1
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Yang Y, Xu L, Zhang S, Yao L, Ding Y, Li W, Chen X. Structural studies of WDR5 in complex with MBD3C WIN motif reveal a unique binding mode. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:107468. [PMID: 38876301 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 05/20/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024] Open
Abstract
The nucleosome remodeling and deacetylase (NuRD) complex plays a pivotal role in chromatin regulation and transcriptional repression. In mice, methyl-CpG binding domain 3 isoform C (MBD3C) interacts specifically with the histone H3 binding protein WD repeat-containing protein 5 (WDR5) and forms the WDR5-MBD3C/Norde complex. Despite the functional significance of this interaction on embryonic stem cell gene regulation, the molecular mechanism underlying MBD3C recognition by WDR5 remains elusive. Here, we determined the crystal structure of WDR5 in complex with the peptide (residues 40-51) derived from the MBD3C protein at a resolution of 1.9 Å. Structural analysis revealed that MBD3C utilizes a unique binding mode to interact with WDR5, wherein MBD3C Arg43 and Phe47 are involved in recognizing the WDR5-interacting (WIN) site and Tyr191-related B site on the small surface of WDR5, respectively. Notably, the binding induces a ∼91° rotation of WDR5 Tyr191, generating the hydrophobic B site. Furthermore, mutation experiments combined with isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) assays confirmed the importance of both Arg43 and Phe47 in mediating WDR5 binding affinity. By determining structures of various peptides bound to WDR5, we demonstrated that the WDR5 WIN site and B site can be concurrently recognized by WIN motif peptides containing ''Arg-Cies/Ser-Arg-Val-Phe'' consensus sequence. Overall, this study reveals the structural basis for the formation of the WDR5-MBD3C subcomplex and provides new insights into the recognition mode of WDR5 for the WIN motif. Moreover, these findings shed light on structural-based designs of WDR5-targeted anti-cancer small molecule inhibitors or peptide-mimic drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Yang
- School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
| | - Li Xu
- Institute of Biotechnology and Health, Beijing Academy of Science and Technology, Beijing, China.
| | - Shuting Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Liangrui Yao
- School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Yuqing Ding
- School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Wenwen Li
- School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Xuemin Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
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2
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Pai CP, Wang H, Seachrist DD, Agarwal N, Adams JA, Liu Z, Keri RA, Cao K, Schiemann WP, Kao HY. The PML1-WDR5 axis regulates H3K4me3 marks and promotes stemness of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. Cell Death Differ 2024; 31:768-778. [PMID: 38627584 PMCID: PMC11164886 DOI: 10.1038/s41418-024-01294-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/30/2024] Open
Abstract
The alternative splicing of PML precursor mRNA gives rise to various PML isoforms, yet their expression profile in breast cancer cells remains uncharted. We discovered that PML1 is the most abundant isoform in all breast cancer subtypes, and its expression is associated with unfavorable prognosis in estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancers. PML depletion reduces cell proliferation, invasion, and stemness, while heterologous PML1 expression augments these processes and fuels tumor growth and resistance to fulvestrant, an FDA-approved drug for ER+ breast cancer, in a mouse model. Moreover, PML1, rather than the well-known tumor suppressor isoform PML4, rescues the proliferation of PML knockdown cells. ChIP-seq analysis reveals significant overlap between PML-, ER-, and Myc-bound promoters, suggesting their coordinated regulation of target gene expression, including genes involved in breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs), such as JAG1, KLF4, YAP1, SNAI1, and MYC. Loss of PML reduces BCSC-related gene expression, and exogenous PML1 expression elevates their expression. Consistently, PML1 restores the association of PML with these promoters in PML-depleted cells. We identified a novel association between PML1 and WDR5, a key component of H3K4 methyltransferase (HMTs) complexes that catalyze H3K4me1 and H3K4me3. ChIP-seq analyses showed that the loss of PML1 reduces H3K4me3 in numerous loci, including BCSC-associated gene promoters. Additionally, PML1, not PML4, re-establishes the H3K4me3 mark on these promoters in PML-depleted cells. Significantly, PML1 is essential for recruiting WDR5, MLL1, and MLL2 to these gene promoters. Inactivating WDR5 by knockdown or inhibitors phenocopies the effects of PML1 loss, reducing BCSC-related gene expression and tumorsphere formation and enhancing fulvestrant's anticancer activity. Our findings challenge the conventional understanding of PML as a tumor suppressor, redefine its role as a promoter of tumor growth in breast cancer, and offer new insights into the unique roles of PML isoforms in breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Peng Pai
- Departments of Biochemistry, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Han Wang
- Departments of Biochemistry, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Darcie D Seachrist
- Department of Cancer Biology, Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA
- Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Neel Agarwal
- Departments of Biochemistry, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Joshua A Adams
- Departments of Biochemistry, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Zhenghao Liu
- Departments of Biochemistry, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Ruth A Keri
- Department of Cancer Biology, Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA
- Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
- Departments of Molecular Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Kaixiang Cao
- Departments of Biochemistry, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
- Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - William P Schiemann
- Departments of Biochemistry, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
- Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Hung-Ying Kao
- Departments of Biochemistry, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
- Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
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3
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Huang X, Zhang C, Shang X, Chen Y, Xiao Q, Wei Z, Wang G, Zhen X, Xu G, Min J, Shen S, Liu Y. The NTE domain of PTENα/β promotes cancer progression by interacting with WDR5 via its SSSRRSS motif. Cell Death Dis 2024; 15:335. [PMID: 38744853 PMCID: PMC11094138 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-024-06714-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2024] [Revised: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
PTENα/β, two variants of PTEN, play a key role in promoting tumor growth by interacting with WDR5 through their N-terminal extensions (NTEs). This interaction facilitates the recruitment of the SET1/MLL methyltransferase complex, resulting in histone H3K4 trimethylation and upregulation of oncogenes such as NOTCH3, which in turn promotes tumor growth. However, the molecular mechanism underlying this interaction has remained elusive. In this study, we determined the first crystal structure of PTENα-NTE in complex with WDR5, which reveals that PTENα utilizes a unique binding motif of a sequence SSSRRSS found in the NTE domain of PTENα/β to specifically bind to the WIN site of WDR5. Disruption of this interaction significantly impedes cell proliferation and tumor growth, highlighting the potential of the WIN site inhibitors of WDR5 as a way of therapeutic intervention of the PTENα/β associated cancers. These findings not only shed light on the important role of the PTENα/β-WDR5 interaction in carcinogenesis, but also present a promising avenue for developing cancer treatments that target this pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolei Huang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases, Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Precision Diagnostics and Therapeutics Development, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, 215123, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Cheng Zhang
- Institute of Aging & Tissue Regeneration, Ren-Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (SJTU-SM), 200127, Shanghai, China
| | - Xinci Shang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases, Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Precision Diagnostics and Therapeutics Development, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, 215123, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yichang Chen
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases, Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Precision Diagnostics and Therapeutics Development, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, 215123, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Qin Xiao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases, Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Precision Diagnostics and Therapeutics Development, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, 215123, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zhengguo Wei
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Science, Soochow University, 215123, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Guanghui Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases, Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Precision Diagnostics and Therapeutics Development, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, 215123, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xuechu Zhen
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases, Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Precision Diagnostics and Therapeutics Development, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, 215123, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Guoqiang Xu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases, Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Precision Diagnostics and Therapeutics Development, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, 215123, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jinrong Min
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, 430079, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Shaoming Shen
- Institute of Aging & Tissue Regeneration, Ren-Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (SJTU-SM), 200127, Shanghai, China.
| | - Yanli Liu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases, Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Precision Diagnostics and Therapeutics Development, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, 215123, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China.
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4
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Nagar A, Dubey A, Sharma A, Singh M. Exploring promising natural compounds for breast cancer treatment: in silico molecular docking targeting WDR5-MYC protein interaction. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024:1-15. [PMID: 38356140 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2024.2317975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Cancer is an aberrant differentiation of normal cells, characterized by uncontrolled growth and the potential to acquire invasive and aggressive properties that ultimately lead to metastasis. In the realm of scientific exploration, a multitude of pathways has been investigated and targeted by researchers, among which one specific pathway is recognized as WDR5-MYC. Continuous investigations and research show that WDR5-MYC is a therapeutic target protein. Hence, the discovery of naturally occurring compounds with anticancer properties has been suggested as a rapid and efficient alternative for the development of anticancerous therapeutics. A virtual screening approach was used to identify the most potent compounds from the NP-lib database at the MTiOpenScreen webserver against WDR5-MYC. This process yielded a total of 304 identified compounds. Subsequently, after screening, four potent compounds, namely Estrone (ZINC000003869899), Ethyl-1,2-benzanthracene (ZINC000003157052), Strychnine (ZINC000000119434) and 7H-DIBENZO [C, G] CARBAZOLE (ZINC000001562130), along with a cocrystallized 5-[4-(trifluoromethyl) phenyl]-1H-tetrazole inhibitor (QBP) as a reference ligand, were considered for stringent molecular docking. Thus, each compound exhibited significant docking energy between -8.2 and -7.7 kcal/mol and molecular contacts with essential residue Asn225, Lys250, Ser267 and Lys272 in the active pocket of WDR5-MYC against the QBP inhibitor (the native ligand QBP serves as a reference in the comparative analysis of docked complexes). The results support the potent compounds for drug-likeness and strong binding affinity with WDR5-MYC protein. Further, the stability of the selected compounds was predicted by molecular dynamics simulation (100 ns) contributed by intermolecular hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions. This demonstrates the potential of the selected compounds to be used against breast cancer treatment.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amka Nagar
- Department of Life Sciences, Sharda School of Basic Sciences and Research, Sharda University, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Amit Dubey
- Department of Pharmacology, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
- Computational Chemistry and Drug Discovery Division, Quanta Calculus, India
| | - Ankur Sharma
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
| | - Mohini Singh
- Department of Life Sciences, Sharda School of Basic Sciences and Research, Sharda University, Uttar Pradesh, India
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5
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Ebrahimnejad P, Mohammadi Z, Babaei A, Ahmadi M, Amirkhanloo S, Asare-Addo K, Nokhodchid A. Novel Strategies Using Sagacious Targeting for Site-Specific Drug Delivery in Breast Cancer Treatment: Clinical Potential and Applications. Crit Rev Ther Drug Carrier Syst 2024; 41:35-84. [PMID: 37824418 DOI: 10.1615/critrevtherdrugcarriersyst.v41.i1.20] [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: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
For more than a decade, researchers have been working to achieve new strategies and smart targeting drug delivery techniques and technologies to treat breast cancer (BC). Nanotechnology presents a hopeful strategy for targeted drug delivery into the building of new therapeutics using the properties of nanomaterials. Nanoparticles are of high regard in the field of diagnosis and the treatment of cancer. The use of these nanoparticles as an encouraging approach in the treatment of various cancers has drawn the interest of researchers in recent years. In order to achieve the maximum therapeutic effectiveness in the treatment of BC, combination therapy has also been adopted, leading to minimal side effects and thus an enhancement in the quality of life for patients. This review article compares, discusses and criticizes the approaches to treat BC using novel design strategies and smart targeting of site-specific drug delivery systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedram Ebrahimnejad
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran; Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Hemoglobinopathy Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - Zahra Mohammadi
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - Amirhossein Babaei
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - Melika Ahmadi
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - Shervin Amirkhanloo
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - Kofi Asare-Addo
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, UK
| | - Ali Nokhodchid
- Lupin Pharmaceutical Research Center, Coral Springs, Florida, USA; Pharmaceutics Research Lab, Arundel Building, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
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6
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Nguyen DH. Role of Endorphins in Breast Cancer Pathogenesis and Recovery. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2024; 35:87-106. [PMID: 38874719 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-45493-6_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2024]
Abstract
Understanding the relationship between stress and breast cancer development is essential to preventing and alleviating the cancer. Recent research has shed light on the cognitive, physiological, cellular, and molecular underpinnings of how the endorphin pathway and stress pathway affect breast cancer. This chapter consists of two parts. Part 1 will discuss the role of endorphins in breast cancer development. This includes a discussion of three topics: (1) the neurophysiological effect of endorphins on breast tumor growth in vivo, along with further experiments that will deepen our knowledge of how β-endorphin affects breast cancer; (2) how both the opioid receptor and somatostatin receptor classes alter intracellular signaling in breast cancer cells; and (3) genetic alleles in the opioid signaling pathway that are correlated with increased breast cancer risk. Part 2 will discuss the role of endorphins in recovery from breast cancer. This includes a discussion of three topics: (1) the relationship between breast cancer diagnosis and depression; (2) the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy in reducing stress in breast cancer patients; and (3) the effect of psychotherapy and exercise on preserving telomere length in breast cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- David H Nguyen
- BrainScanology, Inc, Concord, CA, USA.
