The pseudo-caspase FLIP(L) regulates cell fate following p53 activation.

p53 is the most frequently mutated, well-studied tumor-suppressor gene, yet the molecular basis of the switch from p53-induced cell-cycle arrest to apoptosis remains poorly understood. Using a combination of transcriptomics and functional genomics, we unexpectedly identified a nodal role for the caspase-8 paralog and only human pseudo-caspase, FLIP(L), in regulating this switch. Moreover, we identify FLIP(L) as a direct p53 transcriptional target gene that is rapidly up-regulated in response to Nutlin-3A, an MDM2 inhibitor that potently activates p53. Genetically or pharmacologically inhibiting expression of FLIP(L) using siRNA or entinostat (a clinically relevant class-I HDAC inhibitor) efficiently promoted apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells in response to Nutlin-3A, which otherwise predominantly induced cell-cycle arrest. Enhanced apoptosis was also observed when entinostat was combined with clinically relevant, p53-activating chemotherapy in vitro, and this translated into enhanced in vivo efficacy. Mechanistically, FLIP(L) inhibited p53-induced apoptosis by blocking activation of caspase-8 by the TRAIL-R2/DR5 death receptor; notably, this activation was not dependent on receptor engagement by its ligand, TRAIL. In the absence of caspase-8, another of its paralogs, caspase-10 (also transcriptionally up-regulated by p53), induced apoptosis in Nutlin-3A-treated, FLIP(L)-depleted cells, albeit to a lesser extent than in caspase-8-proficient cells. FLIP(L) depletion also modulated transcription of canonical p53 target genes, suppressing p53-induced expression of the cell-cycle regulator p21 and enhancing p53-induced up-regulation of proapoptotic PUMA. Thus, even in the absence of caspase-8/10, FLIP(L) silencing promoted p53-induced apoptosis by enhancing PUMA expression. Thus, we report unexpected, therapeutically relevant roles for FLIP(L) in determining cell fate following p53 activation.

Transcription Factor Activities Enhance Markers of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer.

Transcriptional dysregulation induced by aberrant transcription factors (TF) is a key feature of cancer, but its global influence on drug sensitivity has not been examined. Here, we infer the transcriptional activity of 127 TFs through analysis of RNA-seq gene expression data newly generated for 448 cancer cell lines, combined with publicly available datasets to survey a total of 1,056 cancer cell lines and 9,250 primary tumors. Predicted TF activities are supported by their agreement with independent shRNA essentiality profiles and homozygous gene deletions, and recapitulate mutant-specific mechanisms of transcriptional dysregulation in cancer. By analyzing cell line responses to 265 compounds, we uncovered numerous TFs whose activity interacts with anticancer drugs. Importantly, combining existing pharmacogenomic markers with TF activities often improves the stratification of cell lines in response to drug treatment. Our results, which can be queried freely at dorothea.opentargets.io, offer a broad foundation for discovering opportunities to refine personalized cancer therapies.Significance: Systematic analysis of transcriptional dysregulation in cancer cell lines and patient tumor specimens offers a publicly searchable foundation to discover new opportunities to refine personalized cancer therapies. Cancer Res; 78(3); 769-80. ©2017 AACR.