RESUMO
BACKGROUND: More than half of mesothelioma tumours show alterations in the tumour suppressor gene BAP1. BAP1-deficient mesothelioma is shown to be sensitive to EZH2 inhibition in preclinical settings but only showed modest efficacy in clinical trial. Adding a second inhibitor could potentially elevate EZH2i treatment efficacy while preventing acquired resistance at the same time. METHODS: A focused drug synergy screen consisting of 20 drugs was performed by combining EZH2 inhibition with a panel of anti-cancer compounds in mesothelioma cell lines. The compounds used are under preclinical investigation or already used in the clinic. The synergistic potential of the combinations was assessed by using the Bliss model. To validate our findings, in vivo xenograft experiments were performed. RESULTS: Combining EZH2i with ATMi was found to have synergistic potential against BAP1-deficient mesothelioma in our drug screen, which was validated in clonogenicity assays. Tumour growth inhibition potential was significantly increased in BAP1-deficient xenografts. In addition, we observe lower ATM levels upon depletion of BAP1 and hypothesise that this might be mediated by E2F1. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated the efficacy of the combination of ATM and EZH2 inhibition against BAP1-deficient mesothelioma in preclinical models, indicating the potential of this combination as a novel treatment modality using BAP1 as a biomarker.
Assuntos
Proteínas Mutadas de Ataxia Telangiectasia , Proteína Potenciadora do Homólogo 2 de Zeste , Mesotelioma , Proteínas Supressoras de Tumor , Ubiquitina Tiolesterase , Ensaios Antitumorais Modelo de Xenoenxerto , Proteínas Supressoras de Tumor/genética , Proteínas Supressoras de Tumor/deficiência , Humanos , Proteína Potenciadora do Homólogo 2 de Zeste/antagonistas & inibidores , Proteína Potenciadora do Homólogo 2 de Zeste/genética , Ubiquitina Tiolesterase/antagonistas & inibidores , Ubiquitina Tiolesterase/genética , Ubiquitina Tiolesterase/deficiência , Animais , Camundongos , Mesotelioma/tratamento farmacológico , Mesotelioma/patologia , Mesotelioma/genética , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Proteínas Mutadas de Ataxia Telangiectasia/antagonistas & inibidores , Proteínas Mutadas de Ataxia Telangiectasia/genética , Proteínas Mutadas de Ataxia Telangiectasia/deficiência , Sinergismo Farmacológico , FemininoRESUMO
The highly mutated nature of bladder cancers harboring mutations in chromatin regulatory genes opposing Polycomb-mediated repression highlights the importance of targeting EZH2 in bladder cancer. Furthermore, the critical role of the retinoic acid signaling pathway in the development and homeostasis of the urothelium, and the anti-oncogenic effects of retinoids are well established. Therefore, our aim is to simultaneously target EZH2 and retinoic acid signaling in bladder cancer to potentiate the therapeutic response. Here we report that this coordinated targeting strategy stimulates an anti-oncogenic profile, as reflected by inducing a synergistic reduction in cell viability that was associated with increased apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in a cooperative and orchestrated manner. This study characterized anti-oncogenic transcriptional reprogramming centered on the transcriptional regulator CHOP by stimulating the endoplasmic reticulum stress response. We further portrayed a molecular mechanism whereby EZH2 maintains H3K27me3-mediated repression of a subset of genes involved in unfolded protein responses, reflecting the molecular mechanism underlying this co-targeting strategy. These findings highlight the importance of co-targeting the EZH2 and retinoic acid pathway in bladder cancers and encourage the design of novel treatments employing retinoids coupled with EZH2 inhibitors in bladder carcinoma.
Assuntos
Neoplasias da Bexiga Urinária , Bexiga Urinária , Humanos , Bexiga Urinária/patologia , Retinoides/farmacologia , Retinoides/uso terapêutico , Proteína Potenciadora do Homólogo 2 de Zeste/genética , Proteína Potenciadora do Homólogo 2 de Zeste/metabolismo , Neoplasias da Bexiga Urinária/tratamento farmacológico , Neoplasias da Bexiga Urinária/genética , Neoplasias da Bexiga Urinária/patologia , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Tretinoína/farmacologia , Tretinoína/uso terapêutico , Regulação Neoplásica da Expressão GênicaRESUMO
Malignant mesothelioma is a highly aggressive tumor with a survival of only 4-18 months after diagnosis. Treatment options for this disease are limited. Immune checkpoint blockade using ipilimumab and nivolumab has recently been approved as a frontline therapy, but this led to only a small improvement in overall patient survival. As more than half of patients with mesothelioma have alterations in the gene encoding for BAP1 this could be a potential marker for targeted therapies. In this study, we investigated the synergistic potential of combining EZH2 inhibition together with FGFR inhibition for treatment of BAP1-deficient malignancies. The efficacy of the combination was evaluated using human and murine preclinical models of mesothelioma and uveal melanoma in vitro. The efficacy of the combination was further validated in vivo by using BAP1-deficient mesothelioma xenografts and autochthonous mouse models. In vitro data showed sensitivity to the combined inhibition in BAP1-deficient mesothelioma and uveal melanoma tumor cell lines but not for BAP1-proficient subtypes. In vivo data showed susceptibility to the combination of BAP1-deficient xenografts and demonstrated an increase of survival in autochthonous models of mesothelioma. These results highlight the potential of this novel drug combination for the treatment of mesothelioma using BAP1 as a biomarker. Given these encouraging preclinical results, it will be important to clinically explore dual EZH2/FGFR inhibition in patients with BAP1-deficient malignant mesothelioma and justify further exploration in other BAP1 loss-associated tumors. SIGNIFICANCE: Despite the recent approval of immunotherapy, malignant mesothelioma has limited treatment options and poor prognosis. Here, we observe that EZH2 inhibitors dramatically enhance the efficacy of FGFR inhibition, sensitising BAP1-mutant mesothelioma and uveal melanoma cells. The striking synergy of EZH2 and FGFR inhibition supports clinical investigations for BAP1-mutant tumors.
Assuntos
Neoplasias Pulmonares , Melanoma , Mesotelioma Maligno , Mesotelioma , Humanos , Animais , Camundongos , Neoplasias Pulmonares/tratamento farmacológico , Mesotelioma/tratamento farmacológico , Melanoma/tratamento farmacológico , Proteína Potenciadora do Homólogo 2 de Zeste/genética , Proteínas Supressoras de Tumor/genética , Ubiquitina Tiolesterase/genéticaRESUMO
More than half of patients with malignant mesothelioma show alterations in the BAP1 tumor-suppressor gene. Being a member of the Polycomb repressive deubiquitinating (PR-DUB) complex, BAP1 loss results in an altered epigenome, which may create new vulnerabilities that remain largely unknown. Here, we performed a CRISPR-Cas9 kinome screen in mesothelioma cells that identified two kinases in the mevalonate/cholesterol biosynthesis pathway. Furthermore, our analysis of chromatin, expression, and genetic perturbation data in mesothelioma cells suggests a dependency on PR complex 2 (PRC2)-mediated silencing. Pharmacological inhibition of PRC2 elevates the expression of cholesterol biosynthesis genes only in BAP1-deficient mesothelioma, thereby sensitizing these cells to the combined targeting of PRC2 and the mevalonate pathway. Finally, by subjecting autochthonous Bap1-deficient mesothelioma mice or xenografts to mevalonate pathway inhibition (zoledronic acid) and PRC2 inhibition (tazemetostat), we demonstrate a potent anti-tumor effect, suggesting a targeted combination therapy for Bap1-deficient mesothelioma.