RESUMO
Protein arginine methyltransferase CARM1 has been shown to methylate a large number of non-histone proteins, and play important roles in gene transcriptional activation, cell cycle progress, and tumorigenesis. However, the critical substrates through which CARM1 exerts its functions remain to be fully characterized. Here, we reported that CARM1 directly interacts with the GATAD2A/2B subunit in the nucleosome remodeling and deacetylase (NuRD) complex, expanding the activities of NuRD to include protein arginine methylation. CARM1 and NuRD bind and activate a large cohort of genes with implications in cell cycle control to facilitate the G1 to S phase transition. This gene activation process requires CARM1 to hypermethylate GATAD2A/2B at a cluster of arginines, which is critical for the recruitment of the NuRD complex. The clinical significance of this gene activation mechanism is underscored by the high expression of CARM1 and NuRD in breast cancers, and the fact that knockdown CARM1 and NuRD inhibits cancer cell growth in vitro and tumorigenesis in vivo. Targeting CARM1-mediated GATAD2A/2B methylation with CARM1 specific inhibitors potently inhibit breast cancer cell growth in vitro and tumorigenesis in vivo. These findings reveal a gene activation program that requires arginine methylation established by CARM1 on a key chromatin remodeler, and targeting such methylation might represent a promising therapeutic avenue in the clinic.
Assuntos
Neoplasias da Mama , Montagem e Desmontagem da Cromatina , Regulação Neoplásica da Expressão Gênica , Complexo Mi-2 de Remodelação de Nucleossomo e Desacetilase , Proteína-Arginina N-Metiltransferases , Complexo Mi-2 de Remodelação de Nucleossomo e Desacetilase/metabolismo , Complexo Mi-2 de Remodelação de Nucleossomo e Desacetilase/genética , Proteína-Arginina N-Metiltransferases/genética , Proteína-Arginina N-Metiltransferases/metabolismo , Neoplasias da Mama/genética , Neoplasias da Mama/patologia , Neoplasias da Mama/metabolismo , Humanos , Feminino , Animais , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Ciclo Celular/genética , Camundongos , Metilação , Arginina/metabolismo , Carcinogênese/genética , Ativação TranscricionalRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is a highly lethal malignancy with few therapeutic options. Cyclindependent kinase 9 (CDK9), a potential therapeutic target of many cancers, has been recently observed to be upregulated in ccRCC patients. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the therapeutic potential of CDK9 in ccRCC and develop a novel CDK9 inhibitor with low toxicity for ccRCC treatment. METHODS: The expression of CDK9 in ccRCC was checked using the online database and tissue microarray analysis. shRNA-mediated CDK9 knockdown and CDK inhibitor were applied to evaluate the effect of CDK9 on ccRCC. Medicinal chemistry methods were used to develop a new CDK9 inhibitor with drugability. RNA-seq and ChIP-seq experiments were conducted to explore the mechanism of action. MTS, western blotting, and colony formation assays were performed to evaluate the anti-ccRCC effects of CDK9 knockdown and inhibition in vitro. The in vivo anti-tumour efficacy was evaluated in a xenograft model. RESULTS: CDK9 is overexpressed and associated with poor survival in ccRCC. Knockdown or inhibition of CDK9 significantly suppressed ccRCC cells. XPW1 was identified as a new potent and selective CDK9 inhibitor with excellent anti-ccRCC activity and low toxicity. In mechanism, XPW1 transcriptionally inhibited DNA repair programmes in ccRCC cells, resulting in an excellent anti-tumour effect. CDK9 and BRD4 were two highly correlated transcriptional regulators in ccRCC patients, and the BRD4 inhibitor JQ1 enhanced XPW1's anti-ccRCC effects in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: This work provides valuable insights into the therapeutic potential of CDK9 in ccRCC. The CDK9 inhibitor XPW1 would be a novel therapeutic agent for targeting ccRCC, alone or in rational combinations.
