The potential of epigenetic therapy to target the 3D epigenome in endocrine-resistant breast cancer.

Three-dimensional (3D) epigenome remodeling is an important mechanism of gene deregulation in cancer. However, its potential as a target to counteract therapy resistance remains largely unaddressed. Here, we show that epigenetic therapy with decitabine (5-Aza-mC) suppresses tumor growth in xenograft models of pre-clinical metastatic estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast tumor. Decitabine-induced genome-wide DNA hypomethylation results in large-scale 3D epigenome deregulation, including de-compaction of higher-order chromatin structure and loss of boundary insulation of topologically associated domains. Significant DNA hypomethylation associates with ectopic activation of ER-enhancers, gain in ER binding, creation of new 3D enhancer-promoter interactions and concordant up-regulation of ER-mediated transcription pathways. Importantly, long-term withdrawal of epigenetic therapy partially restores methylation at ER-enhancer elements, resulting in a loss of ectopic 3D enhancer-promoter interactions and associated gene repression. Our study illustrates the potential of epigenetic therapy to target ER+ endocrine-resistant breast cancer by DNA methylation-dependent rewiring of 3D chromatin interactions, which are associated with the suppression of tumor growth.

DNA repair biomarkers to guide usage of combined PARP inhibitors and chemotherapy: A meta-analysis and systematic review.

PURPOSE: The addition of PARP inhibitors to chemotherapy has been assessed in > 80 clinical trials across multiple malignancies, on the premise that PARP inhibitors will increase chemotherapy effectiveness regardless of whether cancers have underlying disruption of DNA repair pathways. Consequently, the majority of combination therapy trials have been performed on patients without biomarker selection, despite the use of homologous recombination deficiency to dictate use of PARP inhibitors in the maintenance setting. An unresolved question is whether biomarkers are needed to identify patients who respond to combination PARP inhibitors and chemotherapy. METHODS: A systematic literature review identified studies using PARP inhibitors in combination with chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone, where the study included a biomarker of DNA repair function (BRCA1, BRCA2, homologous recombination deficiency test, ATM, ERCC1, SLFN11). Hazard ratios (HR) were pooled in a meta-analysis using generic inverse-variance, and fixed or random effects modelling. Subgroup analyses were conducted on biomarker selection and type of malignancy. RESULTS: Nine studies comprising 2547 patients met the inclusion criteria. Progression-free survival (PFS) was significantly better in patients with a DNA repair biomarker (HR: 0.57, 95% CI: 0.48-0.68, p < 0.00001), but there was no benefit in patients who lacked a biomarker (HR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.82-1.08, p = 0.38). Subgroup analysis showed that BRCA status and SLFN11 biomarkers could predict benefit, and biomarker-driven benefit occurred in ovarian, breast and small cell lung cancers. The addition of PARP inhibitors to chemotherapy was associated with increased grade 3/4 side effects, and particularly neutropenia. CONCLUSIONS: Combination therapy only improves PFS in patients with identifiable DNA repair biomarkers. This indicates that PARP inhibitors do not sensitise patients to chemotherapy treatment, except where their cancer has a homologous recombination defect, or an alternative biomarker of altered DNA repair. While effective in patients with DNA repair biomarkers, there is a risk of high-grade haematological side-effects with the use of combination therapy. Thus, the benefit in PFS from combination therapy must be weighed against potential adverse effects, as individual arms of treatment can also confer benefit.

CDK4/6 inhibitor resistance in estrogen receptor positive breast cancer, a 2023 perspective.

CDK4/6 inhibitors have become game-changers in the treatment of estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer, and in combination with endocrine therapy are the standard of care first-line treatment for ER+/HER2-negative advanced breast cancer. Although CDK4/6 inhibitors prolong survival for these patients, resistance is inevitable and there is currently no clear standard next-line treatment. There is an urgent unmet need to dissect the mechanisms which drive intrinsic and acquired resistance to CDK4/6 inhibitors and endocrine therapy to guide the subsequent therapeutic decisions. We will review the insights gained from preclinical studies and clinical cohorts into the diverse mechanisms of CDK4/6 inhibitor action and resistance, and highlight potential therapeutic strategies in the context of CDK4/6 inhibitor resistance.

