Pluto Bioinformatics

GSE76860: Targetting super enhancer associated oncogenes in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma [RNA-seq]

Bulk RNA sequencing

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is an aggressive malignancy and the major histological subtype of esophageal cancer. Although recent large-scale genomic analysis has improved the description of the genetic abnormalities of ESCC, few targetable genomic lesions were identified and no molecular-based therapy is available. To identify druggable candidates in this tumor, we performed high-throughput small-molecule inhibitor screening. The unbiased results led us to discover a highly potent anti-ESCC compound, THZ1, a newly developed covalent CDK7 inhibitor. Further in vitro and in vivo experiments showed that THZ1 has powerful anti-neoplastic properties against ESCC cells with minimal toxic effect on healthy tissues. Importantly, whole-transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) revealed that low-dose THZ1 treatment led to selective inhibition of a number of oncogenic transcripts. Notably, further characterization of the genomic features of these THZ1-sensitive transcripts demonstrated that they were frequently associated with Super-Enhancer (SE). Moreover, SE analysis alone uncovered many lineage-specific master regulators in ESCC. Finally, integrative analysis of both THZ1-sensitive and SE-associated transcripts identified a number of novel oncogenes in the context of ESCC, such as PAK4, RUNX1, DNAJB1, SREBF2 and YAP1, with PAK4 being a potential druggable kinase. Together, our integrative molecular approaches identified a catalog of SE-associated lineage-specific master regulators and oncogenic transcripts in ESCC, which will significantly promote the understanding of ESCC biology. The preclinical results of THZ1 may help establish the therapeutic merit of targeting transcriptional regulation program for the treatment of this deadly malignancy. SOURCE: Phillip,H,Koeffler (phillip_koeffler@nuhs.edu.sg) - H. Phillip Koeffler's lab Cancer Science Institute