Project description:To identify targets in Fibrolamellar cancer (FLC), we introduced the FLC driver gene mutation (DNAJB1-PRKACA) into HepG2 cells to engineer FLC cell lines. We then performed gene expression profiling analysis using data obtained from RNA-seq of 6 different cell samples from HepG2, H33 (FLC cell line) and H12 (FLC cell line)
Project description:Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is one of the most aggressive malignancy and accounts for the majority of thyroid cancer-related deaths. Despite intensive research, there remains no effective treatment for patients with ATC. Here, we identify THZ1, a covalent inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinase 7 (CDK7), as a potent anti-ATC compound by high-throughput chemical screening. ATC cells, but not papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) cells, are exceptionally sensitive to CDK7 inhibition. Analyzing both gene expression profiles and super enhancer (SE) features reveals that the SE-mediated oncogenic transcriptional amplification renders the vulnerability of ATC cells to THZ1 treatment. Combining this integrative analysis with functional assays discovers a number of novel cancer genes of ATC, including PPP1R15A, SMG9 and KLF2. Inhibition of PPP1R15A with Guanabenz (GBZ) or Sephin1 greatly suppresses ATC growth. Significantly, the expression level of PPP1R15A is correlated with CDK7 expression in ATC tissue samples. Elevated expression of PPP1R15A and CDK7 are both associated with poor clinical prognosis in ATC patients. Importantly, GBZ or THZ1 treatment sensitizes ATC cells to conventional chemotherapy. Taken together, these findings demonstrate transcriptional addiction in ATC pathobiology and identify CDK7 and PPP1R15A as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for ATC.
Project description:Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is one of the most aggressive malignancy and accounts for the majority of thyroid cancer-related deaths. Despite intensive research, there remains no effective treatment for patients with ATC. Here, we identify THZ1, a covalent inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinase 7 (CDK7), as a potent anti-ATC compound by high-throughput chemical screening. ATC cells, but not papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) cells, are exceptionally sensitive to CDK7 inhibition. Analyzing both gene expression profiles and super enhancer (SE) features reveals that the SE-mediated oncogenic transcriptional amplification renders the vulnerability of ATC cells to THZ1 treatment. Combining this integrative analysis with functional assays discovers a number of novel cancer genes of ATC, including PPP1R15A, SMG9 and KLF2. Inhibition of PPP1R15A with Guanabenz (GBZ) or Sephin1 greatly suppresses ATC growth. Significantly, the expression level of PPP1R15A is correlated with CDK7 expression in ATC tissue samples. Elevated expression of PPP1R15A and CDK7 are both associated with poor clinical prognosis in ATC patients. Importantly, GBZ or THZ1 treatment sensitizes ATC cells to conventional chemotherapy. Taken together, these findings demonstrate transcriptional addiction in ATC pathobiology and identify CDK7 and PPP1R15A as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for ATC.
Project description:Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is one of the most aggressive malignancy and accounts for the majority of thyroid cancer-related deaths. Despite intensive research, there remains no effective treatment for patients with ATC. Here, we identify THZ1, a covalent inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinase 7 (CDK7), as a potent anti-ATC compound by high-throughput chemical screening. ATC cells, but not papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) cells, are exceptionally sensitive to CDK7 inhibition. Analyzing both gene expression profiles and super enhancer (SE) features reveals that the SE-mediated oncogenic transcriptional amplification renders the vulnerability of ATC cells to THZ1 treatment. Combining this integrative analysis with functional assays discovers a number of novel cancer genes of ATC, including PPP1R15A, SMG9 and KLF2. Inhibition of PPP1R15A with Guanabenz (GBZ) or Sephin1 greatly suppresses ATC growth. Significantly, the expression level of PPP1R15A is correlated with CDK7 expression in ATC tissue samples. Elevated expression of PPP1R15A and CDK7 are both associated with poor clinical prognosis in ATC patients. Importantly, GBZ or THZ1 treatment sensitizes ATC cells to conventional chemotherapy. Taken together, these findings demonstrate transcriptional addiction in ATC pathobiology and identify CDK7 and PPP1R15A as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for ATC.