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.
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7
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Teuscher KB, Mills JJ, Tian J, Han C, Meyers KM, Sai J, South TM, Crow MM, Van Meveren M, Sensintaffar JL, Zhao B, Amporndanai K, Moore WJ, Stott GM, Tansey WP, Lee T, Fesik SW. Structure-Based Discovery of Potent, Orally Bioavailable Benzoxazepinone-Based WD Repeat Domain 5 Inhibitors. J Med Chem 2023; 66:16783-16806. [PMID: 38085679 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c01529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
The chromatin-associated protein WDR5 (WD repeat domain 5) is an essential cofactor for MYC and a conserved regulator of ribosome protein gene transcription. It is also a high-profile target for anti-cancer drug discovery, with proposed utility against both solid and hematological malignancies. We have previously discovered potent dihydroisoquinolinone-based WDR5 WIN-site inhibitors with demonstrated efficacy and safety in animal models. In this study, we sought to optimize the bicyclic core to discover a novel series of WDR5 WIN-site inhibitors with improved potency and physicochemical properties. We identified the 3,4-dihydrobenzo[f][1,4]oxazepin-5(2H)-one core as an alternative scaffold for potent WDR5 inhibitors. Additionally, we used X-ray structural analysis to design partially saturated bicyclic P7 units. These benzoxazepinone-based inhibitors exhibited increased cellular potency and selectivity and favorable physicochemical properties compared to our best-in-class dihydroisoquinolinone-based counterparts. This study opens avenues to discover more advanced WDR5 WIN-site inhibitors and supports their development as novel anti-cancer therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jianhua Tian
- Molecular Design and Synthesis Center, Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0142, United States
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - William J Moore
- Chemical Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland 21702-1201, United States
| | - Gordon M Stott
- Leidos Biomedical Research, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland 21701-4907, United States
| | | | | | - Stephen W Fesik
- Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0142, United States
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8
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Yu X, Li D, Kottur J, Kim HS, Herring LE, Yu Y, Xie L, Hu X, Chen X, Cai L, Liu J, Aggarwal AK, Wang GG, Jin J. Discovery of Potent and Selective WDR5 Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras as Potential Therapeutics for Pancreatic Cancer. J Med Chem 2023; 66:16168-16186. [PMID: 38019706 PMCID: PMC10872723 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c01521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
As a core chromatin-regulatory scaffolding protein, WDR5 mediates numerous protein-protein interactions (PPIs) with other partner oncoproteins. However, small-molecule inhibitors that block these PPIs exert limited cell-killing effects. Here, we report structure-activity relationship studies in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells that led to the discovery of several WDR5 proteolysis-targeting chimer (PROTAC) degraders, including 11 (MS132), a highly potent and selective von Hippel-Lindau (VHL)-recruiting WDR5 degrader, which displayed positive binding cooperativity between WDR5 and VHL, effectively inhibited proliferation in PDAC cells, and was bioavailable in mice and 25, a cereblon (CRBN)-recruiting WDR5 degrader, which selectively degraded WDR5 over the CRBN neo-substrate IKZF1. Furthermore, by conducting site-directed mutagenesis studies, we determined that WDR5 K296, but not K32, was involved in the PROTAC-induced WDR5 degradation. Collectively, these studies resulted in a highly effective WDR5 degrader, which could be a potential therapeutic for pancreatic cancer and several potentially useful tool compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xufen Yu
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
- Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
| | - Dongxu Li
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Jithesh Kottur
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
- Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
| | - Huen Suk Kim
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
- Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
| | - Laura E Herring
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Yao Yu
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
- Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina 27710, United States
- Department of Pathology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina 27710, United States
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina 27710, United States
| | - Ling Xie
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Xiaoping Hu
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
- Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
| | - Xian Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Ling Cai
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
- Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina 27710, United States
- Department of Pathology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina 27710, United States
| | - Jing Liu
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
- Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
| | - Aneel K Aggarwal
- Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
| | - Gang Greg Wang
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
- Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina 27710, United States
- Department of Pathology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina 27710, United States
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina 27710, United States
| | - Jian Jin
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
- Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
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9
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Genna A, Alter J, Poletti M, Meirson T, Sneh T, Gendler M, Saleev N, Karagiannis GS, Wang Y, Cox D, Entenberg D, Oktay MH, Korcsmaros T, Condeelis JS, Gil-Henn H. FAK family proteins regulate in vivo breast cancer metastasis via distinct mechanisms. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.27.564212. [PMID: 37961438 PMCID: PMC10634866 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.27.564212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy and the major leading cause of tumor-related deaths in women. It is estimated that the majority of breast tumor-related deaths are a consequence of metastasis, to which no cure exists at present. The FAK family proteins Proline-rich tyrosine kinase (PYK2) and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) are highly expressed in breast cancer, but the exact cellular and signaling mechanisms by which they regulate in vivo tumor cell invasiveness and consequent metastatic dissemination are mostly unknown. Using a PYK2 and FAK knockdown xenograft model we show here, for the first time, that ablation of either PYK2 or FAK decreases primary tumor size and significantly reduces Tumor MicroEnvironment of Metastasis (TMEM) doorway activation, leading to decreased intravasation and reduced spontaneous lung metastasis. Intravital imaging analysis further demonstrates that PYK2, but not FAK, regulates a motility phenotype switch between focal adhesion-mediated fast motility and invadopodia-dependent, ECM-degradation associated slow motility within the primary tumor. Furthermore, we validate our in vivo and intravital imaging results with integrated transcriptomic and proteomic data analysis from xenograft knockdown tumors and reveal new and distinct pathways by which these two homologous kinases regulate breast tumor cell invasiveness and consequent metastatic dissemination. Our findings identify PYK2 and FAK as novel mediators of mammary tumor progression and metastasis and as candidate therapeutic targets for breast cancer metastasis.
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10
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Kao HY, Pai CP, Wang H, Agarwal N, Adams J, Liu Z, Seachrist D, Keri R, Schiemann W. The PML1-WDR5 axis regulates H3K4me3 marks and promotes stemness of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-3266720. [PMID: 37720048 PMCID: PMC10503857 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3266720/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
The alternative splicing of PML precursor mRNA gives rise to various PML isoforms, yet their expression profile in breast cancer cells remains uncharted. We discovered that PML1 is the most abundant isoform in all breast cancer subtypes, and its expression is associated with unfavorable prognosis in estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancers. PML depletion reduces cell proliferation, invasion, and stemness, while heterologous PML1 expression augments these processes and fuels tumor growth and resistance to fulvestrant, an FDA-approved drug for ER + breast cancer, in a mouse model. Moreover, PML1, rather than the well-known tumor suppressor isoform PML4, rescues the proliferation of PML knockdown cells. ChIP-seq analysis reveals significant overlap between PML-, ER-, and Myc-bound promoters, suggesting their coordinated regulation of target gene expression, including genes involved in breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs), such as JAG1, KLF4, YAP1, SNAI1, and MYC. Loss of PML reduces BCSC-related gene expression, and exogenous PML1 expression elevates their expression. Consistently, PML1 restores the association of PML with these promoters in PML-depleted cells. We identified a novel association between PML1 and WDR5, a key component of H3K4 methyltransferase (HMTs) complexes that catalyze H3K4me1 and H3K4me3. ChIP-seq analyses showed that the loss of PML1 reduces H3K4me3 in numerous loci, including BCSC-associated gene promoters. Additionally, PML1, not PML4, re-establishes the H3K4me3 mark on these promoters in PML-depleted cells. Significantly, PML1 is essential for recruiting WDR5, MLL1, and MLL2 to these gene promoters. Inactivating WDR5 by knockdown or inhibitors phenocopies the effects of PML1 loss, reducing BCSC-related gene expression and tumorsphere formation and enhancing fulvestrant's anticancer activity. Our findings challenge the conventional understanding of PML as a tumor suppressor, redefine its role as a promoter of tumor growth in breast cancer and offer new insights into the unique roles of PML isoforms in breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Joshua Adams
- Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
| | | | | | - Ruth Keri
- Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute
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11
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Liu L, Guo X, Wang Y, Li G, Yu Y, Song Y, Zeng C, Ding Z, Qiu Y, Yan F, Zhang YX, Zhao C, Zhang Y, Dou Y, Atadja P, Li E, Wang H. Loss of Wdr5 attenuates MLL-rearranged leukemogenesis by suppressing Myc targets. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2023; 1869:166600. [PMID: 36402263 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2022.166600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
WD repeat domain 5 (WDR5) is a prominent target for pharmacological inhibition in cancer through its scaffolding role with various oncogenic partners such as MLL and MYC. WDR5-related drug discovery efforts center on blocking these binding interfaces or degradation have been devoted to developing small-molecule inhibitors or degraders of WDR5 for cancer treatment. Nevertheless, the precise role of WDR5 in these cancer cells has not been well elucidated genetically. Here, by using an MLL-AF9 murine leukemia model, we found that genetically deletion of Wdr5 impairs cell growth and colony forming ability of MLL-AF9 leukemia cells in vitro or ex vivo and attenuates the leukemogenesis in vivo as well, which acts through direct regulation of ribosomal genes. Pharmacological inhibition of Wdr5 recapitulates genetic study results in the same model. In conclusion, our current study demonstrated the first genetic evidence for the indispensable role of Wdr5 in MLL-r leukemogenesis in vivo, which supports therapeutically targeting WDR5 in MLL-rearranged leukemia by strengthening its disease linkage genetically and deepening insights into its mechanism of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lulu Liu
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 181 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 4218 Jinke Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Xin Guo
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 4218 Jinke Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Yao Wang
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 4218 Jinke Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Guo Li
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 4218 Jinke Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Yanyan Yu
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 4218 Jinke Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Yang Song
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 4218 Jinke Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Chenhui Zeng
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 4218 Jinke Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Zhilou Ding
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 4218 Jinke Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Yuanjun Qiu
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 4218 Jinke Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Feifei Yan
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 181 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 4218 Jinke Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Yi-Xiang Zhang
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 4218 Jinke Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Caiqi Zhao
- Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, 320 Yueyang Road, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of Hematology, Shanghai General Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University, No. 650 Songjiang Road, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Yali Dou
- Department of Medicine, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, 1441 Eastlake Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
| | - Peter Atadja
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 4218 Jinke Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - En Li
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 4218 Jinke Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - He Wang
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 181 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 4218 Jinke Road, Shanghai 201203, China.