MCC Gene Silencing Is a CpG Island Methylator Phenotype-Associated Factor That Predisposes Colon Cancer Cells to Irinotecan and Olaparib.

Chemotherapy is a mainstay of colorectal cancer treatment, and often involves a combination drug regime. CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP)-positive tumors are potentially more responsive to the topoisomerase-inhibitor irinotecan. The mechanistic basis of the increased sensitivity of CIMP cancers to irinotecan is poorly understood. Mutated in Colorectal Cancer (MCC) is emerging as a multifunctional tumor suppressor gene in colorectal and liver cancers, and has been implicated in drug responsiveness. Here, we found that CIMP tumors undergo MCC loss almost exclusively via promoter hypermethylation rather than copy number variation or mutations. A subset of cancers display hypomethylation which is also associated with low MCC expression, particularly in rectal cancer, where CIMP is rare. MCC knockdown or deletion was found to sensitize cells to SN38 (the active metabolite of irinotecan) or the PARP-inhibitor Olaparib. A synergistic effect on cell death was evident when these drugs were used concurrently. The improved SN38/irinotecan efficacy was accompanied by the down-regulation of DNA repair genes. Thus, differential methylation of MCC is potentially a valuable biomarker to identify colorectal cancers suitable for irinotecan therapy, possibly in combination with PARP inhibitors.

High cyclin E1 protein, but not gene amplification, is prognostic for basal-like breast cancer.

Basal-like breast cancer (BLBC) has a greater overlap in molecular features with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) than with other breast cancer subtypes. Similarities include BRCA1 mutation, high frequency of TP53 mutation, and amplification of CCNE1 (encoding the cyclin E1 protein) in 6-34% of cases, and these features can be used to group patients for targeted therapies in clinical trials. In HGSOC, we previously reported two subsets with high levels of cyclin E1: those in which CCNE1 is amplified, have intact homologous recombination (HR), and very poor prognosis; and a CCNE1 non-amplified subset, with more prevalent HR defects. Here, we investigate whether similar subsets are identifiable in BLBC that may allow alignment of patient grouping in clinical trials of agents targeting cyclin E1 overexpression. We examined cyclin E1 protein and CCNE1 amplification in a cohort of 76 BLBCs and validated the findings in additional breast cancer datasets. Compared to HGSOC, CCNE1 amplified BLBC had a lower level of amplification (3.5 versus 5.2 copies) and lower relative cyclin E1 protein, a lack of correlation of amplification with expression, and no association with polyploidy. BLBC with elevated cyclin E1 protein also had prevalent HR defects, and high-level expression of the cyclin E1 deubiquitinase ubiquitin-specific protease 28 (USP28). Using a meta-analysis across multiple studies, we determined that cyclin E1 protein overexpression but not amplification is prognostic in BLBC, while both cyclin E1 overexpression and amplification are prognostic in HGSOC. Overall CCNE1 gene amplification is not equivalent between BLBC and HGSOC. However, high cyclin E1 protein expression can co-occur with HR defects in both BLBC and HGSOC, and is associated with poor prognosis in BLBC.

miR-99b-5p, miR-380-3p, and miR-485-3p are novel chemosensitizing miRNAs in high-risk neuroblastoma.

