%) was associated with significantly decreased overall survival (OS). In addition, chromodomain-helicase-DNA-binding protein 4 (CHD4) amplification (5.7%) exhibited unfavorable outcome trends, although not statistically significant. IHC revealed the protein expression loss of ARID1A (2.5%), SMARCA2 (2.5%) and SMARCA4 (3.9%). The protein expression levels of ACTL6A, SMARCC2 and CHD4 were evaluated using H-score. Patients with low protein expression levels of ACTL6A showed a significantly decreased OS. Copy number gain or gene amplification was demonstrated in ACTL6A (66.2%) and SMARCC2 (33.5%), while shallow deletion or deep deletion was demonstrated in CHD4 (70.7%). However, there was no statistically significant difference in protein levels of these CRFs, between the different copy number alterations (CNAs). Overall, OHGSC exhibited CNAs and protein loss, indicating possible gene alterations in CRFs. Moreover, there was a significant association between the protein expression levels of ACTL6A and poor prognosis. Based on these findings, it is suggested that CRFs could serve as prognostic markers for OHGSC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naomi Magarifuchi
- Department of Anatomic Pathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Takeshi Iwasaki
- Department of Anatomic Pathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Katayama
- Department of Anatomic Pathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Takumi Tomonaga
- Department of Anatomic Pathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Miya Nakashima
- Department of Anatomic Pathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Fumiya Narutomi
- Department of Anatomic Pathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Kiyoko Kato
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Yoshinao Oda
- Department of Anatomic Pathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
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9
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Chaudhri A, Lizee G, Hwu P, Rai K. Chromatin Remodelers Are Regulators of the Tumor Immune Microenvironment. Cancer Res 2024; 84:965-976. [PMID: 38266066 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-23-2244] [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: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
Immune checkpoint inhibitors show remarkable responses in a wide range of cancers, yet patients develop adaptive resistance. This necessitates the identification of alternate therapies that synergize with immunotherapies. Epigenetic modifiers are potent mediators of tumor-intrinsic mechanisms and have been shown to regulate immune response genes, making them prime targets for therapeutic combinations with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Some success has been observed in early clinical studies that combined immunotherapy with agents targeting DNA methylation and histone modification; however, less is known about chromatin remodeler-targeted therapies. Here, we provide a discussion on the regulation of tumor immunogenicity by the chromatin remodeling SWI/SNF complex through multiple mechanisms associated with immunotherapy response that broadly include IFN signaling, DNA damage, mismatch repair, regulation of oncogenic programs, and polycomb-repressive complex antagonism. Context-dependent targeting of SWI/SNF subunits can elicit opportunities for synthetic lethality and reduce T-cell exhaustion. In summary, alongside the significance of SWI/SNF subunits in predicting immunotherapy outcomes, their ability to modulate the tumor immune landscape offers opportunities for therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Apoorvi Chaudhri
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Gregory Lizee
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
- Department of Immunology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | | | - Kunal Rai
- Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
- MDACC Epigenomics Therapy Initiative, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
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10
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Gao Y, Vakoc CR. Therapeutic index of targeting select chromatin complexes in human cancer patients. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2024; 85:102162. [PMID: 38401489 PMCID: PMC11072572 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2024.102162] [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: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 01/21/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Abstract
Aberrant chromatin regulation can promote the initiation and progression of human cancer. An improved understanding of such mechanisms has resulted in the identification of cancers with an enhanced dependency on specific chromatin regulatory proteins relative to nonmalignant cell types. Hence, targeting of such complexes with small molecules has significant therapeutic potential in oncology. In recent years, several drugs have been developed and evaluated in human cancer patients, which can influence tumor biology by reprogramming of chromatin structure. In this review, we summarize several of the known mechanisms that endow cancer cells with a powerful dependency on chromatin regulation that exceeds the requirements for normal tissue homeostasis. We also summarize the remarkable small-molecule inhibitors that exploit chromatin regulator dependencies with a clear therapeutic benefit in human cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Gao
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA. https://twitter.com/@yuangao_yg
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11
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Radko-Juettner S, Yue H, Myers JA, Carter RD, Robertson AN, Mittal P, Zhu Z, Hansen BS, Donovan KA, Hunkeler M, Rosikiewicz W, Wu Z, McReynolds MG, Roy Burman SS, Schmoker AM, Mageed N, Brown SA, Mobley RJ, Partridge JF, Stewart EA, Pruett-Miller SM, Nabet B, Peng J, Gray NS, Fischer ES, Roberts CWM. Targeting DCAF5 suppresses SMARCB1-mutant cancer by stabilizing SWI/SNF. Nature 2024; 628:442-449. [PMID: 38538798 PMCID: PMC11184678 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07250-1] [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: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
Whereas oncogenes can potentially be inhibited with small molecules, the loss of tumour suppressors is more common and is problematic because the tumour-suppressor proteins are no longer present to be targeted. Notable examples include SMARCB1-mutant cancers, which are highly lethal malignancies driven by the inactivation of a subunit of SWI/SNF (also known as BAF) chromatin-remodelling complexes. Here, to generate mechanistic insights into the consequences of SMARCB1 mutation and to identify vulnerabilities, we contributed 14 SMARCB1-mutant cell lines to a near genome-wide CRISPR screen as part of the Cancer Dependency Map Project1-3. We report that the little-studied gene DDB1-CUL4-associated factor 5 (DCAF5) is required for the survival of SMARCB1-mutant cancers. We show that DCAF5 has a quality-control function for SWI/SNF complexes and promotes the degradation of incompletely assembled SWI/SNF complexes in the absence of SMARCB1. After depletion of DCAF5, SMARCB1-deficient SWI/SNF complexes reaccumulate, bind to target loci and restore SWI/SNF-mediated gene expression to levels that are sufficient to reverse the cancer state, including in vivo. Consequently, cancer results not from the loss of SMARCB1 function per se, but rather from DCAF5-mediated degradation of SWI/SNF complexes. These data indicate that therapeutic targeting of ubiquitin-mediated quality-control factors may effectively reverse the malignant state of some cancers driven by disruption of tumour suppressor complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandi Radko-Juettner
- Division of Molecular Oncology, Department of Oncology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- St Jude Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Hong Yue
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jacquelyn A Myers
- Division of Molecular Oncology, Department of Oncology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Raymond D Carter
- Division of Molecular Oncology, Department of Oncology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Alexis N Robertson
- Division of Molecular Oncology, Department of Oncology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Priya Mittal
- Division of Molecular Oncology, Department of Oncology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Zhexin Zhu
- Division of Molecular Oncology, Department of Oncology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Baranda S Hansen
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- The Center for Advanced Genome Engineering, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Katherine A Donovan
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Moritz Hunkeler
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Wojciech Rosikiewicz
- Center for Applied Bioinformatics, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Zhiping Wu
- Department of Structural Biology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Meghan G McReynolds
- Department of Structural Biology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Shourya S Roy Burman
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Anna M Schmoker
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nada Mageed
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Scott A Brown
- Department of Immunology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Robert J Mobley
- Division of Molecular Oncology, Department of Oncology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Janet F Partridge
- Division of Molecular Oncology, Department of Oncology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Stewart
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- Department of Oncology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- Cancer Center, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Shondra M Pruett-Miller
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- The Center for Advanced Genome Engineering, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Behnam Nabet
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Junmin Peng
- Department of Structural Biology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Nathanael S Gray
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, ChEM-H, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Eric S Fischer
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Charles W M Roberts
- Division of Molecular Oncology, Department of Oncology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA.
- Cancer Center, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA.
