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1.
Genome Med ; 16(1): 54, 2024 04 08.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38589970

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in the world. In contrast to many other cancers, a direct connection to modifiable lifestyle risk in the form of tobacco smoke has long been established. More than 50% of all smoking-related lung cancers occur in former smokers, 40% of which occur more than 15 years after smoking cessation. Despite extensive research, the molecular processes for persistent lung cancer risk remain unclear. We thus set out to examine whether risk stratification in the clinic and in the general population can be improved upon by the addition of genetic data and to explore the mechanisms of the persisting risk in former smokers. METHODS: We analysed transcriptomic data from accessible airway tissues of 487 subjects, including healthy volunteers and clinic patients of different smoking statuses. We developed a computational model to assess smoking-associated gene expression changes and their reversibility after smoking is stopped, comparing healthy subjects to clinic patients with and without lung cancer. RESULTS: We find persistent smoking-associated immune alterations to be a hallmark of the clinic patients. Integrating previous GWAS data using a transcriptional network approach, we demonstrate that the same immune- and interferon-related pathways are strongly enriched for genes linked to known genetic risk factors, demonstrating a causal relationship between immune alteration and lung cancer risk. Finally, we used accessible airway transcriptomic data to derive a non-invasive lung cancer risk classifier. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide initial evidence for germline-mediated personalized smoke injury response and risk in the general population, with potential implications for managing long-term lung cancer incidence and mortality.


Subject(s)
Lung Neoplasms , Humans , Lung Neoplasms/genetics , Lung Neoplasms/metabolism , Smoking/adverse effects , Smoking/genetics , Lung/metabolism , Nicotiana , Nasal Mucosa/metabolism , Transcriptome
2.
Bioinformatics ; 38(5): 1463-1464, 2022 02 07.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34864914

ABSTRACT

MOTIVATION: Dendrogram is a classical diagram for visualizing binary trees. Although efficient to represent hierarchical relations, it provides limited space for displaying information on the leaf elements, especially for large trees. RESULTS: Here, we present TreeAndLeaf, an R/Bioconductor package that implements a hybrid layout strategy to represent tree diagrams with focus on the leaves. The TreeAndLeaf package combines force-directed graph and tree layout algorithms using a single visualization system, allowing projection of multiple layers of information onto a graph-tree diagram. The Supplementary Information provides two case studies that use breast cancer data from epidemiological and experimental studies. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: TreeAndLeaf is written in the R language, and is available from the Bioconductor project at http://bioconductor.org/packages/TreeAndLeaf/ (version≥1.4.2). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.


Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms , Software , Humans , Female , Algorithms , Language
4.
JNCI Cancer Spectr ; 4(1): pkz067, 2020 Feb.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32064457

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Improving lung cancer risk assessment is required because current early-detection screening criteria miss most cases. We therefore examined the utility for lung cancer risk assessment of a DNA Repair score obtained from OGG1, MPG, and APE1 blood tests. In addition, we examined the relationship between the level of DNA repair and global gene expression. METHODS: We conducted a blinded case-control study with 150 non-small cell lung cancer case patients and 143 control individuals. DNA Repair activity was measured in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and the transcriptome of nasal and bronchial cells was determined by RNA sequencing. A combined DNA Repair score was formed using logistic regression, and its correlation with disease was assessed using cross-validation; correlation of expression to DNA Repair was analyzed using Gene Ontology enrichment. RESULTS: DNA Repair score was lower in case patients than in control individuals, regardless of the case's disease stage. Individuals at the lowest tertile of DNA Repair score had an increased risk of lung cancer compared to individuals at the highest tertile, with an odds ratio (OR) of 7.2 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.0 to 17.5; P < .001), and independent of smoking. Receiver operating characteristic analysis yielded an area under the curve of 0.89 (95% CI = 0.82 to 0.93). Remarkably, low DNA Repair score correlated with a broad upregulation of gene expression of immune pathways in patients but not in control individuals. CONCLUSIONS: The DNA Repair score, previously shown to be a lung cancer risk factor in the Israeli population, was validated in this independent study as a mechanism-based cancer risk biomarker and can substantially improve current lung cancer risk prediction, assisting prevention and early detection by computed tomography scanning.

