Specificity protein 1 (Sp1) is often overexpressed in cancer cells. Its binding sites are known to exist in the phosphatase and tension homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) promoter. In this study, we hypothesized that Sp1 negatively regulates PTEN expression. We used several cell lines to determine the effects of Sp1. The results showed that Sp1 overexpression inhibited the expression and promoter activity of PTEN and correspondingly upregulated AKT phosphorylation, whereas Sp1 knockdown upregulated the expression and promoter ability of PTEN and downregulated AKT phosphorylation. Moreover, a series of deletion and site-directed mutations of the PTEN promoter indicated that Sp1 can inhibit PTEN promoter activity through a specific Sp1-binding site at the PTEN core promoter in vivo. Meanwhile, non-acetylated Sp1, with its loss of DNA binding activity, failed to inhibit the expression and promoter activity of PTEN. Histone deacetylase 1 was necessary for Sp1 to inhibit PTEN expression. The inverse expression of Sp1 and PTEN was found in tongue cancer cells and salivary adenoid cystic cancer (SACC)-LM cells (possessing higher potential for lung metastasis than SACC-83) as compared with that in adjacent normal tissue and SACC-83 cells, respectively. Sp1 knockdown decreased the migration and invasion of SACC-LM cells, whereas Sp1 overexpression increased the migration and invasion of SACC-83 cells. Overall, these results suggest that Sp1 is involved in the development and invasiveness of cancer through inhibition of PTEN.

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are enzymes involved in transcriptional repression. We aimed to examine the significance of HDAC1 and HDAC2 gene expression in the prediction of recurrence and survival in 156 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) among a South East Asian population who underwent curative surgical resection in Singapore. We found that HDAC1 and HDAC2 were upregulated in the majority of HCC tissues. The presence of HDAC1 in tumor tissues was correlated with poor tumor differentiation. Notably, HDAC1 expression in adjacent non-tumor hepatic tissues was correlated with the presence of satellite nodules and multiple lesions, suggesting that HDAC1 upregulation within the field of HCC may contribute to tumor spread. Using competing risk regression analysis, we found that increased cancer-specific mortality was significantly associated with HDAC2 expression. Mortality was also increased with high HDAC1 expression. In the liver cancer cell lines, HEP3B, HEPG2, PLC5, and a colorectal cancer cell line, HCT116, the combined knockdown of HDAC1 and HDAC2 increased cell death and reduced cell proliferation as well as colony formation. In contrast, knockdown of either HDAC1 or HDAC2 alone had minimal effects on cell death and proliferation. Taken together, our study suggests that both HDAC1 and HDAC2 exert pro-survival effects in HCC cells, and the combination of isoform-specific HDAC inhibitors against both HDACs may be effective in targeting HCC to reduce mortality.

Histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) is one of the histone-modifying enzymes that regulate gene expression by remodeling chromatin structure. Along with HDAC1, HDAC2 is found in the Sin3 and NuRD multiprotein complexes, which are recruited to promoters by DNA-binding proteins. In this study, we show that the majority of HDAC2 in human breast cancer cells is not phosphorylated. However, the minor population of HDAC2, preferentially cross-linked to DNA by cisplatin, is mono-, di-, or tri-phosphorylated. Furthermore, HDAC2 phosphorylation is required for formation of Sin3 and NuRD complexes and recruitment to promoters by transcription factors including p53, Rb, YY1, NF-kappaB, Sp1, and Sp3. Unmodified HDAC2 requires linker DNA to associate with chromatin but is not cross-linked to DNA by formaldehyde. We provide evidence that unmodified HDAC2 is associated with the coding region of transcribed genes, whereas phosphorylated HDAC2 is primarily recruited to promoters.

