ATF4-Mediated Metabolic Stress Response as a Therapeutic Vulnerability in Chordoma [MUG-Chor RNA-seq]
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens
PROVIDER: GSE275458 | GEO | 2024/08/31
REPOSITORIES: GEO
Similar Datasets
Project description:Chordoma, a rare and challenging primary bone malignancy, currently lacks effective targeted therapies. Despite surgical resection and adjuvant radiotherapy, prognosis remains poor. Recent preclinical studies have highlighted potential therapeutic targets, including the transcription factor TBXT, although clinical outcomes have been modest. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic potential of tRNA synthetase inhibitors, specifically halofuginone and halofuginol, in chordoma treatment. We conducted extensive drug screening, identifying these compounds as effective in reducing cell viability in chordoma cell lines through an ATF4-mediated stress response rather than TBXT regulation. Our findings were validated using RNA sequencing, which revealed significant upregulation of ATF4 and associated stress response genes. Additionally, halofuginone demonstrated significant tumour growth inhibition in an in vivo patient-derived xenograft model. These results suggest that targeting metabolic stress pathways via ATF4 activation presents a novel therapeutic approach for chordoma, warranting further clinical investigation.
2024-08-31 | GSE275636 | GEO
Project description:Expression of the transcription factor brachyury (TBXT) is normally restricted to the embryo and its silencing is epigenetically regulated. TBXT promotes mesenchymal transition in a subset of common carcinomas, and in chordoma, a rare cancer showing notochordal differentiation, TBXT acts as a putative oncogene: we hypothesised that TBXT expression could be controlled through epigenetic inhibition to promote chordoma cell death. Screening of five human chordoma cell lines revealed that pharmacological inhibition of the histone 3 lysine 27 demethylases KDM6A (UTX) and KDM6B (JMJD3) leads to cell death. This effect was phenocopied by the dual genetic inactivation of KDM6A/B using CRISPR/Cas9. Inhibition of KDM6A/B using a novel compound, KDOBA67, led to a genome-wide increase in repressive H3K27me3 marks, with concomitant reduction in H3K27ac, H3K9ac and H3K4me3 active marks. We show that TBXT is a KDM6A/B target gene, and that changes in the chromatin at TBXT following KDOBA67 treatment were associated with a reduction in TBXT protein levels in all models tested, including primary patient-derived cultures. KDOBA67 downregulated also the expression of a network of transcription factors critical for chordoma survival, whereas upregulated pathways were dominated by ATF4-driven stress and pro-apoptotic responses in all models. Blocking the AFT4-stress response did not prevent the suppression of TBXT and induction of cell death, but viability was increased by ectopic overexpression of TBXT, therefore implicating TBXT as potential therapeutic target of H3K27 demethylases inhibitors. Our work highlights how knowledge of normal processes in fetal development can provide insight into tumourigenesis and identify novel therapeutic approaches.
2020-09-01 | GSE150600 | GEO
Project description:The expression of transcription factor brachyury (TBXT) is normally restricted to embryonic development and its silencing after mesoderm development is epigenetically regulated. In chordoma, a rare tumour of notochordal differentiation, TBXT acts as a putative oncogene, and we hypothesised that its expression could be contolled through epigenetic inhibition. Screening of five chordoma cell lines revealed that inhibitors of the histone 3 lysine 27 demethylases KDM6A (UTX) and KDM6B (Jmjd3) reduce TBXT expression and lead to cell death, findings validated in primary patient-derived culture systems. Pharmacological inhibition was phenocopied by genetic inactivation of KDM4/B using CRISPR/Cas9. Transcriptional profiles in response to a novel KDM6A/B inhibitor, KDOBA67, revealed downregulation of critical genes and transcription factor networks for chordoma survival pathways, characterised by paired and homeobox genes, whereas upregulated pathways are dominated by stress, cell cycle and pro-apoptotic response pathways. This study supports previous data showing that the function of TBXT is essential for maintaining notochord cell fate and function and provides further evidence that TBXT is an oncogenic driver in chordoma. The data suggest that TBXT can potentially be targeted therapeutically by modulating epigenetic control mechanisms such as H3K27 demethylases.
