Project description:Genotoxic agents remain the mainstay of cancer treatment. Unfortunately, clinical benefit is often countered by a rapid adaptive response in tumors. Here we report that the proto-oncogene BCL6 is a core component conferring tumor resistance adaption. In response to genotoxic stress, BCL6 transcription was markedly promoted in cancer cells. BCL6 upregulation was positively associated with therapy resistance and poor progression-free survival in patients. Mechanistically, we discovered that treatment of the genotoxic agent etoposide led to transcriptional reprogramming of multiple proinflammatory cytokines, among which interferon-α and interferon-γ response were significantly enriched in resistant cells. Our results further revealed that the interferon/STAT1 axis that was required for the therapeutic efficacy of etoposide directly regulated BCL6 expression. Increased BCL6 consequently activated mTOR pathway through repressing the tumor suppressor PTEN to enable cancer cell survival. Importantly, targeted inhibition of BCL6 potentiated etoposide-triggered DNA damage and apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, our findings highlight the significance of targeting previously uncharacterized interferon-mediated BCL6 pathway to conquer tolerance of cancer cells to genotoxic stress.
Project description:Pre-mRNA splicing is functionally coupled to transcription, and genotoxic stresses can enhance alternative exon inclusion by affecting elongating RNA polymerase II. We report here that various genotoxic stress inducers, including camptothecin, inhibit the interaction between EWS, an RNA polymerase II-associated factor, and YB-1, a spliceosome-associated factor. This results in the cotranscriptional skipping of several exons of the MDM2 gene encoding the main p53 ubiquitin-ligase. This reversible exon skipping participates in the timely regulation of MDM2 expression, and may contribute to the accumulation of p53 during stress exposure and its rapid shut off when stress is removed. Finally, a splicing-sensitive microarray identified numerous exons that are skipped in response to camptothecin and EWS/YB-1 depletion. These data demonstrate genotoxic stress-induced alteration of the communication between the transcriptional and splicing machineries, resulting in widespread exon skipping and playing a central role in the genotoxic stress response.
Project description:Pre-mRNA splicing is functionally coupled to transcription, and genotoxic stresses can enhance alternative exon inclusion by affecting elongating RNA polymerase II. We report here that various genotoxic stress inducers, including camptothecin, inhibit the interaction between EWS, an RNA polymerase II-associated factor, and YB-1, a spliceosome-associated factor. This results in the cotranscriptional skipping of several exons of the MDM2 gene encoding the main p53 ubiquitin-ligase. This reversible exon skipping participates in the timely regulation of MDM2 expression, and may contribute to the accumulation of p53 during stress exposure and its rapid shut off when stress is removed. Finally, a splicing-sensitive microarray identified numerous exons that are skipped in response to camptothecin and EWS/YB-1 depletion. These data demonstrate genotoxic stress-induced alteration of the communication between the transcriptional and splicing machineries, resulting in widespread exon skipping and playing a central role in the genotoxic stress response. 6 samples of MCF7 cells exposed to different treatments were analyzed: 3 x control_6 hours; 3 x camptothecin_6 hours.
Project description:We have found that BCL6 is a component of the conserved stress response program regulated by HSF1. BCL6 mediates cellular adaptation to stress by repressing genes through its BTB domain. These genes fail to be repressed after stress in a murine model with point mutations in the BCL6 BTB domain that disrupt its repressor activity.
Project description:Micronuclei (MN) are induced by various genotoxic stressors and amass nuclear- and cytoplasmic-resident proteins, priming the cell for MN-driven signalling cascades. Here, we measure the proteome of micronuclear, cytoplasmic, and nuclear fractions from human cells exposed to a panel of six genotoxins, comprehensively profiling their MN protein landscape. This dataset represents a unique resource detailing the proteomic landscape of MN, guiding mechanistic studies of MN generation and MN-associated outcomes of genotoxic stress.
Project description:Exposure to genotoxic challenge activates cell cycle checkpoints to prevent progression and propagation of deleterious DNA damage. We identify the activity of a nuclease, Caspase-activated DNase (CAD), in promoting G2 checkpoint control in cancer cells via the infliction of DNA breaks. To appreciate the genomic context of these breaks, we performed (genome wide ligation of 3’-hydroxy (OH) ends followed by sequencing), to map the endogenously inflicted DNA breaks following irradiation.
Project description:This SuperSeries is composed of the following subset Series: GSE24381: Inhibition of BCL6-dependent gene expression in Philadelphia chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia GSE24404: Recruitment of BCL6 to target genes in Philadelphia chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia Refer to individual Series