5.
Int J Cancer ; 146(1): 18-25, 2020 01 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30891750

ABSTRACT

Previous studies have reported an association between hot tea drinking and risk of esophageal cancer, but no study has examined this association using prospectively and objectively measured tea drinking temperature. We examined the association of tea drinking temperature, measured both objectively and subjectively at study baseline, with future risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in a prospective study. We measured tea drinking temperature using validated methods and collected data on several other tea drinking habits and potential confounders of interest at baseline in the Golestan Cohort Study, a population-based prospective study of 50,045 individuals aged 40-75 years, established in 2004-2008 in northeastern Iran. Study participants were followed-up for a median duration of 10.1 years (505,865 person-years). During 2004-2017, 317 new cases of ESCC were identified. The objectively measured tea temperature (HR 1.41, 95% CI 1.10-1.81; for ≥60°C vs. <60°C), reported preference for very hot tea drinking (HR 2.41, 95% CI 1.27-4.56; for "very hot" vs. "cold/lukewarm"), and reported shorter time from pouring tea to drinking (HR 1.51, 95% CI 1.01-2.26; for <2 vs. ≥6 min) were all associated with ESCC risk. In analysis of the combined effects of measured temperature and amount, compared to those who drank less than 700 ml of tea/day at <60°C, drinking 700 mL/day or more at a higher-temperature (≥60°C) was consistently associated with an about 90% increase in ESCC risk. Our results substantially strengthen the existing evidence supporting an association between hot beverage drinking and ESCC.


Subject(s)
Drinking , Esophageal Neoplasms/epidemiology , Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma/epidemiology , Hot Temperature , Tea , Adult , Aged , Humans , Iran , Middle Aged , Prospective Studies , Risk Factors
6.
Bioinformatics ; 35(24): 5357-5358, 2019 12 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31250887

ABSTRACT

MOTIVATION: Transcription factors (TFs) are key regulators of gene expression, and can activate or repress multiple target genes, forming regulatory units, or regulons. Understanding downstream effects of these regulators includes evaluating how TFs cooperate or compete within regulatory networks. Here we present RTNduals, an R/Bioconductor package that implements a general method for analyzing pairs of regulons. RESULTS: RTNduals identifies a dual regulon when the number of targets shared between a pair of regulators is statistically significant. The package extends the RTN (Reconstruction of Transcriptional Networks) package, and uses RTN transcriptional networks to identify significant co-regulatory associations between regulons. The Supplementary Information reports two case studies for TFs using the METABRIC and TCGA breast cancer cohorts. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: RTNduals is written in the R language, and is available from the Bioconductor project at http://bioconductor.org/packages/RTNduals/. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.


Subject(s)
Software , Gene Expression , Gene Regulatory Networks , Regulon , Transcription Factors
7.
Bioinformatics ; 35(21): 4488-4489, 2019 11 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30923832

ABSTRACT

MOTIVATION: Transcriptional networks are models that allow the biological state of cells or tumours to be described. Such networks consist of connected regulatory units known as regulons, each comprised of a regulator and its targets. Inferring a transcriptional network can be a helpful initial step in characterizing the different phenotypes within a cohort. While the network itself provides no information on molecular differences between samples, the per-sample state of each regulon, i.e. the regulon activity, can be used for describing subtypes in a cohort. Integrating regulon activities with clinical data and outcomes would extend this characterization of differences between subtypes. RESULTS: We describe RTNsurvival, an R/Bioconductor package that calculates regulon activity profiles using transcriptional networks reconstructed by the RTN package, gene expression data, and a two-tailed Gene Set Enrichment Analysis. Given regulon activity profiles across a cohort, RTNsurvival can perform Kaplan-Meier analyses and Cox Proportional Hazards regressions, while also considering confounding variables. The Supplementary Information provides two case studies that use data from breast and liver cancer cohorts and features uni- and multivariate regulon survival analysis. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: RTNsurvival is written in the R language, and is available from the Bioconductor project at http://bioconductor.org/packages/RTNsurvival/. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.