TIEG1 can induce apoptosis of cancer cells, but its role in inhibiting invasion and metastasis has not been reported and is unclear. In this study, we find that decreased TIEG1 expression is associated with increased human epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression in breast cancer tissues and cell lines. TIEG1 plays an important role in suppressing transcription of EGFR by directly binding to the EGFR promoter. While overexpression of TIEG1 attenuates EGFR expression, knockdown of TIEG1 stimulates EGFR expression. Furthermore, TIEG1 and HDAC1 form a complex, which binds to Sp1 sites on the EGFR promoter and inhibits its transcription by suppressing histone acetylation. TIEG1 significantly inhibits breast cancer cell invasion, suppresses mammary tumorigenesis in xenografts in mice, and decreases lung metastasis by inhibition of EGFR gene transcription and the EGFR signaling pathway. Therefore, TIEG1 is an antimetastasis gene product; regulation of EGFR expression by TIEG1 may be part of an integral signaling pathway that determines and explains breast cancer invasion and metastasis.

OBJECTIVE

DNA deacetylation by histone deacetylase (HDAC) is an important mechanism involved in the oncogenic tumorigenesis of breast cancer. Previous studies have reported an association of the estrogen receptor (ER) with HDACs and demonstrated the efficacy of HDAC inhibitors for the treatment of breast cancers via in vitro experiments. In this study, we examined the association of HDAC expression with clinicopathological parameters and disease-specific survival.

METHODS

Immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis of HDAC1, HDAC2, HDAC3, and HDAC6 was performed using tissue microarrays in 300 invasive ductal carcinomas. IHC scoring was determined by multiplication of the intensity (0 to 3) and the proportion (0 to 4) of staining, and we classified tumors into low- and high-HDAC expression groups.

RESULTS

High expression of HDAC1 was correlated with the molecular subtype (p=0.001) and human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) amplification (p=0.012). High expression of HDAC6 was correlated with a younger age (p<0.001), ER expression (p=0.025), progesterone receptor expression (p=0.034), molecular subtype (p=0.023), and HER2 amplification (p=0.011). High HDAC1 expression was correlated with luminal A tumors (p=0.001), while high HDAC6 expression was more common in luminal B tumors (p=0.023). Although the expression of HDACs did not exhibit prognostic significance in the entire cohort, high expression of HDAC1 and HDAC6 was associated with improved overall survival (OS) in patients with ER-positive tumors (p=0.017 and p=0.029, respectively), and high expression of HDAC2 was correlated with improved OS in ER-negative tumors (p=0.048) on univariate analysis. Furthermore, high HDAC6 expression was associated with improved disease-free survival (p=0.048) on multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

HDAC1 expression is significantly correlated with the molecular subtypes of tumors, with the highest expression being observed in luminal A tumors. HDAC6 is a significantly correlated with ER expression and the molecular subtype, thereby supporting the estrogen regulatory property of HDAC6. HDAC1 and HDAC6 expression are good prognostic factors for ER-positive tumors.

DOT1L has emerged as an anticancer target for MLL-associated leukaemias; however, its functional role in solid tumours is largely unknown. Here we identify that DOT1L cooperates with c-Myc and p300 acetyltransferase to epigenetically activate epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) regulators in breast cancer progression. DOT1L recognizes SNAIL, ZEB1 and ZEB2 promoters via interacting with the c-Myc-p300 complex and facilitates lysine-79 methylation and acetylation towards histone H3, leading to the dissociation of HDAC1 and DNMT1 in the regions. The upregulation of these EMT regulators by the DOT1L-c-Myc-p300 complex enhances EMT-induced breast cancer stem cell (CSC)-like properties. Furthermore, in vivo orthotopic xenograft models show that DOT1L is required for malignant transformation of breast epithelial cells and breast tumour initiation and metastasis. Clinically, DOT1L expression is associated with poorer survival and aggressiveness of breast cancers. Collectively, we suggest that cooperative effect of DOT1L and c-Myc-p300 is critical for acquisition of aggressive phenotype of breast cancer by promoting EMT/CSC.