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12
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Sun H, Zhang H. Lysine Methylation-Dependent Proteolysis by the Malignant Brain Tumor (MBT) Domain Proteins. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:2248. [PMID: 38396925 PMCID: PMC10889763 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25042248] [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: 12/14/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Lysine methylation is a major post-translational protein modification that occurs in both histones and non-histone proteins. Emerging studies show that the methylated lysine residues in non-histone proteins provide a proteolytic signal for ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis. The SET7 (SETD7) methyltransferase specifically transfers a methyl group from S-Adenosyl methionine to a specific lysine residue located in a methylation degron motif of a protein substrate to mark the methylated protein for ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis. LSD1 (Kdm1a) serves as a demethylase to dynamically remove the methyl group from the modified protein. The methylated lysine residue is specifically recognized by L3MBTL3, a methyl-lysine reader that contains the malignant brain tumor domain, to target the methylated proteins for proteolysis by the CRL4DCAF5 ubiquitin ligase complex. The methylated lysine residues are also recognized by PHF20L1 to protect the methylated proteins from proteolysis. The lysine methylation-mediated proteolysis regulates embryonic development, maintains pluripotency and self-renewal of embryonic stem cells and other stem cells such as neural stem cells and hematopoietic stem cells, and controls other biological processes. Dysregulation of the lysine methylation-dependent proteolysis is associated with various diseases, including cancers. Characterization of lysine methylation should reveal novel insights into how development and related diseases are regulated.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hui Zhang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Nevada Institute of Personalized Medicine, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 4505 South Maryland Parkway, P.O. Box 454003, Las Vegas, NV 89154-4003, USA;
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13
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Niederhuber MJ, Leatham-Jensen M, McKay DJ. The SWI/SNF nucleosome remodeler constrains enhancer activity during Drosophila wing development. Genetics 2024; 226:iyad196. [PMID: 37949841 PMCID: PMC10847718 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Chromatin remodeling is central to the dynamic changes in gene expression that drive cell fate determination. During development, the sets of enhancers that are accessible for use change globally as cells transition between stages. While transcription factors and nucleosome remodelers are known to work together to control enhancer accessibility, it is unclear how the short stretches of DNA that they individually unmask yield the kilobase-sized accessible regions characteristic of active enhancers. Here, we performed a genetic screen to investigate the role of nucleosome remodelers in control of dynamic enhancer activity. We find that the Drosophila Switch/Sucrose Non-Fermenting complex, BAP, is required for repression of a temporally dynamic enhancer, brdisc. Contrary to expectations, we find that the BAP-specific subunit Osa is dispensable for mediating changes in chromatin accessibility between the early and late stages of wing development. Instead, we find that Osa is required to constrain the levels of brdisc activity when the enhancer is normally active. Genome-wide profiling reveals that Osa directly binds brdisc as well as thousands of other developmentally dynamic regulatory sites, including multiple genes encoding components and targets of the Notch signaling pathway. Transgenic reporter analyses demonstrate that Osa is required for activation and for constraint of different sets of target enhancers in the same cells. Moreover, Osa loss results in hyperactivation of the Notch ligand Delta and development of ectopic sensory structures patterned by Notch signaling early in development. Together, these findings indicate that proper constraint of enhancer activity is necessary for regulation of dose-dependent developmental events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Niederhuber
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Biology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Genetics, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Integrative Program for Biological and Genome Sciences, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Mary Leatham-Jensen
- Department of Biology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Genetics, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Integrative Program for Biological and Genome Sciences, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Daniel J McKay
- Department of Biology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Genetics, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Integrative Program for Biological and Genome Sciences, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
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14
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Dreier MR, Walia J, de la Serna IL. Targeting SWI/SNF Complexes in Cancer: Pharmacological Approaches and Implications. EPIGENOMES 2024; 8:7. [PMID: 38390898 PMCID: PMC10885108 DOI: 10.3390/epigenomes8010007] [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: 12/29/2023] [Revised: 01/28/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
SWI/SNF enzymes are heterogeneous multi-subunit complexes that utilize the energy from ATP hydrolysis to remodel chromatin structure, facilitating transcription, DNA replication, and repair. In mammalian cells, distinct sub-complexes, including cBAF, ncBAF, and PBAF exhibit varying subunit compositions and have different genomic functions. Alterations in the SWI/SNF complex and sub-complex functions are a prominent feature in cancer, making them attractive targets for therapeutic intervention. Current strategies in cancer therapeutics involve the use of pharmacological agents designed to bind and disrupt the activity of SWI/SNF complexes or specific sub-complexes. Inhibitors targeting the catalytic subunits, SMARCA4/2, and small molecules binding SWI/SNF bromodomains are the primary approaches for suppressing SWI/SNF function. Proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) were generated by the covalent linkage of the bromodomain or ATPase-binding ligand to an E3 ligase-binding moiety. This engineered connection promotes the degradation of specific SWI/SNF subunits, enhancing and extending the impact of this pharmacological intervention in some cases. Extensive preclinical studies have underscored the therapeutic potential of these drugs across diverse cancer types. Encouragingly, some of these agents have progressed from preclinical research to clinical trials, indicating a promising stride toward the development of effective cancer therapeutics targeting SWI/SNF complex and sub-complex functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan R Dreier
- Department of Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, 3000 Arlington Ave, Toledo 43614, OH, USA
| | - Jasmine Walia
- Department of Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, 3000 Arlington Ave, Toledo 43614, OH, USA
| | - Ivana L de la Serna
- Department of Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, 3000 Arlington Ave, Toledo 43614, OH, USA
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15
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Chen M, Yao X, Ping J, Shen H, Wei Y, Wang WL. Switch/Sucrose Non-Fermentable Complex-Deficient Rhabdoid Carcinoma of Stomach: A Rare Case Report and Literature Review. Int J Surg Pathol 2023; 31:1364-1374. [PMID: 36895105 DOI: 10.1177/10668969221146204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/11/2023]
Abstract
Gastric undifferentiated/rhabdoid carcinoma is a rare highly invasive tumor of epithelial origin. Due to mutations in the switch/sucrose non-fermentable (SWI/SNF) complex, these tumor cells are usually dedifferentiated, presenting a characteristic rhabdoid profile. In this report, we present a gastric rhabdoid carcinoma in a 77-year-old man who presented with intermittent epigastric pain. Gastroscopy revealed a giant ulcer in the antrum, which proved to be a malignant tumor in the biopsy. Therefore, he was admitted to our hospital and underwent laparoscopic radical gastrectomy and D2 lymphadenectomy. The resected neoplasm contained a variety of rhabdoid cells that lacked well-differentiated elements. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that SMARCA4/BRG1 expression was absent in tumor cells. Finally, the patient was diagnosed with undifferentiated/rhabdoid carcinoma of the stomach. The patient was treated with tegafur-gimeracil-oteracil potassium capsules postoperatively. There were no signs of imaging changes observed at the 18-month follow-up. We reviewed similar cases in previous reports. These tumors are more likely to affect older male adults and usually lack typical symptoms. Histologically, most tumor cells are poorly cohesive and rhabdoid, and differentiated compositions of various degrees can occasionally be seen. Positive staining for vimentin was seen in all tumor cells. Epithelial markers are positive in the majority of tumors. SWI/SNF mutant tumors tend to be associated with a poor prognosis. In this review, more than half of the patients died within one year after surgery. The treatments for these diseases are still being explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minzhi Chen
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xing Yao
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, Huzhou Central Hospital, Huzhou, China
| | - Jinliang Ping
- Department of Pathology, Huzhou Central Hospital, Huzhou, China
| | - Hua Shen
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Huzhou Central Hospital, Huzhou, China
| | - Yunhai Wei
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Huzhou Central Hospital, Huzhou, China
| | - Wei-Lin Wang
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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16
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Genena SER, El-Torgoman AEMAEK, Lasheen SS, El Sharkawy SMS, Assar MFA. Correlation of SMARCA4 rs1122608 and ZFHX3 rs2106261 polymorphisms with acute myocardial infarction susceptibility in Egyptian population. HUMAN GENE 2023; 37:201197. [DOI: 10.1016/j.humgen.2023.201197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
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17
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Zhao C, Wang H, Zhan W, Lv X, Ma X. Exploitation of Proximity-Mediated Effects in Drug Discovery: An Update of Recent Research Highlights in Perturbing Pathogenic Proteins and Correlated Issues. J Med Chem 2023; 66:10122-10149. [PMID: 37489834 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c00079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
The utilization of proximity-mediated effects to perturb pathogenic proteins of interest (POIs) has emerged as a powerful strategic alternative to conventional drug design approaches based on target occupancy. Over the past three years, the burgeoning field of targeted protein degradation (TPD) has witnessed the expansion of degradable POIs to membrane-associated, extracellular, proteasome-resistant, and even microbial proteins. Beyond TPD, researchers have achieved the proximity-mediated targeted protein stabilization, the recruitment of intracellular immunophilins to disturb undruggable targets, and the nonphysiological post-translational modifications of POIs. All of these strides provide new avenues for innovative drug discovery aimed at battling human malignancies and other major diseases. This perspective presents recent research highlights and discusses correlated issues in developing therapeutic modalities that exploit proximity-mediated effects to modulate pathogenic proteins, thereby guiding future academic and industrial efforts in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Can Zhao
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
| | - Henian Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
| | - Wenhu Zhan
- iCarbonX (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, 518000, China
| | - Xiaoqing Lv
- College of Medicine, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing 314001, China
| | - Xiaodong Ma
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
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18
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Yang L, Tu W, Huang L, Miao B, Kaneshige A, Jiang W, Leng L, Wang M, Wen B, Sun D, Wang S. Discovery of SMD-3040 as a Potent and Selective SMARCA2 PROTAC Degrader with Strong in vivo Antitumor Activity. J Med Chem 2023; 66:10761-10781. [PMID: 37523716 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c00953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
SMARCA2 is an attractive synthetic lethality target for human cancers with SMARCA4 deficiency. Herein, we report the design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of selective SMARCA2 protein degraders developed using the proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) technology. Our efforts have led to the discovery of a series of potent and selective SMARCA2 degraders, exemplified by SMD-3040. SMD-3040 degrades SMARCA2 protein with a low nanomolar DC50 and Dmax > 90% and demonstrates an excellent degradation selectivity for SMARCA2 protein over SMARCA4 protein. It displays potent cell growth inhibitory activity in a panel of SMARCA4-deficient cancer cell lines and has much weaker activity in SMARCA4 wild-type cancer cell lines. SMD-3040 achieves strong tumor growth inhibition in two SMARCA4-deficient xenograft models at well-tolerated dose schedules. Further optimization of SMD-3040 may lead to the discovery of new therapies for the treatment of human cancers with SMARCA4 deficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Yang
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Wenbin Tu
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Liyue Huang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Bukeyan Miao
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Atsunori Kaneshige
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Wei Jiang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
- Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Lingying Leng
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Meilin Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Bo Wen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Duxin Sun
- Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Shaomeng Wang
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
- Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
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19
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Zhang Y, Remillard D, Onubogu U, Karakyriakou B, Asiaban JN, Ramos AR, Bowland K, Bishop TR, Barta PA, Nance S, Durbin AD, Ott CJ, Janiszewska M, Cravatt BF, Erb MA. Collateral lethality between HDAC1 and HDAC2 exploits cancer-specific NuRD complex vulnerabilities. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2023; 30:1160-1171. [PMID: 37488358 PMCID: PMC10529074 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-023-01041-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
Transcriptional co-regulators have been widely pursued as targets for disrupting oncogenic gene regulatory programs. However, many proteins in this target class are universally essential for cell survival, which limits their therapeutic window. Here we unveil a genetic interaction between histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) and HDAC2, wherein each paralog is synthetically lethal with hemizygous deletion of the other. This collateral synthetic lethality is caused by recurrent chromosomal deletions that occur in diverse solid and hematological malignancies, including neuroblastoma and multiple myeloma. Using genetic disruption or dTAG-mediated degradation, we show that targeting HDAC2 suppresses the growth of HDAC1-deficient neuroblastoma in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, we find that targeted degradation of HDAC2 in these cells prompts the degradation of several members of the nucleosome remodeling and deacetylase (NuRD) complex, leading to diminished chromatin accessibility at HDAC2-NuRD-bound sites of the genome and impaired control of enhancer-associated transcription. Furthermore, we reveal that several of the degraded NuRD complex subunits are dependencies in neuroblastoma and multiple myeloma, providing motivation to develop paralog-selective HDAC1 or HDAC2 degraders that could leverage HDAC1/2 synthetic lethality to target NuRD vulnerabilities. Altogether, we identify HDAC1/2 collateral synthetic lethality as a potential therapeutic target and reveal an unexplored mechanism for targeting NuRD-associated cancer dependencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxiang Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - David Remillard
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Ugoma Onubogu
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | | | - Joshua N Asiaban
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Anissa R Ramos
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Kirsten Bowland
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Timothy R Bishop
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Paige A Barta
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Stephanie Nance
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Adam D Durbin
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Christopher J Ott
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT & Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Michalina Janiszewska
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | - Benjamin F Cravatt
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Michael A Erb
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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20
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Wurz RP, Rui H, Dellamaggiore K, Ghimire-Rijal S, Choi K, Smither K, Amegadzie A, Chen N, Li X, Banerjee A, Chen Q, Mohl D, Vaish A. Affinity and cooperativity modulate ternary complex formation to drive targeted protein degradation. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4177. [PMID: 37443112 PMCID: PMC10344917 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39904-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Targeted protein degradation via "hijacking" of the ubiquitin-proteasome system using proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) has evolved into a novel therapeutic modality. The design of PROTACs is challenging; multiple steps involved in PROTAC-induced degradation make it difficult to establish coherent structure-activity relationships. Herein, we characterize PROTAC-mediated ternary complex formation and degradation by employing von Hippel-Lindau protein (VHL) recruiting PROTACs for two different target proteins, SMARCA2 and BRD4. Ternary-complex attributes and degradation activity parameters are evaluated by varying components of the PROTAC's architecture. Ternary complex binding affinity and cooperativity correlates well with degradation potency and initial rates of degradation. Additionally, we develop a ternary-complex structure modeling workflow to calculate the total buried surface area at the interface, which is in agreement with the measured ternary complex binding affinity. Our findings establish a predictive framework to guide the design of potent degraders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan P Wurz
- Amgen Research, Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, CA, USA
| | - Huan Rui
- Amgen Research, Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Kaylee Choi
- Amgen Research, Amgen Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Kate Smither
- Amgen Research, Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, CA, USA
| | | | - Ning Chen
- Amgen Research, Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, CA, USA
| | - Xiaofen Li
- Amgen Research, Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, CA, USA
| | | | - Qing Chen
- Amgen Research, Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, CA, USA
| | - Dane Mohl
- Amgen Research, Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, CA, USA.
