Project description:It is well established that EZH2, a lysine methyltransferase, is upregulated in most of aggressive cancers, highlighting the importance of EZH2 in cancer progression. Recent research has shown that metabolic reprogramming is pivotal in various biological processes, including cancer. Despite this, evidence of EZH2's role in regulating cancer metabolism remains limited. Our study reveals a negative correlation between EZH2 and HMGCS2, a gene belongs to the HMG-CoA synthase, in prostate and breast cancers. Furthermore, HMGCS2 is inversely related to cancer progression and prognosis in these cancers and is epigenetically repressed by EZH2 both in vitro and in vivo. Notably, restored EZH2 reduces the elevated HMGCS2 levels observed upon EZH2 depletion. Overexpression of HMGCS2 decreases tumorigenesis in both prostate and breast cancers. Additionally, β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), a downstream metabolite of HMGCS2, impedes prostate cancer progression by targeting EZH2 via direct protein-compound interaction -mediated protein degradation. More importantly, ketone drink of BHB administration dramatically reduces tumor size and weight in a prostate cancer xenograft model. Combining ketone drink with FDA-approved drugs enzalutamide and Tazemetostat further suppresses tumor progression. Overall, EZH2- HMGCS2-BHB regulatory network plays a critical role in the progression of prostate cancer and ketone drink is a novel therapeutic tool for patients with aggressive prostate cancer.
Project description:It is well established that EZH2, a lysine methyltransferase, is upregulated in most of aggressive cancers, highlighting the importance of EZH2 in cancer progression. Recent research has shown that metabolic reprogramming is pivotal in various biological processes, including cancer. Despite this, evidence of EZH2's role in regulating cancer metabolism remains limited. Our study reveals a negative correlation between EZH2 and HMGCS2, a gene belongs to the HMG-CoA synthase, in prostate and breast cancers. Furthermore, HMGCS2 is inversely related to cancer progression and prognosis in these cancers and is epigenetically repressed by EZH2 both in vitro and in vivo. Notably, restored EZH2 reduces the elevated HMGCS2 levels observed upon EZH2 depletion. Overexpression of HMGCS2 decreases tumorigenesis in both prostate and breast cancers. Additionally, β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), a downstream metabolite of HMGCS2, impedes prostate cancer progression by targeting EZH2 via direct protein-compound interaction -mediated protein degradation. More importantly, ketone drink of BHB administration dramatically reduces tumor size and weight in a prostate cancer xenograft model. Combining ketone drink with FDA-approved drugs enzalutamide and Tazemetostat further suppresses tumor progression. Overall, EZH2- HMGCS2-BHB regulatory network plays a critical role in the progression of prostate cancer and ketone drink is a novel therapeutic tool for patients with aggressive prostate cancer.
Project description:Here we report the discovery of highly potent and selective EZH2 small molecule inhibitors, their validation by a cellular thermal shift assay, their application across a large lymphoma cell panel and their efficacy in GCBDLBCL xenograft models. RNA-seq of KARPAS-422 cell line RNA, in duplicate, treated with DMSO as control, and EZH2 inhibitors CPI360, EPZ-6438 and GSK126. Eight samples in total.
Project description:Objectives:Routine exercise is thought to be among the only disease-modifying treatments for Parkinson's disease; however, patients' progressive loss of physical ability limits its application. Therefore, we sought to investigate whether a ketone ester drink, which has previously been shown to enhance endurance exercise performance in elite athletes, could also improve performance in persons with Parkinson's disease. Participants:14 patients, aged 40-80 years, with Hoehn and Yahr stage 1-2 Parkinson's disease. Intervention:A randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover study in which each participant was administered a ketone ester drink or an isocaloric carbohydrate-based control drink on separate occasions prior to engaging in a steady state cycling test at 80 rpm to assess endurance exercise performance. Outcomes Measures:The primary outcome variable was length of time participants could sustain a therapeutic 80 rpm cadence. Secondary, metabolic outcomes measures included cardiorespiratory parameters as well as serum ?-hydroxybutyrate, glucose, and lactate. Results:The ketone ester increased the time that participants were able to sustain an 80 rpm cycling cadence by 24 ± 9% (p = 0.027). Correspondingly, the ketone ester increased ?-hydroxybutyrate levels to >3 mmol/L and decreased respiratory exchange ratio, consistent with a shift away from carbohydrate-dependent metabolism. Conclusion:Ketone ester supplementation improved endurance exercise performance in persons with Parkinson's disease and may, therefore, be useful as an adjunctive therapy to enhance the effectiveness of exercise treatment for Parkinson's disease.
Project description:Diets characterized by increased blood levels of ketone bodies can protect the brain against a variety of acute and chronic neurological diseases. Moreover, ketone bodies are neuroprotective in many in vitro models of neurological injury. The underlying mechanisms remain unknown however. Recently, we have shown that ketone bodies do not only decrease neuronal injury and death but also protect long-term potentiation in acute hippocampal slices exposed to oxidative stress in the form of exogenous hydrogen peroxide. Elucidating the mechanisms behind the effects of ketone bodies on neuronal survival and function will undoubtedly lead to the development of novel neuroprotective treatments. Our aim is to determine acute changes in gene expression of CA1 pyramidal neurons exposed to various duration of the ketone bodies acetoacetate and beta-hydroxybutyrate. CA1 hippocampal pyramidal neurons exposed to oxidative stress do not display any long-term potention following burst stimulation of Schaffer collaterals. Incubation with the ketone bodies acetoacetate and beta-hydroxybutyrate for at least 20 min prior to hydrogen peroxide application restores long-term potentiation to control levels. We hypothesize that the neuroprotective effects of ketone bodies are mediated by changes in gene expression. Acute hippocampal slices (400 microns in thickness) were obtained from 4 week-old rats and exposed to acetoacetate and beta-hydroxybutyrate (1 mM each) for 1 h and 6 h. A control group was incubated in artificial cerebrospinal fluid only. After treatment, the hippocampal slices were used immediately for RNA isolation. Isolated RNA was sent for analysis. Each sample sent for analysis included tissue from 7 separate animals. Hybridization to an Affymetrix array is being performed 3 times for each experimental condition.
Project description:Here we report the discovery of highly potent and selective EZH2 small molecule inhibitors, their validation by a cellular thermal shift assay, their application across a large lymphoma cell panel and their efficacy in GCBDLBCL xenograft models. Baseline ChIP-seq measurement of KARPAS-422 cell line H3K27me3 levels, without treatment. Two samples -- H3K27me3 and Input included as control.
Project description:Overexpression of EZH2 in estrogen receptor negative (ER-) breast cancer promotes metastasis. EZH2 has been mainly studied as the catalytic component of the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) that mediates gene repression by trimethylating histone H3 at lysine 27 (H3K27me3). However, how EZH2 drives metastasis despite the low H3K27me3 levels observed in ER- breast cancer is unknown. We have shown that in human invasive carcinomas and distant metastases, cytoplasmic EZH2 phosphorylated at T367 is significantly associated with ER- disease and low H3K27me3 levels. Here, we explore the interactome of EZH2 and of a phosphodeficient mutant EZH2_T367A. We identified novel interactors of EZH2, and identified interactions that are dependent on the phosphorylation and cellular localization of EZH2 that may play a role in EZH2 dependent metastatic progression.
Project description:EZH2 plays an important role in stem cell renewal and maintenance by inducing gene silencing via its histone methyltransferase activity. EZH2 downregulation markedly enhances neuron differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs)chromatin at promoters of EZH2 target genes. comparison of knockdown EZH2 of hMSCs vs hMSCs