Epigenetic expansion of VHL-HIF signal output drives multiorgan metastasis in renal cancer Journal Article


Authors: Vanharanta, S.; Shu, W.; Brenet, F.; Ari Hakimi, A.; Heguy, A.; Viale, A.; Reuter, V. E.; Hsieh, J. J. D.; Scandura, J. M.; Massague, J.
Article Title: Epigenetic expansion of VHL-HIF signal output drives multiorgan metastasis in renal cancer
Abstract: Inactivation of the von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor gene, VHL, is an archetypical tumor-initiating event in clear cell renal carcinoma (ccRCC) that leads to the activation of hypoxia-inducible transcription factors (HIFs). However, VHL mutation status in ccRCC is not correlated with clinical outcome. Here we show that during ccRCC progression, cancer cells exploit diverse epigenetic alterations to empower a branch of the VHL-HIF pathway for metastasis, and the strength of this activation is associated with poor clinical outcome. By analyzing metastatic subpopulations of VHL-deficient ccRCC cells, we discovered an epigenetically altered VHL-HIF response that is specific to metastatic ccRCC. Focusing on the two most prominent pro-metastatic VHL-HIF target genes, we show that loss of Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2)-dependent histone H3 Lys27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) activates HIF-driven chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 4 (CXCR4) expression in support of chemotactic cell invasion, whereas loss of DNA methylation enables HIF-driven cytohesin 1 interacting protein (CYTIP) expression to protect cancer cells from death cytokine signals. Thus, metastasis in ccRCC is based on an epigenetically expanded output of the tumor-initiating pathway. © 2013 Nature America, Inc. All rights reserved.
Journal Title: Nature Medicine
Volume: 19
Issue: 1
ISSN: 1078-8956
Publisher: Nature Publishing Group  
Date Published: 2013-01-01
Start Page: 50
End Page: 56
Language: English
DOI: 10.1038/nm.3029
PROVIDER: scopus
PMCID: PMC3540187
PUBMED: 23223005
DOI/URL:
Notes: --- - "Export Date: 1 February 2013" - "CODEN: NAMEF" - "Source: Scopus"
Altmetric
Citation Impact
BMJ Impact Analytics
MSK Authors
  1. Adriana Heguy
    88 Heguy
  2. Joan Massague
    389 Massague
  3. Weiping Shu
    18 Shu
  4. Agnes Viale
    245 Viale
  5. James J Hsieh
    125 Hsieh
  6. Victor Reuter
    1228 Reuter
  7. Abraham Ari Hakimi
    324 Hakimi