Dual Inhibition of EZH2 and EZH1 Sensitizes PRC2-Dependent Tumors to Proteasome Inhibition

• Published in: Clinical cancer research Vol. 23; no. 16; pp. 4817 - 4830
• Main Authors: Rizq, Ola, Mimura, Naoya, Oshima, Motohiko, Saraya, Atsunori, Koide, Shuhei, Kato, Yuko, Aoyama, Kazumasa, Nakajima-Takagi, Yaeko, Wang, Changshan, Chiba, Tetsuhiro, Ma, Anqi, Jin, Jian, Iseki, Tohru, Nakaseko, Chiaki, Iwama, Atsushi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Association for Cancer Research Inc 15.08.2017
• Subjects: Animals; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - pharmacology; Biotechnology; Bortezomib; Bortezomib - administration & dosage; Bortezomib - pharmacology; Cancer; Catalysis; Cell Line, Tumor; Cells, Cultured; Derepression; Drug Synergism; E2F protein; Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 Protein - antagonists & inhibitors; Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 Protein - genetics; Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 Protein - metabolism; Epigenetics; Experimental design; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic - drug effects; Humans; Inhibition; Inhibitors; Male; Mice, Inbred NOD; Mice, Knockout; Mice, SCID; Multiple myeloma; Multiple Myeloma - drug therapy; Multiple Myeloma - genetics; Multiple Myeloma - metabolism; Myc protein; Pathogenesis; Polycomb group proteins; Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 - antagonists & inhibitors; Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 - genetics; Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 - metabolism; Prostate cancer; Protease inhibitors; Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex - metabolism; Proteasome inhibitors; Proteasome Inhibitors - administration & dosage; Proteasome Inhibitors - pharmacology; Pyridones - administration & dosage; Pyridones - pharmacology; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; Sensitizing; Therapy; Transcription; Tumor cell lines; Tumor suppressor genes; Tumors; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays; Xenografts
• ISSN: 1078-0432; 1557-3265
• DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-16-2735

EZH2 and EZH1, the catalytic components of polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), trigger trimethylation of H3K27 (H3K27me3) to repress the transcription of target genes and are implicated in the pathogenesis of various cancers including multiple myeloma and prostate cancer. Here, we investigated the preclinical effects of UNC1999, a dual inhibitor of EZH2 and EZH1, in combination with proteasome inhibitors on multiple myeloma and prostate cancer. and efficacy of UNC1999 and the combination with proteasome inhibitors was evaluated in multiple myeloma cell lines, primary patient cells, and in a xenograft model. RNA-seq and ChIP-seq were performed to uncover the targets of UNC1999 in multiple myeloma. The efficacy of the combination therapy was validated in prostate cancer cell lines. Proteasome inhibitors repressed transcription via abrogation of the RB-E2F pathway, thereby sensitizing EZH2-dependent multiple myeloma cells to EZH1 inhibition by UNC1999. Correspondingly, combination of proteasome inhibitors with UNC1999, but not with an EZH2-specific inhibitor, induced synergistic antimyeloma activity Bortezomib combined with UNC1999 remarkably inhibited the growth of myeloma cells Comprehensive analyses revealed several direct targets of UNC1999 including the tumor suppressor gene Derepression of by UNC1999 resulted in suppression of , which was enhanced by the combination with bortezomib, suggesting the cooperative blockade of PRC2 function. Notably, this combination also exhibited strong synergy in prostate cancer cells. Our results identify dual inhibition of EZH2 and EZH1 together with proteasome inhibition as a promising epigenetics-based therapy for PRC2-dependent cancers. .