Project description:Oncogenic transcription factors such as the leukaemic fusion protein RUNX1/ETO constitute cancer-specific but highly challenging therapeutic targets, whose functions depend on pharmacologically tractable downstream pathways. Here we interrogated the transcriptional network of RUNX1/ETO in an in vitro/in vivo RNAi screen and identified Cyclin D2 (CCND2) as a crucial transmitter of RUNX1/ETO-driven leukemic propagation. RUNX1/ETO drives CCND2 expression by binding to a regulatory element upstream of the CCND2 promoter. Both knockdown of CCND2 and treatment with the CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib inhibited leukemic expansion patient-derived AML cells and impaired engraftment of immunodeficient murine hosts. Our data demonstrate that RUNX1/ETO drives leukaemia by directly promoting cell cycle progression and establish inhibition of G1 CCND-CDK complexes as a promising therapeutic strategy for RUNX1/ETO-driven AML.
Project description:Oncogenic transcription factors such as the leukaemic fusion protein RUNX1/ETO constitute cancer-specific but highly challenging therapeutic targets, whose functions depend on pharmacologically tractable downstream pathways. Here we interrogated the transcriptional network of RUNX1/ETO in an in vitro/in vivo RNAi screen and identified Cyclin D2 (CCND2) as a crucial transmitter of RUNX1/ETO-driven leukemic propagation. RUNX1/ETO drives CCND2 expression by binding to a regulatory element upstream of the CCND2 promoter. Both knockdown of CCND2 and treatment with the CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib inhibited leukemic expansion patient-derived AML cells and impaired engraftment of immunodeficient murine hosts. Our data demonstrate that RUNX1/ETO drives leukaemia by directly promoting cell cycle progression and establish inhibition of G1 CCND-CDK complexes as a promising therapeutic strategy for RUNX1/ETO-driven AML.
Project description:Myc is an oncogenic transcription factor frequently dysregulated in human cancer. To identify pathways supporting the Myc oncogenic program, we employed a genome-wide RNAi screen for Myc-synthetic-lethal (MySL) genes and uncovered a role for the SUMO-activating-enzyme (SAE1/2). Loss of SAE1/2 enzymatic activity drives synthetic lethality with Myc. Mechanistically, SAE2 inhibition switches a transcriptional subprogram of Myc from activated to repressed. A subset of these SUMOylation-dependent Myc-switchers (SMS genes) governs mitotic spindle function and is required to support the Myc oncogenic program. comparison of 4 treatments: normal HMEC, High Myc in HMEC, SUMO depleted in HMEC, High Myc+Sumo Depleted in HMEC
Project description:We performed CRISPR genome-wide synthetic lethality screens to identify genetic vulnerabilities and chemogenetic interactions in KRAS-driven pancreatic cancer. We identify ERAD as a genetic target that synergizes with FTS treatment and we show that FTS treatment induces ER stress, which was further enhanced by inhibition of ERAD, leading to synergistic induction of apoptosis in pancreatic tumor cells. Altogether, our screens enable us to identify combination therapies for cancer treatment.
Project description:Oncogenic KRAS drives cancer growth by activating diverse signaling networks, not all of which have been fully delineated. We set out to establish a system-wide profile of the KRAS-regulated kinase signaling network (kinome) in KRAS-mutant pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). We knocked down KRAS expression in a panel of six cell lines, and then applied Multiplexed Inhibitor Bead/Mass Spectrometry (MIB/MS) chemical proteomics to monitor changes in kinase activity and/or expression. We hypothesized that depletion of KRAS would result in downregulation of kinases required for KRAS-mediated transforming activities, and in upregulation of other kinases that could potentially compensate for the deleterious consequences of the loss of KRAS. We identified 15 upregulated and 13 downregulated kinases in common across the panel. In agreement with our hypothesis, all 15 of the upregulated kinases have established roles as cancer drivers (e.g., SRC, TGFBR1, ILK), and pharmacologic inhibition of the upregulated kinase, DDR1, suppressed PDAC growth. Interestingly, 11 of the 13 downregulated kinases have established driver roles in cell cycle progression, particularly in mitosis (e.g., WEE1, Aurora A, PLK1). Consistent with a crucial role for the downregulated kinases in promoting KRAS-driven proliferation, we found that pharmacologic inhibition of WEE1 also suppressed PDAC growth. The unexpected paradoxical activation of ERK upon WEE1 inhibition led us to inhibit both WEE1 and ERK concurrently, which caused further potent growth suppression and enhanced apoptotic death than WEE1 inhibition alone. We conclude that system-wide delineation of the KRAS-regulated kinome can identify potential therapeutic targets for KRAS-mutant pancreatic cancer.
Project description:The functional analysis of RUNX1-IT1 in tumors is relatively lacking, and its role and mechanism in pancreatic have not been reported. RUNX1-IT1 is transcribed from the intron of the RUNX1 gene, which plays an important role in solid tumors, and its abnormal expression is closely associated with cancer progression. However, due to the lack of systematic research, the regulatory mechanism and important downstream targets of RUNX1-IT1 and RUNX1 in PC are unclear. To investigate the downstream pathway of RUNX1-IT1 and RUNX1, we performed RNA-seq using two PANC-1 cell groups: RUNX1-IT1 knockdown and control, and RUNX1 knockdown and control.
Project description:Myc is an oncogenic transcription factor frequently dysregulated in human cancer. To identify pathways supporting the Myc oncogenic program, we employed a genome-wide RNAi screen for Myc-synthetic-lethal (MySL) genes and uncovered a role for the SUMO-activating-enzyme (SAE1/2). Loss of SAE1/2 enzymatic activity drives synthetic lethality with Myc. Mechanistically, SAE2 inhibition switches a transcriptional subprogram of Myc from activated to repressed. A subset of these SUMOylation-dependent Myc-switchers (SMS genes) governs mitotic spindle function and is required to support the Myc oncogenic program.
Project description:We show synthetic lethality between PLK4 inhibition-mediated centrosome loss and the overexpression of the ubiquitin ligase TRIM37 in cancer cells with amplification of Chr17q