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are families of enzymes that regulate chromatin structure and thus affect inflammatory gene expression. The anti-inflammatory properties of macrolides are well documented. However, the effects of macrolides on HDAC protein expression have not been studied. This study aimed to examine the molecular mechanism of the inflammatory responses caused by cigarette smoke extract (CSE) and the effects of erythromycin (EM) on CSE-induced HDAC protein expression in human macrophages in vitro. The cells were preincubated with EM and were then exposed to CSE. Levels of interleukin-8 (IL-8) and tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) were assayed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activity was assessed by an electrophoretic mobility shift assay. HDAC activity was measured with a colorimetric assay kit, and Western blotting was used for HDAC1, -2, -3 and NF-κB protein expression assays. The results showed that CSE causes decreases in HDAC activity and HDAC1, -2, -3 levels and upregulates NF-κB activity, resulting in increased NF-κB-dependent proinflammatory cytokine release in human macrophage cells. Moreover, EM was able to reverse the CSE-induced decline in HDAC1, -2, -3 protein expression, which was most prominent for HDAC2; these changes were associated with the suppression of both NF-κB protein expression and the production of inflammatory mediators. These results suggest that relieving inflammation with EM can be useful in therapeutic approaches for modulating intracellular nuclear signaling in chronic airway inflammatory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The microenvironment is increasingly recognized as a crucial aspect of cancer. In contrast and complement to the field's focus on biochemical factors and extracellular matrix, we characterize a novel aspect of host:tumor interaction - endogenous bioelectric signals among non-excitable somatic cells. Extending prior work focused on the bioelectric state of cancer cells themselves, we show for the first time that the resting potentials of distant cells are critical for oncogene-dependent tumorigenesis. In the Xenopus laevis tadpole model, we used human oncogenes such as mutant KRAS to drive formation of tumor-like structures that exhibited overproliferation, increased nuclear size, hypoxia, acidity, and leukocyte attraction. Remarkably, misexpression of hyperpolarizing ion channels at distant sites within the tadpole significantly reduced the incidence of these tumors. The suppression of tumorigenesis could also be achieved by hyperpolarization using native CLIC1 chloride channels, suggesting a treatment modality not requiring gene therapy. Using a dominant negative approach, we implicate HDAC1 as the mechanism by which resting potential changes affect downstream cell behaviors. Based on published data on the voltage-mediated changes of butyrate flux through the SLC5A8 transporter, we present a model linking resting potentials of host cells to the ability of oncogenes to initiate tumorigenesis. Antibiotic data suggest that the relevant butyrate is generated by a native bacterial species, identifying a novel link between the microbiome and cancer that is mediated by alterations in bioelectric signaling.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the world. Elevated glucose metabolism in the availability of oxygen, a phenomenon called the Warburg effect, is important for cancer cell growth. Fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBP1) is a rate-limiting enzyme in gluconeogenesis and is frequently lost in various types of cancer. Here, we demonstrated that expression of FBP1 was downregulated in HCC patient specimens and decreased expression of FBP1 associated with poor prognosis. Low expression of FBP1 correlated with high levels of histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) and HDAC2 proteins in HCC patient tissues. Treatment of HCC cells with HDAC inhibitors or knockdown of HDAC1 and/or HDAC2 restored FBP1 expression and inhibited HCC cell growth. HDAC-mediated suppression of FBP1 expression correlated with decreased histone H3 lysine 27 acetylation (H3K27Ac) in the FBP1 enhancer. Restored expression of FBP1 decreased glucose reduction and lactate secretion and inhibited HCC cell growth in vitro and tumor growth in mice. Our data reveal that loss of FBP1 due to histone deacetylation associates with poor prognosis of HCC and restored FBP1 expression by HDAC inhibitors suppresses HCC growth. Our findings suggest that repression of FBP1 by HDACs has important implications for HCC prognosis and treatment.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is recognized as a complex disease of hematopoietic stem cell disorders, but its pathogenesis mechanisms, diagnosis, and treatment remain unclear. General histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors have been used in blood cancers including AML, but the lack of gene specificity greatly limits their anti-cancer effects and clinical applications. Here, we found that HDAC1 expression was negatively correlated with that of Krüppel-like factor 4 (Klf4) and that AML patients with lower HDAC1 level had better prognosis. Further, knockdown of HDAC1 in leukemia cells K562, HL-60, and U937 significantly increased Klf4 expression and inhibited cell cycle progression and cell proliferation, similar results were found for HDAC inhibitors (VPA and mocetinostat). Moreover, overexpression or knockdown of Klf4 could markedly block the effects of HDAC1 overexpression or knockdown on leukemia cells in vitro and in vivo, respectively. Mechanistic analyses demonstrated that HDAC1 and Klf4 competitively bound to the promoter region of Klf4 and oppositely regulated Klf4 expression in myeloid leukemia. We identified HDAC1 as a potential specific target for repressing cell proliferation and inducing cell cycle arrest through interplay and modulation of Klf4 expression, suggests that HDAC1 and Klf4 are potential new molecular markers and targets for clinical diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of myeloid leukemia.