2020-09-01 | GSE120210 | GEO
Project description:The expression of transcription factor brachyury (TBXT) is normally restricted to embryonic development and its silencing after mesoderm development is epigenetically regulated. In chordoma, a rare tumour of notochordal differentiation, TBXT acts as a putative oncogene, and we hypothesised that its expression could be contolled through epigenetic inhibition. Screening of five chordoma cell lines revealed that inhibitors of the histone 3 lysine 27 demethylases KDM6A (UTX) and KDM6B (Jmjd3) reduce TBXT expression and lead to cell death, findings validated in primary patient-derived culture systems. Pharmacological inhibition was phenocopied by genetic inactivation of KDM4/B using CRISPR/Cas9. Transcriptional profiles in response to a novel KDM6A/B inhibitor, KDOBA67, revealed downregulation of critical genes and transcription factor networks for chordoma survival pathways, characterised by paired and homeobox genes, whereas upregulated pathways are dominated by stress, cell cycle and pro-apoptotic response pathways. This study supports previous data showing that the function of TBXT is essential for maintaining notochord cell fate and function and provides further evidence that TBXT is an oncogenic driver in chordoma. The data suggest that TBXT can potentially be targeted therapeutically by modulating epigenetic control mechanisms such as H3K27 demethylases.
2020-09-01 | GSE133308 | GEO
Project description:The expression of transcription factor brachyury (TBXT) is normally restricted to embryonic development and its silencing after mesoderm development is epigenetically regulated. In chordoma, a rare tumour of notochordal differentiation, TBXT acts as a putative oncogene, and we hypothesised that its expression could be contolled through epigenetic inhibition. Screening of five chordoma cell lines revealed that inhibitors of the histone 3 lysine 27 demethylases KDM6A (UTX) and KDM6B (Jmjd3) reduce TBXT expression and lead to cell death, findings validated in primary patient-derived culture systems. Pharmacological inhibition was phenocopied by genetic inactivation of KDM4/B using CRISPR/Cas9. Transcriptional profiles in response to a novel KDM6A/B inhibitor, KDOBA67, revealed downregulation of critical genes and transcription factor networks for chordoma survival pathways, characterised by paired and homeobox genes, whereas upregulated pathways are dominated by stress, cell cycle and pro-apoptotic response pathways. This study supports previous data showing that the function of TBXT is essential for maintaining notochord cell fate and function and provides further evidence that TBXT is an oncogenic driver in chordoma. The data suggest that TBXT can potentially be targeted therapeutically by modulating epigenetic control mechanisms such as H3K27 demethylases.
2020-09-01 | GSE119424 | GEO
Project description:Identifying the spectrum of genes required for cancer cell survival can reveal essential cancer circuitry and therapeutic targets, but such a map remains incomplete for many cancer types. We apply genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 loss-of-function screens to map the landscape of selectively essential genes in chordoma, a bone cancer with few validated targets. This approach confirms a known chordoma dependency, TBXT (T; brachyury), and identifies a range of additional dependencies, including PTPN11, ADAR, PRKRA, LUC7L2, SRRM2, SLC2A1, SLC7A5, FANCM, and THAP1. CDK6, SOX9, and EGFR, genes previously implicated in chordoma biology, are also recovered. We find genomic and transcriptomic features that predict specific dependencies, including interferon-stimulated gene expression, which correlates with ADAR dependence and is elevated in chordoma. Validating the therapeutic relevance of dependencies, small-molecule inhibitors of SHP2, encoded by PTPN11, have potent preclinical efficacy against chordoma. Our results generate an emerging map of chordoma dependencies to enable biological and therapeutic hypotheses.
2023-03-09 | GSE226734 | GEO
Project description:Chordoma is a primary bone cancer with no approved therapy. The identification of therapeutic targets in this disease has been challenging due to the infrequent occurrence of clinically actionable somatic mutations in chordoma tumors. Here we describe the discovery of therapeutically targetable chordoma dependencies via genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 screening and focused small-molecule sensitivity profiling. These systematic approaches reveal that the developmental transcription factor T (brachyury; TBXT) is the top selectively essential gene in chordoma, and that transcriptional cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors targeting CDK7/12/13 and CDK9 potently suppress chordoma cell proliferation. In other cancer types, transcriptional CDK inhibitors have been observed to downregulate highly expressed, enhancer-associated oncogenic transcription factors (TFs). In chordoma, we find that T is associated with a 1.5-Mb region containing “super-enhancers” and is the most highly expressed super-enhancer-associated TF. Strikingly, transcriptional CDK inhibition leads to preferential and concentration-dependent downregulation of cellular brachyury protein levels in all models tested. Together, these data demonstrate small-molecule targeting of brachyury TF addiction in chordoma, identify a mechanism of T gene regulation that underlies this therapeutic strategy and provide a blueprint for applying systematic genetic and chemical screening approaches to discover vulnerabilities in genomically quiet cancers.
