Identification of an Epi-metabolic dependency on EHMT2/G9a in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

oleh: Anna Montanaro, Samuel Kitara, Elisa Cerretani, Matteo Marchesini, Chiara Rompietti, Luca Pagliaro, Andrea Gherli, Angela Su, Maria Laura Minchillo, Mariafrancesca Caputi, Rodanthi Fioretzaki, Bruno Lorusso, Linda Ross, Gabriela Alexe, Elena Masselli, Marina Marozzi, Federica Maria Angela Rizzi, Roberta La Starza, Cristina Mecucci, Yan Xiong, Jian Jin, Angela Falco, Birgit Knoechel, Franco Aversa, Olivia Candini, Federico Quaini, Paolo Sportoletti, Kimberly Stegmaier, Giovanni Roti

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: Nature Publishing Group 2022-06-01

Deskripsi

Abstract Genomic studies have identified recurrent somatic alterations in genes involved in DNA methylation and post-translational histone modifications in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), suggesting new opportunities for therapeutic interventions. In this study, we identified G9a/EHMT2 as a potential target in T-ALL through the intersection of epigenome-centered shRNA and chemical screens. We subsequently validated G9a with low-throughput CRISPR-Cas9-based studies targeting the catalytic G9a SET-domain and the testing of G9a chemical inhibitors in vitro, 3D, and in vivo T-ALL models. Mechanistically we determined that G9a repression promotes lysosomal biogenesis and autophagic degradation associated with the suppression of sestrin2 (SESN2) and inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3), suggesting that in T-ALL glycolytic dependent pathways are at least in part under epigenetic control. Thus, targeting G9a represents a strategy to exhaust the metabolic requirement of T-ALL cells.