O-GlcNAc transferase fine-tunes MYC-dependent transcription to promote cell cycle [RNA-seq]
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) is overexpressed in aggressive prostate cancer. Here, we employed ChIP-seq to map chromatin-bound O-GlcNAc loci in prostate cancer cells and discovered that these overlap with sites of active transcription and MYC binding. Using RNA-seq, we show that inhibition of OGT promotes MYC-dependent transcriptional repression of mRNAs involved in G1-S transition. O-GlcNAc ChIP-seq regions are highly enriched to transcription start sites and identify the ‘GFY’-motif. Proteins binding to this motif have not been established and we use synthetic oligonucleotides as a bait to enrich protein complexes associated with this sequence. By comparing the unbiased proteomic data from oligonucleotide enrichment with proteomic data from O-GlcNAc and MYC ChIP-mass spectrometry, we identified host cell factor 1 (HCF-1) as an interaction partner of MYC. Inhibition of OGT disrupted the interaction between MYC and HCF-1, and compromised MYC’s ability to promote proliferation of prostate cancer cells in the absence of androgens. Reverse phase protein arrays identified a set of proteins involved in mitosis that are dependent on MYC and OGT activity for expression. In conclusion, we show that OGT activity regulates MYC-driven proliferation by coordinating transcription and translation of cell cycle genes.
Project description:O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) is overexpressed in aggressive prostate cancer. Here, we employed ChIP-seq to map chromatin-bound O-GlcNAc loci in prostate cancer cells and discovered that these overlap with sites of active transcription and MYC binding. Using RNA-seq, we show that inhibition of OGT promotes MYC-dependent transcriptional repression of mRNAs involved in G1-S transition. O-GlcNAc ChIP-seq regions are highly enriched to transcription start sites and identify the ‘GFY’-motif. Proteins binding to this motif have not been established and we use synthetic oligonucleotides as a bait to enrich protein complexes associated with this sequence. By comparing the unbiased proteomic data from oligonucleotide enrichment with proteomic data from O-GlcNAc and MYC ChIP-mass spectrometry, we identified host cell factor 1 (HCF-1) as an interaction partner of MYC. Inhibition of OGT disrupted the interaction between MYC and HCF-1, and compromised MYC’s ability to promote proliferation of prostate cancer cells in the absence of androgens. Reverse phase protein arrays identified a set of proteins involved in mitosis that are dependent on MYC and OGT activity for expression. In conclusion, we show that OGT activity regulates MYC-driven proliferation by coordinating transcription and translation of cell cycle genes.
Project description:Tumorigenesis is characterised by changes in transcriptional regulation and the androgen receptor (AR) has been identified as a key driver in prostate cancer. In this study, we show that the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway (HBP) genes are overexpressed in clinical prostate cancer and androgen-regulated in cell-lines. HBP senses metabolic status of the cell and produces an essential substrate for O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT), which regulates target proteins via glycosylation. Using immunohistochemistry, we found that OGT is up-regulated in the protein level in prostate cancer (n=1987) and its expression correlates with high Gleason Score, pT and pN stages and biochemical recurrence (for all, p<0.0001). Both a small molecule inhibitor and siRNAs targeting OGT decreased prostate cancer cell growth. Microarray profiling revealed that the principal effects of the OGT inhibitor in prostate cancer cells are on cell cycle progression and DNA replication. We identified MYC as a candidate upstream regulator of these genes and found that OGT inhibitor caused a dose-dependent loss of c-MYC protein but not mRNA in cell lines. Finally, we observed a statistically significant co-expression between c-MYC and OGT in human prostate cancer samples (n=1306, p=0.0012). Total RNA was extracted and experiment has three biological replicates for each condition, conditions are: 12 hours ST045849, 24 hours ST045849, 12 hours vehicle, 24 hours vehicle, 12 hours siOGT, 24 hours siOGT, 12 hours scrambled, 24 hours scrambled
Project description:Tumorigenesis is characterised by changes in transcriptional regulation and the androgen receptor (AR) has been identified as a key driver in prostate cancer. In this study, we show that the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway (HBP) genes are overexpressed in clinical prostate cancer and androgen-regulated in cell-lines. HBP senses metabolic status of the cell and produces an essential substrate for O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT), which regulates target proteins via glycosylation. Using immunohistochemistry, we found that OGT is up-regulated in the protein level in prostate cancer (n=1987) and its expression correlates with high Gleason Score, pT and pN stages and biochemical recurrence (for all, p<0.0001). Both a small molecule inhibitor and siRNAs targeting OGT decreased prostate cancer cell growth. Microarray profiling revealed that the principal effects of the OGT inhibitor in prostate cancer cells are on cell cycle progression and DNA replication. We identified MYC as a candidate upstream regulator of these genes and found that OGT inhibitor caused a dose-dependent loss of c-MYC protein but not mRNA in cell lines. Finally, we observed a statistically significant co-expression between c-MYC and OGT in human prostate cancer samples (n=1306, p=0.0012).
