Project description:Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a subtype of lung cancer with poor prognosis due to early dissemination and rapid growth. We here analyze gene expression profile of 23 clinical SCLC samples. EZH2 was found to be highly expressed in SCLC samples compared to 42 normal tissues including the normal lung, and other PRC2 members, SUZ12 and EED, were also highly expressed in SCLC. To obtain target genes of PRC2 in SCLC, H3K27me3 mark was mapped in three SCLC cell lines, Lu130, H209 and DMS53, and compared to normal small airway epithelial cells (SAEC). Whereas H3K27me3(+) genes in SAEC were significantly overlapped with PRC-target genes in ES cells (P=1.7x10-31), genes with H3K27me3 in SCLC cell lines but not in SAEC were not significantly overlapped with PRC-target genes in ES cells (P=0.64). These genes with H3K27me3 specifically in SCLC cell lines but not in SAEC showed decreased expression, not only in SCLC cell lines but also in clinical SCLCs, and showed enrichment of GO-terms such as plasma membrane (P=8.1x10-21) and cell adhesion (P=1.7x10-8). Introduction of JUB, a gene showing specific H3K27me3 modification and the strongest repression in the three SCLC cell lines, resulted in repression of cellular growth in DMS53. In clinical SCLC cases, lower JUB level correlated to shorter survival (P=0.002), or a set of PRC target genes (JUB, EPHB4) and marker genes of classic type SCLC (GRP, ASCL1) correlated to shorter survival (P=0.0001) and classified SCLC into two groups with distinct prognosis. Growth of SCLC cell lines was repressed when treated with 3-Deazaneplanocin A, an inhibitor against PRC2. It is suggested that high expression of PRC2 in SCLC contributed to repression of genes including non-PRC-target genes in ES cells, and that the gene repression may play a role in genesis of SCLC. Gene expression in 23 clinical SCLC samples, 42 normal tissue samples, 3 small cell lung cancer (SCLC) cell lines, and normal small airway epithelial cell (SAEC) was analyzed by Affymetrix arrays. This dataset is part of the TransQST collection.
Project description:Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a subtype of lung cancer with poor prognosis. Expression array analysis of 23 SCLC cases and 42 normal tissues revealed that EZH2 and other PRC2 members were highly expressed in SCLC. ChIP-seq for H3K27me3 suggested that genes with H3K27me3(+) in SCLC were extended not only to PRC2-target genes in ES cells but also to other target genes such as cellular adhesion-related genes. These H3K27me3(+) genes in SCLC were repressed significantly, and introduction of the most repressed gene JUB into SCLC cell line lead to growth inhibition. Shorter overall survival of clinical SCLC cases correlated to repression of JUB alone, or a set of four genes including H3K27me3(+) genes. Treatment with EZH2 inhibitors, DZNep and GSK126, resulted in growth repression of SCLC cell lines. High PRC2 expression was suggested to contribute to gene repression in SCLC, and may play a role in genesis of SCLC.
Project description:Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a subtype of lung cancer with poor prognosis due to early dissemination and rapid growth. We here analyze gene expression profile of 23 clinical SCLC samples. EZH2 was found to be highly expressed in SCLC samples compared to 42 normal tissues including the normal lung, and other PRC2 members, SUZ12 and EED, were also highly expressed in SCLC. To obtain target genes of PRC2 in SCLC, H3K27me3 mark was mapped in three SCLC cell lines, Lu130, H209 and DMS53, and compared to normal small airway epithelial cells (SAEC). Whereas H3K27me3(+) genes in SAEC were significantly overlapped with PRC-target genes in ES cells (P=1.7x10-31), genes with H3K27me3 in SCLC cell lines but not in SAEC were not significantly overlapped with PRC-target genes in ES cells (P=0.64). These genes with H3K27me3 specifically in SCLC cell lines but not in SAEC showed decreased expression, not only in SCLC cell lines but also in clinical SCLCs, and showed enrichment of GO-terms such as plasma membrane (P=8.1x10-21) and cell adhesion (P=1.7x10-8). Introduction of JUB, a gene showing specific H3K27me3 modification and the strongest repression in the three SCLC cell lines, resulted in repression of cellular growth in DMS53. In clinical SCLC cases, lower JUB level correlated to shorter survival (P=0.002), or a set of PRC target genes (JUB, EPHB4) and marker genes of classic type SCLC (GRP, ASCL1) correlated to shorter survival (P=0.0001) and classified SCLC into two groups with distinct prognosis. Growth of SCLC cell lines was repressed when treated with 3-Deazaneplanocin A, an inhibitor against PRC2. It is suggested that high expression of PRC2 in SCLC contributed to repression of genes including non-PRC-target genes in ES cells, and that the gene repression may play a role in genesis of SCLC.