Neuroblastoma is a deadly childhood cancer arising in the developing sympathetic nervous system. High-risk patients are currently treated with intensive chemotherapy, which is curative in only 50% of children and leaves some surviving patients with life-long side effects. microRNAs (miRNAs) are critical regulators of neural crest development and are deregulated during neuroblastoma tumorigenesis, making miRNA-based drugs an attractive therapeutic avenue. A functional screen of >1,200 miRNA mimics was conducted in neuroblastoma cell lines to discover miRNAs that sensitized cells to low doses (30% inhibitory concentration [IC30]) of doxorubicin and vincristine chemotherapy used in the treatment of the disease. Three miRNAs, miR-99b-5p, miR-380-3p, and miR-485-3p, had potent chemosensitizing activity with doxorubicin in multiple models of high-risk neuroblastoma. These miRNAs underwent genomic loss in a subset of neuroblastoma patients, and low expression predicted poor survival outcome. In vitro functional assays revealed each of these miRNAs enhanced the anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of doxorubicin. We used RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to show that miR-99b-5p represses neuroblastoma dependency genes LIN28B and PHOX2B both in vitro and in patient-derived xenograft (PDX) tumors. Luciferase reporter assays demonstrate that PHOX2B is a direct target of miR-99b-5p. We anticipate that restoring the function of the tumor-suppressive miRNAs discovered here may be a valuable therapeutic strategy for the treatment of neuroblastoma patients.

DNA methylation is required to maintain both DNA replication timing precision and 3D genome organization integrity.

DNA replication timing and three-dimensional (3D) genome organization are associated with distinct epigenome patterns across large domains. However, whether alterations in the epigenome, in particular cancer-related DNA hypomethylation, affects higher-order levels of genome architecture is still unclear. Here, using Repli-Seq, single-cell Repli-Seq, and Hi-C, we show that genome-wide methylation loss is associated with both concordant loss of replication timing precision and deregulation of 3D genome organization. Notably, we find distinct disruption in 3D genome compartmentalization, striking gains in cell-to-cell replication timing heterogeneity and loss of allelic replication timing in cancer hypomethylation models, potentially through the gene deregulation of DNA replication and genome organization pathways. Finally, we identify ectopic H3K4me3-H3K9me3 domains from across large hypomethylated domains, where late replication is maintained, which we purport serves to protect against catastrophic genome reorganization and aberrant gene transcription. Our results highlight a potential role for the methylome in the maintenance of 3D genome regulation.

Optimizing metastatic-cascade-dependent Rac1 targeting in breast cancer: Guidance using optical window intravital FRET imaging.

Assessing drug response within live native tissue provides increased fidelity with regards to optimizing efficacy while minimizing off-target effects. Here, using longitudinal intravital imaging of a Rac1-Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) biosensor mouse coupled with in vivo photoswitching to track intratumoral movement, we help guide treatment scheduling in a live breast cancer setting to impair metastatic progression. We uncover altered Rac1 activity at the center versus invasive border of tumors and demonstrate enhanced Rac1 activity of cells in close proximity to live tumor vasculature using optical window imaging. We further reveal that Rac1 inhibition can enhance tumor cell vulnerability to fluid-flow-induced shear stress and therefore improves overall anti-metastatic response to therapy during transit to secondary sites such as the lung. Collectively, this study demonstrates the utility of single-cell intravital imaging in vivo to demonstrate that Rac1 inhibition can reduce tumor progression and metastases in an autochthonous setting to improve overall survival.

Intravital imaging technology guides FAK-mediated priming in pancreatic cancer precision medicine according to Merlin status.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly metastatic, chemoresistant malignancy and is characterized by a dense, desmoplastic stroma that modulates PDAC progression. Here, we visualized transient manipulation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), which integrates bidirectional cell-environment signaling, using intravital fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy of the FAK-based Förster resonance energy transfer biosensor in mouse and patient-derived PDAC models. Parallel real-time quantification of the FUCCI cell cycle reporter guided us to improve PDAC response to standard-of-care chemotherapy at primary and secondary sites. Critically, micropatterned pillar plates and stiffness-tunable matrices were used to pinpoint the contribution of environmental cues to chemosensitization, while fluid flow­induced shear stress assessment, patient-derived matrices, and personalized in vivo models allowed us to deconstruct how FAK inhibition can reduce PDAC spread. Last, stratification of PDAC patient samples via Merlin status revealed a patient subset with poor prognosis that are likely to respond to FAK priming before chemotherapy.