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12
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Ding J, Li G, Liu H, Liu L, Lin Y, Gao J, Zhou G, Shen L, Zhao M, Yu Y, Guo W, Hommel U, Ottl J, Blank J, Aubin N, Wei Y, He H, Sage DR, Atadja PW, Li E, Jain RK, Tallarico JA, Canham SM, Chiang YL, Wang H. Discovery of Potent Small-Molecule Inhibitors of WDR5-MYC Interaction. ACS Chem Biol 2023; 18:34-40. [PMID: 36594833 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.2c00843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
WD repeat domain 5 (WDR5) is a member of the WD40-repeat protein family that plays a critical role in multiple processes. It is also a prominent target for pharmacological inhibition in diseases such as cancer, aging, and neurodegenerative disorders. Interactions between WDR5 and various partners are essential for sustaining its function. Most drug discovery efforts center on the WIN (WDR5 interaction motif) site of WDR5 that is responsible for the recruitment of WDR5 to chromatin. Here, we describe the discovery of novel WDR5 inhibitors for the other WBM (WDR5 binding motif) pocket on this scaffold protein, to disrupt WDR5 interaction with its binding partner MYC by high-throughput biochemical screening, subsequent molecule optimization, and biological assessment. These new WDR5 inhibitors provide useful probes for future investigations of WDR5 and an avenue for targeting WDR5 as a therapeutic strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Ding
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts02139, United States
| | - Guo Li
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Shanghai201203, China
| | - Hejun Liu
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Shanghai201203, China.,Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, San Diego, California92121, United States
| | - Lulu Liu
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts02139, United States
| | - Ying Lin
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Shanghai201203, China
| | - Jingyan Gao
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Shanghai201203, China
| | - Guoqiang Zhou
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Shanghai201203, China
| | - Lingling Shen
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts02139, United States.,Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Shanghai201203, China
| | - Mengxi Zhao
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Shanghai201203, China
| | - Yanyan Yu
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Shanghai201203, China
| | - Weihui Guo
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Shanghai201203, China
| | - Ulrich Hommel
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, BaselCH-4056, Switzerland
| | - Johannes Ottl
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, BaselCH-4056, Switzerland
| | - Jutta Blank
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, BaselCH-4056, Switzerland
| | - Nicola Aubin
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, BaselCH-4056, Switzerland
| | - Yi Wei
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Shanghai201203, China
| | - Hu He
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Shanghai201203, China
| | - David R Sage
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts02139, United States
| | - Peter W Atadja
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Shanghai201203, China
| | - En Li
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Shanghai201203, China
| | - Rishi K Jain
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts02139, United States
| | - John A Tallarico
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts02139, United States
| | - Stephen M Canham
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts02139, United States
| | - Ying-Ling Chiang
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts02139, United States.,Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Shanghai201203, China
| | - He Wang
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts02139, United States.,Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Shanghai201203, China
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13
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Teuscher KB, Chowdhury S, Meyers KM, Tian J, Sai J, Van Meveren M, South TM, Sensintaffar JL, Rietz TA, Goswami S, Wang J, Grieb BC, Lorey SL, Howard GC, Liu Q, Moore WJ, Stott GM, Tansey WP, Lee T, Fesik SW. Structure-based discovery of potent WD repeat domain 5 inhibitors that demonstrate efficacy and safety in preclinical animal models. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2211297120. [PMID: 36574664 PMCID: PMC9910433 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2211297120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 10/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
WD repeat domain 5 (WDR5) is a core scaffolding component of many multiprotein complexes that perform a variety of critical chromatin-centric processes in the nucleus. WDR5 is a component of the mixed lineage leukemia MLL/SET complex and localizes MYC to chromatin at tumor-critical target genes. As a part of these complexes, WDR5 plays a role in sustaining oncogenesis in a variety of human cancers that are often associated with poor prognoses. Thus, WDR5 has been recognized as an attractive therapeutic target for treating both solid and hematological tumors. Previously, small-molecule inhibitors of the WDR5-interaction (WIN) site and WDR5 degraders have demonstrated robust in vitro cellular efficacy in cancer cell lines and established the therapeutic potential of WDR5. However, these agents have not demonstrated significant in vivo efficacy at pharmacologically relevant doses by oral administration in animal disease models. We have discovered WDR5 WIN-site inhibitors that feature bicyclic heteroaryl P7 units through structure-based design and address the limitations of our previous series of small-molecule inhibitors. Importantly, our lead compounds exhibit enhanced on-target potency, excellent oral pharmacokinetic (PK) profiles, and potent dose-dependent in vivo efficacy in a mouse MV4:11 subcutaneous xenograft model by oral dosing. Furthermore, these in vivo probes show excellent tolerability under a repeated high-dose regimen in rodents to demonstrate the safety of the WDR5 WIN-site inhibition mechanism. Collectively, our results provide strong support for WDR5 WIN-site inhibitors to be utilized as potential anticancer therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin B. Teuscher
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN37232-0146
| | - Somenath Chowdhury
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN37232-0146
| | - Kenneth M. Meyers
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN37232-0146
| | - Jianhua Tian
- Molecular Design and Synthesis Center, Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN37232-0142
| | - Jiqing Sai
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN37232-0146
| | - Mayme Van Meveren
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN37232-0146
| | - Taylor M. South
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN37232-0146
| | - John L. Sensintaffar
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN37232-0146
| | - Tyson A. Rietz
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN37232-0146
| | - Soumita Goswami
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN37232-0146
| | - Jing Wang
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN37232-0004
- Center for Quantitative Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN37232-0004
| | - Brian C. Grieb
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN37232-0146
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN37232-0011
| | - Shelly L. Lorey
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN37232-0146
| | - Gregory C. Howard
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN37232-0146
| | - Qi Liu
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN37232-0004
- Center for Quantitative Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN37232-0004
| | - William J. Moore
- Chemical Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD21702-1201
| | - Gordon M. Stott
- Leidos Biomedical Research, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD21701-4907
| | - William P. Tansey
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN37232-0146
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN37232-0146
| | - Taekyu Lee
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN37232-0146
| | - Stephen W. Fesik
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN37232-0146
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN37232-0146
- Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN37232-0146
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14
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Li Z, Liang N, Wang N, Jia Y, Tian C. WDR5 is a prognostic biomarker of brain metastasis from non-small cell lung cancer. Front Oncol 2022; 12:1023776. [PMID: 36249032 PMCID: PMC9557102 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.1023776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Lung cancer (LC) is the most frequent caner type and causes the most cancer-related death. Brain metastases (BM) are the deadliest complications of lung cancer, and the prognostic biomarkers of BM are urgently needed. Materials and methods In our study, we established an inception cohort including 122 patients with asynchronous BM from NSCLC, and further selected 70 patients who received surgical resection, which compromised the validation cohort. With immunohistochemistry, we investigated the expression of WDR5 in the cohort. By chi-square method, the correlations between WDR5 and clinicopathological factors were analyzed. The prognostic indicators were analyzed with the univariate analysis, and independent prognostic factors were identified by multivariate analysis with Cox-regression model. Results WDR5 is frequently expressed in the cytoplasm of BM from NSCLC. Patients with low or high expression of WDR5 account for 60% and 40% respectively. High expression of WDR5 indicates poor prognosis of BM from NSCLC (P=0.001). In addition to WDR5, KPS is also a prognostic factor of BM, and high KPS predicts favorable prognosis (P=0.006). WDR5 is an independent prognostic biomarker for poor prognosis of BM from NSCLC, with the cancer-related odds as 2.48. Conclusions High expression of WDR5 can predict the poor prognosis of BM, and WDR5 is an independent prognostic biomarker of BM from NSCLC. Patients with WDR5 overexpression are more high-risk to suffer BM-related death and should receive more intense post-operational supervision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Tai’an, China
| | - Nan Liang
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Tai’an, China
| | - Na Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First People’s Hospital of Tai’an, Tai’an, China
| | - Yan Jia
- Department of Intensive Care Unit, Shandong Provincial Tai’shan Hospital, Tai’an, China
| | - Cui Tian
- Department of Intensive Care Unit, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Tai’an, China
- *Correspondence: Cui Tian,
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15
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Cai WL, Chen JFY, Chen H, Wingrove E, Kurley SJ, Chan LH, Zhang M, Arnal-Estape A, Zhao M, Balabaki A, Li W, Yu X, Krop ED, Dou Y, Liu Y, Jin J, Westbrook TF, Nguyen DX, Yan Q. Human WDR5 promotes breast cancer growth and metastasis via KMT2-independent translation regulation. eLife 2022; 11:e78163. [PMID: 36043466 PMCID: PMC9584608 DOI: 10.7554/elife.78163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Metastatic breast cancer remains a major cause of cancer-related deaths in women, and there are few effective therapies against this advanced disease. Emerging evidence suggests that key steps of tumor progression and metastasis are controlled by reversible epigenetic mechanisms. Using an in vivo genetic screen, we identified WDR5 as an actionable epigenetic regulator that is required for metastatic progression in models of triple-negative breast cancer. We found that knockdown of WDR5 in breast cancer cells independently impaired their tumorigenic as well as metastatic capabilities. Mechanistically, WDR5 promotes cell growth by increasing ribosomal gene expression and translation efficiency in a KMT2-independent manner. Consistently, pharmacological inhibition or degradation of WDR5 impedes cellular translation rate and the clonogenic ability of breast cancer cells. Furthermore, a combination of WDR5 targeting with mTOR inhibitors leads to potent suppression of translation and proliferation of breast cancer cells. These results reveal novel therapeutic strategies to treat metastatic breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wesley L Cai
- Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh Medical CenterPittsburghUnited States
- Department of Pathology, Yale UniversityNew HavenUnited States
| | | | - Huacui Chen
- Department of Pathology, Yale UniversityNew HavenUnited States
| | - Emily Wingrove
- Department of Pathology, Yale UniversityNew HavenUnited States
| | - Sarah J Kurley
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
| | - Lok Hei Chan
- Department of Pathology, Yale UniversityNew HavenUnited States
| | - Meiling Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Yale UniversityNew HavenUnited States
| | - Anna Arnal-Estape
- Department of Pathology, Yale UniversityNew HavenUnited States
- Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of MedicineNew HavenUnited States
| | - Minghui Zhao
- Department of Pathology, Yale UniversityNew HavenUnited States
| | - Amer Balabaki
- Department of Pathology, Yale UniversityNew HavenUnited States
| | - Wenxue Li
- Yale Cancer Biology Institute, Department of Pharmacology, Yale UniversityWest HavenUnited States
| | - Xufen Yu
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkUnited States
- Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkUnited States
| | - Ethan D Krop
- Department of Pathology, Yale UniversityNew HavenUnited States
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University,HoustonUnited States
| | - Yali Dou
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann ArborAnn ArborUnited States
- Department of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Yansheng Liu
- Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of MedicineNew HavenUnited States
- Yale Cancer Biology Institute, Department of Pharmacology, Yale UniversityWest HavenUnited States
| | - Jian Jin
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkUnited States
- Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkUnited States
| | - Thomas F Westbrook
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
| | - Don X Nguyen
- Department of Pathology, Yale UniversityNew HavenUnited States
- Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of MedicineNew HavenUnited States
- Yale Stem Cell Center, Yale School of MedicineNew HavenUnited States
- Department of Internal Medicine (Section of Medical Oncology), Yale School of Medicine,New HavenUnited States
| | - Qin Yan
- Department of Pathology, Yale UniversityNew HavenUnited States
- Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of MedicineNew HavenUnited States
- Yale Stem Cell Center, Yale School of MedicineNew HavenUnited States
- Yale Center for Immuno-Oncology, Yale School of MedicineNew HavenUnited States
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16
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Teuscher KB, Meyers KM, Wei Q, Mills JJ, Tian J, Alvarado J, Sai J, Van Meveren M, South TM, Rietz TA, Zhao B, Moore WJ, Stott GM, Tansey WP, Lee T, Fesik SW. Discovery of Potent Orally Bioavailable WD Repeat Domain 5 (WDR5) Inhibitors Using a Pharmacophore-Based Optimization. J Med Chem 2022; 65:6287-6312. [PMID: 35436124 PMCID: PMC10081510 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
WD repeat domain 5 (WDR5) is a nuclear scaffolding protein that forms many biologically important multiprotein complexes. The WIN site of WDR5 represents a promising pharmacological target in a variety of human cancers. Here, we describe the optimization of our initial WDR5 WIN-site inhibitor using a structure-guided pharmacophore-based convergent strategy to improve its druglike properties and pharmacokinetic profile. The core of the previous lead remained constant while a focused SAR effort on the three pharmacophore units was combined to generate a new in vivo lead series. Importantly, this new series of compounds has picomolar binding affinity, improved cellular antiproliferative activity and selectivity, and increased kinetic aqueous solubility. They also exhibit a desirable oral pharmacokinetic profile with manageable intravenous clearance and high oral bioavailability. Thus, these new leads are useful probes toward studying the effects of WDR5 inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - William J Moore
- Leidos Biomedical Research, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland 21701-4907, United States
| | - Gordon M Stott
- Leidos Biomedical Research, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland 21701-4907, United States
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17
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Fidianingsih I, Aryandono T, Widyarini S, Herwiyanti S. Profile of Histopathological Type and Molecular Subtypes of Mammary Cancer of DMBA-induced Rat and its Relevancy to Human Breast Cancer. Open Access Maced J Med Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.3889/oamjms.2022.7975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Animal models with mammary cancer that closely mimic human breast cancer for treatment development purposes are still required. Induction of 7,12-dimethylbenzanthracene (DMBA) to rats shows the histopathological features and mammary cancer characterization similar to humans. Examinations of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), and Ki67 expressions are crucial in deciding the treatment and prognosis of breast cancer.
AIM: This research aimed to view histopathology images of mammary glands and expressions of ER, PR, Ki67, and HER2 of DMBA-induced rats.
METHODS: After 1-week adaptation, 11 5-weeks-old female rats were induced with 20 mg/kg body weight (BW) of DMBA 2 times a week for 5 weeks. On week 29, nodules taken from the mammary gland were examined for hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemistry with p63, ER, PR, HER2, and Ki67 antibodies. The grading score used the Nottingham Grading System and molecular classifications based on St. Gallen 2013.