Subject(s)
Software , Gene Expression , Gene Regulatory Networks , Probability , Survival Analysis
8.
Sci Rep ; 8(1): 12604, 2018 08 22.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30135442

ABSTRACT

Live cell Raman micro-spectroscopy is emerging as a promising bioanalytical technique for label-free discrimination of a range of different cell types (e.g. cancer cells and fibroblasts) and behaviors (e.g. apoptosis). The aim of this study was to determine whether confocal Raman micro-spectroscopy shows sufficient sensitivity and specificity for identification of primary human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs) to be used for live cell biological studies in vitro. We first compared cell preparation substrates and media, considering their influence on lung cell proliferation and Raman spectra, as well as methods for data acquisition, using different wavelengths (488 nm, 785 nm) and scan protocols (line, area). Evaluating these parameters using human lung cancer (A549) and fibroblast (MRC5) cell lines confirmed that line-scan data acquisition at 785 nm using complete cell media on a quartz substrate gave optimal performance. We then applied our protocol to acquisition of data from primary human bronchial epithelial cells (HBEC) derived from three independent sources, revealing an average sensitivity for different cell types of 96.3% and specificity of 95.2%. These results suggest that Raman micro-spectroscopy is suitable for delineating primary HBEC cell cultures, which in future could be used for identifying different lung cell types within co-cultures and studying the process of early carcinogenesis in lung cell culture.


Subject(s)
Bronchi/diagnostic imaging , Epithelial Cells/pathology , Spectrum Analysis, Raman/methods , A549 Cells , Bronchi/metabolism , Carcinogenesis/metabolism , Cell Culture Techniques , Cell Line , Cell Proliferation , Coculture Techniques , Fibroblasts , Humans , Lung/diagnostic imaging , Lung Neoplasms/metabolism , Sensitivity and Specificity
9.
Cancer Res ; 78(2): 410-421, 2018 01 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29180470

ABSTRACT

Two opposing clusters of transcription factors (TF) have been associated with the differential risks of estrogen receptor positive or negative breast cancers, but the mechanisms underlying the opposing functions of the two clusters are undefined. In this study, we identified NFIB and YBX1 as novel interactors of the estrogen receptor (ESR1). NFIB and YBX1 are both risk TF associated with progression of ESR1-negative disease. Notably, they both interacted with the ESR1-FOXA1 complex and inhibited the transactivational potential of ESR1. Moreover, signaling through FGFR2, a known risk factor in breast cancer development, augmented these interactions and further repressed ESR1 target gene expression. We therefore show that members of two opposing clusters of risk TFs associated with ESR1-positive and -negative breast cancer can physically interact. We postulate that this interaction forms a toggle between two developmental pathways affected by FGFR2 signaling, possibly offering a junction to exploit therapeutically.Significance: Binding of the transcription factors NFIB and YBX1 to the estrogen receptor can promote an estrogen-independent phenotype that can be reverted by inhibiting FGFR2 signaling. Cancer Res; 78(2); 410-21. ©2017 AACR.


Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms/metabolism , Estrogen Receptor alpha/metabolism , Estrogens/pharmacology , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic/drug effects , NFI Transcription Factors/metabolism , Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 2/metabolism , Y-Box-Binding Protein 1/metabolism , Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics , Biomarkers, Tumor/metabolism , Breast Neoplasms/drug therapy , Breast Neoplasms/pathology , Cell Proliferation/drug effects , Estrogen Receptor alpha/genetics , Female , Humans , NFI Transcription Factors/genetics , Prognosis , Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 2/genetics , Signal Transduction , Survival Rate , Tumor Cells, Cultured , Y-Box-Binding Protein 1/genetics
10.
Genome Biol ; 18(1): 39, 2017 02 24.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28235418

