[PDF][PDF] KMT2D deficiency impairs super-enhancers to confer a glycolytic vulnerability in lung cancer

H Alam, M Tang, M Maitituoheti, SS Dhar, M Kumar… - Cancer cell, 2020 - cell.com
Cancer cell, 2020cell.com
Epigenetic modifiers frequently harbor loss-of-function mutations in lung cancer, but their
tumor-suppressive roles are poorly characterized. Histone methyltransferase KMT2D (a
COMPASS-like enzyme, also called MLL4) is among the most highly inactivated epigenetic
modifiers in lung cancer. Here, we show that lung-specific loss of Kmt2d promotes lung
tumorigenesis in mice and upregulates pro-tumorigenic programs, including glycolysis.
Pharmacological inhibition of glycolysis preferentially impedes tumorigenicity of human lung …
Summary
Epigenetic modifiers frequently harbor loss-of-function mutations in lung cancer, but their tumor-suppressive roles are poorly characterized. Histone methyltransferase KMT2D (a COMPASS-like enzyme, also called MLL4) is among the most highly inactivated epigenetic modifiers in lung cancer. Here, we show that lung-specific loss of Kmt2d promotes lung tumorigenesis in mice and upregulates pro-tumorigenic programs, including glycolysis. Pharmacological inhibition of glycolysis preferentially impedes tumorigenicity of human lung cancer cells bearing KMT2D-inactivating mutations. Mechanistically, Kmt2d loss widely impairs epigenomic signals for super-enhancers/enhancers, including the super-enhancer for the circadian rhythm repressor Per2. Loss of Kmt2d decreases expression of PER2, which regulates multiple glycolytic genes. These findings indicate that KMT2D is a lung tumor suppressor and that KMT2D deficiency confers a therapeutic vulnerability to glycolytic inhibitors.
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