RESULTS: Six rats had nodules, but the histopathologic features of one nodule showed normal mammary gland without cancer. The histopathological type of mammary cancer was cribriform carcinoma, comedo carcinoma, lipid-rich carcinoma, adenocarcinoma squamous, and adenomyepithelioma. Histopathological grading showed 60% of grade 3 and 40% of grade 2. P63 expression showed 60% positive and 40% negative. The frequency of ER, PR, HER2, and Ki67 of five nodules showed positivity: 40%, 60%, 60%, and 60%, respectively. Molecular subtypes of Luminal A, B, HER2, and triple-negative were 0%, 60%, 20%, and 20%, respectively.
CONCLUSION: Histopathological features and molecular subtype of mammary cancer on rats induced with 20 mg/kg BW of DMBA showed similarity to human breast cancer.
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18
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Fawzy A, Alqelaiti YA, Almatrafi MM, Almatrafi OM, Alqelaiti EA. Common Sensitive Prognostic Marker in Breast Cancer and their Clinical Significance: A Review Article. ARCHIVES OF PHARMACY PRACTICE 2022. [DOI: 10.51847/t8d3bp2l19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
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19
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Ji A, Qian L, Tian Z, Cui J. WDR5 promotes the proliferation of lung adenocarcinoma by inducing SOX9 expression. Biomark Med 2021; 15:1599-1609. [PMID: 34743548 DOI: 10.2217/bmm-2021-0184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Aim: WDR5 is a coactivator of transcription factor which promotes the progression of several cancer types, but its function in lung adenocarcinoma (AC) is unknown. Materials & methods: We detected WDR5 expression in lung AC with quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. Results: WDR5 was significantly overexpressed in ACs compared with normal lung tissues. Moreover, WDR5 was an independent prognostic biomarker of lung AC. With clinical analyzation and in vitro experiments, we proved that SOX9 was a downstream effector of WDR5 in promoting A549 proliferation, and that SOX9 was also an unfavorable prognostic biomarker of lung AC. Conclusion: WDR5 and SOX9 are both prognostic biomarkers predicting poor outcome of lung AC. WDR5 could promote proliferation of lung AC by elevating SOX9 expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aihua Ji
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Yidu Central Hospital, Weifang, Shandong, 262500, China
| | - Lei Qian
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Yidu Central Hospital, Weifang, Shandong, 262500, China
| | - Zhenmin Tian
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Yidu Central Hospital, Weifang, Shandong, 262500, China
| | - Jie Cui
- Department of Oncology, Central Hospital of Ankang City, Ankang, Shaanxi, 725000, China
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20
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Yu X, Li D, Kottur J, Shen Y, Kim HS, Park KS, Tsai YH, Gong W, Wang J, Suzuki K, Parker J, Herring L, Kaniskan HÜ, Cai L, Jain R, Liu J, Aggarwal AK, Wang GG, Jin J. A selective WDR5 degrader inhibits acute myeloid leukemia in patient-derived mouse models. Sci Transl Med 2021; 13:eabj1578. [PMID: 34586829 PMCID: PMC8500670 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abj1578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Interactions between WD40 repeat domain protein 5 (WDR5) and its various partners such as mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) and c-MYC are essential for sustaining oncogenesis in human cancers. However, inhibitors that block protein-protein interactions (PPIs) between WDR5 and its binding partners exhibit modest cancer cell killing effects and lack in vivo efficacy. Here, we present pharmacological degradation of WDR5 as a promising therapeutic strategy for treating WDR5-dependent tumors and report two high-resolution crystal structures of WDR5-degrader-E3 ligase ternary complexes. We identified an effective WDR5 degrader via structure-based design and demonstrated its in vitro and in vivo antitumor activities. On the basis of the crystal structure of an initial WDR5 degrader in complex with WDR5 and the E3 ligase von Hippel–Lindau (VHL), we designed a WDR5 degrader, MS67, and demonstrated the high cooperativity of MS67 binding to WDR5 and VHL by another ternary complex structure and biophysical characterization. MS67 potently and selectively depleted WDR5 and was more effective than WDR5 PPI inhibitors in suppressing transcription of WDR5-regulated genes, decreasing the chromatin-bound fraction of MLL complex components and c-MYC, and inhibiting the proliferation of cancer cells. In addition, MS67 suppressed malignant growth of MLL-rearranged acute myeloid leukemia patient cells in vitro and in vivo and was well tolerated in vivo. Collectively, our results demonstrate that structure-based design can be an effective strategy to identify highly active degraders and suggest that pharmacological degradation of WDR5 might be a promising treatment for WDR5-dependent cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xufen Yu
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.,Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Dongxu Li
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jithesh Kottur
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.,Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Yudao Shen
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.,Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Huen Suk Kim
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.,Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Kwang-Su Park
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.,Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Yi-Hsuan Tsai
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Weida Gong
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jun Wang
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Kyogo Suzuki
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Joel Parker
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.,Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Laura Herring
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - H. Ümit Kaniskan
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.,Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Ling Cai
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.,Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Rinku Jain
- Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Jing Liu
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.,Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Aneel K Aggarwal
- Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Gang Greg Wang
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.,Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.,Corresponding author. (J.J.); (G.G.W.)
| | - Jian Jin
- Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.,Departments of Pharmacological Sciences and Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.,Corresponding author. (J.J.); (G.G.W.)
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21
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Chen X, Xu J, Wang X, Long G, You Q, Guo X. Targeting WD Repeat-Containing Protein 5 (WDR5): A Medicinal Chemistry Perspective. J Med Chem 2021; 64:10537-10556. [PMID: 34283608 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
WD repeat-containing protein 5 (WDR5) is a member of the WD40 protein family, and it is widely involved in various biological activities and not limited to epigenetic regulation in vivo. WDR5 is also involved in the initiation and development of many diseases and plays a key role in these diseases. Since WDR5 was discovered, it has been suggested as a potential disease treatment target, and a large number of inhibitors targeting WDR5 have been discovered. In this review, we discussed the development of inhibitors targeting WDR5 over the years, and the biological mechanisms of these inhibitors based on previous mechanistic studies were explored. Finally, we describe the development potential of inhibitors targeting WDR5 and prospects for further applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Chen
- Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China.,Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Junjie Xu
- Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China.,Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Xianghan Wang
- Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China.,Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Guanlu Long
- Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China.,Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Qidong You
- Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China.,Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Xiaoke Guo
- Jiang Su Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China.,Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
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22
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Mathias C, Muzzi JCD, Antunes BB, Gradia DF, Castro MAA, Carvalho de Oliveira J. Unraveling Immune-Related lncRNAs in Breast Cancer Molecular Subtypes. Front Oncol 2021; 11:692170. [PMID: 34136413 PMCID: PMC8202402 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.692170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer (BRCA) is the most leading cause of cancer worldwide. It is a heterogeneous disease with at least five molecular subtypes including luminal A, luminal B, basal-like, HER2-enriched, and normal-like. These five molecular subtypes are usually stratified according to their mRNA profile patterns; however, ncRNAs are increasingly being used for this purpose. Among the ncRNAs class, the long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are molecules with more than 200 nucleotides with versatile regulatory roles; and high tissue-specific expression profiles. The heterogeneity of BRCA can also be reflected regarding tumor microenvironment immune cells composition, which can directly impact a patient's prognosis and therapy response. Using BRCA immunogenomics data from a previous study, we propose here a bioinformatics approach to include lncRNAs complexity in BRCA molecular and immune subtype. RNA-seq data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) BRCA cohort was analyzed, and signal-to-noise ratio metrics were applied to create these subtype-specific signatures. Five immune-related signatures were generated with approximately ten specific lncRNAs, which were then functionally analyzed using GSEA enrichment and survival analysis. We highlighted here some lncRNAs in each subtype. LINC01871 is related to immune response activation and favorable overall survival in basal-like samples; EBLN3P is related to immune response suppression and progression in luminal B, MEG3, XXYLT1-AS2, and LINC02613 were related with immune response activation in luminal A, HER2-enriched and normal-like subtypes, respectively. In this way, we emphasize the need to know better the role of lncRNAs as regulators of immune response to provide new perspectives regarding diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutical targets in BRCA molecular subtypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Mathias
- Department of Genetics, Federal University of Parana, Post-graduation Program in Genetics, Curitiba, Brazil
| | - João Carlos Degraf Muzzi
- Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Lab, Federal University of Parana (UFPR), Polytechnic Center, Curitiba, Brazil.,Immunochemistry Laboratory (LIMQ), Federal University of Parana, Post-graduation Program in Microbiology, Parasitology and Pathology, Curitiba, Brazil.,Instituto de Pesquisa Pelé Pequeno Príncipe, Oncology Division, Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Bruna Borba Antunes
- Department of Genetics, Federal University of Parana, Post-graduation Program in Genetics, Curitiba, Brazil.,Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Lab, Federal University of Parana (UFPR), Polytechnic Center, Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Daniela F Gradia
- Department of Genetics, Federal University of Parana, Post-graduation Program in Genetics, Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Mauro A A Castro
- Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Lab, Federal University of Parana (UFPR), Polytechnic Center, Curitiba, Brazil
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23
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Zampedri C, Martínez-Flores WA, Melendez-Zajgla J. The Use of Zebrafish Xenotransplant Assays to Analyze the Role of lncRNAs in Breast Cancer. Front Oncol 2021; 11:687594. [PMID: 34123857 PMCID: PMC8190406 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.687594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer represents a great challenge since it is the first cause of death by cancer in women worldwide. LncRNAs are a newly described class of non-coding RNAs that participate in cancer progression. Their use as cancer markers and possible therapeutic targets has recently gained strength. Animal xenotransplants allows for in vivo monitoring of disease development, molecular elucidation of pathogenesis and the design of new therapeutic strategies. Nevertheless, the cost and complexities of mice husbandry makes medium to high throughput assays difficult. Zebrafishes (Danio rerio) represent a novel model for these assays, given the ease with which xenotransplantation trials can be performed and the economic and experimental advantages it offers. In this review we propose the use of xenotransplants in zebrafish to study the role of breast cancer lncRNAs using low to medium high throughput assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Zampedri
- Functional Genomics Laboratories, Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genomica, Mexico City, Mexico
| | | | - Jorge Melendez-Zajgla
- Functional Genomics Laboratories, Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genomica, Mexico City, Mexico
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24
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Guarnaccia AD, Rose KL, Wang J, Zhao B, Popay TM, Wang CE, Guerrazzi K, Hill S, Woodley CM, Hansen TJ, Lorey SL, Shaw JG, Payne WG, Weissmiller AM, Olejniczak ET, Fesik SW, Liu Q, Tansey WP. Impact of WIN site inhibitor on the WDR5 interactome. Cell Rep 2021; 34:108636. [PMID: 33472061 PMCID: PMC7871196 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The chromatin-associated protein WDR5 is a promising pharmacological target in cancer, with most drug discovery efforts directed against an arginine-binding cavity in WDR5 called the WIN site. Despite a clear expectation that WIN site inhibitors will alter the repertoire of WDR5 interaction partners, their impact on the WDR5 interactome remains unknown. Here, we use quantitative proteomics to delineate how the WDR5 interactome is changed by WIN site inhibition. We show that the WIN site inhibitor alters the interaction of WDR5 with dozens of proteins, including those linked to phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling. As proof of concept, we demonstrate that the master kinase PDPK1 is a bona fide high-affinity WIN site binding protein that engages WDR5 to modulate transcription of genes expressed in the G2 phase of the cell cycle. This dataset expands our understanding of WDR5 and serves as a resource for deciphering the action of WIN site inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alissa D Guarnaccia
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Kristie L Rose
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Mass Spectrometry Research Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Jing Wang
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Center for Quantitative Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Bin Zhao
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Tessa M Popay
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Christina E Wang
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Kiana Guerrazzi
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Salisha Hill
- Mass Spectrometry Research Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Chase M Woodley
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Tyler J Hansen
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Shelly L Lorey
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - J Grace Shaw
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - William G Payne
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - April M Weissmiller
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Edward T Olejniczak
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Stephen W Fesik
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Qi Liu
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Center for Quantitative Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - William P Tansey
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
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25
