Targeting KDM4 for treating PAX3-FOXO1-driven alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma.
Singh, S., Abu-Zaid, A., Jin, H., Fang, J., Wu, Q., Wang, T., Feng, H., Quarni, W., Shao, Y., Maxham, L., Abdolvahabi, A., Yun, M.K., Vaithiyalingam, S., Tan, H., Bowling, J., Honnell, V., Young, B., Guo, Y., Bajpai, R., Pruett-Miller, S.M., Grosveld, G.C., Hatley, M., Xu, B., Fan, Y., Wu, G., Chen, E.Y., Chen, T., Lewis, P.W., Rankovic, Z., Li, Y., Murphy, A.J., Easton, J., Peng, J., Chen, X., Wang, R., White, S.W., Davidoff, A.M., Yang, J.(2022) Sci Transl Med 14: eabq2096-eabq2096
- PubMed: 35857643
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.abq2096
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
7JM5 - PubMed Abstract:
Chimeric transcription factors drive lineage-specific oncogenesis but are notoriously difficult to target. Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is an aggressive childhood soft tissue sarcoma transformed by the pathognomonic Paired Box 3-Forkhead Box O1 (PAX3-FOXO1) fusion protein, which governs a core regulatory circuitry transcription factor network. Here, we show that the histone lysine demethylase 4B (KDM4B) is a therapeutic vulnerability for PAX3-FOXO1 + RMS. Genetic and pharmacologic inhibition of KDM4B substantially delayed tumor growth. Suppression of KDM4 proteins inhibited the expression of core oncogenic transcription factors and caused epigenetic alterations of PAX3-FOXO1-governed superenhancers. Combining KDM4 inhibition with cytotoxic chemotherapy led to tumor regression in preclinical PAX3-FOXO1 + RMS subcutaneous xenograft models. In summary, we identified a targetable mechanism required for maintenance of the PAX3-FOXO1-related transcription factor network, which may translate to a therapeutic approach for fusion-positive RMS.
Organizational Affiliation:
Department of Surgery, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA.