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Methylation-induced suppression of YAP/TAZ confers sensitivity to HDAC inhibitors in high-grade IDH mutant gliomas
Thomas K. Sears, Matthew McCord, Wenxia Wang, Alicia Steffens, Kathleen McCortney, Rahul Chaliparambil, Jann N. Sarkaria, Craig M. Horbinski
Thomas K. Sears, Matthew McCord, Wenxia Wang, Alicia Steffens, Kathleen McCortney, Rahul Chaliparambil, Jann N. Sarkaria, Craig M. Horbinski
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Research Article Cell biology Oncology

Methylation-induced suppression of YAP/TAZ confers sensitivity to HDAC inhibitors in high-grade IDH mutant gliomas

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Abstract

IDH1/2 mutations (IDHmut) increase methylation of DNA and histones in gliomas. IDHmut inhibitors are effective against low-grade IDHmut gliomas, but new strategies against high-grade IDHmut gliomas are needed. Although histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) are ineffective against IDHwt glioblastoma (GBM), their potential in IDHmut gliomas has not been extensively studied. We previously established that IDHmut gliomas are more sensitive to HDACi than IDHwt GBM. Here we show that IDHmut is associated with greater sensitivity to HDACi only in glioma, not in IDHmut chondrosarcoma or cholangiocarcinoma. While HDACi induced more histone acetylation and gene regulation in IDHmut glioma than in IDHwt GBM, such acetylation was mostly within gene deserts, whereas IDHmut glioma promoters paradoxically lost histone acetylation. Two mediators of HDACi resistance, YAP and TAZ, were methylated and suppressed in IDHmut gliomas but not in other IDHmut cancers. Inducing YAP or TAZ expression in IDHmut gliomas conferred resistance to HDACi. Finally, belinostat extended in vivo survival only in IDHmut glioma models, not in IDHmut GBM models. Our findings provide a mechanistic rationale for further studies of HDACi in patients with IDHmut glioma, as well as the potential use of YAP/TAZ as a biomarker of HDACi sensitivity in cancers.

Authors

Thomas K. Sears, Matthew McCord, Wenxia Wang, Alicia Steffens, Kathleen McCortney, Rahul Chaliparambil, Jann N. Sarkaria, Craig M. Horbinski

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Figure 3

IDH mutations influence HDACi-mediated histone acetylation at specific genomic regions.

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IDH mutations influence HDACi-mediated histone acetylation at specific g...
(A) H3KAc ChIP-Seq was performed on IDHwt and IDHmut glioma cultures after 24 hours of panobinostat treatment. Detected H3KAc peaks were classified by genomic region and plotted as either gains or losses in H3KAc peaks based on IDH status. Two-way ANOVA with multiple comparisons. *P < 0.05, ****P < 0.0001. Data are shown as mean ± SEM (n = 3 biological replicates). (B) ChIP tracks showing a greater reduction in promoter H3KAc at the gene TEN1 in IDHmut glioma cultures. (C) ChIP-qPCR of panobinostat-treated IDHwt and IDHmut glioma cultures showing HDACi-mediated changes in H3KAc at a Chromosome 12 gene desert region based on IDH status. Data are shown as mean ± SEM (n = 3 biological replicates). (D) ChIP tracks showing a greater increase in widespread H3KAc at a Chromosome 9 gene desert region in IDHmut glioma cultures treated with HDACi. (E) Proposed model to explain why HDACi may have a greater effect on bulk histone acetylation in IDHmut gliomas. This does not exclude other possible differences, such as those involving acetyl-CoA metabolism or histone modification dynamics.

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