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Naik A, Decock J. Lactate Metabolism and Immune Modulation in Breast Cancer: A Focused Review on Triple Negative Breast Tumors. Front Oncol 2020; 10:598626. [PMID: 33324565 PMCID: PMC7725706 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.598626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer associated with poor prognosis, early recurrence, and the lack of durable chemotherapy responses and specific targeted treatments. The recent FDA approval for immune checkpoint inhibition in combination with nab-paclitaxel for the treatment of metastatic TNBC created opportunity to advocate for immunotherapy in TNBC patients. However, improving the current low response rates is vital. Most cancers, including TNBC tumors, display metabolic plasticity and undergo reprogramming into highly glycolytic tumors through the Warburg effect. Consequently, accumulation of the metabolic byproduct lactate and extracellular acidification is often observed in several solid tumors, thereby exacerbating tumor cell proliferation, metastasis, and angiogenesis. In this review, we focus on the role of lactate acidosis in the microenvironment of glycolytic breast tumors as a major driver for immune evasion with a special emphasis on TNBCs. In particular, we will discuss the role of lactate regulators such as glucose transporters, lactate dehydrogenases, and lactate transporters in modulating immune functionality and checkpoint expression in numerous immune cell types. This review aims to spark discussion on interventions targeting lactate acidosis in combination with immunotherapy to provide an effective means of improving response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in TNBC, in addition to highlighting challenges that may arise from TNBC tumor heterogeneity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adviti Naik
- Cancer Research Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar
| | - Julie Decock
- Cancer Research Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar
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26
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Amirkhani Namagerdi A, d'Angelo D, Ciani F, Iannuzzi CA, Napolitano F, Avallone L, De Laurentiis M, Giordano A. Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Comparison With Canine Mammary Tumors From Light Microscopy to Molecular Pathology. Front Oncol 2020; 10:563779. [PMID: 33282730 PMCID: PMC7689249 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.563779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Many similar characteristics in human and dog cancers including, spontaneous development, clinical presentation, tumor heterogeneity, disease progression, and response to standard therapies have promoted the approval of this comparative model as an alternative to mice. Breast cancer represents the second most frequent neoplasm in humans after lung cancer. Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) constitute around 15% of all cases of breast cancer and do not express estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and do not overexpress human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). As a result, they do not benefit from hormonal or trastuzumab-based therapy. Patients with TNBC have worse overall survival than patients with non-TNBC. Lehmann and collaborators described six different molecular subtypes of TNBC which further demonstrated its transcriptional heterogeneity. This six TNBC subtype classification has therapeutic implications. Breast cancer is the second most frequent neoplasm in sexually intact female dogs after skin cancer. Canine mammary tumors are a naturally occurring heterogeneous group of cancers that have several features in common with human breast cancer (HBC). These similarities include etiology, signaling pathway activation, and histological classification. Molecularly CMTs are more like TNBCs, and therefore dogs are powerful spontaneous models of cancer to test new therapeutic approaches, particularly for human TNBCs. More malignant tumors of the breast are more often ER and PR negative in both humans and dogs. Promising breast cancer biomarkers in both humans and canines are cancer-associated stroma (CAS), circulating tumor cells and tumor DNA (ctDNA), exosomes and miRNAs, and metabolites.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Danila d'Angelo
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Francesca Ciani
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | | | - Francesco Napolitano
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.,CCEINGE, Biotecnologie Avanzate, Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi Avallone
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Michelino De Laurentiis
- Breast Oncology Division, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale, Naples, Italy
| | - Antonio Giordano
- Center for Biotechnology, College of Science and Technology, Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States.,Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
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27
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Carlo SE, Martinez-Baladejo MT, Santiago-Cornier A, Arciniegas-Medina N. 9q34 & 16p13 chromosome duplications in autism. AME Case Rep 2020; 4:17. [PMID: 32793859 DOI: 10.21037/acr.2020.03.07] [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: 06/03/2019] [Accepted: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Epigenetic mechanisms, genetic factors, and environment influence the diversity of phenotypes developed in various diseases. Duplications in several chromosomes are well characterized in the scientific literature, but partial duplications, in some cases, present with milder forms of a disease and are yet to be understood. Fortunately, the identification of genetic diseases has now become more feasible due to several cytogenetic techniques such as microarray analysis and karyotyping. With these tools, together with other laboratory results and clinical examination, we are able to report the first case in the medical literature of double partial trisomy of chromosome 9q34 and 16p13.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon E Carlo
- Department of Biochemistry, Ponce Health Sciences University, Ponce.,Department of Medicine, Ponce Health Sciences University, Ponce.,SER de Puerto Rico, Ponce.,Mayagüez Medical Center, Mayaguez, Ponce
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28
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Gray M, Turnbull AK, Meehan J, Martínez-Pérez C, Kay C, Pang LY, Argyle DJ. Comparative Analysis of the Development of Acquired Radioresistance in Canine and Human Mammary Cancer Cell Lines. Front Vet Sci 2020; 7:439. [PMID: 32851022 PMCID: PMC7396503 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Research using in vitro canine mammary cancer cell lines and naturally-occurring canine mammary tumors are not only fundamental models used to advance the understanding of cancer in veterinary patients, but are also regarded as excellent translational models of human breast cancer. Human breast cancer is commonly treated with radiotherapy; however, tumor response depends on both innate radiosensitivity and on tumor repopulation by cells that develop radioresistance. Comparative canine and human studies investigating the mechanisms of radioresistance may lead to novel cancer treatments that benefit both species. In this study, we developed a canine mammary cancer (REM-134) radioresistant (RR) cell line and investigated the cellular mechanisms related to the development of acquired radioresistance. We performed a comparative analysis of this resistant model with our previously developed human breast cancer radioresistant cell lines (MCF-7 RR, ZR-751 RR, and MDA-MB-231 RR), characterizing inherent differences through genetic, molecular, and cell biology approaches. RR cells demonstrated enhanced invasion/migration capabilities, with phenotypic evidence suggestive of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Similarities were identified between the REM-134 RR, MCF-7 RR, and ZR-751 RR cell lines in relation to the pattern of expression of both epithelial and mesenchymal genes, in addition to WNT, PI3K, and MAPK pathway activation. Following the development of radioresistance, transcriptomic data indicated that parental MCF-7 and ZR-751 cell lines changed from a luminal A classification to basal/HER2-overexpressing (MCF-7 RR) and normal-like/HER2-overexpressing (ZR-751 RR). These radioresistant subtypes were similar to the REM-134 and REM-134 RR cell lines, which were classified as HER2-overexpressing. To our knowledge, our study is the first to generate a canine mammary cancer RR cell line model and provide a comparative genetic and phenotypic analysis of the mechanisms of acquired radioresistance between canine and human cancer cell lines. We demonstrate that the cellular processes that occur with the development of acquired radioresistance are similar between the human and canine cell lines; our results therefore suggest that the canine model is appropriate to study both human and canine radioresistant mammary cancers, and that treatment strategies used in human medicine may also be applicable to veterinary patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Gray
- The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Arran K Turnbull
- Translational Oncology Research Group, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Western General Hospital, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.,Breast Cancer Now Edinburgh Research Team, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Western General Hospital, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - James Meehan
- Translational Oncology Research Group, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Western General Hospital, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Carlos Martínez-Pérez
- Translational Oncology Research Group, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Western General Hospital, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.,Breast Cancer Now Edinburgh Research Team, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Western General Hospital, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Charlene Kay
- Translational Oncology Research Group, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Western General Hospital, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.,Breast Cancer Now Edinburgh Research Team, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Western General Hospital, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Lisa Y Pang
- The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - David J Argyle
- The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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29
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Shen C, Yan T, Tong T, Shi D, Ren L, Zhang Y, Zhang X, Cao Y, Yan Y, Ma Y, Zhu X, Tian X, Fang JY, Chen H, Ji L, Hong J, Xuan B. ALKBH4 Functions as a Suppressor of Colorectal Cancer Metastasis via Competitively Binding to WDR5. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:293. [PMID: 32478065 PMCID: PMC7240015 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.00293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) is a major process in the initiation of tumor metastasis, where cancer cells lose sessile epithelial potential and gain mesenchymal phenotype. Large-scale cell identity shifts are often orchestrated on an epigenetic level and the interplay between epigenetic factors and EMT progression was still largely unknown. In this study, we tried to identify candidate epigenetic factors that involved in EMT progression. Methods Colorectal cancer (CRC) cells were transfected with an arrayed shRNA library targeting 384 genes involved in epigenetic modification. Candidate genes were identified by real-time PCR. Western blot, RNA-seq and gene set enrichment analysis were conducted to confirm the suppressive role of ALKBH4 in EMT. The clinical relevance of ALKBH4 in CRC was investigated in two independent Renji Cohorts and a microarray dataset (GSE21510) from GEO database. In vitro transwell assay and in vivo metastatic tumor model were performed to explore the biological function of ALKBH4 in the metastasis of CRC. Co-IP (Co-Immunoprecipitation) and ChIP (Chromatin Immunoprecipitation) assays were employed to uncover the mechanism. Results We screened for candidate epigenetic factors that affected EMT process and identified ALKBH4 as a candidate EMT suppressor gene, which was significantly downregulated in CRC patients. Decreased level of ALKBH4 was associated with metastasis and predicted poor prognosis of CRC patients. Follow-up functional experiments illustrated overexpression of ALKBH4 inhibited the invasion ability of CRC cells in vitro, as well as their metastatic capability in vivo. Mechanistically, CO-IP and ChIP assays indicated that ALKBH4 competitively bound WDR5 (a key component of histone methyltransferase complex) and decreased H3K4me3 histone modification on the target genes including MIR21. Conclusions This study illustrated that ALKBH4 may function as a novel metastasis suppressor of CRC, and inhibits H3K4me3 modification through binding WDR5 during EMT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaoqin Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Key Laboratory of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Ministry of Health, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Cancer Institute, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Institute of Digestive Disease, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Tingting Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Key Laboratory of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Ministry of Health, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Cancer Institute, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Institute of Digestive Disease, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Tianying Tong
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Key Laboratory of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Ministry of Health, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Cancer Institute, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Institute of Digestive Disease, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Debin Shi
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China.,Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Linlin Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Key Laboratory of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Ministry of Health, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Cancer Institute, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Institute of Digestive Disease, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Youwei Zhang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Xuzhou Central Hospital, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Xinyu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Key Laboratory of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Ministry of Health, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Cancer Institute, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Institute of Digestive Disease, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yingying Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Key Laboratory of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Ministry of Health, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Cancer Institute, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Institute of Digestive Disease, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuqing Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Key Laboratory of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Ministry of Health, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Cancer Institute, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Institute of Digestive Disease, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yanru Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Key Laboratory of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Ministry of Health, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Cancer Institute, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Institute of Digestive Disease, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaoqiang Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Key Laboratory of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Ministry of Health, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Cancer Institute, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Institute of Digestive Disease, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xianglong Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Key Laboratory of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Ministry of Health, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Cancer Institute, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Institute of Digestive Disease, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jing-Yuan Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Key Laboratory of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Ministry of Health, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Cancer Institute, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Institute of Digestive Disease, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Haoyan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Key Laboratory of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Ministry of Health, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Cancer Institute, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Institute of Digestive Disease, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Linhua Ji
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jie Hong
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Key Laboratory of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Ministry of Health, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Cancer Institute, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Institute of Digestive Disease, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Baoqin Xuan
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Cancer Institute, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
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30
