Methionine metabolism and the NOP2 methyltransferase are essential for MYC-Driven liver tumorigenesis
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ABSTRACT: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide and has been increasing in recent years in developed nations1,2. The MYC oncogene or its paralogs are frequently amplified or overexpressed in particularly aggressive subtypes of cancer associated with stem cell-like features and worse clinical outcomes3,4, including in liver cancer5. Unfortunately, selective inhibitors that target MYC or its transcriptional program are not yet clinically available for therapy of HCC. Here, we identified methionine metabolism as a selective vulnerability for MYC but not RAS-driven liver cancers. MYC-driven liver cancer cells are methionine dependent and S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), the predominant methyl donor, partially rescues methionine depletion. A low methionine diet, or the methylation inhibitor 5-azacytidine limited MYC-driven tumor formation, but RAS-driven liver cancer was resistant to a low methionine diet. Metabolic tracing of methionine catabolism in MYC high cells identified increased m5C methylation of genomic DNA or ribosomal RNA. We identified NOP2, an rRNA m5C-methyltransferase as a MYC target gene. Knockdown of NOP2 selectively inhibited MYC liver cancer cell proliferation and in vivo tumorigenesis. Thus, methionine catabolism is critical for MYC-driven liver tumorigenesis and NOP2 may serve as a new therapeutic target in liver cancer.
ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus
PROVIDER: GSE214724 | GEO | 2022/10/06
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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