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      Cooperation between SMYD3 and PC4 drives a distinct transcriptional program in cancer cells

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          Abstract

          SET and MYND domain containing protein 3 (SMYD3) is a histone methyltransferase, which has been implicated in cell growth and cancer pathogenesis. Increasing evidence suggests that SMYD3 can influence distinct oncogenic processes by acting as a gene-specific transcriptional regulator. However, the mechanistic aspects of SMYD3 transactivation and whether SMYD3 acts in concert with other transcription modulators remain unclear. Here, we show that SMYD3 interacts with the human positive coactivator 4 (PC4) and that such interaction potentiates a group of genes whose expression is linked to cell proliferation and invasion. SMYD3 cooperates functionally with PC4, because PC4 depletion results in the loss of SMYD3-mediated H3K4me3 and target gene expression. Individual depletion of SMYD3 and PC4 diminishes the recruitment of both SMYD3 and PC4, indicating that SMYD3 and PC4 localize at target genes in a mutually dependent manner. Artificial tethering of a SMYD3 mutant incapable of binding to its cognate elements and interacting with PC4 to target genes is sufficient for achieving an active transcriptional state in SMYD3-deficient cells. These observations suggest that PC4 contributes to SMYD3-mediated transactivation primarily by stabilizing SMYD3 occupancy at target genes. Together, these studies define expanded roles for SMYD3 and PC4 in gene regulation and provide an unprecedented documentation of their cooperative functions in stimulating oncogenic transcription.

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          Most cited references41

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          SMYD3 encodes a histone methyltransferase involved in the proliferation of cancer cells.

          Colorectal and hepatocellular carcinomas are some of the leading causes of cancer deaths worldwide, but the mechanisms that underly these malignancies are not fully understood. Here we report the identification of SMYD3, a gene that is over-expressed in the majority of colorectal carcinomas and hepatocellular carcinomas. Introduction of SMYD3 into NIH3T3 cells enhanced cell growth, whereas genetic knockdown with small-interfering RNAs (siRNAs) in cancer cells resulted in significant growth suppression. SMYD3 formed a complex with RNA polymerase II through an interaction with the RNA helicase HELZ and transactivated a set of genes that included oncogenes, homeobox genes and genes associated with cell-cycle regulation. SMYD3 bound to a motif, 5'-CCCTCC-3', present in the promoter region of downstream genes such as Nkx2.8. The SET domain of SMYD3 showed histone H3-lysine 4 (H3-K4)-specific methyltransferase activity, which was enhanced in the presence of the heat-shock protein HSP90A. Our findings suggest that SMYD3 has histone methyltransferase activity and plays an important role in transcriptional regulation as a member of an RNA polymerase complex. Furthermore, activation of SMYD3 may be a key factor in human carcinogenesis.
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            Repression of p53 activity by Smyd2-mediated methylation.

            Specific sites of lysine methylation on histones correlate with either activation or repression of transcription. The tumour suppressor p53 (refs 4-7) is one of only a few non-histone proteins known to be regulated by lysine methylation. Here we report a lysine methyltransferase, Smyd2, that methylates a previously unidentified site, Lys 370, in p53. This methylation site, in contrast to the known site Lys 372, is repressing to p53-mediated transcriptional regulation. Smyd2 helps to maintain low concentrations of promoter-associated p53. We show that reducing Smyd2 concentrations by short interfering RNA enhances p53-mediated apoptosis. We find that Set9-mediated methylation of Lys 372 inhibits Smyd2-mediated methylation of Lys 370, providing regulatory cross-talk between post-translational modifications. In addition, we show that the inhibitory effect of Lys 372 methylation on Lys 370 methylation is caused, in part, by blocking the interaction between p53 and Smyd2. Thus, similar to histones, p53 is subject to both activating and repressing lysine methylation. Our results also predict that Smyd2 may function as a putative oncogene by methylating p53 and repressing its tumour suppressive function.
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              SMYD3 links lysine methylation of MAP3K2 to Ras-driven cancer

              Deregulation in lysine methylation signaling has emerged as a common etiologic factor in cancer pathogenesis, with inhibitors of several histone lysine methyltransferases (KMTs) being developed as chemotherapeutics 1 . The largely cytoplasmic KMT SMYD3 (SET and MYND domain containing protein 3) is overexpressed in numerous human tumors 2-4 . However, the molecular mechanism by which SMYD3 regulates cancer pathways and its relationship to tumorigenesis in vivo are largely unknown. Here we show that methylation of MAP3K2 by SMYD3 increases MAP Kinase signaling and promotes the formation of Ras-driven carcinomas. Using mouse models for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and lung adenocarcinoma (LAC), we found that abrogating SMYD3 catalytic activity inhibits tumor development in response to oncogenic Ras. We employed protein array technology to identify the MAP3K2 kinase as a target of SMYD3. In cancer cell lines, SMYD3-mediated methylation of MAP3K2 at lysine 260 potentiates activation of the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK signaling module. Finally, the PP2A phosphatase complex, a key negative regulator of the MAP Kinase pathway, binds to MAP3K2 and this interaction is blocked by methylation. Together, our results elucidate a new role for lysine methylation in integrating cytoplasmic kinase-signaling cascades and establish a pivotal role for SMYD3 in the regulation of oncogenic Ras signaling.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Nucleic Acids Res
                Nucleic Acids Res
                nar
                nar
                Nucleic Acids Research
                Oxford University Press
                0305-1048
                1362-4962
                15 October 2015
                10 October 2015
                10 October 2015
                : 43
                : 18
                : 8868-8883
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern California, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
                [2 ]Department of Biology, College of Natural Sciences, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Chungbuk 361-763, Republic of Korea
                [3 ]Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 1501 San Pablo Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
                [4 ]Department of Medicine, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, 1450 Biggy Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
                [5 ]University of Texas at Austin, Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Austin, TX 78712, USA
                Author notes
                [* ]To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: + 1 323 442 4398; Fax: + 1 323 442 4433; Email: woojinan@ 123456usc.edu
                Article
                10.1093/nar/gkv874
                4605318
                26350217
                4d4af503-4cd4-4ecd-9fb1-2fbf18bfeb4d
                © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

                This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

                History
                : 19 August 2015
                : 30 July 2015
                : 09 April 2015
                Page count
                Pages: 16
                Categories
                Molecular Biology
                Custom metadata
                15 October 2015

                Genetics
                Genetics

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