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Lei H, Wang Z, Jiang D, Liu F, Liu M, Lei X, Yang Y, He B, Yan M, Huang H, Liu Q, Pang J. CRISPR screening identifies CDK12 as a conservative vulnerability of prostate cancer. Cell Death Dis 2021; 12:740. [PMID: 34315855 PMCID: PMC8316367 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-021-04027-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Androgen receptor (AR) signaling inhibitors provide limited survival benefits to patients with prostate cancer (PCa), and worse, few feasible genomic lesions restrict targeted treatment to PCa. Thus, a better understanding of the critical dependencies of PCa may enable more feasible therapeutic approaches to the dilemma. We performed a kinome-scale CRISPR/Cas9 screen and identified cyclin-dependent kinase 12 (CDK12) as being conservatively required for PCa cell survival. Suppression of CDK12 by the covalent inhibitor THZ531 led to an obvious anti-PCa effect. Mechanistically, THZ531 downregulated AR signaling and preferentially repressed a distinct class of CDK12 inhibition-sensitive transcripts (CDK12-ISTs), including prostate lineage-specific genes, and contributed to cellular survival processes. Integration of the super-enhancer (SE) landscape and CDK12-ISTs indicated a group of potential PCa oncogenes, further conferring the sensitivity of PCa cells to CDK12 inhibition. Importantly, THZ531 strikingly synergized with multiple AR antagonists. The synergistic effect may be driven by attenuated H3K27ac signaling on AR targets and an intensive SE-associated apoptosis pathway. In conclusion, we highlight the validity of CDK12 as a druggable target in PCa. The synergy of THZ531 and AR antagonists suggests a potential combination therapy for PCa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanqi Lei
- Department of Urology, Kidney and Urology Center, Pelvic Floor Disorders Center, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China.,Department of Urology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zifeng Wang
- Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Donggen Jiang
- Department of Urology, Kidney and Urology Center, Pelvic Floor Disorders Center, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Fang Liu
- Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Meiling Liu
- Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xinxing Lei
- Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yafei Yang
- Department of Urology, Kidney and Urology Center, Pelvic Floor Disorders Center, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Bin He
- Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Min Yan
- Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hai Huang
- Department of Urology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Quentin Liu
- Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Jun Pang
- Department of Urology, Kidney and Urology Center, Pelvic Floor Disorders Center, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China.
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2
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Yuan F, Hankey W, Wu D, Wang H, Somarelli J, Armstrong AJ, Huang J, Chen Z, Wang Q. Molecular determinants for enzalutamide-induced transcription in prostate cancer. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 47:10104-10114. [PMID: 31501863 PMCID: PMC6821169 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2019] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Enzalutamide, a second-generation androgen receptor (AR) antagonist, has demonstrated clinical benefit in men with prostate cancer. However, it only provides a temporary response and modest increase in survival, indicating a rapid evolution of resistance. Previous studies suggest that enzalutamide may function as a partial transcriptional agonist, but the underlying mechanisms for enzalutamide-induced transcription remain poorly understood. Here, we show that enzalutamide stimulates expression of a novel subset of genes distinct from androgen-responsive genes. Treatment of prostate cancer cells with enzalutamide enhances recruitment of pioneer factor GATA2, AR, Mediator subunits MED1 and MED14, and RNA Pol II to regulatory elements of enzalutamide-responsive genes. Mechanistically, GATA2 globally directs enzalutamide-induced transcription by facilitating AR, Mediator and Pol II loading to enzalutamide-responsive gene loci. Importantly, the GATA2 inhibitor K7174 inhibits enzalutamide-induced transcription by decreasing binding of the GATA2/AR/Mediator/Pol II transcriptional complex, contributing to sensitization of prostate cancer cells to enzalutamide treatment. Our findings provide mechanistic insight into the future combination of GATA2 inhibitors and enzalutamide for improved AR-targeted therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuwen Yuan
- Department of Pathology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - William Hankey
- Department of Pathology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Dayong Wu
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Hongyan Wang
- Department of Pathology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Jason Somarelli
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Andrew J Armstrong
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA.,Duke Cancer Institute Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA.,Departments of Surgery, Pharmacology, and Cancer Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Jiaoti Huang
- Department of Pathology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA.,Duke Cancer Institute Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Zhong Chen
- Department of Pathology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Qianben Wang
- Department of Pathology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA.,Duke Cancer Institute Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
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3
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Enzalutamide inhibits testosterone-induced growth of human prostate cancer xenografts in zebrafish and can induce bradycardia. Sci Rep 2017; 7:14698. [PMID: 29089623 PMCID: PMC5665934 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-14413-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2017] [Accepted: 10/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The zebrafish has become a popular human tumour xenograft model, particularly for solid tumours including prostate cancer (PCa). To date PCa xenotransplantation studies in zebrafish have not been performed in the presence of testosterone, even when employing androgen-dependent cell models, such as the LNCaP cell line. Thus, with the goal of more faithfully modelling the hormonal milieu in which PCa develops in humans, we sought to determine the effects of exogenous testosterone on the growth of LNCaP, or androgen-independent C4-2 cells xenografted into zebrafish embryos. Testosterone significantly increased engrafted LNCaP proliferation compared to control xenografts, which could be inhibited by co-administration of the anti-androgen receptor drug, enzalutamide. By contrast, C4-2 cell growth was not affected by either testosterone or enzalutamide. Enzalutamide also induced bradycardia and death in zebrafish embryos in a dose-dependent manner and strongly synergized with the potassium-channel blocking agent, terfenadine, known to induce long QT syndrome and cardiac arrhythmia. Together, these data not only indicate that testosterone administration should be considered in all PCa xenograft studies in zebrafish but also highlights the unique opportunity of this preclinical platform to simultaneously evaluate efficacy and toxicity of novel therapies and/or protective agents towards developing safer and more effective PCa treatments.
