detection-alternative-splicing-during-epithelial-mesenchymal

Detection of Alternative Splicing During Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition

Alternative splicing plays a critical role in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), an essential cellular program that occurs in various ...

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Tumor metastasis remains the major cause of cancer-related death, but its molecular basis is still not well understood. Here we uncovered a splicing-mediated pathway that is essential for breast cancer metastasis. We show that the RNA-binding protein heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein M (hnRNPM) promotes breast cancer metastasis by activating the switch of alternative splicing that occurs during epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Genome-wide deep sequencing analysis suggests that hnRNPM potentiates TGFβ signaling and identifies CD44 as a key downstream target of hnRNPM. hnRNPM ablation prevents TGFβ-induced EMT and inhibits breast cancer metastasis in mice, whereas enforced expression of the specific CD44 standard (CD44s) splice isoform overrides the loss of hnRNPM and permits EMT and metastasis. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that the ubiquitously expressed hnRNPM acts in a mesenchymal-specific manner to precisely control CD44 splice isoform switching during EMT. This restricted cell-type activity of hnRNPM is achieved by competition with ESRP1, an epithelial splicing regulator that binds to the same cis-regulatory RNA elements as hnRNPM and is repressed during EMT. Importantly, hnRNPM is associated with aggressive breast cancer and correlates with increased CD44s in patient specimens. These findings demonstrate a novel molecular mechanism through which tumor metastasis is endowed by the hnRNPM-mediated splicing program.

Cell type-restricted activity of hnRNPM promotes breast cancer metastasis via regulating alternative splicing.

Cancer cell chemoresistance arises in part through the acquisition of apoptotic resistance. Leukemia cells resistant to chemotherapy-induced apoptosis have been found to be sensitive to oridonin, a natural agent with potent anticancer activity. To investigate its mechanisms of action in reversing chemoresistance, we compared the response of human leukemia cells with oridonin and the antileukemia drugs Ara-C and VP-16. Compared with HL60 cells, K562 and K562/ADR cells displayed resistance to apoptosis stimulated by Ara-C and VP-16 but sensitivity to oridonin. Mechanistic investigations revealed that oridonin upregulated BIM-S by diminishing the expression of miR-17 and miR-20a, leading to mitochondria-dependent apoptosis. In contrast, neither Ara-C nor VP-16 could reduce miR-17 and miR-20a expression or could trigger BIM-S-mediated apoptosis. Notably, silencing miR-17 or miR-20a expression by treatment with microRNA (miRNA; miR) inhibitors or oridonin restored sensitivity of K562 cells to VP-16. Synergistic effects of oridonin and VP-16 were documented in cultured cells as well as mouse tumor xenograft assays. Inhibiting miR-17 or miR-20a also augmented the proapoptotic activity of oridonin. Taken together, our results identify a miRNA-dependent mechanism underlying the anticancer effect of oridonin and provide a rationale for its combination with chemotherapy drugs in addressing chemoresistant leukemia cells.

Huilin Huang

Division of Hematology/Oncology,
Department of Medicine,
Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center,
Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Detection of Alternative Splicing During Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition

Huilin Huang

.css-o250i3{font-size:18px;font-family:Open Sans,sans-serif;line-height:21.6px;}Division of Hematology/Oncology,Department of Medicine,Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center,Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Detection of Alternative Splicing During Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition

Division of Hematology/Oncology,
Department of Medicine,
Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center,
Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center