Assuntos
Carcinoma de Células Renais , Neoplasias Renais , Humanos , Proteínas que Contêm Bromodomínio/antagonistas & inibidores , Carcinoma de Células Renais/tratamento farmacológico , Carcinoma de Células Renais/genética , Carcinoma de Células Renais/patologia , Proteínas de Ciclo Celular/genética , Proteínas de Ciclo Celular/metabolismo , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Proliferação de Células , Quinase 9 Dependente de Ciclina/antagonistas & inibidores , Neoplasias Renais/tratamento farmacológico , Neoplasias Renais/genética , Neoplasias Renais/patologia , Proteínas Nucleares/genética , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases/farmacologia , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases/uso terapêutico , Fatores de Transcrição/genética , Fatores de Transcrição/metabolismoRESUMO
The dysregulated expression of circRNA in gastric cancer (GC) induces paclitaxel (Tax) resistance of cancer cells, which in turn affects disease progression and prognosis. Here, we sought to investigate the role and mechanism of circ_002136 in Tax-resistant GC. In this study, we found the enriched circ_002136 level and the declined miR-16-5p level in Tax-resistant GC tissues and cells. Biologically, knockdown of circ_002136 elevated the Tax sensitivity of Tax-resistant GC cells, inhibited the cell motility properties, and simultaneously drove the apoptosis. Mechanically, circ_002136 promoted the HMGA1-mediated cellular Tax resistance and cell invasion by sponging miR-16-5p. Furthermore, circ_002136 silencing impeded the growth of Tax-resistant GC tumors in vivo. Overall, our study revealed a novel signaling pathway that could be used for future clinical applications, namely the circ_002136/miR-16-5p/HMGA1 axis to regulate the Tax resistance of GC cells.
RESUMO
JMJD6 is a member of the JmjC domain-containing family and has been identified as a promising therapeutic target for treating estrogen-induced and triple-negative breast cancer. To develop novel anti-breast cancer agents, we synthesized a class of N-(1-(6-(substituted phenyl)-pyridazine-3-yl)-piperidine-3-yl)-amine derivatives as potential JMJD6 inhibitors. Among them, the anti-cancer compound A29 was an excellent JMJD6 binder (KD = 0.75 ± 0.08 µM). It could upregulate the mRNA and protein levels of p53 and its downstream effectors p21 and PUMA by inhibiting JMJD6. Besides, A29 displayed potent anti-proliferative activities against tested breast cancer cells by the induction of cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Significantly, A29 also promoted a remarkable reduction in tumor growth, with a TGI value of 66.6% (50 mg/kg, i.p.). Taken together, our findings suggest that A29 is a potent JMJD6 inhibitor bearing a new scaffold acting as a promising drug candidate for the treatment of breast cancer.
Assuntos
Antineoplásicos , Neoplasias de Mama Triplo Negativas , Humanos , Histona Desmetilases com o Domínio Jumonji/genética , Histona Desmetilases com o Domínio Jumonji/metabolismo , Histona Desmetilases com o Domínio Jumonji/farmacologia , Pontos de Checagem do Ciclo Celular , Neoplasias de Mama Triplo Negativas/patologia , Apoptose , Piperidinas/farmacologia , Antineoplásicos/farmacologia , Aminas/farmacologia , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Proliferação de CélulasRESUMO
Cancer cells adapt to hypoxia through HIFs (hypoxia-inducible factors), which initiate the transcription of numerous genes for cancer cell survival in the hypoxia microenvironment. In this study, we find that the FACT (facilitates chromatin transcription) complex works cooperatively with HIFs to facilitate the expeditious expression of HIF targets for hypoxia adaptation. Knockout (KO) of the FACT complex abolishes HIF-mediated transcription by impeding transcription elongation in hypoxic cancer cells. Interestingly, the FACT complex is post-translationally regulated by PHD/VHL-mediated hydroxylation and proteasomal degradation, in similar fashion to HIF-1/2α. Metabolic tracing confirms that FACT KO suppresses glycolytic flux and impairs lactate extrusion, leading to intracellular acidification and apoptosis in cancer cells. Therapeutically, hepatic artery ligation and anti-angiogenic inhibitors adversely induce intratumoral hypoxia, while co-treatment with FACT inhibitor curaxin remarkably hinders the growth of hypoxic tumors. In summary, our findings suggest that the FACT complex is a critical component of hypoxia adaptation and a therapeutic target for hypoxic tumors.