Synergistic targeting of BRCA1 mutated breast cancers with PARP and CDK2 inhibition.

Basal-like breast cancers (BLBC) are aggressive breast cancers that respond poorly to targeted therapies and chemotherapies. In order to define therapeutically targetable subsets of BLBC we examined two markers: cyclin E1 and BRCA1 loss. In high grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) these markers are mutually exclusive, and define therapeutic subsets. We tested the same hypothesis for BLBC. Using a BLBC cohort enriched for BRCA1 loss, we identified convergence between BRCA1 loss and high cyclin E1 protein expression, in contrast to HGSOC in which CCNE1 amplification drives increased cyclin E1. In cell lines, BRCA1 loss was associated with stabilized cyclin E1 during the cell cycle, and BRCA1 siRNA led to increased cyclin E1 in association with reduced phospho-cyclin E1 T62. Mutation of cyclin E1 T62 to alanine increased cyclin E1 stability. We showed that tumors with high cyclin E1/BRCA1 mutation in the BLBC cohort also had decreased phospho-T62, supporting this hypothesis. Since cyclin E1/CDK2 protects cells from DNA damage and cyclin E1 is elevated in BRCA1 mutant cancers, we hypothesized that CDK2 inhibition would sensitize these cancers to PARP inhibition. CDK2 inhibition induced DNA damage and synergized with PARP inhibitors to reduce cell viability in cell lines with homologous recombination deficiency, including BRCA1 mutated cell lines. Treatment of BRCA1 mutant BLBC patient-derived xenograft models with combination PARP and CDK2 inhibition led to tumor regression and increased survival. We conclude that BRCA1 status and high cyclin E1 have potential as predictive biomarkers to dictate the therapeutic use of combination CDK inhibitors/PARP inhibitors in BLBC.

The androgen receptor is a tumor suppressor in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer.

The role of the androgen receptor (AR) in estrogen receptor (ER)-α-positive breast cancer is controversial, constraining implementation of AR-directed therapies. Using a diverse, clinically relevant panel of cell-line and patient-derived models, we demonstrate that AR activation, not suppression, exerts potent antitumor activity in multiple disease contexts, including resistance to standard-of-care ER and CDK4/6 inhibitors. Notably, AR agonists combined with standard-of-care agents enhanced therapeutic responses. Mechanistically, agonist activation of AR altered the genomic distribution of ER and essential co-activators (p300, SRC-3), resulting in repression of ER-regulated cell cycle genes and upregulation of AR target genes, including known tumor suppressors. A gene signature of AR activity positively predicted disease survival in multiple clinical ER-positive breast cancer cohorts. These findings provide unambiguous evidence that AR has a tumor suppressor role in ER-positive breast cancer and support AR agonism as the optimal AR-directed treatment strategy, revealing a rational therapeutic opportunity.

MDM2 inhibition in combination with endocrine therapy and CDK4/6 inhibition for the treatment of ER-positive breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Resistance to endocrine therapy is a major clinical challenge in the management of oestrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer. In this setting, p53 is frequently wildtype and its activity may be suppressed via upregulation of its key regulator MDM2. This underlies our rationale to evaluate MDM2 inhibition as a therapeutic strategy in treatment-resistant ER-positive breast cancer. METHODS: We used the MDM2 inhibitor NVP-CGM097 to treat in vitro and in vivo models alone and in combination with fulvestrant or palbociclib. We perform cell viability, cell cycle, apoptosis and senescence assays to evaluate anti-tumour effects in p53 wildtype and p53 mutant ER-positive cell lines (MCF-7, ZR75-1, T-47D) and MCF-7 lines resistant to endocrine therapy and to CDK4/6 inhibition. We further assess the drug effects in patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models of endocrine-sensitive and endocrine-resistant ER-positive breast cancer. RESULTS: We demonstrate that MDM2 inhibition results in cell cycle arrest and increased apoptosis in p53-wildtype in vitro and in vivo breast cancer models, leading to potent anti-tumour activity. We find that endocrine therapy or CDK4/6 inhibition synergises with MDM2 inhibition but does not further enhance apoptosis. Instead, combination treatments result in profound regulation of cell cycle-related transcriptional programmes, with synergy achieved through increased antagonism of cell cycle progression. Combination therapy pushes cell lines resistant to fulvestrant or palbociclib to become senescent and significantly reduces tumour growth in a fulvestrant-resistant patient-derived xenograft model. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that MDM2 inhibitors in combination with ER degraders or CDK4/6 inhibitors represent a rational strategy for treating advanced, endocrine-resistant ER-positive breast cancer, operating through synergistic activation of cell cycle co-regulatory programmes.