Project description:Cyclin dependent kinases (CDKs) are high value therapeutical targets owing to their important roles in regulating transcription and the cell cycle — two pathways commonly altered in cancer and especially in multiple myeloma (MM). Among CDKs, CDK7 uniquely bridges cell cycle and transcriptional control by activating other cell cycle CDKs and forming the general transcription factor TFIIH. Utilizing a recently developed highly selective covalent inhibitor of CDK7, we demonstrate that CDK7 inhibition elicits a strong therapeutic response in MM blocking proliferation in vitro and driving tumor regression and prolonged survival in vivo. CDK7 inhibition counteracts molecular hallmarks of deregulated cell cycle control at the G1/S checkpoint. Additionally, we show CDK7 inhibition selectively downregulates oncogenic E2F and cell cycle gene expression programs. Combination treatment with JQ1 which target oncogenic enhancer driven gene expression programs proved highly synergistic. These results support CDK7 as an attractive and therapeutically actionable molecular vulnerability in MM. Cell count normalized RNA-seq in Sensitive MM cell lines (H929 and MM1S; 24 total samples; 3 technical replicates) upon treatment with the selective covalent CDK7 inhibitor YKL-5-124 Mariateresa,Fulciniti Nikhil,Munshi
Project description:Cyclin dependent kinases (CDKs) are high value therapeutical targets owing to their important roles in regulating transcription and the cell cycle — two pathways commonly altered in cancer and especially in multiple myeloma (MM). Among CDKs, CDK7 uniquely bridges cell cycle and transcriptional control by activating other cell cycle CDKs and forming the general transcription factor TFIIH. Utilizing a recently developed highly selective covalent inhibitor of CDK7, we demonstrate that CDK7 inhibition elicits a strong therapeutic response in MM blocking proliferation in vitro and driving tumor regression and prolonged survival in vivo. CDK7 inhibition counteracts molecular hallmarks of deregulated cell cycle control at the G1/S checkpoint. Additionally, we show CDK7 inhibition selectively downregulates oncogenic E2F and cell cycle gene expression programs. Combination treatment with JQ1 which target oncogenic enhancer driven gene expression programs proved highly synergistic. These results support CDK7 as an attractive and therapeutically actionable molecular vulnerability in MM. Cell count normalized RNA-seq in Resistant MM cell lines (XG1 and AMO1; 18 total samples; 3 technical replicates) upon treatment with the selective covalent CDK7 inhibitor YKL-5-124 Mariateresa,Fulciniti Nikhil,Munshi
Project description:Cyclin dependent kinases (CDKs) are high value therapeutical targets owing to their important roles in regulating transcription and the cell cycle — two pathways commonly altered in cancer and especially in multiple myeloma (MM). Among CDKs, CDK7 uniquely bridges cell cycle and transcriptional control by activating other cell cycle CDKs and forming the general transcription factor TFIIH. Utilizing a recently developed highly selective covalent inhibitor of CDK7, we demonstrate that CDK7 inhibition elicits a strong therapeutic response in MM blocking proliferation in vitro and driving tumor regression and prolonged survival in vivo. CDK7 inhibition counteracts molecular hallmarks of deregulated cell cycle control at the G1/S checkpoint. Additionally, we show CDK7 inhibition selectively downregulates oncogenic E2F and cell cycle gene expression programs. Combination treatment with JQ1 which target oncogenic enhancer driven gene expression programs proved highly synergistic. These results support CDK7 as an attractive and therapeutically actionable molecular vulnerability in MM. Cell count normalized RNA-seq in Resistant MM cell lines (XG1 and AMO1; 18 total samples; 3 technical replicates) upon treatment with the selective covalent CDK7 inhibitor YKL-5-124 Mariateresa,Fulciniti Nikhil,Munshi
Project description:A Cartes d'Identite des Tumeurs (CIT) project from the french Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer (http://cit.ligue-cancer.net) | Affymetrix HG-U133 Plus 2.0 : 5 mixed fibrolamellar carcinoma (m-FLC), 17 pure fibrolamellar carcinoma (p-FLC), 7 hepatocelluar carcinoma arising in non-cirrhotic liver (nc-HCC) and 10 non-tumoral livers (NL).
Project description:Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive disease with high mortality. The identification of effective pharmacological strategies to target SCLC biology represents an urgent need. Using a high-throughput cellular screen of a diverse chemical library we observe that SCLC is sensitive to transcription-targeting drugs, and in particular to THZ1, a newly identified covalent inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinase 7 (CDK7). We find that expression of super-enhancer associated transcription factor genes including MYC family proto-oncogenes and neuroendocrine lineage-specific factors are highly vulnerability to THZ1 treatment. We propose that downregulation of these transcription factors contributes, in part, to SCLC sensitivity to transcriptional inhibitors and that THZ1 represents a novel treatment paradigm for targeted SCLC therapy. Microarray expression in small cell lung cancer lines treated with DMSO or THZ1