Therapeutic targets in cancer cells defective for the tumor suppressor ARID1A are fundamentals of synthetic lethal strategies. However, whether modulating ARID1A function in premalignant breast epithelial cells could be exploited to reduce carcinogenic potential remains to be elucidated. In search of chromatin-modulating mechanisms activated by anti-proliferative agents in normal breast epithelial (HME-hTert) cells, we identified a distinct pattern of genome-wide H3K27 histone acetylation marks characteristic for the combined treatment by the cancer preventive rexinoid bexarotene (Bex) and carvedilol (Carv). Among these marks, several enhancers functionally linked to TGF-β signaling were enriched for ARID1A and Brg1, subunits within the SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complex. The recruitment of ARID1A and Brg1 was associated with the suppression of TGFBR2, KLF4, and FoxQ1, and the induction of BMP6, while the inverse pattern ensued upon the knock-down of ARID1A. Bex+Carv treatment resulted in fewer cells expressing N-cadherin and dictated a more epithelial phenotype. However, the silencing of ARID1A expression reversed the ability of Bex and Carv to limit epithelial-mesenchymal transition. The nuclear levels of SMAD4, a canonical mediator of TGF-β action, were more effectively suppressed by the combination than by TGF-β. In contrast, TGF-β treatment exceeded the ability of Bex+Carv to lower nuclear FoxQ1 levels and induced markedly higher E-cadherin positivity, indicating a target-selective antagonism of Bex+Carv to TGF-β action. In summary, the chromatin-wide redistribution of ARID1A by Bex and Carv treatment is instrumental in the suppression of genes mediating TGF-β signaling, and, thus, the morphologic reprogramming of normal breast epithelial cells. The concerted engagement of functionally linked targets using low toxicity clinical agents represents an attractive new approach for cancer interception.
Keywords: ARID1A; FoxQ1; SWI/SNF; TGF-β; bexarotene; epithelial–mesenchymal transition.