| | - Amit Vaish
- Amgen Research, Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, CA, USA.
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21
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Navickas SM, Giles KA, Brettingham-Moore KH, Taberlay PC. The role of chromatin remodeler SMARCA4/BRG1 in brain cancers: a potential therapeutic target. Oncogene 2023:10.1038/s41388-023-02773-9. [PMID: 37433987 PMCID: PMC10374441 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-023-02773-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023]
Abstract
The chromatin remodeler SMARCA4/BRG1 is a key epigenetic regulator with diverse roles in coordinating the molecular programs that underlie brain tumour development. BRG1 function in brain cancer is largely specific to the tumour type and varies further between tumour subtypes, highlighting its complexity. Altered SMARCA4 expression has been linked to medulloblastoma, low-grade gliomas such as oligodendroglioma, high-grade gliomas such as glioblastoma and atypical/teratoid rhabdoid tumours. SMARCA4 mutations in brain cancer predominantly occur in the crucial catalytic ATPase domain, which is associated with tumour suppressor activity. However, SMARCA4 is opposingly seen to promote tumourigenesis in the absence of mutation and through overexpression in other brain tumours. This review explores the multifaceted interaction between SMARCA4 and various brain cancer types, highlighting its roles in tumour pathogenesis, the pathways it regulates, and the advances that have been made in understanding the functional relevance of mutations. We discuss developments made in targeting SMARCA4 and the potential to translate these to adjuvant therapies able to enhance current methods of brain cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie M Navickas
- Tasmanian School of Medicine, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, 17 Liverpool Street, Hobart, TAS, 7000, Australia
| | - Katherine A Giles
- Tasmanian School of Medicine, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, 17 Liverpool Street, Hobart, TAS, 7000, Australia
- Children's Medical Research Institute, 214 Hawkesbury Road, Westmead, NSW, 2145, Australia
| | - Kate H Brettingham-Moore
- Tasmanian School of Medicine, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, 17 Liverpool Street, Hobart, TAS, 7000, Australia
| | - Phillippa C Taberlay
- Tasmanian School of Medicine, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, 17 Liverpool Street, Hobart, TAS, 7000, Australia.
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22
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Abstract
Proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) are heterobifunctional small molecules that induce the ternary complex formation between a protein-of-interest (POI) and an E3 ligase, leading to targeted polyubiquitination and degradation of the POI. Particularly, PROTACs have the distinct advantage of targeting both canonical and noncanonical functions of epigenetic targets over traditional inhibitors, which typically target canonical functions only, resulting in greater therapeutic efficacy. In this review, we methodically analyze published PROTAC degraders of epigenetic writer, reader, and eraser proteins and their in vitro and in vivo effects. We highlight the mechanism of action of these degraders and their advantages in targeting both canonical and noncanonical functions of epigenetic targets in the context of cancer treatment. Furthermore, we present a future outlook for this exciting field. Overall, pharmacological degradation of epigenetic targets has emerged as an effective and attractive strategy to thwart cancer progression and growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Kabir
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Departments of Pharmacological Sciences, Oncological Sciences and Neuroscience, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA.
| | - Xufen Yu
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Departments of Pharmacological Sciences, Oncological Sciences and Neuroscience, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA.
| | - H Ümit Kaniskan
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Departments of Pharmacological Sciences, Oncological Sciences and Neuroscience, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA.
| | - Jian Jin
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Departments of Pharmacological Sciences, Oncological Sciences and Neuroscience, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA.
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23
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Xin Y, Zhang Y. Paralog-based synthetic lethality: rationales and applications. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1168143. [PMID: 37350942 PMCID: PMC10282757 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1168143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Tumor cells can result from gene mutations and over-expression. Synthetic lethality (SL) offers a desirable setting where cancer cells bearing one mutated gene of an SL gene pair can be specifically targeted by disrupting the function of the other genes, while leaving wide-type normal cells unharmed. Paralogs, a set of homologous genes that have diverged from each other as a consequence of gene duplication, make the concept of SL feasible as the loss of one gene does not affect the cell's survival. Furthermore, homozygous loss of paralogs in tumor cells is more frequent than singletons, making them ideal SL targets. Although high-throughput CRISPR-Cas9 screenings have uncovered numerous paralog-based SL pairs, the unclear mechanisms of targeting these gene pairs and the difficulty in finding specific inhibitors that exclusively target a single but not both paralogs hinder further clinical development. Here, we review the potential mechanisms of paralog-based SL given their function and genetic combination, and discuss the challenge and application prospects of paralog-based SL in cancer therapeutic discovery.
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24
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Zhu X, Fu Z, Chen SY, Ong D, Aceto G, Ho R, Steinberger J, Monast A, Pilon V, Li E, Ta M, Ching K, Adams BN, Negri GL, Choiniere L, Fu L, Pavlakis K, Pirrotte P, Avizonis DZ, Trent J, Weissman BE, Klein Geltink RI, Morin GB, Park M, Huntsman DG, Foulkes WD, Wang Y, Huang S. Alanine supplementation exploits glutamine dependency induced by SMARCA4/2-loss. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2894. [PMID: 37210563 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38594-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/22/2023] Open
Abstract
SMARCA4 (BRG1) and SMARCA2 (BRM) are the two paralogous ATPases of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complexes frequently inactivated in cancers. Cells deficient in either ATPase have been shown to depend on the remaining counterpart for survival. Contrary to this paralog synthetic lethality, concomitant loss of SMARCA4/2 occurs in a subset of cancers associated with very poor outcomes. Here, we uncover that SMARCA4/2-loss represses expression of the glucose transporter GLUT1, causing reduced glucose uptake and glycolysis accompanied with increased dependency on oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS); adapting to this, these SMARCA4/2-deficient cells rely on elevated SLC38A2, an amino acid transporter, to increase glutamine import for fueling OXPHOS. Consequently, SMARCA4/2-deficient cells and tumors are highly sensitive to inhibitors targeting OXPHOS or glutamine metabolism. Furthermore, supplementation of alanine, also imported by SLC38A2, restricts glutamine uptake through competition and selectively induces death in SMARCA4/2-deficient cancer cells. At a clinically relevant dose, alanine supplementation synergizes with OXPHOS inhibition or conventional chemotherapy eliciting marked antitumor activity in patient-derived xenografts. Our findings reveal multiple druggable vulnerabilities of SMARCA4/2-loss exploiting a GLUT1/SLC38A2-mediated metabolic shift. Particularly, unlike dietary deprivation approaches, alanine supplementation can be readily applied to current regimens for better treatment of these aggressive cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianbing Zhu
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Rosalind & Morris Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Zheng Fu
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Rosalind & Morris Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Shary Y Chen
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Molecular Oncology, British Columbia Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Dionzie Ong
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Giulio Aceto
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Rosalind & Morris Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Rebecca Ho
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Molecular Oncology, British Columbia Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Jutta Steinberger
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Rosalind & Morris Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Anie Monast
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Rosalind & Morris Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Virginie Pilon
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Rosalind & Morris Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Eunice Li
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Monica Ta
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Kyle Ching
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Bianca N Adams
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Rosalind & Morris Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Gian L Negri
- Canada's Michael Smith Genome Science Centre, British Columbia Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Luc Choiniere
- Rosalind & Morris Goodman Cancer Institute, Metabolomics Innovation Resource, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Lili Fu
- Department of Pathology, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Kitty Pavlakis
- Department of Pathology, IASO women's hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Patrick Pirrotte
- Cancer & Cell Biology Division, Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, AZ, USA
- Integrated Mass Spectrometry Shared Resource, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Daina Z Avizonis
- Rosalind & Morris Goodman Cancer Institute, Metabolomics Innovation Resource, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Jeffrey Trent
- Translational Genomics Research Institute, Division of Integrated Cancer Genomics, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Bernard E Weissman
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Ramon I Klein Geltink
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Gregg B Morin
- Canada's Michael Smith Genome Science Centre, British Columbia Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Morag Park
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Rosalind & Morris Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - David G Huntsman
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Molecular Oncology, British Columbia Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - William D Foulkes
- Departments of Human Genetics, Medicine and Oncology McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Specialized Medicine and Cancer Research Program, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Specialized Medicine and Lady Davis Institute, Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Yemin Wang
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
- Department of Molecular Oncology, British Columbia Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
| | - Sidong Huang
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
- Rosalind & Morris Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
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25