ABSTRACT

Allele-specific measurements of transcription factor binding from ChIP-seq data are key to dissecting the allelic effects of non-coding variants and their contribution to phenotypic diversity. However, most methods of detecting an allelic imbalance assume diploid genomes. This assumption severely limits their applicability to cancer samples with frequent DNA copy-number changes. Here we present a Bayesian statistical approach called BaalChIP to correct for the effect of background allele frequency on the observed ChIP-seq read counts. BaalChIP allows the joint analysis of multiple ChIP-seq samples across a single variant and outperforms competing approaches in simulations. Using 548 ENCODE ChIP-seq and six targeted FAIRE-seq samples, we show that BaalChIP effectively corrects allele-specific analysis for copy-number variation and increases the power to detect putative cis-acting regulatory variants in cancer genomes.


Subject(s)
Alleles , Bayes Theorem , Binding Sites , Computational Biology/methods , Neoplasms/genetics , Neoplasms/metabolism , Transcription Factors/metabolism , Allelic Imbalance , Cell Line, Tumor , Chromatin Immunoprecipitation , DNA Copy Number Variations , Gene Amplification , Genotype , High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing , Humans , Quality Control , Reproducibility of Results , Workflow
11.
PLoS One ; 11(12): e0168770, 2016.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27997592

ABSTRACT

We have recently identified transcription factors (TFs) that are key drivers of breast cancer risk. To better understand the pathways or sub-networks in which these TFs mediate their function we sought to identify upstream modulators of their activity. We applied the MINDy (Modulator Inference by Network Dynamics) algorithm to four TFs (ESR1, FOXA1, GATA3 and SPDEF) that are key drivers of estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer risk, as well as cancer progression. Our computational analysis identified over 500 potential modulators. We assayed 189 of these and identified 55 genes with functional characteristics that were consistent with a role as TF modulators. In the future, the identified modulators may be tested as potential therapeutic targets, able to alter the activity of TFs that are critical in the development of breast cancer.


Subject(s)
Algorithms , Breast Neoplasms/metabolism , Computer Simulation , Gene Regulatory Networks , Models, Biological , Neoplasm Proteins/metabolism , Transcription Factors/metabolism , Breast Neoplasms/genetics , Female , Humans , MCF-7 Cells , Neoplasm Proteins/genetics , Transcription Factors/genetics
12.
Carcinogenesis ; 37(8): 741-750, 2016 08.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27236187

ABSTRACT

The fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) locus is consistently the top hit in genome-wide association studies for oestrogen receptor-positive (ER(+)) breast cancer. Yet, its mode of action continues to be controversial. Here, we employ a systems biology approach to demonstrate that signalling via FGFR2 counteracts cell activation by oestrogen. In the presence of oestrogen, the oestrogen receptor (ESR1) regulon (set of ESR1 target genes) is in an active state. However, signalling by FGFR2 is able to reverse the activity of the ESR1 regulon. This effect is seen in multiple distinct FGFR2 signalling model systems, across multiple cells lines and is dependent on the presence of FGFR2. Increased oestrogen exposure has long been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. We therefore hypothesized that risk variants should reduce FGFR2 expression and subsequent signalling. Indeed, transient transfection experiments assaying the three independent variants of the FGFR2 risk locus (rs2981578, rs35054928 and rs45631563) in their normal chromosomal context show that these single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) map to transcriptional silencer elements and that, compared with wild type, the risk alleles augment silencer activity. The presence of risk variants results in lower FGFR2 expression and increased oestrogen responsiveness. We thus propose a molecular mechanism by which FGFR2 can confer increased breast cancer risk that is consistent with oestrogen exposure as a major driver of breast cancer risk. Our findings may have implications for the clinical use of FGFR2 inhibitors.


Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms/genetics , Estrogen Receptor alpha/genetics , Genetic Predisposition to Disease , Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 2/genetics , Breast Neoplasms/pathology , Estrogen Receptor alpha/metabolism , Estrogens/genetics , Estrogens/metabolism , Female , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic , Genome-Wide Association Study , Genotype , Haplotypes , Humans , MCF-7 Cells , Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 2/biosynthesis , Signal Transduction , Systems Biology
13.
Nat Genet ; 48(1): 12-21, 2016 Jan.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26618344

ABSTRACT

Genetic risk for breast cancer is conferred by a combination of multiple variants of small effect. To better understand how risk loci might combine, we examined whether risk-associated genes share regulatory mechanisms. We created a breast cancer gene regulatory network comprising transcription factors and groups of putative target genes (regulons) and asked whether specific regulons are enriched for genes associated with risk loci via expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs). We identified 36 overlapping regulons that were enriched for risk loci and formed a distinct cluster within the network, suggesting shared biology. The risk transcription factors driving these regulons are frequently mutated in cancer and lie in two opposing subgroups, which relate to estrogen receptor (ER)(+) luminal A or luminal B and ER(-) basal-like cancers and to different luminal epithelial cell populations in the adult mammary gland. Our network approach provides a foundation for determining the regulatory circuits governing breast cancer, to identify targets for intervention, and is transferable to other disease settings.


Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms/genetics , Gene Regulatory Networks , Quantitative Trait Loci , Transcription Factors/genetics , Breast Neoplasms/mortality , Cell Line, Tumor , Chromatin Immunoprecipitation/methods , Cluster Analysis , Estrogen Receptor alpha/genetics , Female , Fibroblast Growth Factor 10/genetics , Fibroblast Growth Factor 10/metabolism , Gene Expression Profiling/methods , Genetic Predisposition to Disease , Genome-Wide Association Study , Humans , Mutation , Reproducibility of Results
14.
PLoS One ; 8(9): e74102, 2013.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24069272

ABSTRACT

TOX3 maps to 16q12, a region commonly lost in breast cancers and recently implicated in the risk of developing breast cancer. However, not much is known of the role of TOX3 itself in breast cancer biology. This is the first study to determine the importance of TOX3 mutations in breast cancers. We screened TOX3 for mutations in 133 breast tumours and identified four mutations (three missense, one in-frame deletion of 30 base pairs) in six primary tumours, corresponding to an overall mutation frequency of 4.5%. One potentially deleterious missense mutation in exon 3 (Leu129Phe) was identified in one tumour (genomic DNA and cDNA). Whilst copy number changes of 16q12 are common in breast cancer, our data show that mutations of TOX3 are present at low frequency in tumours. Our results support that TOX3 should be further investigated to elucidate its role in breast cancer biology.


Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms/genetics , Mutation , Receptors, Progesterone/genetics , Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins , Case-Control Studies , DNA Mutational Analysis , Female , Genetic Association Studies , High Mobility Group Proteins , Humans , Linkage Disequilibrium , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide , Trans-Activators
15.
Nat Commun ; 4: 2464, 2013.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24043118

ABSTRACT

The fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) locus has been consistently identified as a breast cancer risk locus in independent genome-wide association studies. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying FGFR2-mediated risk are still unknown. Using model systems we show that FGFR2-regulated genes are preferentially linked to breast cancer risk loci in expression quantitative trait loci analysis, supporting the concept that risk genes cluster in pathways. Using a network derived from 2,000 transcriptional profiles we identify SPDEF, ERα, FOXA1, GATA3 and PTTG1 as master regulators of fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 signalling, and show that ERα occupancy responds to fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 signalling. Our results indicate that ERα, FOXA1 and GATA3 contribute to the regulation of breast cancer susceptibility genes, which is consistent with the effects of anti-oestrogen treatment in breast cancer prevention, and suggest that fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 signalling has an important role in mediating breast cancer risk.


Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms/genetics , Genetic Predisposition to Disease , Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 2/metabolism , Signal Transduction/genetics , Female , Gene Expression Profiling , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic , Gene Regulatory Networks/genetics , Genetic Linkage , Genetic Loci/genetics , Humans , MCF-7 Cells , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide/genetics , Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 2/genetics , Regulon/genetics , Reproducibility of Results , Risk Factors , Transcription, Genetic
16.
Arch Iran Med ; 16(1): 46-53, 2013 Jan.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-23273237

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The Gastro-Esophageal Malignancies in Northern Iran (GEMINI) research project is an example of recent progress in health research in Iran. The original aim of this project was to identify etiologic factors and prevention measures for upper gastrointestinal cancers in Northern provinces of Iran, but its achievements have gone much beyond this initial goal. METHODS: GEMINI consists of several projects including cancer registries, pilot studies, case-control studies, and the Golestan Cohort Study. GEMINI has been conducted through extensive collaborations between the Digestive Disease Research Center of Tehran University of Medical Sciences with other domestic and international health organizations. The achievements of GEMINI include producing new knowledge, introducing new research methods, developing and expanding health research and health care infrastructures, investing in human resources, and increasing the awareness and knowledge of policy makers and officials at all levels about the importance of chronic diseases in Iran's health priorities. CONCLUSION: The success of GEMINI reveals the feasibility of large-scale health research studies in developing countries and serves as a successful model not only for health research in Iran, but also for similar research studies in other developing nations.


Subject(s)
Biomedical Research/organization & administration , Developing Countries , Esophageal Neoplasms , Stomach Neoplasms , Biomedical Research/methods , Chronic Disease , Delivery of Health Care/methods , Delivery of Health Care/organization & administration , Esophageal Neoplasms/etiology , Esophageal Neoplasms/prevention & control , Health Policy , Humans , Iran , Registries , Research Design , Stomach Neoplasms/etiology , Stomach Neoplasms/prevention & control
17.
Genes Chromosomes Cancer ; 52(2): 126-39, 2013 Feb.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-23011637

ABSTRACT

Histone lysine methylation plays a fundamental role in chromatin organization. Although a set of histone methyltransferases have been identified and biochemically characterized, the pathological roles of their dysfunction in human cancers are still not well understood. In this study, we demonstrate important roles of WHSC1L1 in human carcinogenesis. Expression levels of WHSC1L1 transcript were significantly elevated in various human cancers including bladder carcinoma. Immunohistochemical analysis of bladder, lung, and liver cancers confirmed overexpression of WHSC1L1. WHSC1L1-specific small interfering RNAs significantly knocked down its expression and resulted in suppression of proliferation of bladder and lung cancer cell lines. WHSC1L1 knockdown induced cell cycle arrest at the G(2)/M phase followed by multinucleation of cancer cells. Expression profile analysis using Affymetrix GeneChip(®) showed that WHSC1L1 affected the expression of a number of genes including CCNG1 and NEK7, which are known to play crucial roles in the cell cycle progression at mitosis. As WHSC1L1 expression is significantly low in various normal tissues including vital organs, WHSC1L1 could be a good candidate molecule for development of novel treatment for various types of cancer.


Subject(s)
Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic , Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase/genetics , Neoplasms/genetics , Nuclear Proteins/genetics , Cell Cycle/genetics , Cell Line, Tumor , Cell Proliferation , Cyclin G1/genetics , Cyclin G1/metabolism , Female , Flow Cytometry , Gene Expression Profiling , HEK293 Cells , HeLa Cells , Hep G2 Cells , Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase/metabolism , Humans , Immunohistochemistry , Liver Neoplasms/genetics , Liver Neoplasms/metabolism , Liver Neoplasms/pathology , Lung Neoplasms/genetics , Lung Neoplasms/metabolism , Lung Neoplasms/pathology , Male , NIMA-Related Kinases , Neoplasms/metabolism , Neoplasms/pathology , Nuclear Proteins/metabolism , Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis , Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/genetics , Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism , RNA Interference , Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction , Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/genetics , Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/metabolism , Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/pathology
18.
Nat Commun ; 3: 1072, 2012.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-22990868

ABSTRACT

Although heat-shock protein 70 (HSP70), an evolutionarily highly conserved molecular chaperone, is known to be post-translationally modified in various ways such as phosphorylation, ubiquitination and glycosylation, physiological significance of lysine methylation has never been elucidated. Here we identify dimethylation of HSP70 at Lys-561 by SETD1A. Enhanced HSP70 methylation was detected in various types of human cancer by immunohistochemical analysis, although the methylation was barely detectable in corresponding non-neoplastic tissues. Interestingly, methylated HSP70 predominantly localizes to the nucleus of cancer cells, whereas most of the HSP70 protein locates to the cytoplasm. Nuclear HSP70 directly interacts with Aurora kinase B (AURKB) in a methylation-dependent manner and promotes AURKB activity in vitro and in vivo. We also find that methylated HSP70 has a growth-promoting effect in cancer cells. Our findings demonstrate a crucial role of HSP70 methylation in human carcinogenesis.