Project description:Androgen receptor (AR) plays a central role in the development of prostate cancer. Increased expression of O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) and O-GlcNAcylation are also implicated in metastatic prostate cancer. Increased O-GlcNAcylation in prostate cancer cells is associated with poor prognosis in patients. In this study, we employed chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with massive parallel sequencing (ChIP-seq) to identify AR and O-GlcNAc binding sites in an attempt to identify novel co-regulatory mechanisms, biomarkers/druggable targets.
Project description:O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) is a nutrient-sensitive glycosyltransferase that is overexpressed in prostate cancer, the most common cancer in males. We recently developed specific and potent inhibitor targeting this enzyme, and here we report a synthetic lethality screen using this compound. Our screen identified pan-cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor AT7519 as lethal in combination with OGT inhibition. Follow-up chemical and genetic approaches identified CDK9 as the major target for synthetic lethality with OGT inhibition in prostate cancer cells. OGT expression is regulated through retention of the fourth intron in the gene and CDK9 inhibition blunted this regulatory mechanism. CDK9 phosphorylates carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) of RNA Polymerase II (RNA Pol II) to promote transcription elongation. We showed that OGT inhibition augments effects of CDK9 inhibitors on CTD phosphorylation and general transcription. Finally, the combined inhibition of both OGT and CDK9 blocked growth of organoids derived from metastatic prostate cancer patients but had minimal effects on normal prostate spheroids. We report a novel synthetic lethal interaction between inhibitors of OGT and CDK9 that specifically kills prostate cancer cells but not normal cells. Our study highlights the potential of combining OGT inhibitors with other treatments to exploit cancer specific vulnerabilities.
Project description:To study the regulation of colorectal adenocarcinoma progression by O-GlcNAc, we have focused on the O-GlcNAc-mediated epigenetic regulation of human colon cancer stem cells (CCSC). Xenograft tumors from colon tumor cells with OGT knockdown grew significantly slower than those formed from control cells, indicating a reduced proliferation of tumor cells due to inhibition of OGT expression. Significant reduction of CCSC population was observed in the tumor cells after OGT knockdown, while tumor cells treated with O-GlcNAcase inhibitor showed an increased CCSC population, indicating that O-GlcNAc levels regulated the CCSC compartment. When grown in suspension, tumor cells with OGT knockdown showed a reduced ability to form tumorspheres, indicating a reduced self-renewal of CCSC due to reduced levels of O-GlcNAc. ChIP-seq experiments using an anti-O-GlcNAc antibody revealed significant chromatin enrichment of O-GlcNAc modified proteins at the promoter of the transcription factor MYBL1, which was also characterized by the presence of H3K27me3. RNA-seq analysis showed an increased expression of MYBL1 in tumor cells with OGT knockdown. Forced overexpression of MYBL1 led to a reduced population of CCSC and tumor growth in vivo, similar to the effects of OGT silencing. Moreover, two CpG islands near the TSS site of MYBL1 were identified, and O-GlcNAc levels regulated their methylation status. These results strongly argue that O-GlcNAc epigenetically regulates MYBL1, functioning similarly to H3K27me3. The aberrant CCSC compartment observed after modulating O-GlcNAc levels, therefore, is likely to result, at least in part, from the epigenetic regulation of MYBL1 expression by O-GlcNAc, thereby significantly affecting tumor progression.
Project description:TET2 directly interacts with OGT, which is important for the chromatin association of OGT in vivo. Although this specific interaction does not regulate the enzymatic activity of TET2, it facilitates OGT-dependent histone O-GlcNAcylation. Moreover, OGT associates with TET2 at transcription starting sites (TSS). Down-regulation of TET2 reduces the amount of H2B S112 GlcNAc marks in vivo, which are associated with gene transcription regulation. We found that OGT interacts with TET2 tightly. Using ChIP-seq with specific antibodies, we tested the co-localization of TET2 and OGT in genome level.