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Ryan CJ, Mehta I, Kebabci N, Adams DJ. Targeting synthetic lethal paralogs in cancer. Trends Cancer 2023; 9:397-409. [PMID: 36890003 DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2023.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic lethal interactions, where mutation of one gene renders cells sensitive to inhibition of another gene, can be exploited for the development of targeted therapeutics in cancer. Pairs of duplicate genes (paralogs) often share common functionality and hence are a potentially rich source of synthetic lethal interactions. Because the majority of human genes have paralogs, exploiting such interactions could be a widely applicable approach for targeting gene loss in cancer. Moreover, existing small-molecule drugs may exploit synthetic lethal interactions by inhibiting multiple paralogs simultaneously. Consequently, the identification of synthetic lethal interactions between paralogs could be extremely informative for drug development. Here we review approaches to identify such interactions and discuss some of the challenges of exploiting them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colm J Ryan
- Conway Institute and School of Computer Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; Systems Biology Ireland, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
| | - Ishan Mehta
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Narod Kebabci
- Conway Institute and School of Computer Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Centre for Research Training in Genomics Data Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - David J Adams
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, UK
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26
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Wang XQ, Tessier-Cloutier B, Saunders J, Harvey M, Armstrong L, Ng T, Dunham C, Bush JW. Characterization of Switch/Sucrose Nonfermenting Complex Proteins and Nestin Expression in a Cohort of Pediatric Central Nervous System Tumors. Appl Immunohistochem Mol Morphol 2023; 31:304-310. [PMID: 37036408 DOI: 10.1097/pai.0000000000001122] [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: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023]
Abstract
Tumors of the central nervous system (CNS) in pediatric patients have undergone significant diagnostic refinement through the use of immunohistochemistry (IHC) and molecular techniques. The utility of these novel IHC antibodies has been demonstrated with the inactivation of the switch/sucrose nonfermenting (SWI/SNF) chromatin-remodeling complex in the diagnosis of atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors, predominantly through the loss of integrase interactor 1 (INI1; SMARCB1 ). Alternatively, these tumors may have inactivation of brahma-related gene 1 (BRG1; SMARCA4 ) in a subset of cases. The role of other SWI/SNF component proteins and their expression in pediatric brain tumors is not well established. Nestin, an intermediate filament, has been shown to be present in some pediatric CNS tumors, but of uncertain diagnostic and prognostic significance. We sought to explore the immunohistochemical expression profile for common SWI/SNF subunits and nestin in a pediatric CNS tumor cohort. Using a 118-sample tissue microarray, we performed IHC for INI1, BRG1, brahma (BRM), ARID1A, ARID1B, polybromo 1, and nestin. In 19 cases, INI1 was lost and BRG1 was lost in 2 cases. Interestingly, 6 cases originally diagnosed as primitive neuroectodermal tumors showed isolated loss of BRM. Other SWI/SNF proteins did not provide further diagnostic resolution. Nestin was positive in 76.2% of INI1/BRG1-deficient tumors, compared with 29.1% in INI1/BRG1-intact tumors yielding a sensitivity of 76.2%, specificity of 68.0%, and a P value of <0.001, but nestin positivity did not correlate specifically with poor outcomes. In conclusion, we confirm the utility of BRG1 IHC in the workup of pediatric CNS tumors, which may facilitate a difficult diagnosis when conventional markers are inconclusive, or as a first-line marker in cases where intraoperative smears are suggestive of atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor. Although nestin expression was associated with SWI/SNF inactivation, it did not yield statistically significant diagnostic or prognostic information in our study. Interestingly, we identified 6 tumors with isolated BRM IHC loss, the significance of which is uncertain but warrants further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Basile Tessier-Cloutier
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Vancouver General Hospital
| | - Jessica Saunders
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
- Division of Anatomical Pathology, British Columbia Children's Hospital and Women's Health Center, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Melissa Harvey
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/BMT, British Columbia Children's Hospital, and Department of Pediatrics
| | - Linlea Armstrong
- Provincial Medical Genetics Program, British Columbia Children's Hospital and Women's Health Center, and Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia
| | - Tony Ng
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Vancouver General Hospital
| | - Christopher Dunham
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
- Division of Anatomical Pathology, British Columbia Children's Hospital and Women's Health Center, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Jonathan W Bush
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
- Division of Anatomical Pathology, British Columbia Children's Hospital and Women's Health Center, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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27
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Dietrich N, Trotter K, Ward JM, Archer TK. BRG1 HSA domain interactions with BCL7 proteins are critical for remodeling and gene expression. Life Sci Alliance 2023; 6:e202201770. [PMID: 36801810 PMCID: PMC9939006 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202201770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2022] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The SWI/SNF complex remodels chromatin in an ATP-dependent manner through the subunits BRG1 and BRM. Chromatin remodeling alters nucleosome structure to change gene expression; however, aberrant remodeling can result in cancer. We identified BCL7 proteins as critical SWI/SNF members that drive BRG1-dependent gene expression changes. BCL7s have been implicated in B-cell lymphoma, but characterization of their functional role within the SWI/SNF complex has been limited. This study implicates their function alongside BRG1 to drive large-scale changes in gene expression. Mechanistically, the BCL7 proteins bind to the HSA domain of BRG1 and require this domain for binding to chromatin. BRG1 proteins without the HSA domain fail to interact with the BCL7 proteins and have severely reduced chromatin remodeling activity. These results link the HSA domain and the formation of a functional SWI/SNF remodeling complex through the interaction with BCL7 proteins. These data highlight the importance of correct formation of the SWI/SNF complex to drive critical biological functions, as losses of individual accessory members or protein domains can cause loss of complex function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Dietrich
- Chromatin and Gene Expression Section, Epigenetics and Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Kevin Trotter
- Chromatin and Gene Expression Section, Epigenetics and Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Durham, NC, USA
| | - James M Ward
- Integrative Bioinformatics, Epigenetics and Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Trevor K Archer
- Chromatin and Gene Expression Section, Epigenetics and Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Durham, NC, USA
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28
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Otto JE, Ursu O, Wu AP, Winter EB, Cuoco MS, Ma S, Qian K, Michel BC, Buenrostro JD, Berger B, Regev A, Kadoch C. Structural and functional properties of mSWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complexes revealed through single-cell perturbation screens. Mol Cell 2023; 83:1350-1367.e7. [PMID: 37028419 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2023.03.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/09/2023]
Abstract
The mammalian SWI/SNF (mSWI/SNF or BAF) family of chromatin remodeling complexes play critical roles in regulating DNA accessibility and gene expression. The three final-form subcomplexes-cBAF, PBAF, and ncBAF-are distinct in biochemical componentry, chromatin targeting, and roles in disease; however, the contributions of their constituent subunits to gene expression remain incompletely defined. Here, we performed Perturb-seq-based CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screens targeting mSWI/SNF subunits individually and in select combinations, followed by single-cell RNA-seq and SHARE-seq. We uncovered complex-, module-, and subunit-specific contributions to distinct regulatory networks and defined paralog subunit relationships and shifted subcomplex functions upon perturbations. Synergistic, intra-complex genetic interactions between subunits reveal functional redundancy and modularity. Importantly, single-cell subunit perturbation signatures mapped across bulk primary human tumor expression profiles both mirror and predict cBAF loss-of-function status in cancer. Our findings highlight the utility of Perturb-seq to dissect disease-relevant gene regulatory impacts of heterogeneous, multi-component master regulatory complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan E Otto
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Chemical Biology Program, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Oana Ursu
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Alexander P Wu
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Evan B Winter
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Sai Ma
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Kristin Qian
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Brittany C Michel
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jason D Buenrostro
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Bonnie Berger
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Aviv Regev
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, UA.
| | - Cigall Kadoch
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Chemical Biology Program, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, UA.
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29
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SMARCA4: Current status and future perspectives in non-small-cell lung cancer. Cancer Lett 2023; 554:216022. [PMID: 36450331 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2022.216022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
SMARCA4, also known as transcription activator, is an ATP-dependent catalytic subunit of SWI/SNF (SWItch/Sucrose NonFermentable) chromatin-remodeling complexes that participates in the regulation of chromatin structure and gene expression by supplying energy. As a tumor suppressor that has aberrant expression in ∼10% of non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLCs), SMARCA4 possesses many biological functions, including regulating gene expression, differentiation and transcription. Furthermore, NSCLC patients with SMARCA4 alterations have a weak response to conventional chemotherapy and poor prognosis. Therefore, the mechanisms of SMARCA4 in NSCLC development urgently need to be explored to identify novel biomarkers and precise therapeutic strategies for this subtype. This review systematically describes the biological functions of SMARCA4 and its role in NSCLC development, metastasis, functional epigenetics and potential therapeutic approaches for NSCLCs with SMARCA4 alterations. Additionally, this paper explores the relationship and regulatory mechanisms shared by SMARCA4 and its mutually exclusive catalytic subunit SMARCA2. We aim to provide innovative treatment strategies and improve clinical outcomes for NSCLC patients with SMARCA4 alterations.
