Project description:Lysine lactylation (Kla) is a new type of histone mark implicated in the regulation of various functional processes such as transcription. However, how this histone mark acts in cancers remains unexplored due in part to a lack of knowledge about its reader proteins. Here, we observe that cervical cancer (CC) cells undergo metabolic reprogram by which lactate accumulation and thereby boost histone lactylation, particularly H3K14la. Utilizing a multivalent photoaffinity probe in combination with quantitative proteomics approach, we identify DPF2 as a candidate target of H3K14la. Biochemical studies as well as CUT&Tag analysis reveal that DPF2 is capable of binding to H3K14la, and co-localizes with it on promoters of oncogenic genes. Notably, disrupting the association between DPF2 and histone lactylation through structure-guided mutation blunts those cancer-related gene expression along with cell survival. Together, our findings reveal DPF2 as a bona fide H3K14la effector that couples histone lactylation to gene transcription and cell survival, offering insight into how histone Kla engages in transcription and tumorigenesis.
Project description:Lysine lactylation (Kla) is a new type of histone mark implicated in the regulation of various functional processes such as transcription. However, how this histone mark acts in cancers remains unexplored due in part to a lack of knowledge about its reader proteins. Here, we observe that cervical cancer (CC) cells undergo metabolic reprogram by which lactate accumulation and thereby boost histone lactylation, particularly H3K14la. Utilizing a multivalent photoaffinity probe in combination with quantitative proteomics approach, we identify DPF2 as a candidate target of H3K14la. Biochemical studies as well as CUT&Tag analysis reveal that DPF2 is capable of binding to H3K14la, and co-localizes with it on promoters of oncogenic genes. Notably, disrupting the association between DPF2 and histone lactylation through structure-guided mutation blunts those cancer-related gene expression along with cell survival. Together, our findings reveal DPF2 as a bona fide H3K14la effector that couples histone lactylation to gene transcription and cell survival, offering insight into how histone Kla engages in transcription and tumorigenesis.
Project description:To investigate the function of histone lactylation in ocular melanoma, we analyzed histone lactylation enrichment level in ocular melanoma by CUT&Tag.
Project description:Glycolysis-derived lactate was identified as substrate for histone lactylation, which has been regarded as a significant role in transcriptional regulation in many tissues. However, the role of histone lactylation in the metabolic center, the hypothalamus, is still unknown. Here, we show that hypothalamic pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neuron-specific deletion of family with sequence similarity 172, member A (Fam172a) can increase histone lactylation and protect mice against diet-induced obesity (DIO) and related metabolic disorders. Conversely, overexpression of Fam172a in POMC neurons led to an obesity-like phenotype. Using RNA-seq and CUT&Tag chromatin profiling analyses, we find that knockdown of Fam172a activates the glycolytic process and increases peptidylglycine α-amidating monooxygenase (PAM), which affects the synthesis of α-MSH, via H4K12la (histone lactylation). In addition, pharmacological inhibition of lactate production clearly abrogates the anti-obesity effect of PFKO (POMC-Cre, Fam172aloxP/loxP, POMC neurons Fam172a knockout). These findings highlight the importance of Fam172a and lactate in the development of obesity.
Project description:Cancer cells often rely on aerobic glycolysis for metabolism, and lactylation, a newly discovered post-translational modification, significantly impacts molecular processes. This study comprehensively analyzes lactylation's role in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), providing initial insights into its impact on progression. Oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines, before and after lactate treatment, underwent CUT&TAG, ATAC, and transcriptomic sequencing. ChIP-qPCR and RT-qPCR validated results in OSCC tissues. Integrated analysis identified 217 genes with increased expression driven by lactylation in OSCC. Lactylation broadly impacted pathways in cancer, notably regulating PI3K/AKT and MAPK signaling. This pioneering study analyzes lactylation in OSCC, providing a global map of its regulation in oral squamous cell carcinoma from the perspective of chromatin-driven gene expression.
Project description:Lactate was implicated in activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). However, the mechanism by which lactate exerts its effect remains elusive. We show that hexokinase 2 (HK2) is sufficient to change gene expression by histone lactylation but not histone acetylation. Using RNA-seq and CUT&Tag chromatin profiling, we found that induction of HK2 expression in activated HSCs is required for the induced gene expression by elevating histone lactylation. Inhibiting histone lactylation by Hk2 deletion or pharmacological inhibition of lactate production diminishes HSC activation, whereas exogenous lactate but not acetate supplementation rescues the activation phenotype. Thus, lactate produced by activated HSCs determines the HSC fate via histone lactylation. We found that histone acetylation competes with histone lactylation, which could explain why class I HDAC inhibitors impede HSC activation. Finally, HSC-specific or systemic deletion of HK2 inhibits HSC activation and liver fibrosis in vivo. Therefore, we provide evidence that HK2 may be an effective therapeutic target for liver fibrosis.
Project description:Hexokinase catalyzes the first committed step in glucose metabolism by phosphorylating glucose to produce glucose-6-phosphate. Highly glycolytic proliferating cells such as cancer cells take advantage of HK2 expression to accelerate glucose metabolism even in the presence of oxygen. This acceleration not only provides sufficient glycolytic intermediates to support the anabolic demands of the cells but also inevitably accompanies increased formation of metabolic end products such as lactate. Currently, the effect of lactate caused by HK2-mediated metabolic alteration is largely unknown. A recent study found that lactate plays a role in an epigenetic alteration known as histone lactylation. Here, using RNA-seq and CUT&Tag chromatin profiling, we study the effect of HK2 and lactate on gene expression via histone lactylation (H3K18la).
Project description:Dpf2 is a subunit of the BAF/pBAF chromatin remodelling complex. We have used cross-linking affinity purification-mass spectrometry to explore Dpf2 protein interactions in mouse embryonic stem cells.
Project description:Dysregulation of Th17 differentiation was implicated in multiple inflammatory and autoimmune diseases including autoimmune uveitis. In the current study, we have provided evidence indicating that lactate-derived lactylation plays important roles in regulating Th17 differentiation. The lactylation level of CD4+ T cells was upregulated in EAU mice and inhibiting lactylation resulted in impaired EAU progression. We characterized the global lactylome of CD4+ T cells of normal and EAU mice. We found that the differentially lactylated proteins were enriched in pathways related to immune responses including leukocyte differentiation. Importantly, our results show that the lactylation level of Ikzf1 (K164) functions in regulating Th17 differentiation by differentially modulating gene expression patterns which are related to CD4+ T cell differentiation by CUT& Tag analysis. In view of the above mentioned well-documented evidence, Ikzf1 lactylation might represent an important regulator for Th17 differentiation in autoimmune uveitis.