Cyclin E2 Promotes Whole Genome Doubling in Breast Cancer.

Genome doubling is an underlying cause of cancer cell aneuploidy and genomic instability, but few drivers have been identified for this process. Due to their physiological roles in the genome reduplication of normal cells, we hypothesised that the oncogenes cyclins E1 and E2 may be drivers of genome doubling in cancer. We show that both cyclin E1 (CCNE1) and cyclin E2 (CCNE2) mRNA are significantly associated with high genome ploidy in breast cancers. By live cell imaging and flow cytometry, we show that cyclin E2 overexpression promotes aberrant mitosis without causing mitotic slippage, and it increases ploidy with negative feedback on the replication licensing protein, Cdt1. We demonstrate that cyclin E2 localises with core preRC (pre-replication complex) proteins (MCM2, MCM7) on the chromatin of cancer cells. Low CCNE2 is associated with improved overall survival in breast cancers, and we demonstrate that low cyclin E2 protects from excess genome rereplication. This occurs regardless of p53 status, consistent with the association of high cyclin E2 with genome doubling in both p53 null/mutant and p53 wildtype cancers. In contrast, while cyclin E1 can localise to the preRC, its downregulation does not prevent rereplication, and overexpression promotes polyploidy via mitotic slippage. Thus, in breast cancer, cyclin E2 has a strong association with genome doubling, and likely contributes to highly proliferative and genomically unstable breast cancers.

Epigenetic reprogramming at estrogen-receptor binding sites alters 3D chromatin landscape in endocrine-resistant breast cancer.

Endocrine therapy resistance frequently develops in estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. Here, we show that 3-dimensional (3D) chromatin interactions both within and between topologically associating domains (TADs) frequently change in ER+ endocrine-resistant breast cancer cells and that the differential interactions are enriched for resistance-associated genetic variants at CTCF-bound anchors. Ectopic chromatin interactions are preferentially enriched at active enhancers and promoters and ER binding sites, and are associated with altered expression of ER-regulated genes, consistent with dynamic remodelling of ER pathways accompanying the development of endocrine resistance. We observe that loss of 3D chromatin interactions often occurs coincidently with hypermethylation and loss of ER binding. Alterations in active A and inactive B chromosomal compartments are also associated with decreased ER binding and atypical interactions and gene expression. Together, our results suggest that 3D epigenome remodelling is a key mechanism underlying endocrine resistance in ER+ breast cancer.

Targeting CDK2 in cancer: challenges and opportunities for therapy.

Cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) plays a pivotal part in cell cycle regulation and is involved in a range of biological processes. CDK2 interacts with and phosphorylates proteins in pathways such as DNA damage, intracellular transport, protein degradation, signal transduction, DNA and RNA metabolism and translation. CDK2 and its regulatory subunits are deregulated in many human cancers and there is emerging evidence suggesting CDK2 inhibition elicits antitumor activity in a subset of tumors with defined genetic features. Previous CDK2 inhibitors were nonspecific and limited by off-target effects. The development of new-generation CDK2 inhibitors represents a therapeutic opportunity for CDK2-dependent cancers.

