Functional Screen Identifies Triple-Negative Breast CancerVulnerability Driven by Death Effector Domain-ContainingProtein
2019
Identifying targetable and cancer-specific
vulnerability is a prerequisite to the development of novel
personalized cancer therapies. Lacking mechanistically-defined and
targetable molecular drivers, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC)
is the most clinically-challenging breast cancer subtypes. In this
study, through a genome-wide synthetic lethal RNAi screen, we
revealed Death Effector Domain-containing DNA-binding protein
(DEDD) drives a mitogen-independent G1/S cell cycle transition in
TNBCs, independent to DEDD’s pro-apoptotic functions in the
nucleus. Overexpressed in >60% TNBC tumors, cytosolic DEDD
facilitates an accelerated cell cycle progression and renders TNBC
cells vulnerable to cell cycle inhibition. Mechanically, the gain
of cytosolic DEDD enhances cyclin D1 expression by interacting with
heat shock protein HSC70. Concurrently, DEDD interacts with tumor
suppressor Rb family proteins and promotes their
proteasome-mediated degradation, further contributing to the
accelerated G1/S cell cycle progression. Clinically, despite the
successes of cyclin D kinase CDK 4/6 inhibitors in breast cancer,
TNBC patients have been excluded from CDK 4/6 inhibitors clinical
trials due to the perceived high frequency of Rb loss. Contrary to
this prevailing notion, my study demonstrated that, regardless of
Rb status, TNBCs with DEDD overexpression exhibit a DEDD-dependent
vulnerability to the combinatorial treatment of CDK4/6 inhibitor
and EGFR inhibitor in vitro and in vivo. Taken together, my study
revealed a TNBC-specific vulnerability conferred by DEDD-driven
dysregulated cell cycle progression and provided a rationale for
the clinical application of CDK4/6 inhibitor containing
combinatorial regimens for TNBC patients.
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