Oncogenic ETS fusions promote DNA damage and proinflammatory responses via pericentromeric RNAs in extracellular vesicles

• Published in: The Journal of clinical investigation Vol. 134; no. 9; pp. 1 - 15
• Main Authors: Ruzanov, Peter, Evdokimova, Valentina, Pachva, Manideep C, Minkovich, Alon, Zhang, Zhenbo, Langman, Sofya, Gassmann, Hendrik, Thiel, Uwe, Orlic-Milacic, Marija, Zaidi, Syed H, Peltekova, Vanya, Heisler, Lawrence E, Sharma, Manju, Cox, Michael E, McKee, Trevor D, Zaidi, Mark, Lapouble, Eve, McPherson, John D, Delattre, Olivier, Radvanyi, Laszlo, Burdach, Stefan Eg, Stein, Lincoln D, Sorensen, Poul H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Society for Clinical Investigation 01.05.2024
• Subjects: Animals; Breast cancer; Causes of; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell organelles; Development and progression; DNA; DNA binding proteins; DNA Damage; Ewing's sarcoma; Ewings sarcoma; Extracellular vesicles; Extracellular Vesicles - genetics; Extracellular Vesicles - metabolism; Fibroblasts; Genetic aspects; Genotoxicity; Health aspects; Heterochromatin; Heterochromatin - genetics; Heterochromatin - metabolism; Humans; Inflammation; Inflammation - genetics; Inflammation - metabolism; Inflammation - pathology; Male; Malignancy; Melanoma; Metastases; Metastasis; Mice; Oncogene Proteins, Fusion - genetics; Oncogene Proteins, Fusion - metabolism; Physiological aspects; Plasma; Plasma levels; Prostate cancer; Prostatic Neoplasms - genetics; Prostatic Neoplasms - metabolism; Prostatic Neoplasms - pathology; Proteins; Proto-Oncogene Protein c-fli-1 - genetics; Proto-Oncogene Protein c-fli-1 - metabolism; RNA; RNA, Neoplasm - genetics; RNA, Neoplasm - metabolism; RNA-Binding Protein EWS - genetics; RNA-Binding Protein EWS - metabolism; Sarcoma; Sarcoma, Ewing - genetics; Sarcoma, Ewing - immunology; Sarcoma, Ewing - metabolism; Sarcoma, Ewing - pathology; Scientific equipment and supplies industry; Senescence; Transcription factors; Transcriptional Regulator ERG - genetics; Transcriptional Regulator ERG - metabolism; Tumors; Canada; United States; Ontario; Germany; Innate immunity; Inflammation
• ISSN: 1558-8238; 0021-9738; 1558-8238
• DOI: 10.1172/JCI169470

Aberrant expression of the E26 transformation-specific (ETS) transcription factors characterizes numerous human malignancies. Many of these proteins, including EWS:FLI1 and EWS:ERG fusions in Ewing sarcoma (EwS) and TMPRSS2:ERG in prostate cancer (PCa), drive oncogenic programs via binding to GGAA repeats. We report here that both EWS:FLI1 and ERG bind and transcriptionally activate GGAA-rich pericentromeric heterochromatin. The respective pathogen-like HSAT2 and HSAT3 RNAs, together with LINE, SINE, ERV, and other repeat transcripts, are expressed in EwS and PCa tumors, secreted in extracellular vesicles (EVs), and are highly elevated in plasma of patients with EwS with metastatic disease. High human satellite 2 and 3 (HSAT2,3) levels in EWS:FLI1- or ERG-expressing cells and tumors were associated with induction of G2/M checkpoint, mitotic spindle, and DNA damage programs. These programs were also activated in EwS EV-treated fibroblasts, coincident with accumulation of HSAT2,3 RNAs, proinflammatory responses, mitotic defects, and senescence. Mechanistically, HSAT2,3-enriched cancer EVs induced cGAS-TBK1 innate immune signaling and formation of cytosolic granules positive for double-strand RNAs, RNA-DNA, and cGAS. Hence, aberrantly expressed ETS proteins derepress pericentromeric heterochromatin, yielding pathogenic RNAs that transmit genotoxic stress and inflammation to local and distant sites. Monitoring HSAT2,3 plasma levels and preventing their dissemination may thus improve therapeutic strategies and blood-based diagnostics.