Novel therapeutic strategies are needed to overcome cancer recurrence, metastasis, and resistance to chemo- and radiotherapy. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are major contributors to the malignant transformation of cells due to their capacity for self-renewal. Although various CSC markers have been identified in several types of tumors, they are primarily used as cancer-prediction markers and for the isolation of CSC populations. CD133, one of the best-characterized CSC markers in distinct solid tumor types, was shown to be correlated with CSC tumor-initiating capacity; however, the regulation of CD133 expression and its function in cancer are poorly understood. Here, we show that CD133 expression is negatively regulated by direct binding of the p53 tumor suppressor protein to a noncanonical p53-binding sequence in the CD133 promoter. Binding of p53 recruits Histone Deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) to the CD133 promoter and subsequently suppresses CD133 expression by reducing histone H3 acetylation. Furthermore, CD133 depletion suppresses tumor cell proliferation, colony formation, and the expression of core stemness transcription factors including NANOG, octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (OCT4), SOX2, and c-MYC. Critically, the anti-proliferative effects of p53 are antagonized by rescue of CD133 expression in a p53 overexpressing cell line, indicating that the tumor suppressive activity of p53 might be mediated by CD133 suppression. Taken together, our results suggest that p53-mediated transcriptional regulation of CD133 is a key underlying mechanism for controlling the growth and tumor-initiating capacity of CSCs and provide a novel perspective on targeting CSCs for cancer therapy.

Transcription is regulated by a network of transcription factors and related cofactors that act in concert with the general transcription machinery. Elucidating their underlying interactions is important for understanding the mechanisms regulating transcription. Recently, we have shown that Krüppel-like factor KLF5, a member of the Sp/KLF family of zinc finger factors and a key regulator of cardiovascular remodeling, is regulated positively by the acetylase p300 and negatively by the oncogenic regulator SET through coupled interaction and regulation of acetylation. Here, we have shown that the deacetylase HDAC1 can negatively regulate KLF5 through direct interaction. KLF5 interacts with HDAC1 in the cell and in vitro. Gel shift DNA binding assay showed that their interaction inhibits the DNA binding activity of KLF5, suggesting a property of HDAC1 to directly affect the DNA binding affinity of a transcription factor. Reporter assay also revealed that HDAC1 suppresses KLF5-dependent promoter activation. Additionally, overexpression of HDAC1 suppressed KLF5-dependent activation of its endogenous downstream gene, platelet-derived growth factor-A chain gene, when activated by phorbol ester. Further, HDAC1 binds to the first zinc finger of KLF5, which is the same region where p300 interacts with KLF5 and, intriguingly, HDAC1 inhibits binding of p300 to KLF5. Direct competitive interaction between acetylase and deacetylase has been hitherto unknown. Collectively, the transcription factor KLF5 is negatively regulated by the deacetylase HDAC1 through direct effects on its activities (DNA binding activity, promoter activation) and further through inhibition of interaction with p300. These findings suggest a novel role and mechanism for regulation of transcription by deacetylase.

Children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) diagnosed with resistant phenotypes, and those who relapse, have a dismal prognosis for cure. The antifolate methotrexate (MTX), a universal component of ALL therapies, is metabolized by folylpoly-gamma-glutamate synthetase (FPGS) into long-chain polyglutamates (MTX-PG(3-7)), resulting in enhanced cytotoxicity from prolonged inhibition of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) and thymidylate synthetase (TS). Using DNaseI assays, we identified a hypersensitive site upstream from exon-1, suggesting chromatin remodeling could alter FPGS expression. We demonstrated that histone deacetylase-1 (<em>HDAC1</em>) is recruited by NFY and Sp1 transcription factors to the FPGS promoter in ALL cell lines. We examined the effect of histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs) sodium butyrate and suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) on the expression of FPGS and other folate-related genes. HDACIs increased FPGS mRNA expression by 2- to 5-fold, whereas DHFR and TS mRNA expression was decreased. Combination treatment with MTX plus SAHA significantly increased cytotoxicity and apoptosis in B- and T-ALL cell lines as compared with each drug alone (CI<or=0.8). SAHA increased the intracellular accumulation of long-chain MTX-PG(3-7). Therefore, HDACI-induced FPGS expression increases the accumulation of MTX-PG(3-7) and cytotoxicity in ALL cell lines, which is potentiated by DHFR and TS downregulation. The synergism exhibited by the combination of MTX and SAHA warrants clinical testing in ALL patients.