2019-01-20 | GSE121845 | GEO
Project description:Chordoma is a primary bone cancer with no approved therapy. The identification of therapeutic targets in this disease has been challenging due to the infrequent occurrence of clinically actionable somatic mutations in chordoma tumors. Here we describe the discovery of therapeutically targetable chordoma dependencies via genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 screening and focused small-molecule sensitivity profiling. These systematic approaches reveal that the developmental transcription factor T (brachyury; TBXT) is the top selectively essential gene in chordoma, and that transcriptional cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors targeting CDK7/12/13 and CDK9 potently suppress chordoma cell proliferation. In other cancer types, transcriptional CDK inhibitors have been observed to downregulate highly expressed, enhancer-associated oncogenic transcription factors (TFs). In chordoma, we find that T is associated with a 1.5-Mb region containing “super-enhancers” and is the most highly expressed super-enhancer-associated TF. Strikingly, transcriptional CDK inhibition leads to preferential and concentration-dependent downregulation of cellular brachyury protein levels in all models tested. Together, these data demonstrate small-molecule targeting of brachyury TF addiction in chordoma, identify a mechanism of T gene regulation that underlies this therapeutic strategy and provide a blueprint for applying systematic genetic and chemical screening approaches to discover vulnerabilities in genomically quiet cancers.
2019-01-20 | GSE121843 | GEO
Project description:Chordoma is a primary bone cancer with no approved therapy. The identification of therapeutic targets in this disease has been challenging due to the infrequent occurrence of clinically actionable somatic mutations in chordoma tumors. Here we describe the discovery of therapeutically targetable chordoma dependencies via genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 screening and focused small-molecule sensitivity profiling. These systematic approaches reveal that the developmental transcription factor T (brachyury; TBXT) is the top selectively essential gene in chordoma, and that transcriptional cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors targeting CDK7/12/13 and CDK9 potently suppress chordoma cell proliferation. In other cancer types, transcriptional CDK inhibitors have been observed to downregulate highly expressed, enhancer-associated oncogenic transcription factors (TFs). In chordoma, we find that T is associated with a 1.5-Mb region containing “super-enhancers” and is the most highly expressed super-enhancer-associated TF. Strikingly, transcriptional CDK inhibition leads to preferential and concentration-dependent downregulation of cellular brachyury protein levels in all models tested. Together, these data demonstrate small-molecule targeting of brachyury TF addiction in chordoma, identify a mechanism of T gene regulation that underlies this therapeutic strategy and provide a blueprint for applying systematic genetic and chemical screening approaches to discover vulnerabilities in genomically quiet cancers.
2019-01-20 | GSE109785 | GEO
Project description:Chordoma is a primary bone cancer with no approved therapy. The identification of therapeutic targets in this disease has been challenging due to the infrequent occurrence of clinically actionable somatic mutations in chordoma tumors. Here we describe the discovery of therapeutically targetable chordoma dependencies via genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 screening and focused small-molecule sensitivity profiling. These systematic approaches reveal that the developmental transcription factor T (brachyury; TBXT) is the top selectively essential gene in chordoma, and that transcriptional cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors targeting CDK7/12/13 and CDK9 potently suppress chordoma cell proliferation. In other cancer types, transcriptional CDK inhibitors have been observed to downregulate highly expressed, enhancer-associated oncogenic transcription factors (TFs). In chordoma, we find that T is associated with a 1.5-Mb region containing “super-enhancers” and is the most highly expressed super-enhancer-associated TF. Strikingly, transcriptional CDK inhibition leads to preferential and concentration-dependent downregulation of cellular brachyury protein levels in all models tested. Together, these data demonstrate small-molecule targeting of brachyury TF addiction in chordoma, identify a mechanism of T gene regulation that underlies this therapeutic strategy and provide a blueprint for applying systematic genetic and chemical screening approaches to discover vulnerabilities in genomically quiet cancers.
2019-01-20 | GSE109791 | GEO