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30
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Czerwinska P, Mackiewicz AA. Bromodomain (BrD) Family Members as Regulators of Cancer Stemness-A Comprehensive Review. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:995. [PMID: 36674511 PMCID: PMC9861003 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24020995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/31/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic mechanisms involving DNA methylation and chromatin modifications have emerged as critical facilitators of cancer heterogeneity, substantially affecting cancer development and progression, modulating cell phenotypes, and enhancing or inhibiting cancer cell malignant properties. Not surprisingly, considering the importance of epigenetic regulators in normal stem cell maintenance, many chromatin-related proteins are essential to maintaining the cancer stem cell (CSC)-like state. With increased tumor-initiating capacities and self-renewal potential, CSCs promote tumor growth, provide therapy resistance, spread tumors, and facilitate tumor relapse after treatment. In this review, we characterized the epigenetic mechanisms that regulate the acquisition and maintenance of cancer stemness concerning selected epigenetic factors belonging to the Bromodomain (BrD) family of proteins. An increasing number of BrD proteins reinforce cancer stemness, supporting the maintenance of the cancer stem cell population in vitro and in vivo via the utilization of distinct mechanisms. As bromodomain possesses high druggable potential, specific BrD proteins might become novel therapeutic targets in cancers exhibiting de-differentiated tumor characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrycja Czerwinska
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-866 Poznan, Poland
- Department of Diagnostics and Cancer Immunology, Greater Poland Cancer Centre, 61-866 Poznan, Poland
| | - Andrzej Adam Mackiewicz
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-866 Poznan, Poland
- Department of Diagnostics and Cancer Immunology, Greater Poland Cancer Centre, 61-866 Poznan, Poland
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31
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Zhang Z, Li Q, Sun S, Li Z, Cui ZG, Zhang M, Liu Q, Zhang Y, Xiong S, Zhang S. Clinicopathological and prognostic significance of SWI/SNF complex subunits in undifferentiated gastric carcinoma. World J Surg Oncol 2022; 20:383. [PMID: 36464671 PMCID: PMC9721057 DOI: 10.1186/s12957-022-02847-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The switch/sucrose nonfermentable (SWI/SNF) complex is an evolutionarily conserved chromatin remodeling complex that displays dysfunction in many tumors, especially undifferentiated carcinoma. Cancer stem cells (CSC), a special type of undifferentiated cancer cells with stem cell-like properties, play an essential role in tumor cell proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. In undifferentiated gastric carcinomas, the association of SWI/SNF complexes with clinicopathological features, CSC phenotype, and the prognosis is not fully understood. METHODS We collected a cohort of 21 patients with undifferentiated/dedifferentiated gastric carcinoma. We next performed immunohistochemistry staining for the five subunits of the SWI/SNF complex (ARID1A, ARID1B, SMARCA2, SMARCA4, and SMARCB1), and four mismatch repair proteins (MLH1, PMS2, MSH2, and MSH6), as well as other markers such as p53, PD-L1, and cancer stem cell (CSC) markers (SOX2, SALL4). Then, we investigated the correlation of SWI/SNF complex subunits with clinicopathological characters and performed prognostic analysis. RESULTS We observed SMARCA2 loss in 12 cases (57.14%), followed by ARID1A (5 cases, 23.81%) and SMARCA4 (3 cases, 14.29%). Fourteen cases (66.67%) lost any one of the SWI/SNF complex subunits, including 3 cases with SMARCA2 and ARID1A co-loss, and 3 cases with SMARCA2 and SMARCA4 co-loss. Correlation analysis revealed that the CSC phenotype occurred more frequently in the SWI/SNF complex deficient group (P = 0.0158). Survival analysis revealed that SWI/WNF complex deficiency, undifferentiated status, CSC phenotype, and the loss of SMARCA2 and SMARCA4 resulted in worse survival. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses screened out three independent factors associated with worse prognosis: undifferentiated status, SWI/SNF complex deficiency, and lymph node metastasis. CONCLUSIONS The SWI/SNF complex deficiency was more likely to result in a CSC phenotype and worse survival and was an independent prognostic factor in undifferentiated/dedifferentiated gastric carcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenkun Zhang
- Weihai Municipal Hospital, Shandong University, Weihai, 264200, Shandong, China.,Department of Oncology, Shouguang People's Hospital, Weifang, 262700, Shandong, China
| | - Qiujing Li
- Department of Pathology, Weihai Municipal Hospital, Shandong University, Weihai, 264200, Shandong, China
| | - Shanshan Sun
- Department of Oncology, Weihai Municipal Hospital, Shandong University, Weihai, 264200, Shandong, China
| | - Zhe Li
- Weifang Medical College, Weifang, 261053, Shandong, China
| | - Zheng Guo Cui
- Department of Environmental Health, University of Fukui School of Medical Science, 23-3 Matsuoka Shimoaizuki, Eiheiji, Fukui, 910-1193, Japan
| | - Menglan Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Qinghai Provincial People's Hospital, Xining, 810000, Qinghai, China
| | - Qian Liu
- Department of Pathology, Weihai Municipal Hospital, Shandong University, Weihai, 264200, Shandong, China
| | - Yujie Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Weihai Municipal Hospital, Shandong University, Weihai, 264200, Shandong, China
| | - Sili Xiong
- Weifang Medical College, Weifang, 261053, Shandong, China
| | - Shukun Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Weihai Municipal Hospital, Shandong University, Weihai, 264200, Shandong, China.
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Li X, Feng C, Peng S. Epigenetics alternation in lung fibrosis and lung cancer. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:1060201. [PMID: 36420141 PMCID: PMC9676258 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.1060201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Respiratory disease including interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) and lung cancer is a group of devastating diseases that linked with increased morbidity and healthcare burden. However, respiratory diseases cannot be fully explained by the alternation of genetic information. Genetic studies described that epigenetic mechanisms also participate to transmit genetic information. Recently, many studies demonstrated the role of altered epigenetic modification in the pathogenesis of lung cancer and pulmonary fibrosis. Due to lacking effective medication, the underlying pathophysiological processes and causal relationships of lung diseases with epigenetic mechanisms still need to be better understood. Our present review provided a systematic revision of current knowledge concerning diverse epigenetic aberrations in major lung diseases, with special emphasis on DNA methylation, histone modifications, lncRNAs profiles, telomere patterns, as well as chromatin-remodelling complexes. We believed that a new target therapy for lung disease based on findings of the involved epigenetic pathway is a promising future direction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueren Li
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Tianjin Haihe Hospital, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Tianjin, China
| | - Chunjing Feng
- The Institute Includes H&B(Tianjin) Stem Cell Research Institute, Tianjin, China
| | - Shouchun Peng
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Tianjin Haihe Hospital, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Tianjin, China
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The assembly of mammalian SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complexes is regulated by lysine-methylation dependent proteolysis. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6696. [PMID: 36335117 PMCID: PMC9637158 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34348-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The assembly of mammalian SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complexes is developmentally programed, and loss/mutations of SWI/SNF subunits alter the levels of other components through proteolysis, causing cancers. Here, we show that mouse Lsd1/Kdm1a deletion causes dramatic dissolution of SWI/SNF complexes and that LSD1 demethylates the methylated lysine residues in SMARCC1 and SMARCC2 to preserve the structural integrity of SWI/SNF complexes. The methylated SMARCC1/SMARCC2 are targeted for proteolysis by L3MBTL3 and the CRL4DCAF5 ubiquitin ligase complex. We identify SMARCC1 as the critical target of LSD1 and L3MBTL3 to maintain the pluripotency and self-renewal of embryonic stem cells. L3MBTL3 also regulates SMARCC1/SMARCC2 proteolysis induced by the loss of SWI/SNF subunits. Consistently, mouse L3mbtl3 deletion causes striking accumulation of SWI/SNF components, associated with embryonic lethality. Our studies reveal that the assembly/disassembly of SWI/SNF complexes is dynamically controlled by a lysine-methylation dependent proteolytic mechanism to maintain the integrity of the SWI/SNF complexes.
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34
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Kofink C, Trainor N, Mair B, Wöhrle S, Wurm M, Mischerikow N, Roy MJ, Bader G, Greb P, Garavel G, Diers E, McLennan R, Whitworth C, Vetma V, Rumpel K, Scharnweber M, Fuchs JE, Gerstberger T, Cui Y, Gremel G, Chetta P, Hopf S, Budano N, Rinnenthal J, Gmaschitz G, Mayer M, Koegl M, Ciulli A, Weinstabl H, Farnaby W. A selective and orally bioavailable VHL-recruiting PROTAC achieves SMARCA2 degradation in vivo. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5969. [PMID: 36216795 PMCID: PMC9551036 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33430-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Targeted protein degradation offers an alternative modality to classical inhibition and holds the promise of addressing previously undruggable targets to provide novel therapeutic options for patients. Heterobifunctional molecules co-recruit a target protein and an E3 ligase, resulting in ubiquitylation and proteosome-dependent degradation of the target. In the clinic, the oral route of administration is the option of choice but has only been achieved so far by CRBN- recruiting bifunctional degrader molecules. We aimed to achieve orally bioavailable molecules that selectively degrade the BAF Chromatin Remodelling complex ATPase SMARCA2 over its closely related paralogue SMARCA4, to allow in vivo evaluation of the synthetic lethality concept of SMARCA2 dependency in SMARCA4-deficient cancers. Here we outline structure- and property-guided approaches that led to orally bioavailable VHL-recruiting degraders. Our tool compound, ACBI2, shows selective degradation of SMARCA2 over SMARCA4 in ex vivo human whole blood assays and in vivo efficacy in SMARCA4-deficient cancer models. This study demonstrates the feasibility for broadening the E3 ligase and physicochemical space that can be utilised for achieving oral efficacy with bifunctional molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nicole Trainor
- Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
- ACRF Chemical Biology Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Barbara Mair
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
| | - Simon Wöhrle
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
| | - Melanie Wurm
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Michael J Roy
- Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
- ACRF Chemical Biology Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Gerd Bader
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
| | - Peter Greb
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Emelyne Diers
- Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Ross McLennan
- Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Claire Whitworth
- Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Vesna Vetma
- Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Klaus Rumpel
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
| | | | | | | | - Yunhai Cui
- Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co KG, Biberach, Germany
| | | | - Paolo Chetta
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
| | - Stefan Hopf
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
| | - Nicole Budano
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
| | | | | | - Moriz Mayer
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
| | - Manfred Koegl
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alessio Ciulli
- Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | | | - William Farnaby
- Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK.
