Selective modulation by PARP-1 of HIF-1α-recruitment to chromatin during hypoxia is required for tumor adaptation to hypoxic conditions.

BACKGROUND: The adaptation to hypoxia is mainly controlled by the HIF transcription factors. Increased expression/activity of HIF-1α correlates with poor prognosis in cancer patients. PARP-1 inhibitors are used in the clinic to treat BRCAness breast/ovarian cancer and have been shown to regulate the hypoxic response; therefore, their use could be expanded. METHODS: In this work by integrating molecular/cell biology approaches, genome-wide ChIP-seq, and patient samples, we elucidate the extent to which PARP-1 exerts control over HIF-1-regulated genes. RESULTS: In human melanoma, PARP-1 and HIF-1α expression are strongly associated. In response to a hypoxic challenge poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) is synthesized, HIF-1α is post-transcriptionally modified (PTM) and stabilized by PARylation at specific K/R residues located at its C-terminus. Using an unbiased ChIP-seq approach we demonstrate that PARP-1 dictates hypoxia-dependent HIF-recruitment to chromatin in a range of HIF-regulated genes while analysis of HIF-binding motifs (RCGTG) reveals a restriction on the recognition of hypoxia responsive elements in the absence of PARP-1. Consequently, the cells are poorly adapted to hypoxia, showing a reduced fitness during hypoxic induction. CONCLUSIONS: These data characterize the fine-tuning regulation by PARP-1/PARylation of HIF activation and suggest that PARP inhibitors might have therapeutic potential against cancer types displaying HIF-1α over-activation.

Autophagy requires poly(adp-ribosyl)ation-dependent AMPK nuclear export.

AMPK is a central energy sensor linking extracellular milieu fluctuations with the autophagic machinery. In the current study we uncover that Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation (PARylation), a post-translational modification (PTM) of proteins, accounts for the spatial and temporal regulation of autophagy by modulating AMPK subcellular localisation and activation. More particularly, we show that the minority AMPK pool needs to be exported to the cytosol in a PARylation-dependent manner for optimal induction of autophagy, including ULK1 phosphorylation and mTORC1 inactivation. PARP-1 forms a molecular complex with AMPK in the nucleus in non-starved cells. In response to nutrient deprivation, PARP-1 catalysed PARylation, induced the dissociation of the PARP-1/AMPK complex and the export of free PARylated nuclear AMPK to the cytoplasm to activate autophagy. PARP inhibition, its silencing or the expression of PARylation-deficient AMPK mutants prevented not only the AMPK nuclear-cytosolic export but also affected the activation of the cytosolic AMPK pool and autophagosome formation. These results demonstrate that PARylation of AMPK is a key early signal to efficiently convey extracellular nutrient perturbations with downstream events needed for the cell to optimize autophagic commitment before autophagosome formation.

PARP-1 regulates metastatic melanoma through modulation of vimentin-induced malignant transformation.

PARP inhibition can induce anti-neoplastic effects when used as monotherapy or in combination with chemo- or radiotherapy in various tumor settings; however, the basis for the anti-metastasic activities resulting from PARP inhibition remains unknown. PARP inhibitors may also act as modulators of tumor angiogenesis. Proteomic analysis of endothelial cells revealed that vimentin, an intermediary filament involved in angiogenesis and a specific hallmark of EndoMT (endothelial to mesenchymal transition) transformation, was down-regulated following loss of PARP-1 function in endothelial cells. VE-cadherin, an endothelial marker of vascular normalization, was up-regulated in HUVEC treated with PARP inhibitors or following PARP-1 silencing; vimentin over-expression was sufficient to drive to an EndoMT phenotype. In melanoma cells, PARP inhibition reduced pro-metastatic markers, including vasculogenic mimicry. We also demonstrated that vimentin expression was sufficient to induce increased mesenchymal/pro-metastasic phenotypic changes in melanoma cells, including ILK/GSK3-ß-dependent E-cadherin down-regulation, Snail1 activation and increased cell motility and migration. In a murine model of metastatic melanoma, PARP inhibition counteracted the ability of melanoma cells to metastasize to the lung. These results suggest that inhibition of PARP interferes with key metastasis-promoting processes, leading to suppression of invasion and colonization of distal organs by aggressive metastatic cells.