Project description:Aberrant differentiation, driven by activation of normally silent tissue-specific genes, results in a switch of cell identity and often leads to cancer progression. The underlying genetic and epigenetic events are largely unexplored. Here, we report ectopic activation of the hepatobiliary-, intestinal- and neural-specific gene one cut homeobox 2 (ONECUT2) in various subtypes of lung cancer. ONECUT2 expression was associated with poor prognosis of RAS-driven lung adenocarcinoma. ONECUT2 overexpression promoted the malignant growth and invasion of A549 lung cancer cells in vitro, as well as xenograft tumorigenesis and bone metastases of these cells in vivo. Integrative transcriptomics and epigenomics analyses suggested that ONECUT2 promoted the trans-differentiation of lung cancer cells by preferentially targeting and regulating the activity of bivalent chromatin domains through modulating Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) occupancy. Our findings demonstrate that ONECUT2 is a lineage-specific and context-dependent oncogene in lung adenocarcinoma and suggest that ONECUT2 is a potential therapeutic target for these tumors.
Project description:The introduction of new therapies against particular genetic mutations in non-small cell lung cancer is a promising avenue for improving the survival of these patients, but the target population is small. There is a need to uncover new potential actionable genetic lesions and non-conventional cancer pathways, such as RNA editing, are worthy to explore. Herein we show that the adenosine-to-inosine editing enzyme ADAR1 undergoes gene amplification in non-small cancer cell lines and primary tumors in association with higher levels of the corresponding mRNA and protein. From a growth and invasion standpoint, the depletion of ADAR1 expression in amplified cells reduces their tumorigenic potential in cell culture and mice models, whereas its overexpression causes the opposite effects. From a functional perspective, ADAR1 overexpression enhances the editing frequencies of target transcripts such as NEIL1 and miR-381. In the clinical setting, patients with early stage lung cancer, but harboring ADAR1 gene amplification, show poor outcome. Overall, our results indicate a role for ADAR1 as a lung cancer oncogene undergoing gene amplification-associated activation that affect downstream RNA editing patterns and patient prognosis.
Project description:Rho-GTPases are small GTP-binding proteins that contribute to the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition by regulating several cellular processes including organization of the actin cytoskeleton, cell motility, transcription, and cell proliferation. Overexpression of RhoC-GTPases (RhoC) in breast cancer has been implicated in poor disease prognosis due to increased cancer cells invasion, migration, and motility, which warranted its consideration as a therapeutic target for inhibiting breast cancer metastasis. Using silencing RNA (siRNA) molecules to knockdown RhoC expression is a promising approach to inhibit breast cancer metastases.
Project description:Aberrant overexpression or activation of EGFR drives the development of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and acquired resistance to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) by secondary EGFR mutations or c-MET amplification/activation remains as a major hurdle for NSCLC treatment. We previously identified WDR4 as a substrate adaptor of Cullin 4 ubiquitin ligase and an association of WDR4 high expression with poor prognosis of lung cancer. Here, using an unbiased ubiquitylome analysis, we uncover PTPN23, a component of the ESCRT complex, as a substrate of WDR4- based ubiquitin ligase. WDR4-mediated PTPN23 ubiquitination leads to its proteasomal degradation, thereby suppressing lysosome trafficking and degradation of wild type EGFR, EGFR mutant, and c-MET. Through this mechanism, WDR4 sustains EGFR and c-MET signaling to promote NSCLC proliferation, migration, invasion, stemness, and metastasis. Clinically, PTPN23 is downregulated in lung cancer and its low expression correlates with WDR4 high expression and poor prognosis. Targeting WDR4-mediated PTPN23 ubiquitination by a peptide that competes with PTPN23 for binding WDR4 promotes EGFR and c-MET degradation to block the growth and progression of EGFR TKI-resistant NSCLC. These findings identify a central role of WDR4/PTPN23 axis in EGFR and c-MET trafficking and a potential therapeutic target for treating EGFR TKI-resistant NSCLC.
Project description:Lung cancer remains the most common cause of cancer deaths worldwide, yet there is currently a lack of diagnostic noninvasive biomarkers that could guide treatment decisions. Small molecules (<1500 Da) were measured in urine collected from 469 lung cancer patients and 536 population controls using unbiased liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Clinical putative diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers were validated by quantitation and normalized to creatinine levels at two different time points and further validated in an independent sample set, which comprises 80 cases and 78 population controls, with similar demographic and clinical characteristics when compared to the training set. Creatine riboside (IUPAC name: 2-{2-[(2R,3R,4S,5R)-3,4-dihydroxy-5-(hydroxymethyl)-oxolan-2-yl]-1-methylcarbamimidamido}acetic acid), a novel molecule identified in this study, and N-acetylneuraminic acid (NANA), were each significantly (P <0.00001) elevated in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and associated with worse prognosis (hazard ratio (HR) =1.81 [P =0.0002], and 1.54 [P =0.025], respectively). Creatine riboside was the strongest classifier of lung cancer status in all and stage I–II cases, important for early detection, and also associated with worse prognosis in stage I–II lung cancer (HR =1.71, P =0.048). All measurements were highly reproducible with intraclass correlation coefficients ranging from 0.82 – 0.99. Both metabolites were significantly (P <0.03) enriched in tumor tissue compared to adjacent non-tumor tissue (N =48), thus revealing their direct association with tumor metabolism. Creatine riboside and NANA may be robust urinary clinical metabolomic markers that are elevated in tumor tissue and associated with early lung cancer diagnosis and worse prognosis.