Co-targeting of specific epigenetic regulators in combination with CDC7 potently inhibit melanoma growth

Suresh Chava; Suresh Bugide; Parmanand Malvi; Romi Gupta

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2022.104752

Co-targeting of specific epigenetic regulators in combination with CDC7 potently inhibit melanoma growth

iScience. 2022 Jul 15;25(8):104752. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104752. eCollection 2022 Aug 19.

Authors

Suresh Chava¹, Suresh Bugide¹, Parmanand Malvi¹, Romi Gupta^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA.
² O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA.

Abstract

Melanoma is a highly aggressive skin cancer that frequently metastasizes, but current therapies only benefit some patients. Here, we demonstrate that the serine/threonine kinase cell division cycle 7 (CDC7) is overexpressed in melanoma, and patients with higher expression have shorter survival. Transcription factor ELK1 regulates CDC7 expression, and CDC7 inhibition promotes cell cycle arrest, senescence, and apoptosis, leading to inhibition of melanoma tumor growth and metastasis. Our chemical genetics screen with epigenetic inhibitors revealed stronger melanoma tumor growth inhibition when XL413 is combined with the EZH2 inhibitor GSK343 or BRPF1/2/3 inhibitor OF1. Mechanistically, XL413 with GSK343 or OF1 synergistically altered the expression of tumor-suppressive genes, leading to higher apoptosis than the single agent alone. Collectively, these results identify CDC7 as a driver of melanoma tumor growth and metastasis that can be targeted alone or in combination with EZH2 or BRPF1/2/3 inhibitors.

Keywords: Cancer; Cell biology; Chemistry; Epigenetics.

Abstract

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