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YAP/TAZ and ATF4 collaboratively drive resistance to Sorafenib therapy in hepatocellular carcinoma by preventing ferroptosis

ABSTRACT: Understanding the mechanisms underlying evasive resistance in cancer is an unmet medical need to improve the efficacy of current therapies. In this study, a combination of shRNA-mediated synthetic lethality screening and transcriptomic analysis revealed the transcription factors YAP/TAZ as key drivers of Sorafenib resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by repressing Sorafenib-induced ferroptosis. Mechanistically, in a TEAD-dependent manner YAP/TAZ induce the expression of SLC7A11, a key transporter maintaining intracellular glutathione homeostasis, thus enabling HCC cells to overcome Sorafenib-induced ferroptosis. At the same time, YAP/TAZ sustain the protein stability, nuclear localization and transcriptional activity of ATF4 which in turn cooperates to induce SLC7A11 expression. Our study uncovered a critical role of YAP/TAZ in the repression of ferroptosis and thus in the establishment of Sorafenib resistance in HCC, highlighting YAP/TAZ-based rewiring strategies as potential approaches to overcome HCC therapy resistance.

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE181771 | GEO | 2021/08/20

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Abstract: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play an important role in the induction of chemo-resistance. The objectives of this study were to clarify the mechanism underlying CAF-mediated sorafenib/lenvatinib resistance and identify a novel therapeutic target to overcome resistance to sorafenib/lenvatinib in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: Whole transcriptome sequencing (WTS) data of nine pairs of CAFs and para-cancer-associated fibroblasts (PAFs) were analyzed to identify key molecules that induce resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). In vitro and in vivo experiments were performed to validate selected targets and related mechanisms. Plasma secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1) expression levels prior to sorafenib/lenvatinib treatment as well as progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of an advanced HCC cohort (n=42) were evaluated using Kaplan–Meier analysis. Results: Co-culturing CAFs and HCC cells significantly reduced the responsiveness of HCC cells to sorafenib/lenvatinib, in vitro and in vivo. Systematic integrative analysis of the WTS data of CAFs/PAFs and publicly available gene expression data indicated that CAF-derived SPP1 (CAF-SPP1) was suitable for use as a candidate molecule to induce sorafenib/lenvatinib resistance. An evaluation of the mechanisms involved indicated that CAF-SPP1 increased phosphorylation of PKCɑ, which then activated rapidly accelerated fibrosarcoma (RAF)-extracellular signal-related kinase 1/2-signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and phosophoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-AKT-mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase (mTOR) in HCC cells. SPP1 inhibitors reversed CAF-induced sorafenib/lenvatinib resistance in vitro and in vivo. Patients showing high plasma SPP1 prior to sorafenib/lenvatinib treatment exhibited significantly poor PFS (P=0.005) and OS (P=0.041). Conclusions: CAF-SPP1 enhances sorafenib/lenvatinib resistance in HCC by alternatively activating oncogenic pathways via PKCɑ phosphorylation. Inhibition of CAF-SPP1 may be utilized as a therapeutic strategy against TKI resistance in HCC. Plasma SPP1 level prior to TKI treatment shows potential as a promising biomarker for predicting sorafenib/lenvatinib response in advanced HCC patients.

Project description:Uncontrolled Transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ) signaling promotes aggressive metastatic properties in late-stage breast cancers. However, how TGFβ-mediated cues are directed to induce late-stage tumorigenic events is poorly understood, particularly given that TGFβ has clear tumor suppressing activity in other contexts. Here we demonstrate that the transcriptional regulators TAZ and YAP (TAZ/YAP), key effectors of the Hippo pathway, are necessary to promote and maintain TGFβ-induced tumorigenic phenotypes in breast cancer cells. Interactions between TAZ/YAP, TGFβ-activated SMAD2/3, and TEAD transcription factors reveal convergent roles for these factors in the nucleus. Genome-wide expression analyses indicate that TAZ/YAP, TEADs and TGFβ-induced signals coordinate a specific pro-tumorigenic transcriptional program. Importantly, genes cooperatively regulated by TAZ/YAP, TEAD, and TGFβ, such as the novel targets NEGR1 and UCA1, are necessary for maintaining tumorigenic activity in metastatic breast cancer cells. Nuclear TAZ/YAP also cooperate with TGFβ signaling to promote phenotypic and transcriptional changes in non-tumorigenic cells to overcome TGFβ repressive effects. Our work thus identifies crosstalk between nuclear TAZ/YAP and TGFβ signaling in breast cancer cells, revealing novel insight into late-stage disease-driving mechanisms. Expression profiling was conducted following the repression of the transcriptional regulators TAZ and YAP (TAZ/YAP), the TEAD family of transcription factors (TEAD1/2/3/4), or the TGFb signaling pathway (with SB-431542, an inhibitor of the TBRI recpeptor) in human MDA-MB-231-LM2 breast cancer cells treated with TGFβ1. Human MDA-MB-231-LM2-4 breast cancer cells were transfected with control siRNA, or siRNAs targeting TAZ/YAP or all four TEADs and were treated 24 hours later with 500pM TGFβ1 or 5mM SB-431542 for an additional 24 hours. Total RNA was isolated and twelve microarrays in total were performed, with each condition carried out three times on separate days. The Boston University Microarray Core generated the data using the Affymetrix Human Gene 1.0 St Array.

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YAP/TAZ and ATF4 collaboratively drive resistance to Sorafenib therapy in hepatocellular carcinoma by preventing ferroptosis

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