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Dai B, Xiao Z, Zhu G, Mao B, Huang H, Guan F, Lin Z, Peng W, Liang X, Zhang B, Hu Z. WD Repeat Domain 5 Promotes Invasion, Metastasis and Tumor Growth in Glioma Through Up-Regulated Zinc Finger E-Box Binding Homeobox 1 Expression. Cancer Manag Res 2020; 12:3223-3235. [PMID: 32440219 PMCID: PMC7217310 DOI: 10.2147/cmar.s237582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2019] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Glioma is one of the important diseases that threaten human survival in today’s society. WD repeat domain 5 (WDR5) belongs to the components of the lysine methyltransferase complex. WDR5 is involved in gene transcription regulation, cell senescence, cancer and other biological events through methylation modification. However, its expression and function in glioma are still unclear. Materials and Methods The expression of WDR5 was observed in glioma cells, and then a glioma cell line SW1783 knocked down WDR5 was established. The effects of the decrease of WDR5 expression on proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT of glioma cells were detected, respectively. The downstream regulators of WDR5 were identified by gene expression profiling technology, and the possible molecular mechanisms were identified. Results In this study, we found that WDR5 could promote glioma cell’s proliferation, migration, invasion and tumor metastasis. In glioma, especially in metastatic glioma tissues, WDR5 levels were significantly increased, the higher expression level could also cause a significant reduction in overall survival of glioma patients. Second, the ability of cells’ proliferation, migration, invasion and tumor metastasis was significantly reduced in WDR5 knockdown cell lines. We also found a significant change in the expression level of epithelial and mesenchymal markers in WDR5 knockdown cell lines. Furthermore, we found that knockdown of WDR5 could inhibit the expression of zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1), and knockdown of ZEB1 could inhibit invasion, migration and epithelial–mesenchymal transformation (EMT) in WDR5 over-expression cell line. We also found that WDR5 may regulate ZEB1’s expression through H3K4me3. Conclusion In summary, in this study, we have studied the relationship between WDR5 and glioma, and found that WDR5’s expression is positively correlated with the proliferation, migration, and invasion of glioma cells, which will help find the potential therapeutic target for glioma patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Dai
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Peking University Ninth School of Clinical Medicine, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhiyong Xiao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Peking University Ninth School of Clinical Medicine, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Guangtong Zhu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Peking University Ninth School of Clinical Medicine, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Beibei Mao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Peking University Ninth School of Clinical Medicine, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Hui Huang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Peking University Ninth School of Clinical Medicine, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Feng Guan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Peking University Ninth School of Clinical Medicine, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhenyang Lin
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Peking University Ninth School of Clinical Medicine, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Weicheng Peng
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Peking University Ninth School of Clinical Medicine, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Xin Liang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Peking University Ninth School of Clinical Medicine, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Bolun Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Peking University Ninth School of Clinical Medicine, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhiqiang Hu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Peking University Ninth School of Clinical Medicine, Beijing, People's Republic of China
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31
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Bryan AF, Wang J, Howard GC, Guarnaccia AD, Woodley CM, Aho ER, Rellinger EJ, Matlock BK, Flaherty DK, Lorey SL, Chung DH, Fesik SW, Liu Q, Weissmiller AM, Tansey WP. WDR5 is a conserved regulator of protein synthesis gene expression. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:2924-2941. [PMID: 31996893 PMCID: PMC7102967 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Revised: 12/30/2019] [Accepted: 01/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
WDR5 is a highly-conserved nuclear protein that performs multiple scaffolding functions in the context of chromatin. WDR5 is also a promising target for pharmacological inhibition in cancer, with small molecule inhibitors of an arginine-binding pocket of WDR5 (the 'WIN' site) showing efficacy against a range of cancer cell lines in vitro. Efforts to understand WDR5, or establish the mechanism of action of WIN site inhibitors, however, are stymied by its many functions in the nucleus, and a lack of knowledge of the conserved gene networks-if any-that are under its control. Here, we have performed comparative genomic analyses to identify the conserved sites of WDR5 binding to chromatin, and the conserved genes regulated by WDR5, across a diverse panel of cancer cell lines. We show that a specific cohort of protein synthesis genes (PSGs) are invariantly bound by WDR5, demonstrate that the WIN site anchors WDR5 to chromatin at these sites, and establish that PSGs are bona fide, acute, and persistent targets of WIN site blockade. Together, these data reveal that WDR5 plays a predominant transcriptional role in biomass accumulation and provide further evidence that WIN site inhibitors act to repress gene networks linked to protein synthesis homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audra F Bryan
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37240, USA
| | - Jing Wang
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37240, USA
| | - Gregory C Howard
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37240, USA
| | - Alissa D Guarnaccia
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37240, USA
| | - Chase M Woodley
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37240, USA
| | - Erin R Aho
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37240, USA
| | - Eric J Rellinger
- Department of Pediatric General and Thoracic Surgery, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37240, USA
| | - Brittany K Matlock
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center Flow Cytometry Shared Resource, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37240, USA
| | - David K Flaherty
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center Flow Cytometry Shared Resource, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37240, USA
| | - Shelly L Lorey
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37240, USA
| | - Dai H Chung
- Department of Pediatric General and Thoracic Surgery, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37240, USA
| | - Stephen W Fesik
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37240, USA
| | - Qi Liu
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37240, USA
- Center for Quantitative Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37240, USA
| | - April M Weissmiller
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37240, USA
| | - William P Tansey
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37240, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37240, USA
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32
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Tian J, Teuscher KB, Aho ER, Alvarado JR, Mills JJ, Meyers KM, Gogliotti RD, Han C, Macdonald JD, Sai J, Shaw JG, Sensintaffar JL, Zhao B, Rietz TA, Thomas LR, Payne WG, Moore WJ, Stott GM, Kondo J, Inoue M, Coffey RJ, Tansey WP, Stauffer SR, Lee T, Fesik SW. Discovery and Structure-Based Optimization of Potent and Selective WD Repeat Domain 5 (WDR5) Inhibitors Containing a Dihydroisoquinolinone Bicyclic Core. J Med Chem 2020; 63:656-675. [PMID: 31858797 PMCID: PMC6986559 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.9b01608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
WD repeat domain 5 (WDR5) is a member of the WD40-repeat protein family that plays a critical role in multiple chromatin-centric processes. Overexpression of WDR5 correlates with a poor clinical outcome in many human cancers, and WDR5 itself has emerged as an attractive target for therapy. Most drug-discovery efforts center on the WIN site of WDR5 that is responsible for the recruitment of WDR5 to chromatin. Here, we describe discovery of a novel WDR5 WIN site antagonists containing a dihydroisoquinolinone bicyclic core using a structure-based design. These compounds exhibit picomolar binding affinity and selective concentration-dependent antiproliferative activities in sensitive MLL-fusion cell lines. Furthermore, these WDR5 WIN site binders inhibit proliferation in MYC-driven cancer cells and reduce MYC recruitment to chromatin at MYC/WDR5 co-bound genes. Thus, these molecules are useful probes to study the implication of WDR5 inhibition in cancers and serve as a potential starting point toward the discovery of anti-WDR5 therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianhua Tian
- Chemical Synthesis Core, Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
| | - Kevin B. Teuscher
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
| | - Erin R. Aho
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
| | - Joseph R. Alvarado
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
| | - Jonathan J. Mills
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
| | - Kenneth M. Meyers
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
| | - Rocco D. Gogliotti
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
| | - Changho Han
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
| | - Jonathan D. Macdonald
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
| | - Jiqing Sai
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
| | - J. Grace Shaw
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
| | - John L. Sensintaffar
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
| | - Bin Zhao
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
| | - Tyson A. Rietz
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
| | - Lance R. Thomas
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
| | - William G. Payne
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
| | - William J. Moore
- Leidos Biomedical Research, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD 21701, USA
| | - Gordon M. Stott
- Leidos Biomedical Research, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD 21701, USA
| | - Jumpei Kondo
- Department of Clinical Bio-resource Research and Development, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
- Department of Biochemistry, Osaka International Cancer Institute, Osaka, 541-8567, Japan
| | - Masahiro Inoue
- Department of Clinical Bio-resource Research and Development, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
- Department of Biochemistry, Osaka International Cancer Institute, Osaka, 541-8567, Japan
| | - Robert J. Coffey
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
| | - William P. Tansey
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
| | - Shaun R. Stauffer
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
| | - Taekyu Lee
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
| | - Stephen W. Fesik
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
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33
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Punzi S, Balestrieri C, D'Alesio C, Bossi D, Dellino GI, Gatti E, Pruneri G, Criscitiello C, Lovati G, Meliksetyan M, Carugo A, Curigliano G, Natoli G, Pelicci PG, Lanfrancone L. WDR5 inhibition halts metastasis dissemination by repressing the mesenchymal phenotype of breast cancer cells. Breast Cancer Res 2019; 21:123. [PMID: 31752957 PMCID: PMC6873410 DOI: 10.1186/s13058-019-1216-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2019] [Accepted: 10/16/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Development of metastases and drug resistance are still a challenge for a successful systemic treatment in breast cancer (BC) patients. One of the mechanisms that confer metastatic properties to the cell relies in the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Moreover, both EMT and metastasis are partly modulated through epigenetic mechanisms, by repression or induction of specific related genes. Methods We applied shRNAs and drug targeting approaches in BC cell lines and metastatic patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models to inhibit WDR5, the core subunit of histone H3 K4 methyltransferase complexes, and evaluate its role in metastasis regulation. Result We report that WDR5 is crucial in regulating tumorigenesis and metastasis spreading during BC progression. In particular, WDR5 loss reduces the metastatic properties of the cells by reverting the mesenchymal phenotype of triple negative- and luminal B-derived cells, thus inducing an epithelial trait. We also suggest that this regulation is mediated by TGFβ1, implying a prominent role of WDR5 in driving EMT through TGFβ1 activation. Moreover, such EMT reversion can be induced by drug targeting of WDR5 as well, leading to BC cell sensitization to chemotherapy and enhancement of paclitaxel-dependent effects. Conclusions We suggest that WDR5 inhibition could be a promising pharmacologic approach to reduce cell migration, revert EMT, and block metastasis formation in BC, thus overcoming resistance to standard treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Punzi
- Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Balestrieri
- Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy.,Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele (MI), 20090, Italy.,Humanitas Clinical and Research Institute, Rozzano (MI), 20089, Italy
| | - Carolina D'Alesio
- Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy.,Present address: Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties (Di.M.I), University of Genova, Genoa, Italy
| | - Daniela Bossi
- Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy.,Present address: Institute of Oncology Research (IOR), Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Gaetano Ivan Dellino
- Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy.,Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Elena Gatti
- Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Giancarlo Pruneri
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,Department of Pathology, Biobank for Translational Medicine Unit, European Institute of Oncology, IRCCS, Milan, Italy.,Present address: Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori - Fondazione IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Carmen Criscitiello
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,Division of Early Drug Development for Innovative Therapy, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Giulia Lovati
- Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Marine Meliksetyan
- Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandro Carugo
- Institute for Applied Cancer Science, UT MD Anderson Cancer Cente, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Giuseppe Curigliano
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,Division of Early Drug Development for Innovative Therapy, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Gioacchino Natoli
- Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy.,Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele (MI), 20090, Italy.,Humanitas Clinical and Research Institute, Rozzano (MI), 20089, Italy
| | - Pier Giuseppe Pelicci
- Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy.,Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Luisa Lanfrancone
- Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
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34
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Dai X, Zhang X, Lu P. Toward a holistic view of multiscale breast cancer molecular biomarkers. Biomark Med 2019; 13:1509-1533. [PMID: 31668082 DOI: 10.2217/bmm-2019-0143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Powered by rapid technology developments, biomarkers become increasingly diverse, including those detected at genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic and cellular levels. While diverse sets of biomarkers have been utilized in breast cancer predisposition, diagnosis, prognosis, treatment and management, recent additions derived from lincRNA, circular RNA, circulating DNA together with its methylated and hydroxymethylated forms and immune signatures are likely to further transform clinical practice. Here, we take breast cancer as an example of heterogeneous diseases that require many informed decisions from treatment to care to review the huge variety of biomarkers. By assessing the advantages and limitations of modern biomarkers in diverse use scenarios, this article outlines the prospects and challenges of releasing complimentary advantages by augmentation of multiscale molecular biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofeng Dai
- Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Xuanhao Zhang
- School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Peihua Lu
- Wuxi People's Hospital, Nan Chang Qu, Wuxi, Jiangsu, PR China
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35
