Activation of bivalent factor DLX5 cooperates with master regulator TP63 to promote squamous cell carcinoma [ChIP-Seq]
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ABSTRACT: To reconstruct systematically master regulator transcription factor (MRTF)-dependent transcription networks in squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), a novel computational method (ELMER) was applied to 1,293 pan-SCC patient samples and identified 44 hyperactive SCC MRTFs. As the top candidate, DLX5 exhibits a notable bifurcate re-configuration of its bivalent promoter in cancer. Specifically, DLX5 maintains a bivalent state in normal tissues; it undergoes de novo DNA hypermethylation and transcriptional repression in multiple non-SCC cancers. In stark contrast, DLX5 promoter gains active histone marks and becomes transcriptionally activated in SCCs, which is mediated directly by SOX2. Functionally, DLX5 is essential for SCC viability, migration, anchorage-independent growth and xenograft proliferation. Mechanistically, DLX5 interacts and cooperates with TP63 to regulate ~2,000 enhancers and promoters, which converge on activating cancer-promoting pathways. Together, our data establish a novel and strong SCC-promoting factor, and elucidate a new epigenomic mechanism - bifurcate chromatin re-configuration - during cancer development.
ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens
PROVIDER: GSE142861 | GEO | 2021/09/14
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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