Project description:Drosophila development is a complex and dynamic process regulated, in part, by members of the Polycomb (Pc), Trithorax (Trx) and Compass chromatin modifier complexes. O-GlcNAc Transferase (OGT/SXC) is essential for Pc repression suggesting that the O-GlcNAcylation of proteins plays a key role in regulating development. OGT transfers N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (GlcNAc) onto hydroxyl groups of serine or threonine residues of key transcriptional regulators using the nutrient-derived UDP-GlcNAc as a substrate, which is dynamically removed by O-GlcNAcase (OGA). We performed ChIP-chip and microarray analysis after OGT or OGA RNAi knockdown in Drosophila S2 cells and found that O-GlcNAc was elevated genome wide particularly at genes related to mitosis and cell cycle in OGA RNAi cells, but not at sites co-occupied by Pc member Pleiohomeotic (Pho), such as the Hox and NK homeobox gene clusters. Microarray analysis suggested that altered O-GlcNAc cycling perturbed the expression of genes associated with morphogenesis and cell cycle regulation. To examine the in vivo consequences of disturbed O-GlcNAc cycling in the whole animal, we produced a null allele of oga (ogadel.1) in Drosophila. Epigenetic activators including Trx group members Trithorax (Trx), Absent small or homeotic discs 1 (Ash1) and Compass member Set1 histone methyltransferases are O-GlcNAc modified in ogadel.1 mutants. ogadel.1 mutants displayed altered expression of a distinct set of cell cycle related genes in ovaries. Our results suggest that the loss of OGA could affect epigenetic machinery by accumulating O-GlcNAc on numerous chromatin factors including Trx, Ash1 and Set1 in Drosophila. We performed affymetrix tilingarray analysis after OGT or OGA RNAi knockdown in Drosophila S2 cells to find if that O-GlcNAc was elevated genome wide particularly at genes related to mitosis and cell cycle in OGA RNAi cells, but not at sites co-occupied by Pc member Pleiohomeotic (Pho), ------------------------------- This represents the gene expression component only
Project description:TET proteins convert 5-methylcytosine to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine, an emerging dynamic epigenetic state of DNA that can influence transcription. Evidence has linked TET1 function to epigenetic repression complexes, yet mechanistic information, especially for the TET2 and TET3 proteins, remains limited. Here, we show a direct interaction of TET2 and TET3 with O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT). OGT does not appear to influence hmC activity, rather TET2 and TET3 promote OGT activity. TET2/3-OGT co-localize on chromatin at active promoters enriched for H3K4me3 and reduction of either TET2/3 or OGT activity results in a direct decrease in H3K4me3 and concomitant decreased transcription. Further, we show that Host Cell Factor 1 (HCF1), a component of the H3K4 methyltransferase SET1/COMPASS complex, is a specific GlcNAcylation target of TET2/3-OGT, and modification of HCF1 is important for the integrity of SET1/COMPASS. Additionally, we find both TET proteins and OGT activity promote binding of the SET1/COMPASS H3K4 methyltransferase, SETD1A, to chromatin. Finally, studies in Tet2 knockout mouse bone marrow tissue extend and support the data as decreases are observed of global GlcNAcylation and also of H3K4me3, notably at several key regulators of haematopoiesis. Together, our results unveil a step-wise model, involving TET-OGT interactions, promotion of GlcNAcylation, and influence on H3K4me3 via SET1/COMPASS, highlighting a novel means by which TETs may induce transcriptional activation. ChIP-Seq experiments were performed on Illumina HiScanSQ sequencer in wild-type HEK293T cells for H3K4me3 histone marks, O-GlcNAc and HCF1, for HT-TET2, HT-TET3 and HT-OGT in HEK293T cells overexpressing those three fusion proteins and in TET2 Kd HEK293T cells for H3K4me3 histone marks. ChIP-Seqs were also performed in mouse bone marrow tissues for H3K4me3 histone marks, O-GlcNAc, endogenous Tet2 and in Tet2 Ko bone marrow tissues for H3K4me3 histone marks.
Project description:We report the genome wide binding sites of BAP1, HCF1 and OGT in bone marrow derived macrophages. De-ubiquitinating enzyme BAP1 is mutated in a hereditary cancer syndrome with increased risk of mesothelioma and uveal melanoma. Somatic BAP1 mutations occur in various malignancies. We show that mouse Bap1 gene deletion is lethal during embryogenesis, but systemic or hematopoietic-restricted deletion in adults recapitulates features of human myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Knockin mice expressing BAP1 with a 3xFlag tag revealed that BAP1 interacts with host cell factor–1 (HCF-1), O-linked N-acetylglucosamine transferase (OGT), and the polycomb group proteins ASXL1 and ASXL2 in vivo. OGT and HCF-1 levels were decreased by Bap1 deletion, indicating a critical role for BAP1 in stabilizing these epigenetic regulators. Human ASXL1 is mutated frequently in chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) so an ASXL/BAP1 complex may suppress CMML. A BAP1 catalytic mutation found in a MDS patient implies that BAP1 loss of function has similar consequences in mice and humans. For BAP1, bone marrow derived macrophages were used differentiated from bone marrow cells of BAP1-3X Flag Tagged KI mice we generated. For OGT and HCF1, bone marrow derived macrophages were used from BAP1 WT mice.