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Schoenfeld DA, Zhou R, Zairis S, Su W, Steinbach N, Mathur D, Bansal A, Zachem AL, Tavarez B, Hasson D, Bernstein E, Rabadan R, Parsons R. Loss of PBRM1 Alters Promoter Histone Modifications and Activates ALDH1A1 to Drive Renal Cell Carcinoma. Mol Cancer Res 2022; 20:1193-1207. [PMID: 35412614 PMCID: PMC9357026 DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-21-1039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Subunits of SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complexes are frequently mutated in human malignancies. The PBAF complex is composed of multiple subunits, including the tumor-suppressor protein PBRM1 (BAF180), as well as ARID2 (BAF200), that are unique to this SWI/SNF complex. PBRM1 is mutated in various cancers, with a high mutation frequency in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Here, we integrate RNA-seq, histone modification ChIP-seq, and ATAC-seq data to show that loss of PBRM1 results in de novo gains in H3K4me3 peaks throughout the epigenome, including activation of a retinoic acid biosynthesis and signaling gene signature. We show that one such target gene, ALDH1A1, which regulates a key step in retinoic acid biosynthesis, is consistently upregulated with PBRM1 loss in ccRCC cell lines and primary tumors, as well as non-malignant cells. We further find that ALDH1A1 increases the tumorigenic potential of ccRCC cells. Using biochemical methods, we show that ARID2 remains bound to other PBAF subunits after loss of PBRM1 and is essential for increased ALDH1A1 after loss of PBRM1, whereas other core SWI/SNF components are dispensable, including the ATPase subunit BRG1. In total, this study uses global epigenomic approaches to uncover novel mechanisms of PBRM1 tumor suppression in ccRCC. IMPLICATIONS This study implicates the SWI/SNF subunit and tumor-suppressor PBRM1 in the regulation of promoter histone modifications and retinoic acid biosynthesis and signaling pathways in ccRCC and functionally validates one such target gene, the aldehyde dehydrogenase ALDH1A1.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Royce Zhou
- Department of Oncological Sciences, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Sakellarios Zairis
- Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - William Su
- Department of Oncological Sciences, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Nicole Steinbach
- Department of Oncological Sciences, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Deepti Mathur
- Department of Oncological Sciences, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Ankita Bansal
- Department of Oncological Sciences, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Alexis L. Zachem
- Department of Oncological Sciences, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Bertilia Tavarez
- Department of Oncological Sciences, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Dan Hasson
- Department of Oncological Sciences, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Emily Bernstein
- Department of Oncological Sciences, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Raul Rabadan
- Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Ramon Parsons
- Department of Oncological Sciences, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
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36
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Xi JY, Zhang RY, Chen K, Yao L, Li MQ, Jiang R, Li XY, Fan L. Advances and perspectives of proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) in drug discovery. Bioorg Chem 2022; 125:105848. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2022.105848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Revised: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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Chang B, Sheng W, Wang L, Zhu X, Tan C, Ni S, Weng W, Huang D, Wang J. SWI/SNF Complex-deficient Undifferentiated Carcinoma of the Gastrointestinal Tract: Clinicopathologic Study of 30 Cases With an Emphasis on Variable Morphology, Immune Features, and the Prognostic Significance of Different SMARCA4 and SMARCA2 Subunit Deficiencies. Am J Surg Pathol 2022; 46:889-906. [PMID: 34812766 DOI: 10.1097/pas.0000000000001836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Undifferentiated carcinoma of the gastrointestinal tract has variable rhabdoid features. Expression of switch/sucrose nonfermenting (SWI/SNF) complex subunits is reportedly lost in a portion of cases; however, the prognostic significance of this loss remains unknown. Herein, 30 undifferentiated carcinoma cases were assessed for the expression of 4 SWI/SNF complex subunits (SMARCB1, SMARCA2, SMARCA4, and ARID1A). Tumor origin sites comprised stomach (40.0%), large intestine (20.0%), small intestine (16.7%), lower esophagus and stomach fundus (13.3%), ileocecal junction (3.3%), rectum (3.3%), and pancreas (3.3%). The tumors were composed of epithelioid neoplastic cells arranged in diffuse solid or discohesive sheets, nests, cords, poor cohesive pseudoglandular, and trabecular patterns. Rhabdoid tumor cells were identified in 66.7% (20/30) of cases. In total, 29/30 (96.7%) showed complete loss of at least 1 SWI/SNF subunit: SMARCA4-/SMARCA2- (11), isolated SMARCA4- (2), SMARCA4-/SMARCA2 unknown (6), isolated SMARCA2- (7), SMARCA2-/ARID1A- (1), and isolated ARID1A- (2). Negative or decreased expression (≤10% positive) of pan-cytokeratin was observed in 58.6% (17/29) of cases. In addition, 66.7% (20/30) of patients were late-stage (III or IV), and 65.2% (15/23) of stage IIB to IV patients succumbed to the disease at a mean clinical follow-up of 12.7 months. Specifically, patients with loss of SMARCA4 expression had the worst overall survival (P=0.028) and disease-free survival (P=0.006) rates, compared with those with SMARCA4 expression. The loss or decreased expression of epithelial markers is thus common in SWI/SNF complex-deficient undifferentiated carcinoma of the gastrointestinal tract, and loss of SMARCA4 correlates with poor prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Chang
- Department of Pathology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Weiqi Sheng
- Department of Pathology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lei Wang
- Department of Pathology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaoli Zhu
- Department of Pathology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Cong Tan
- Department of Pathology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shujuan Ni
- Department of Pathology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Weiwei Weng
- Department of Pathology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Dan Huang
- Department of Pathology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jian Wang
- Department of Pathology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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Conde M, Frew IJ. Therapeutic significance of ARID1A mutation in bladder cancer. Neoplasia 2022; 31:100814. [PMID: 35750014 PMCID: PMC9234250 DOI: 10.1016/j.neo.2022.100814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Bladder cancer (BC) develops from the tissues of the urinary bladder and is responsible for nearly 200,000 deaths annually. This review aims to integrate knowledge of recently discovered functions of the chromatin remodelling tumour suppressor protein ARID1A in bladder urothelial carcinoma with a focus on highlighting potential new avenues for the development of personalised therapies for ARID1A mutant bladder tumours. ARID1A is a component of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodelling complex and functions to control many important biological processes such as transcriptional regulation, DNA damage repair (DDR), cell cycle control, regulation of the tumour microenvironment and anti-cancer immunity. ARID1A mutation is emerging as a truncal driver mutation that underlies the development of a sub-set of urothelial carcinomas, in cooperation with other driver mutations, to cause dysregulation of a number of key cellular processes. These processes represent tumour drivers but also represent potentially attractive therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Conde
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Centre - University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
| | - Ian J Frew
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Centre - University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Freiburg, and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany; Signalling Research Centre BIOSS, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany; Comprehensive Cancer Center Freiburg (CCCF), Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
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Webb T, Craigon C, Ciulli A. Targeting epigenetic modulators using PROTAC degraders: Current status and future perspective. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2022; 63:128653. [PMID: 35257896 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2022.128653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 02/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Epigenetic modulators perform critical functions in gene expression for rapid adaption to external stimuli and are prevalent in all higher-order organisms. The establishment of a link between dysregulation of epigenetic processes and disease pathogenesis, particularly in cancer, has led to much interest in identifying drug targets. This prompted the development of small molecule inhibitors, primarily in haematological malignancies. While there have been epigenetic-targeting drugs to receive FDA approval for the treatment of cancers, many suffer from limited applicability, toxicity and the onset of drug resistance, as our understanding of the biology remains incomplete. The recent advent of genome-wide RNAi and CRISPR screens has shed new light on loss of specific proteins causing vulnerabilities of specific cancer types, highlighting the potential for exploiting synthetic lethality as a therapeutic approach. However, small molecule inhibitors have largely been unable to recapitulate phenotypic effects observed using genome-wide knockdown approaches. This mechanistic disconnect and gap are set to be addressed by targeted protein degradation. Degraders such as PROTACs targeting epigenetic proteins recapitulate CRISPR mediated genetic knockdown at the post-translational level and therefore can better exploit target druggability. Here, we review the current landscape of epigenetic drug discovery, the rationale behind and progress made in the development of PROTAC degraders, and look at future perspectives for the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Webb
- Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation, Division of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee, DD1 5EH, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Conner Craigon
- Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation, Division of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee, DD1 5EH, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Alessio Ciulli
- Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation, Division of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee, DD1 5EH, Scotland, United Kingdom.
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40
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Rago F, Rodrigues LU, Bonney M, Sprouffske K, Kurth E, Elliott G, Ambrose J, Aspesi P, Oborski J, Chen JT, McDonald ER, Mapa FA, Ruddy DA, Kauffmann A, Abrams T, Bhang HEC, Jagani Z. Exquisite Sensitivity to Dual BRG1/BRM ATPase Inhibitors Reveals Broad SWI/SNF Dependencies in Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Mol Cancer Res 2021; 20:361-372. [PMID: 34799403 DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-21-0390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2021] [Revised: 10/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Various subunits of mammalian SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complexes display loss-of-function mutations characteristic of tumor suppressors in different cancers, but an additional role for SWI/SNF supporting cell survival in distinct cancer contexts is emerging. In particular, genetic dependence on the catalytic subunit BRG1/SMARCA4 has been observed in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), yet the feasibility of direct therapeutic targeting of SWI/SNF catalytic activity in leukemia remains unknown. Here, we evaluated the activity of dual BRG1/BRM ATPase inhibitors across a genetically diverse panel of cancer cell lines and observed that hematopoietic cancer cell lines were among the most sensitive compared to other lineages. This result was striking in comparison to data from pooled short hairpin RNA screens, which showed that only a subset of leukemia cell lines display sensitivity to BRG1 knockdown. We demonstrate that combined genetic knockdown of BRG1 and BRM is required to recapitulate the effects of dual inhibitors, suggesting that SWI/SNF dependency in human leukemia extends beyond a predominantly BRG1-driven mechanism. Through gene expression and chromatin accessibility studies, we show that the dual inhibitors act at genomic loci associated with oncogenic transcription factors, and observe a downregulation of leukemic pathway genes including MYC, a well-established target of BRG1 activity in AML. Overall, small molecule inhibition of BRG1/BRM induced common transcriptional responses across leukemia models resulting in a spectrum of cellular phenotypes. Implications: Our studies reveal the breadth of SWI/SNF dependency in leukemia and support targeting SWI/SNF catalytic function as a potential therapeutic strategy in AML.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Megan Bonney
- Oncology, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research
| | | | - Esther Kurth
- Oncology, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research
| | | | - Jessi Ambrose
- Oncology, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research
| | - Peter Aspesi
- Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research
| | - Justin Oborski
- High Throughput Biology, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research
| | - Julie T Chen
- Oncology, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research
| | | | - Felipa A Mapa
- Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research
| | - David A Ruddy
- Oncology Drug Discovery, Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research
| | - Audrey Kauffmann
- Oncology Disease Area, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research
| | - Tinya Abrams
- Disease Area Oncology, Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research
| | | | - Zainab Jagani
- Oncology, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research
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41
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Peinado P, Andrades A, Martorell-Marugán J, Haswell JR, Slack FJ, Carmona-Sáez P, Medina PP. The SWI/SNF complex regulates the expression of miR-222, a tumor suppressor microRNA in lung adenocarcinoma. Hum Mol Genet 2021; 30:2263-2271. [PMID: 34240140 PMCID: PMC9989735 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddab187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Revised: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
SWitch/Sucrose Non-Fermentable (SWI/SNF) chromatin remodeling complexes are key epigenetic regulators that are recurrently mutated in cancer. Most studies of these complexes are focused on their role in regulating protein-coding genes. However, here, we show that SWI/SNF complexes control the expression of microRNAs. We used a SMARCA4-deficient model of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) to track changes in the miRNome upon SMARCA4 restoration. We found that SMARCA4-SWI/SNF complexes induced significant changes in the expression of cancer-related microRNAs. The most significantly dysregulated microRNA was miR-222, whose expression was promoted by SMARCA4-SWI/SNF complexes, but not by SMARCA2-SWI/SNF complexes via their direct binding to a miR-222 enhancer region. Importantly, miR-222 expression decreased cell viability, phenocopying the tumor suppressor role of SMARCA4-SWI/SNF complexes in LUAD. Finally, we showed that the miR-222 enhancer region resides in a topologically associating domain that does not contain any cancer-related protein-coding genes, suggesting that miR-222 may be involved in exerting the tumor suppressor role of SMARCA4. Overall, this study highlights the relevant role of the SWI/SNF complex in regulating the non-coding genome, opening new insights into the pathogenesis of LUAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Peinado
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I, University of Granada, Granada 18071, Spain.,GENYO, Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research, Pfizer/University of Granada/Andalusian Regional Government, Granada 18016, Spain
