Investigation of melanoma cell chromatin acetylation states with high and low levels of ALDH1A3
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ABSTRACT: Cancer progression and therapy resistance arise from metabolic and transcriptional adaptations, but how these are interconnected is less well understood. We propose that in melanoma, the pan-cancer stem cell marker aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A3 (ALDH1A3) couples TFAP2B-neural crest stem cell gene transcription with a distinct acetyl-histone H3 landscape via its substrate acetaldehyde. Mechanistically, nuclear acetyl-CoA synthetase 2 (ACSS2) colocalises with ALDH1A3 to bind glucose metabolic and neural crest stem cell gene loci and promote local acetyl-histone H3 modification dependent on ALDH1A3. Consistent with clinical observations that dedifferentiation into stem cell states confer poor prognosis in melanoma patients and mediate drug resistance, we found in a zebrafish melanoma model that targeting the ALDH1A3-high subpopulation with an ALDH1 suicide inhibitor delayed BRAF inhibitor drug-resistant relapse. Our work identifies ALDH1A3 as a master coordinator of acetaldehyde metabolites that directly regulates chromatin-based gene regulation, and which can be pharmacologically targeted to improve therapeutic outcomes.
ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens
PROVIDER: GSE243834 | GEO | 2024/06/29
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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