Label free, quantitative single-cell fate tracking of time-lapse movies.

Historically, the ability to perform multi-day time-lapse imaging of adherent cells required expensive and specialized microscopy equipment. As byproduct of this cost, many labs would synchronize cells using inhibitors such as hydroxyurea and thymidine, and or use fluorescent biosensors to minimize time required on the microscope. These methods introduce significant artefacts including phototoxicity, increased DNA replication stress and mitotic defects, thereby limiting the ability to characterize various cell cycle phenotypes. However, increased access to low cost live cell microscopes has removed many of the economic barriers thereby allowing multi-day imaging on asynchronous cells on a regular basis. Here we describe our protocol for manually tracking individual cell fates across multiple generations of random daughter cells using only low toxicity brightfield based imaging. Importantly, our pipeline relies on the free open-source software ImageJ/Fiji and an easy to use Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. Furthermore, annotated files can be saved to allow later recall of any individual cell. In summary, our method provides quantitative data on interphase and mitotic transit time, points of cell cycle arrest and critically, the ability to link these events with cell fate.

Mouse Model of Mutated in Colorectal Cancer Gene Deletion Reveals Novel Pathways in Inflammation and Cancer.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The early events by which inflammation promotes cancer are still not fully defined. The MCC gene is silenced by promoter methylation in colitis-associated and sporadic colon tumors, but its functional significance in precancerous lesions or polyps is not known. Here, we aimed to determine the impact of Mcc deletion on the cellular pathways and carcinogenesis associated with inflammation in the mouse proximal colon. METHODS: We generated knockout mice with deletion of Mcc in the colonic/intestinal epithelial cells (MccΔIEC) or in the whole body (MccΔ/Δ). Drug-induced lesions were analyzed by transcriptome profiling (at 10 weeks) and histopathology (at 20 weeks). Cell-cycle phases and DNA damage proteins were analyzed by flow cytometry and Western blot of hydrogen peroxide-treated mouse embryo fibroblasts. RESULTS: Transcriptome profiling of the lesions showed a strong response to colon barrier destruction, such as up-regulation of key inflammation and cancer-associated genes as well as 28 interferon γ-induced guanosine triphosphatase genes, including the homologs of Crohn's disease susceptibility gene IRGM. These features were shared by both Mcc-expressing and Mcc-deficient mice and many of the altered gene expression pathways were similar to the mesenchymal colorectal cancer subtype known as consensus molecular subtype 4 (CMS4). However, Mcc deletion was required for increased carcinogenesis in the lesions, with adenocarcinoma in 59% of MccΔIEC compared with 19% of Mcc-expressing mice (P = .002). This was not accompanied by hyperactivation of ß-catenin, but Mcc deletion caused down-regulation of DNA repair genes and a disruption of DNA damage signaling. CONCLUSIONS: Loss of Mcc may promote cancer through a failure to repair inflammation-induced DNA damage. We provide a comprehensive transcriptome data set of early colorectal lesions and evidence for the in vivo significance of MCC silencing in colorectal cancer.

The Proliferative and Apoptotic Landscape of Basal-like Breast Cancer.

Basal-like breast cancer (BLBC) is an aggressive molecular subtype that represents up to 15% of breast cancers. It occurs in younger patients, and typically shows rapid development of locoregional and distant metastasis, resulting in a relatively high mortality rate. Its defining features are that it is positive for basal cytokeratins and, epidermal growth factor receptor and/or c-Kit. Problematically, it is typically negative for the estrogen receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), which means that it is unsuitable for either hormone therapy or targeted HER2 therapy. As a result, there are few therapeutic options for BLBC, and a major priority is to define molecular subgroups of BLBC that could be targeted therapeutically. In this review, we focus on the highly proliferative and anti-apoptotic phenotype of BLBC with the goal of defining potential therapeutic avenues, which could take advantage of these aspects of tumor development.