| | - Alvaro Andrades
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I, University of Granada, Granada 18071, Spain.,GENYO, Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research, Pfizer/University of Granada/Andalusian Regional Government, Granada 18016, Spain
| | - Jordi Martorell-Marugán
- GENYO, Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research, Pfizer/University of Granada/Andalusian Regional Government, Granada 18016, Spain
| | - Jeffrey R Haswell
- Department of Pathology, Cancer Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Frank J Slack
- Department of Pathology, Cancer Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA 02215, USA.,Harvard Medical School Initiative for RNA Medicine, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Pedro Carmona-Sáez
- GENYO, Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research, Pfizer/University of Granada/Andalusian Regional Government, Granada 18016, Spain.,Department of Statistics, University of Granada, Granada 18071, Spain
| | - Pedro P Medina
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I, University of Granada, Granada 18071, Spain.,GENYO, Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research, Pfizer/University of Granada/Andalusian Regional Government, Granada 18016, Spain.,Health Research Institute of Granada (ibs.Granada), Granada 18012, Spain
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42
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Concepcion CP, Ma S, LaFave LM, Bhutkar A, Liu M, DeAngelo LP, Kim JY, Del Priore I, Schoenfeld AJ, Miller M, Kartha VK, Westcott PMK, Sanchez-Rivera FJ, Meli K, Gupta M, Bronson RT, Riely GJ, Rekhtman N, Rudin CM, Kim CF, Regev A, Buenrostro JD, Jacks T. SMARCA4 inactivation promotes lineage-specific transformation and early metastatic features in the lung. Cancer Discov 2021; 12:562-585. [PMID: 34561242 DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-21-0248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
SMARCA4/BRG1 encodes for one of two mutually exclusive ATPases present in mammalian SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complexes and is frequently mutated in human lung adenocarcinoma. However, the functional consequences of SMARCA4 mutation on tumor initiation, progression, and chromatin regulation in lung cancer remain poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that loss of Smarca4 sensitizes CCSP+ cells within the lung in a cell-type dependent fashion to malignant transformation and tumor progression, resulting in highly advanced dedifferentiated tumors and increased metastatic incidence. Consistent with these phenotypes, Smarca4-deficient primary tumors lack lung lineage transcription factor activities and resemble a metastatic cell state. Mechanistically, we show that Smarca4 loss impairs the function of all three classes of SWI/SNF complexes, resulting in decreased chromatin accessibility at lung lineage motifs and ultimately accelerating tumor progression. Thus, we propose that the SWI/SNF complex - via Smarca4 - acts as a gatekeeper for lineage-specific cellular transformation and metastasis during lung cancer evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla P Concepcion
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
| | | | - Lindsay M LaFave
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
| | - Arjun Bhutkar
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
| | - Manyuan Liu
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
| | - Lydia P DeAngelo
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
| | | | - Isabella Del Priore
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
| | | | - Manon Miller
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
| | | | - Peter M K Westcott
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
| | | | - Kevin Meli
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
| | | | | | | | | | - Charles M Rudin
- Druckenmiller Center for Lung Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Thoracic Oncology Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
| | - Carla F Kim
- Stem Cell Program, Harvard University, Boston Children's Hospital
| | | | | | - Tyler Jacks
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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43
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Xue Y, Morris JL, Yang K, Fu Z, Zhu X, Johnson F, Meehan B, Witkowski L, Yasmeen A, Golenar T, Coatham M, Morin G, Monast A, Pilon V, Fiset PO, Jung S, Gonzalez AV, Camilleri-Broet S, Fu L, Postovit LM, Spicer J, Gotlieb WH, Guiot MC, Rak J, Park M, Lockwood W, Foulkes WD, Prudent J, Huang S. SMARCA4/2 loss inhibits chemotherapy-induced apoptosis by restricting IP3R3-mediated Ca 2+ flux to mitochondria. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5404. [PMID: 34518526 PMCID: PMC8438089 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25260-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Inactivating mutations in SMARCA4 and concurrent epigenetic silencing of SMARCA2 characterize subsets of ovarian and lung cancers. Concomitant loss of these key subunits of SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complexes in both cancers is associated with chemotherapy resistance and poor prognosis. Here, we discover that SMARCA4/2 loss inhibits chemotherapy-induced apoptosis through disrupting intracellular organelle calcium ion (Ca2+) release in these cancers. By restricting chromatin accessibility to ITPR3, encoding Ca2+ channel IP3R3, SMARCA4/2 deficiency causes reduced IP3R3 expression leading to impaired Ca2+ transfer from the endoplasmic reticulum to mitochondria required for apoptosis induction. Reactivation of SMARCA2 by a histone deacetylase inhibitor rescues IP3R3 expression and enhances cisplatin response in SMARCA4/2-deficient cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo. Our findings elucidate the contribution of SMARCA4/2 to Ca2+-dependent apoptosis induction, which may be exploited to enhance chemotherapy response in SMARCA4/2-deficient cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yibo Xue
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Research Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Division of Medical Genetics, McGill University Health Centre, and Cancer Research Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Jordan L Morris
- Medical Research Council Mitochondrial Biology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Kangning Yang
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Research Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Zheng Fu
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Research Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Xianbing Zhu
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Research Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Fraser Johnson
- Department of Integrative Oncology, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Interdisciplinary Oncology Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Brian Meehan
- Department of Pediatrics, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal Children's Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Leora Witkowski
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Specialized Medicine, Lady Davis Institute, Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Amber Yasmeen
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Segal Cancer Center, Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Tunde Golenar
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Research Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Mackenzie Coatham
- Department of Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Geneviève Morin
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Research Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Anie Monast
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Research Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Virginie Pilon
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Research Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Sungmi Jung
- Department of Pathology, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Anne V Gonzalez
- Department of Medicine, Division of Respiratory Medicine, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal Chest Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Lili Fu
- Department of Pathology, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Lynne-Marie Postovit
- Department of Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Jonathan Spicer
- Department of Surgery, McGill University Health Center, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Walter H Gotlieb
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Segal Cancer Center, Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Marie-Christine Guiot
- Department of Pathology, Montreal Neurological Hospital/Institute, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Janusz Rak
- Department of Pediatrics, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal Children's Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Morag Park
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Research Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - William Lockwood
- Department of Integrative Oncology, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Interdisciplinary Oncology Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - William D Foulkes
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Division of Medical Genetics, McGill University Health Centre, and Cancer Research Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Specialized Medicine, Lady Davis Institute, Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Julien Prudent
- Medical Research Council Mitochondrial Biology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Sidong Huang
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
- Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Research Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
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44
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The BAF chromatin remodeling complexes: structure, function, and synthetic lethalities. Biochem Soc Trans 2021; 49:1489-1503. [PMID: 34431497 DOI: 10.1042/bst20190960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
BAF complexes are multi-subunit chromatin remodelers, which have a fundamental role in genomic regulation. Large-scale sequencing efforts have revealed frequent BAF complex mutations in many human diseases, particularly in cancer and neurological disorders. These findings not only underscore the importance of the BAF chromatin remodelers in cellular physiological processes, but urge a more detailed understanding of their structure and molecular action to enable the development of targeted therapeutic approaches for diseases with BAF complex alterations. Here, we review recent progress in understanding the composition, assembly, structure, and function of BAF complexes, and the consequences of their disease-associated mutations. Furthermore, we highlight intra-complex subunit dependencies and synthetic lethal interactions, which have emerged as promising treatment modalities for BAF-related diseases.
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45
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Wang FJ, Jing YH, Cheng CS, Cao ZQ, Jiao JY, Chen Z. HELLS serves as a poor prognostic biomarker and its downregulation reserves the malignant phenotype in pancreatic cancer. BMC Med Genomics 2021; 14:189. [PMID: 34315468 PMCID: PMC8314468 DOI: 10.1186/s12920-021-01043-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND SMARCAs, belonged to SWI/SNF2 subfamilies, are critical to cellular processes due to their modulation of chromatin remodeling processes. Although SMARCAs are implicated in the tumor progression of various cancer types, our understanding of how those members affect pancreatic carcinogenesis is quite limited and improving this requires bioinformatics analysis and biology approaches. METHODS To address this issue, we investigated the transcriptional and survival data of SMARCAs in patients with pancreatic cancer using ONCOMINE, GEPIA, Human Protein Atlas, and Kaplan-Meier plotter. We further verified the effect of significant biomarker on pancreatic cancer in vitro through functional experiment. RESULTS The Kaplan-Meier curve and log-rank test analyses showed a positive correlation between SMARCA1/2/3/SMARCAD1 and patients' overall survival (OS). On the other hand, mRNA expression of SMARCA6 (also known as HELLS) showed a negative correlation with OS. Meanwhile, no significant correlation was found between SMARCA4/5/SMARCAL1 and tumor stages and OS. The knockdown of HELLS impaired the colony formation ability, and inhibited pancreatic cancer cell proliferation by arresting cells at S phase. CONCLUSIONS Data mining analysis and cell function research demonstrated that HELLS played oncogenic roles in the development and progression of pancreatic cancer, and serve as a poor prognostic biomarker for pancreatic cancer. Our work laid a foundation for further clinical applications of HELLS in pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng-Jiao Wang
- Department of Integrative Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, 270 Dong An Road, Shanghai, 200032 China
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032 China
| | - Yan-Hua Jing
- Department of Integrative Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, 270 Dong An Road, Shanghai, 200032 China
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032 China
| | - Chien-Shan Cheng
- Department of Integrative Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, 270 Dong An Road, Shanghai, 200032 China
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032 China
| | - Zhang-Qi Cao
- Department of Integrative Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, 270 Dong An Road, Shanghai, 200032 China
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032 China
| | - Ju-Ying Jiao
- Department of Integrative Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, 270 Dong An Road, Shanghai, 200032 China
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032 China
| | - Zhen Chen
- Department of Integrative Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, 270 Dong An Road, Shanghai, 200032 China
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032 China
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46
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Boyson SP, Gao C, Quinn K, Boyd J, Paculova H, Frietze S, Glass KC. Functional Roles of Bromodomain Proteins in Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:3606. [PMID: 34298819 PMCID: PMC8303718 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13143606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Revised: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Histone acetylation is generally associated with an open chromatin configuration that facilitates many cellular processes including gene transcription, DNA repair, and DNA replication. Aberrant levels of histone lysine acetylation are associated with the development of cancer. Bromodomains represent a family of structurally well-characterized effector domains that recognize acetylated lysines in chromatin. As part of their fundamental reader activity, bromodomain-containing proteins play versatile roles in epigenetic regulation, and additional functional modules are often present in the same protein, or through the assembly of larger enzymatic complexes. Dysregulated gene expression, chromosomal translocations, and/or mutations in bromodomain-containing proteins have been correlated with poor patient outcomes in cancer. Thus, bromodomains have emerged as a highly tractable class of epigenetic targets due to their well-defined structural domains, and the increasing ease of designing or screening for molecules that modulate the reading process. Recent developments in pharmacological agents that target specific bromodomains has helped to understand the diverse mechanisms that bromodomains play with their interaction partners in a variety of chromatin processes, and provide the promise of applying bromodomain inhibitors into the clinical field of cancer treatment. In this review, we explore the expression and protein interactome profiles of bromodomain-containing proteins and discuss them in terms of functional groups. Furthermore, we highlight our current understanding of the roles of bromodomain-containing proteins in cancer, as well as emerging strategies to specifically target bromodomains, including combination therapies using bromodomain inhibitors alongside traditional therapeutic approaches designed to re-program tumorigenesis and metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel P. Boyson
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Colchester, VT 05446, USA;
- Department of Pharmacology, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA;
| | - Cong Gao
- Department of Biomedical and Health Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA; (C.G.); (J.B.); (H.P.)