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McClements L, Annett S, Yakkundi A, O’Rourke M, Valentine A, Moustafa N, Alqudah A, Simões BM, Furlong F, Short A, McIntosh SA, McCarthy HO, Clarke RB, Robson T. FKBPL and its peptide derivatives inhibit endocrine therapy resistant cancer stem cells and breast cancer metastasis by downregulating DLL4 and Notch4. BMC Cancer 2019; 19:351. [PMID: 30975104 PMCID: PMC6460676 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-019-5500-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2018] [Accepted: 03/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Optimising breast cancer treatment remains a challenge. Resistance to therapy is a major problem in both ER- and ER+ breast cancer. Tumour recurrence after chemotherapy and/or targeted therapy leads to more aggressive tumours with enhanced metastatic ability. Self-renewing cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been implicated in treatment resistance, recurrence and the development of metastatic disease. METHODS In this study, we utilised in vitro, in vivo and ex vivo breast cancer models using ER+ MCF-7 and ER- MDA-MB-231 cells, as well as solid and metastatic breast cancer patient samples, to interrogate the effects of FKBPL and its peptide therapeutics on metastasis, endocrine therapy resistant CSCs and DLL4 and Notch4 expression. The effects of FKBPL overexpression or peptide treatment were assessed using a t-test or one-way ANOVA with Dunnett's multiple comparison test. RESULTS We demonstrated that FKBPL overexpression or treatment with FKBPL-based therapeutics (AD-01, pre-clinical peptide /ALM201, clinical peptide) inhibit i) CSCs in both ER+ and ER- breast cancer, ii) cancer metastasis in a triple negative breast cancer metastasis model and iii) endocrine therapy resistant CSCs in ER+ breast cancer, via modulation of the DLL4 and Notch4 protein and/or mRNA expression. AD-01 was effective at reducing triple negative MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell migration (n ≥ 3, p < 0.05) and invasion (n ≥ 3, p < 0.001) and this was translated in vivo where AD-01 inhibited breast cancer metastasis in MDA-MB-231-lucD3H1 in vivo model (p < 0.05). In ER+ MCF-7 cells and primary breast tumour samples, we demonstrated that ALM201 inhibits endocrine therapy resistant mammospheres, representative of CSC content (n ≥ 3, p < 0.05). Whilst an in vivo limiting dilution assay, using SCID mice, demonstrated that ALM201 alone or in combination with tamoxifen was very effective at delaying tumour recurrence by 12 (p < 0.05) or 21 days (p < 0.001), respectively, by reducing the number of CSCs. The potential mechanism of action, in addition to CD44, involves downregulation of DLL4 and Notch4. CONCLUSION This study demonstrates, for the first time, the pre-clinical activity of novel systemic anti-cancer therapeutic peptides, ALM201 and AD-01, in the metastatic setting, and highlights their impact on endocrine therapy resistant CSCs; both areas of unmet clinical need.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lana McClements
- Centre for Experimental Medicine, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, UK
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, UK
- The School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Stephanie Annett
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, UK
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Therapeutics, Irish Centre for Vascular Biology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, RCSI, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Anita Yakkundi
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, UK
| | - Martin O’Rourke
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, UK
- Charles River Labs, 8-9 Spire Green Centre, Essex, Harlow, CM19 5TR UK
| | - Andrea Valentine
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, UK
- Charles River Labs, 8-9 Spire Green Centre, Essex, Harlow, CM19 5TR UK
| | | | - Abdelrahim Alqudah
- Centre for Experimental Medicine, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, UK
- School of Pharmacy, Hashemite University, Amman, Jordan
| | - Bruno M. Simões
- Manchester Breast Centre, Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester, Oglesby Cancer Research Building, Manchester, UK
| | - Fiona Furlong
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, UK
| | - Amy Short
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, UK
| | - Stuart A. McIntosh
- Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology, Queen’s University Belfast and Breast Surgery Department, Belfast City Hospital, Belfast, UK
| | | | - Robert B. Clarke
- Manchester Breast Centre, Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester, Oglesby Cancer Research Building, Manchester, UK
| | - Tracy Robson
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, UK
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Therapeutics, Irish Centre for Vascular Biology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, RCSI, Dublin, Ireland
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Li M, Guo Y, Feng YM, Zhang N. Identification of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Genes and a Novel High-Risk Breast Cancer Prediction Model Development Based on PPI Data and Support Vector Machines. Front Genet 2019; 10:180. [PMID: 30930932 PMCID: PMC6428707 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2019.00180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a special subtype of breast cancer that is difficult to treat. It is crucial to identify breast cancer-related genes that could provide new biomarkers for breast cancer diagnosis and potential treatment goals. In the development of our new high-risk breast cancer prediction model, seven raw gene expression datasets from the NCBI gene expression omnibus (GEO) database (GSE31519, GSE9574, GSE20194, GSE20271, GSE32646, GSE45255, and GSE15852) were used. Using the maximum relevance minimum redundancy (mRMR) method, we selected significant genes. Then, we mapped transcripts of the genes on the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network from the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) database, as well as traced the shortest path between each pair of proteins. Genes with higher betweenness values were selected from the shortest path proteins. In order to ensure validity and precision, a permutation test was performed. We randomly selected 248 proteins from the PPI network for shortest path tracing and repeated the procedure 100 times. We also removed genes that appeared more frequently in randomized results. As a result, 54 genes were selected as potential TNBC-related genes. Using 14 out the 54 genes, which are potential TNBC associated genes, as input features into a support vector machine (SVM), a novel model was trained to predict high-risk breast cancer. The prediction accuracy of normal tissues and TNBC tissues reached 95.394%, and the predictions of Stage II and Stage III TNBC reached 86.598%, indicating that such genes play important roles in distinguishing breast cancers, and that the method could be promising in practical use. According to reports, some of the 54 genes we identified from the PPI network are associated with breast cancer in the literature. Several other genes have not yet been reported but have functional resemblance with known cancer genes. These may be novel breast cancer-related genes and need further experimental validation. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were performed to appraise the 54 genes. It was indicated that cellular response to organic cyclic compounds has an influence in breast cancer, and most genes may be related with viral carcinogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Li
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tianjin Key Lab of BME Measurement, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Yu Guo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tianjin Key Lab of BME Measurement, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Yuan-Ming Feng
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tianjin Key Lab of BME Measurement, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Ning Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tianjin Key Lab of BME Measurement, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
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Aho ER, Wang J, Gogliotti RD, Howard GC, Phan J, Acharya P, Macdonald JD, Cheng K, Lorey SL, Lu B, Wenzel S, Foshage AM, Alvarado J, Wang F, Shaw JG, Zhao B, Weissmiller AM, Thomas LR, Vakoc CR, Hall MD, Hiebert SW, Liu Q, Stauffer SR, Fesik SW, Tansey WP. Displacement of WDR5 from Chromatin by a WIN Site Inhibitor with Picomolar Affinity. Cell Rep 2019; 26:2916-2928.e13. [PMID: 30865883 PMCID: PMC6448596 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.02.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Revised: 01/17/2019] [Accepted: 02/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The chromatin-associated protein WDR5 is a promising target for pharmacological inhibition in cancer. Drug discovery efforts center on the blockade of the "WIN site" of WDR5, a well-defined pocket that is amenable to small molecule inhibition. Various cancer contexts have been proposed to be targets for WIN site inhibitors, but a lack of understanding of WDR5 target genes and of the primary effects of WIN site inhibitors hampers their utility. Here, by the discovery of potent WIN site inhibitors, we demonstrate that the WIN site links WDR5 to chromatin at a small cohort of loci, including a specific subset of ribosome protein genes. WIN site inhibitors rapidly displace WDR5 from chromatin and decrease the expression of associated genes, causing translational inhibition, nucleolar stress, and p53 induction. Our studies define a mode by which WDR5 engages chromatin and forecast that WIN site blockade could have utility against multiple cancer types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin R Aho
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Jing Wang
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Rocco D Gogliotti
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Gregory C Howard
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Jason Phan
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Pankaj Acharya
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Jonathan D Macdonald
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Ken Cheng
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, NIH, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - Shelly L Lorey
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Bin Lu
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA
| | - Sabine Wenzel
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Audra M Foshage
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Joseph Alvarado
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Feng Wang
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - J Grace Shaw
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Bin Zhao
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - April M Weissmiller
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Lance R Thomas
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | | | - Matthew D Hall
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, NIH, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - Scott W Hiebert
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Qi Liu
- Center for Quantitative Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Shaun R Stauffer
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Stephen W Fesik
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - William P Tansey
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
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Wang F, Jeon KO, Salovich JM, Macdonald JD, Alvarado J, Gogliotti RD, Phan J, Olejniczak ET, Sun Q, Wang S, Camper D, Yuh JP, Shaw JG, Sai J, Rossanese OW, Tansey WP, Stauffer SR, Fesik SW. Discovery of Potent 2-Aryl-6,7-dihydro-5 H-pyrrolo[1,2- a]imidazoles as WDR5-WIN-Site Inhibitors Using Fragment-Based Methods and Structure-Based Design. J Med Chem 2018; 61:5623-5642. [PMID: 29889518 PMCID: PMC6842305 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.8b00375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
WDR5 is a chromatin-regulatory scaffold protein overexpressed in various cancers and a potential epigenetic drug target for the treatment of mixed-lineage leukemia. Here, we describe the discovery of potent and selective WDR5-WIN-site inhibitors using fragment-based methods and structure-based design. NMR-based screening of a large fragment library identified several chemically distinct hit series that bind to the WIN site within WDR5. Members of a 6,7-dihydro-5 H-pyrrolo[1,2- a]imidazole fragment class were expanded using a structure-based design approach to arrive at lead compounds with dissociation constants <10 nM and micromolar cellular activity against an AML-leukemia cell line. These compounds represent starting points for the discovery of clinically useful WDR5 inhibitors for the treatment of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Wang
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
| | - Kyu Ok Jeon
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
| | - James M. Salovich
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
| | | | - Joseph Alvarado
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
| | - Rocco D. Gogliotti
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
| | - Jason Phan
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
| | | | - Qi Sun
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
| | - Shidong Wang
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
| | - DeMarco Camper
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
| | - Joannes P. Yuh
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
| | - J. Grace Shaw
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
| | - Jiqing Sai
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
| | - Olivia W. Rossanese
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
| | - William P. Tansey
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
| | - Shaun R. Stauffer
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
- Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
| | - Stephen W. Fesik
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
- Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
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Neilsen BK, Chakraborty B, McCall JL, Frodyma DE, Sleightholm RL, Fisher KW, Lewis RE. WDR5 supports colon cancer cells by promoting methylation of H3K4 and suppressing DNA damage. BMC Cancer 2018; 18:673. [PMID: 29925347 PMCID: PMC6011590 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-018-4580-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2018] [Accepted: 06/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND KMT2/MLL proteins are commonly overexpressed or mutated in cancer and have been shown to support cancer maintenance. These proteins are responsible for methylating histone 3 at lysine 4 and promoting transcription and DNA synthesis; however, they are inactive outside of a multi-protein complex that requires WDR5. WDR5 has been implicated in cancer for its role in the COMPASS complex and its interaction with Myc; however, the role of WDR5 in colon cancer has not yet been elucidated. METHODS WDR5 expression was evaluated using RT-qPCR and western blot analysis. Cell viability and colony forming assays were utilized to evaluate the effects of WDR5 depletion or inhibition in colon cancer cells. Downstream effects of WDR5 depletion and inhibition were observed by western blot. RESULTS WDR5 is overexpressed in colon tumors and colon cancer cell lines at the mRNA and protein level. WDR5 depletion reduces cell viability in HCT116, LoVo, RKO, HCT15, SW480, SW620, and T84 colon cancer cells. Inhibition of the WDR5:KMT2/MLL interaction using OICR-9429 reduces cell viability in the same panel of cell lines albeit not to the same extent as RNAi-mediated WDR5 depletion. WDR5 depletion reduced H3K4Me3 and increased phosphorylation of H2AX in HCT116, SW620, and RKO colon cancer cells; however, OICR-9429 treatment did not recapitulate these effects in all cell lines potentially explaining the reduced toxicity of OICR-9429 treatment as compared to WDR5 depletion. WDR5 depletion also sensitized colon cancer cells to radiation-induced DNA damage. CONCLUSIONS These data demonstrate a clear role for WDR5 in colon cancer and future studies should examine its potential to serve as a therapeutic target in cancer. Additional studies are needed to fully elucidate if the requirement for WDR5 is independent of or consistent with its role within the COMPASS complex. OICR-9429 treatment was particularly toxic to SW620 and T84 colon cancer cells, two cell lines without mutations in WDR5 and KMT2/MLL proteins suggesting COMPASS complex inhibition may be particularly effective in tumors lacking KMT2 mutations. Additionally, the ability of WDR5 depletion to amplify the toxic effects of radiation presents the possibility of targeting WDR5 to sensitize cells to DNA-damaging therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beth K Neilsen
- Eppley Institute, Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA
| | - Binita Chakraborty
- Eppley Institute, Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA.,Present address: Department of Pharmacology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Jamie L McCall
- Eppley Institute, Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA.,Present address: Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA
| | - Danielle E Frodyma
- Eppley Institute, Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA
| | - Richard L Sleightholm
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA
| | - Kurt W Fisher
- Eppley Institute, Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA.,Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA
| | - Robert E Lewis
- Eppley Institute, Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA.