Subject(s)
HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins/metabolism , Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism , Animals , Aurora Kinase B , Aurora Kinases , Blotting, Western , COS Cells , Cell Line, Tumor , Cell Proliferation , Chlorocebus aethiops , Humans , Immunohistochemistry , Immunoprecipitation , Lysine , Methylation , Protein Binding , Tissue Array Analysis
19.
Neoplasia ; 14(6): 476-86, 2012 Jun.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-22787429

ABSTRACT

It is well known that RB functions are regulated by posttranslational modifications such as phosphorylation and acetylation, but the significance of lysine methylation on RB has not been fully elucidated. Our expression analysis of SMYD2 by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction showed that expression levels of SMYD2 are significantly elevated in human bladder carcinomas compared with nonneoplastic bladder tissues (P < .0001), and its expression levels in tumor tissues were much higher than those of any other normal tissues. SMYD2 knockdown resulted in the suppression of cancer cell growth, and cell cycle analysis indicated that SMYD2 might play a crucial role in the G(1)/S transition. According to an in vitro methyltransferase assay, we found that SMYD2 methylates RB1 protein, and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis revealed lysine 810 of RB1 to be methylated by SMYD2. Importantly, this methylation enhanced Ser 807/811 phosphorylation of RB1 both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, we demonstrated that methylated RB1 accelerates E2F transcriptional activity and promotes cell cycle progression. SMYD2 is an important oncoprotein in various types of cancer, and SMYD2-dependent RB1 methylation at lysine 810 promotes cell cycle progression of cancer cells. Further study may explore SMYD2-dependent RB1 methylation as a potential therapeutic target in human cancer.


Subject(s)
Cell Cycle , Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase/metabolism , Retinoblastoma Protein/metabolism , Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/metabolism , Animals , Cell Line , Cell Proliferation , Female , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic , Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase/genetics , Humans , Male , Methylation , Phosphorylation , Retinoblastoma Protein/genetics , Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/genetics
20.
Cancer Res ; 72(13): 3217-27, 2012 Jul 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-22556262

ABSTRACT

Although the physiologic significance of lysine methylation of histones is well known, whether lysine methylation plays a role in the regulation of nonhistone proteins has not yet been examined. The histone lysine methyltransferase SETD8 is overexpressed in various types of cancer and seems to play a crucial role in S-phase progression. Here, we show that SETD8 regulates the function of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) protein through lysine methylation. We found that SETD8 methylated PCNA on lysine 248, and either depletion of SETD8 or substitution of lysine 248 destabilized PCNA expression. Mechanistically, lysine methylation significantly enhanced the interaction between PCNA and the flap endonuclease FEN1. Loss of PCNA methylation retarded the maturation of Okazaki fragments, slowed DNA replication, and induced DNA damage, and cells expressing a methylation-inactive PCNA mutant were more susceptible to DNA damage. An increase of methylated PCNA was found in cancer cells, and the expression levels of SETD8 and PCNA were correlated in cancer tissue samples. Together, our findings reveal a function for lysine methylation on a nonhistone protein and suggest that aberrant lysine methylation of PCNA may play a role in human carcinogenesis.


Subject(s)
Cell Transformation, Neoplastic , Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase/physiology , Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen/metabolism , Aged , Cell Line, Tumor , DNA Damage , DNA Replication , Female , Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase/genetics , Humans , Lysine/metabolism , Male , Methylation , Middle Aged , Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen/chemistry , RNA, Small Interfering , Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
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