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Shah S, Carriveau WJ, Li J, Campbell SL, Kopinski PK, Lim HW, Daurio N, Trefely S, Won KJ, Wallace DC, Koumenis C, Mancuso A, Wellen KE. Targeting ACLY sensitizes castration-resistant prostate cancer cells to AR antagonism by impinging on an ACLY-AMPK-AR feedback mechanism. Oncotarget 2016; 7:43713-43730. [PMID: 27248322 PMCID: PMC5190055 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.9666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2015] [Accepted: 05/08/2016] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The androgen receptor (AR) plays a central role in prostate tumor growth. Inappropriate reactivation of the AR after androgen deprivation therapy promotes development of incurable castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). In this study, we provide evidence that metabolic features of prostate cancer cells can be exploited to sensitize CRPC cells to AR antagonism. We identify a feedback loop between ATP-citrate lyase (ACLY)-dependent fatty acid synthesis, AMPK, and the AR in prostate cancer cells that could contribute to therapeutic resistance by maintaining AR levels. When combined with an AR antagonist, ACLY inhibition in CRPC cells promotes energetic stress and AMPK activation, resulting in further suppression of AR levels and target gene expression, inhibition of proliferation, and apoptosis. Supplying exogenous fatty acids can restore energetic homeostasis; however, this rescue does not occur through increased β-oxidation to support mitochondrial ATP production. Instead, concurrent inhibition of ACLY and AR may drive excess ATP consumption as cells attempt to cope with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, which is prevented by fatty acid supplementation. Thus, fatty acid metabolism plays a key role in coordinating ER and energetic homeostasis in CRPC cells, thereby sustaining AR action and promoting proliferation. Consistent with a role for fatty acid metabolism in sustaining AR levels in prostate cancer in vivo, AR mRNA levels in human prostate tumors correlate positively with expression of ACLY and other fatty acid synthesis genes. The ACLY-AMPK-AR network can be exploited to sensitize CRPC cells to AR antagonism, suggesting novel therapeutic opportunities for prostate cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Supriya Shah
- Department of Cancer Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Whitney J Carriveau
- Department of Cancer Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Jinyang Li
- Department of Cancer Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Sydney L Campbell
- Department of Cancer Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Piotr K Kopinski
- Center for Mitochondrial and Epigenomic Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Hee-Woong Lim
- Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Natalie Daurio
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Sophie Trefely
- Department of Cancer Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Kyoung-Jae Won
- Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Douglas C Wallace
- Center for Mitochondrial and Epigenomic Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Constantinos Koumenis
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Anthony Mancuso
- Department of Cancer Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Kathryn E Wellen
- Department of Cancer Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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5
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Archibald M, Pritchard T, Nehoff H, Rosengren RJ, Greish K, Taurin S. A combination of sorafenib and nilotinib reduces the growth of castrate-resistant prostate cancer. Int J Nanomedicine 2016; 11:179-200. [PMID: 26811677 PMCID: PMC4712974 DOI: 10.2147/ijn.s97286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) remains incurable due to the lack of effective therapies. Several tyrosine kinases have been implicated in the development and growth of CRPC, as such targeting these kinases may offer an alternative therapeutic strategy. We established the combination of two tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), sorafenib and nilotinib, as the most cytotoxic. In addtion, to improve their bioavailability and reduce their metabolism, we encapsulated sorafenib and nilotinib into styrene-co-maleic acid micelles. The micelles' charge, size, and release rate were characterized. We assessed the effect of the combination on the cytotoxicity, cell cycle, apoptosis, protein expression, tumor spheroid integrity, migration, and invasion. The micelles exhibited a mean diameter of 100 nm, a neutral charge, and appeared highly stable. The micellar TKIs promoted greater cytotoxicity, decreased cell proliferation, and increased apoptosis relative to the free TKIs. In addition, the combination reduced the expression and activity of several tyrosine kinases and reduced tumor spheroid integrity and metastatic potential of CRPC cell lines more efficiently than the single treatments. The combination increased the therapeutic potential and demonstrated the relevance of a targeted combination therapy for the treatment of CRPC. In addition, the efficacy of the encapsulated drugs provides the basis for an in vivo preclinical testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Archibald
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Tara Pritchard
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Hayley Nehoff
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Rhonda J Rosengren
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Khaled Greish
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Aljawhara Centre for Molecular Medicine, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain
| | - Sebastien Taurin
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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