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Wu Y, Diao P, Li Z, Zhang W, Wang D, Wang Y, Cheng J. Overexpression of WD repeat domain 5 associates with aggressive clinicopathological features and unfavorable prognosis in head neck squamous cell carcinoma. J Oral Pathol Med 2018; 47:502-510. [PMID: 29569374 DOI: 10.1111/jop.12708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND WD repeat domain 5 (WDR5), a core member of Mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) and SET1 histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4) methyltransferase complexes, is involved in multiple biological and pathological processes. Its deregulation in cancer and pro-tumorigenic roles has been increasingly appreciated. However, the expression pattern of WDR5 and its biological functions in head neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) have not been well established. METHODS The expression of WDR5 mRNA in HNSCC was determined by data mining and interrogation using publicly available databases. Its protein expression was measured by immunohistochemistry in a retrospective cohort of primary HNSCC samples. Moreover, the associations between WDR5 expression and various clinicopathological parameters and patient survival were assessed. The pro-tumorigenic roles of WDR5 in HNSCC were further delineated in vitro by loss-of-function assay. RESULTS Our bioinformatics analyses revealed that WDR5 mRNA was significantly overexpressed in 3 HNSCC cohorts. WDR5 protein was markedly upregulated in HNSCC samples as compared to normal counterparts and its overexpression significantly associated with large tumor size, advanced clinical stage (chi-square test, P = .048, .006) and reduced overall and disease-free survival (Kaplan-Mier analyses, Log-rank test, P = .0137, .0154). Univariate and multivariate survival analyses further revealed WDR5 protein abundance as an independent prognostic factor for patients' overall survival. Moreover, WDR5 knockdown significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and induced cell apoptosis in HNSCC cells. CONCLUSIONS Our findings reveal that WDR5 is aberrantly overexpressed in HNSCC and associates with aggressiveness and unfavorable prognosis, thus representing a novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaping Wu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Pengfei Diao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhongwu Li
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Affiliated Stomatological Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Department of Oral Pathology, School of Stomatology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Dongmiao Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.,Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Affiliated Stomatological Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yanling Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jie Cheng
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
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Cui Z, Li H, Liang F, Mu C, Mu Y, Zhang X, Liu J. Effect of high WDR5 expression on the hepatocellular carcinoma prognosis. Oncol Lett 2018; 15:7864-7870. [PMID: 29731905 PMCID: PMC5921231 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2018.8298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2017] [Accepted: 02/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
WD repeat domain 5 (WDR5) serves an important role in various biological functions through the epigenetic regulation of gene transcription. Aberrant expression of WDR5 has been observed in various types of human cancer, including prostate cancer, breast cancer and leukemia. However, the role of WDR5 expression and its clinical implications in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain largely unknown. The present study investigated the WDR5 expression pattern in HCC. It was demonstrated that the mRNA and protein levels of WDR5 were upregulated in HCC cancer tissues compared with normal adjacent tissues using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. Furthermore, the elevated WDR5 protein level was significantly associated with the histological grade (P=0.038), tumor size (P=0.023), tumor-node-metastasis stage (P=0.035) and reduced long-term survival time. Additionally, it was demonstrated through the shRNA-mediated knockdown of WDR5 in HCC cells in vitro that WDR5 expression promotes cell proliferation using an MTT assay. Taken together, the results suggested that WDR5 overexpression may have an oncogenic effect in HCC, and may be a promising biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhoujun Cui
- Department of General Surgery, People's Hospital of Rizhao, Rizhao, Shandong 276800, P.R. China
| | - Hongbo Li
- Department of General Surgery, People's Hospital of Rizhao, Rizhao, Shandong 276800, P.R. China
| | - Feng Liang
- Department of General Surgery, People's Hospital of Rizhao, Rizhao, Shandong 276800, P.R. China
| | - Cuiling Mu
- Department of General Surgery, People's Hospital of Rizhao, Rizhao, Shandong 276800, P.R. China
| | - Yuhua Mu
- Department of General Surgery, People's Hospital of Rizhao, Rizhao, Shandong 276800, P.R. China
| | - Xuegong Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, People's Hospital of Rizhao, Rizhao, Shandong 276800, P.R. China
| | - Jundong Liu
- Department of General Surgery, People's Hospital of Rizhao, Rizhao, Shandong 276800, P.R. China
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Connolly C, Madden SF, Buggy DJ, Gallagher HC. Expression of anaesthetic and analgesic drug target genes in excised breast tumour tissue: Association with clinical disease recurrence or metastasis. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0177105. [PMID: 28558008 PMCID: PMC5448742 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0177105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2016] [Accepted: 04/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Retrospective analyses suggest anaesthetic-analgesics technique during cancer surgery may affect recurrence/metastasis. This could involve direct effects of anaesthetic-analgesic drugs on cancer cells. While μ-opioid receptor over-expression in lung tumours is associated with greater metastasis, other anaesthetic-analgesic receptor targets in cancer recurrence/metastasis remain unexplored. Therefore, we evaluated the association between genetic expression of anaesthetic-analgesic receptor targets and recurrence/metastasis, using a repository of breast cancer gene expression and matching clinical data. Methods A list of 23 genes encoding for the most prominent anaesthetic-analgesic receptor targets was compiled. This was processed through BreastMark- an algorithm integrating gene expression data from ~17,000 samples and clinical data from >4,500 breast cancer samples. Gene expression data was dichotomized using disease-free survival (survival without recurrence) and distant disease-free survival (survival without metastasis) as end points. Hazard ratios were calculated by Cox-regression analysis. Enrichment for prognostic markers was determined by randomly choosing 23-member gene lists from all available genes, calculating how often >5 significant markers were observed and adjusting p-values for multiple testing. This was repeated 10,000 times and an empirical p-value calculated. Results Of 23 selected genes, 9 were significantly associated with altered rates of metastasis and 4 with recurrence on univariate analysis. Adjusting for multiple testing, 5 of these 9 genes remained significantly associated with metastasis, non with recurrence. This ratio of genes (5/23) was not significantly enriched for markers of metastasis (p = 0.07). Conclusion Several anaesthetic-analgesic receptor genes were associated with metastatic spread in breast cancer. Overall there was no significant enrichment in prognostic markers of metastasis, although a trend was observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. Connolly
- Dept. of Anaesthesia, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
- School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- * E-mail: (CC); (DJB)
| | - S. F. Madden
- RCSI Population Health Sciences, Dept. of Psychology, Royal College of Surgeons, Dublin, Ireland
| | - D. J. Buggy
- Dept. of Anaesthesia, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
- School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Conway Institute for Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Outcomes Research Consortium, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
- * E-mail: (CC); (DJB)
| | - H. C. Gallagher
- Dept. of Anaesthesia, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
- School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Conway Institute for Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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Xie Q, Li Z, Chen J. WDR5 positively regulates p53 stability by inhibiting p53 ubiquitination. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2017; 487:333-338. [PMID: 28412363 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2017.04.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2017] [Accepted: 04/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
WD40 repeat protein WDR5 is a core component of the Set/MLL histone methyltransferase complex which catalyzes histone H3 Lys4 trimethylation and activates gene transcription in human cells. WDR5 promotes Set/MLL complex assembly and mediates the complex binding to Lys4-dimethylated histone H3 tail. Most earlier studies report that WDR5 exerts profound effects on various cellular and organismal processes mainly through epigenetic regulation of gene transcription. However, the functions of WDR5 in lung cancer remain largely unknown. Here, we report that WDR5 positively regulates p53 stability by inhibiting p53 ubiquitination in human lung cancer A549 cells. Overexpression of WDR5 dramatically increases p53 protein levels and its half-life in A549 cells, while depletion of WDR5 with WDR5-specific siRNAs significantly decreases p53 protein levels. We also observe that WDR5 is required for p53 induction in response to cisplatin treatment. Mechanistically, WDR5 colocalizes with p53 and inhibits p53 ubiquitination, resulting in p53 stabilization. Consequently, overexpression of WDR5 induces G1 phase arrest in A549 cells, and knocking down WDR5 by siRNAs reduces the population at G1 phase. Furthermore, p53 expression levels is at least in part determined by the p53 positive regulator WDR5 in some cancer cells. Taken together, these data suggest that WDR5 is directly involved in p53 signaling pathway. Our studies provide a new insight into WDR5 functions in A549 cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingqing Xie
- School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, Fujian, China
| | - Zengpeng Li
- School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, Fujian, China
| | - Jianming Chen
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Xiamen 361005, Fujian, China.
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44
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Tan X, Chen S, Wu J, Lin J, Pan C, Ying X, Pan Z, Qiu L, Liu R, Geng R, Huang W. PI3K/AKT-mediated upregulation of WDR5 promotes colorectal cancer metastasis by directly targeting ZNF407. Cell Death Dis 2017; 8:e2686. [PMID: 28300833 PMCID: PMC5386518 DOI: 10.1038/cddis.2017.111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2016] [Revised: 02/10/2017] [Accepted: 02/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cause of cancer deaths, and has a high rate of liver and lung metastasis. Unfortunately, distant metastasis is the main barrier for advanced CRC therapy and leads to a very low survival rate. In this study, we identified WDR5, a vital factor that regulates vertebrate development and cell self-renewal and reprogramming, as a novel prognostic marker and therapeutic target for CRC patients. We demonstrate that WDR5 is upregulated in CRC tissues and promotes CRC metastasis both in vitro and in vivo. In an effort to investigate the impact of WDR5 on CRC cell fate, we treated CRC cells with growth factor and inhibitor. We report that WDR5 is a novel factor in the metastasis of CRC by triggering epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) process in response to the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Moreover, WDR5 shows a direct binding to the ZNF407 promoter on regulating cellular EMT process, leading to CRC metastasis. Hence, our findings strongly position WDR5 as a valuable marker for CRC, and inhibiting WDR5 or the associated signaling pathways may be an effective strategy for the future development of anti-CRC therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangzhou 510060, PR China.,Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, PR China
| | - Shuai Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangzhou 510060, PR China.,Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, PR China
| | - Jiangxue Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangzhou 510060, PR China.,Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, PR China
| | - Jiaxin Lin
- Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute, Guangdong General Hospital & Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou 510080, PR China
| | - Changchuan Pan
- Medical Oncology, Sichuan Cancer Hospital and Institute, Second People's Hospital of Sichuan Province, Chengdu 614000, PR China
| | - Xiaofang Ying
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Hubei Cancer Hospital, Wuhan 430079, PR China
| | - Zhizhong Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangzhou 510060, PR China.,Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, PR China
| | - Lin Qiu
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangzhou 510060, PR China.,Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, PR China
| | - Ranyi Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangzhou 510060, PR China.,Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, PR China
| | - Rong Geng
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangzhou 510060, PR China.,Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, PR China
| | - Wenlin Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangzhou 510060, PR China.,Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, PR China
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45
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Wu J, Tan X, Lin J, Yuan L, Chen J, Qiu L, Huang W. Minicircle-oriP-miR-31 as a Novel EBNA1-Specific miRNA Therapy Approach for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma. Hum Gene Ther 2016; 28:415-427. [PMID: 28042945 DOI: 10.1089/hum.2016.136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important post-transcriptional regulators that control cancer development and progression. However, the application of miRNA therapy in cancer has been hampered by a lack of an efficient and targeted delivery system. In our previous studies, an oriP promoter-based minicircle system successfully mediated targeted foreign gene expression in EBNA1-positive nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, it remains to be evaluated whether this system can be applied for tumor miRNA therapy. miR-31-5p, a tumor suppressive miRNA involved in the tumorigenesis of EBV-positive NPC, was selected as the therapeutic miRNA to be transferred. In this work, we constructed a novel EBNA1-specific miRNA expression system, minicircle-oriP-miR-31. The results indicated that mc-oriP-miR-31 mediated selective miR-31-5p expression in EBNA1-positive NPC cells. Both the proliferation and migration of EBNA1-positive NPC cell lines were inhibited by mc-oriP-miR-31 treatment in vitro. Furthermore, mc-oriP-miR-31 treatment inhibited xenograft growth and lung metastasis in vivo. We also identified WDR5 as a novel miR-31-5p target. Knockdown of WDR5 inhibited NPC cell proliferation and migration and was associated with downregulation of Notch1. Reintroduction of WDR5 partially abrogated the suppressive effects induced by miR-31-5p. In conclusion, we demonstrate for the first time that targeted expression of miR-31-5p using a nonviral minicircle vector can serve as a novel approach for tumor miRNA therapy. Moreover, WDR5 may be a promising therapeutic target for NPC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiangxue Wu
- 1 State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center , Guangzhou, China
- 2 Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center , Guangzhou, China
| | - Xin Tan
- 1 State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center , Guangzhou, China
- 2 Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center , Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiaxin Lin
- 1 State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center , Guangzhou, China
- 2 Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center , Guangzhou, China
| | - Luping Yuan
- 1 State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center , Guangzhou, China
- 2 Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center , Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiemin Chen
- 1 State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center , Guangzhou, China
- 2 Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center , Guangzhou, China
| | - Lin Qiu
- 1 State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center , Guangzhou, China
- 2 Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center , Guangzhou, China
| | - Wenlin Huang
- 1 State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center , Guangzhou, China
- 2 Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center , Guangzhou, China
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