| | - Kathleen Quinn
- Department of Pharmacology, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA;
- Department of Biomedical and Health Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA; (C.G.); (J.B.); (H.P.)
| | - Joseph Boyd
- Department of Biomedical and Health Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA; (C.G.); (J.B.); (H.P.)
| | - Hana Paculova
- Department of Biomedical and Health Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA; (C.G.); (J.B.); (H.P.)
| | - Seth Frietze
- Department of Biomedical and Health Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA; (C.G.); (J.B.); (H.P.)
- University of Vermont Cancer Center, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
| | - Karen C. Glass
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Colchester, VT 05446, USA;
- Department of Pharmacology, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA;
- University of Vermont Cancer Center, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
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47
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Giardina SF, Valdambrini E, Warren JD, Barany F. PROTACs: Promising Approaches for Epigenetic Strategies to Overcome Drug Resistance. Curr Cancer Drug Targets 2021; 21:306-325. [PMID: 33535953 DOI: 10.2174/1568009621666210203110857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Revised: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Epigenetic modulation of gene expression is essential for tissue-specific development and maintenance in mammalian cells. Disruption of epigenetic processes, and the subsequent alteration of gene functions, can result in inappropriate activation or inhibition of various cellular signaling pathways, leading to cancer. Recent advancements in the understanding of the role of epigenetics in cancer initiation and progression have uncovered functions for DNA methylation, histone modifications, nucleosome positioning, and non-coding RNAs. Epigenetic therapies have shown some promise for hematological malignancies, and a wide range of epigenetic-based drugs are undergoing clinical trials. However, in a dynamic survival strategy, cancer cells exploit their heterogeneous population which frequently results in the rapid acquisition of therapy resistance. Here, we describe novel approaches in drug discovery targeting the epigenome, highlighting recent advances the selective degradation of target proteins using Proteolysis Targeting Chimera (PROTAC) to address drug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah F Giardina
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, 1300 York Ave, Box 62, New York, NY, United States
| | - Elena Valdambrini
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, 1300 York Ave, Box 62, New York, NY, United States
| | - J David Warren
- Department of Biochemistry, Weill Cornell Medicine, 1300 York Ave, Box 63, New York, NY, 10065, United States
| | - Francis Barany
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, 1300 York Ave, Box 62, New York, NY, United States
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48
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Garnar-Wortzel L, Bishop TR, Kitamura S, Milosevich N, Asiaban JN, Zhang X, Zheng Q, Chen E, Ramos AR, Ackerman CJ, Hampton EN, Chatterjee AK, Young TS, Hull MV, Sharpless KB, Cravatt BF, Wolan DW, Erb MA. Chemical Inhibition of ENL/AF9 YEATS Domains in Acute Leukemia. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2021; 7:815-830. [PMID: 34079898 PMCID: PMC8161486 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.0c01550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Transcriptional coregulators, which mediate chromatin-dependent transcriptional signaling, represent tractable targets to modulate tumorigenic gene expression programs with small molecules. Genetic loss-of-function studies have recently implicated the transcriptional coactivator, ENL, as a selective requirement for the survival of acute leukemia and highlighted an essential role for its chromatin reader YEATS domain. Motivated by these discoveries, we executed a screen of nearly 300,000 small molecules and identified an amido-imidazopyridine inhibitor of the ENL YEATS domain (IC50 = 7 μM). Improvements to the initial screening hit were enabled by adopting and expanding upon a SuFEx-based approach to high-throughput medicinal chemistry, ultimately demonstrating that it is compatible with cell-based drug discovery. Through these efforts, we discovered SR-0813, a potent and selective ENL/AF9 YEATS domain inhibitor (IC50 = 25 nM). Armed with this tool and a first-in-class ENL PROTAC, SR-1114, we detailed the biological response of AML cells to pharmacological ENL disruption for the first time. Most notably, we discovered that ENL YEATS inhibition is sufficient to selectively suppress ENL target genes, including HOXA9/10, MYB, MYC, and a number of other leukemia proto-oncogenes. Cumulatively, our study establishes YEATS domain inhibition as a viable approach to disrupt the pathogenic function of ENL in acute leukemia and provides the first thoroughly characterized chemical probe for the ENL YEATS domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leopold Garnar-Wortzel
- Department
of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Timothy R. Bishop
- Department
of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Seiya Kitamura
- Department
of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research
Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
- Department
of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Natalia Milosevich
- Department
of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Joshua N. Asiaban
- Department
of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Xiaoyu Zhang
- Department
of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Qinheng Zheng
- Department
of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Emily Chen
- California
Institute for Biomedical Research, The Scripps
Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Anissa R. Ramos
- Department
of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Christopher J. Ackerman
- California
Institute for Biomedical Research, The Scripps
Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Eric N. Hampton
- California
Institute for Biomedical Research, The Scripps
Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Arnab K. Chatterjee
- California
Institute for Biomedical Research, The Scripps
Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Travis S. Young
- California
Institute for Biomedical Research, The Scripps
Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Mitchell V. Hull
- California
Institute for Biomedical Research, The Scripps
Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - K. Barry Sharpless
- Department
of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Benjamin F. Cravatt
- Department
of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Dennis W. Wolan
- Department
of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research
Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
- Department
of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Michael A. Erb
- Department
of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
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49
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Clapier CR. Sophisticated Conversations between Chromatin and Chromatin Remodelers, and Dissonances in Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:5578. [PMID: 34070411 PMCID: PMC8197500 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22115578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Revised: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The establishment and maintenance of genome packaging into chromatin contribute to define specific cellular identity and function. Dynamic regulation of chromatin organization and nucleosome positioning are critical to all DNA transactions-in particular, the regulation of gene expression-and involve the cooperative action of sequence-specific DNA-binding factors, histone modifying enzymes, and remodelers. Remodelers are molecular machines that generate various chromatin landscapes, adjust nucleosome positioning, and alter DNA accessibility by using ATP binding and hydrolysis to perform DNA translocation, which is highly regulated through sophisticated structural and functional conversations with nucleosomes. In this review, I first present the functional and structural diversity of remodelers, while emphasizing the basic mechanism of DNA translocation, the common regulatory aspects, and the hand-in-hand progressive increase in complexity of the regulatory conversations between remodelers and nucleosomes that accompanies the increase in challenges of remodeling processes. Next, I examine how, through nucleosome positioning, remodelers guide the regulation of gene expression. Finally, I explore various aspects of how alterations/mutations in remodelers introduce dissonance into the conversations between remodelers and nucleosomes, modify chromatin organization, and contribute to oncogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cedric R Clapier
- Department of Oncological Sciences & Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah School of Medicine, 2000 Circle of Hope, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
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Isidro RA, Dong F, Hornick JL, Wee JO, Agoston A, Patil DT, Deshpande V, Zhao L. Verrucous carcinoma of the oesophagus is a genetically distinct subtype of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Histopathology 2021; 79:642-649. [PMID: 33960520 DOI: 10.1111/his.14395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
AIMS Oesophageal verrucous carcinoma (VSCC) is a rare and morphologically distinct type of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Diagnosing VSCC on biopsy material is challenging, given the lack of significant atypia and the presence of keratinising epithelium and exophytic growth. The molecular pathogenesis of VSCC remains unclear. The aim of this study was to characterise the genomic landscape of VSCC in comparison to conventional oesophageal SCC. METHODS AND RESULTS Three cases of VSCC from the Brigham and Women's Hospital pathology archive were identified. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumour tissue was used for p16 immunohistochemistry (IHC), high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) in-situ mRNA hybridisation (ISH) and DNA isolation. Tumour DNA was sequenced using a targeted massively parallel sequencing assay enriched for cancer-associated genes. Three additional cases of VSCC were identified by image review of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) oesophageal SCC cohort. VSCC cases were negative for p16 IHC and high-risk HPV ISH. TP53 mutations (P < 0.001) and copy number variants (CNVs) for CDKN2A (P < 0.001), CDKN2B (P < 0.01) and CCND1 (P < 0.01) were absent in VSCC and significantly less frequent in comparison to conventional SCC. Five VSCC cases featured SMARCA4 missense mutations or in-frame deletions compared to only four of 88 conventional SCC cases (P < 0.001). VSCC featured driver mutations in PIK3CA, HRAS and GNAS. Recurrent CNVs were rare in VSCC. CONCLUSIONS VSCC is not only morphologically but also genetically distinct from conventional oesophageal SCC, featuring frequent SMARCA4 mutations and infrequent TP53 mutations or CDKN2A/B CNVs. Molecular findings may aid in establishing the challenging diagnosis of VSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raymond A Isidro
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Fei Dong
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jason L Hornick
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jon O Wee
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Agoston Agoston
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Deepa T Patil
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Vikram Deshpande
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lei Zhao
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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