Reversion-inducing cysteine-rich protein with Kazal motifs (RECK) is a tumor suppressor and the suppression of RECK is induced by Ras or Her-2/neu oncogenes. However, regulation of RECK under hypoxic microenvironment is largely unknown. Here, we identified that hypoxia significantly downregulates RECK mRNA and protein expression using semiquantitative RT-PCR, real-time RT-PCR and western blot analysis. This repression was reversed by the HDAC inhibitor, trichostatin A (TSA) and HIF-1 inhibitor, YC-1. Hypoxia-induced downregulation of RECK was abolished by knockdown of HDAC1 and HIF-1alpha with respective small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), whereas overexpression of HDAC1 and HIF-1alpha suppressed RECK expression similar to the level under hypoxic conditions. Transfection of a deletion mutant of the second reverse HRE (rHRE2, -2345 to -2333) site of RECK promoter completely removed RECK suppression under hypoxia, indicating that the rHRE2 site is responsible for the inhibition of RECK. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and DNA affinity precipitation assays demonstrated that HDAC1 and HIF-1alpha were recruited to the rHRE2 region of RECK promoter under hypoxic conditions, but the treatment of TSA or YC-1 inhibited their binding to the rHRE2 site. Moreover, TSA and YC-1 inhibited hypoxia-induced cancer cell migration, invasion and MMPs secretion. Taken together, we can conclude that hypoxia induces RECK downregulation through the recruitment of HDAC1 and HIF-1alpha to the rHRE2 site in the promoter and the inhibition of hypoxic RECK silencing would be a therapeutic and preventive target for early tumorigenesis.

The product of the retinoblastoma susceptibility gene, the Rb protein, functions partly through transcriptional repression of E2F-regulated genes. Repression by Rb is mediated, at least in part, by a histone deacetylase complex, whose enzymatic activity relies on HDAC1, HDAC2 or HDAC3. Recently, we have shown that the Rb-associated histone deacetylase complex contains RbAp48 protein, which interacts with HDAC1 and HDAC2. RbAp48 could favour the deacetylation of histones since it binds directly to histone H4. In agreement with that, we show that transcriptional repression of E2F activity requires the presence of RbAp48. HDAC3 was thought not to interact with RbAp48. However, we found that it shared with HDAC1 the ability to favour the recruitment of RbAp48 to Rb. This latter effect was unlikely to be due to activation of Rb function, since HDAC3 did not increase Rb-E2F1 interaction. Rather, we found, surprisingly, that HDAC3 could physically interact with RbAp48 both in vitro and in living cells. Taken together, our data suggest a model in which Rb mediates the recruitment to E2F-regulating promoters of a repressive complex containing either HDAC1, HDAC2 or HDAC3 and the histone-binding protein RbAp48.

Interferon γ (IFN-γ)-induced cell death is mediated by the BH3-only domain protein, Bik, in a p53-independent manner. However, the effect of IFN-γ on p53 and how this affects autophagy have not been reported. The present study demonstrates that IFN-γ down-regulated expression of the BH3 domain-only protein, Bmf, in human and mouse airway epithelial cells in a p53-dependent manner. p53 also suppressed Bmf expression in response to other cell death-stimulating agents, including ultraviolet radiation and histone deacetylase inhibitors. IFN-γ did not affect Bmf messenger RNA half-life but increased nuclear p53 levels and the interaction of p53 with the Bmf promoter. IFN-γ-induced interaction of HDAC1 and p53 resulted in the deacetylation of p53 and suppression of Bmf expression independent of p53's proline-rich domain. Suppression of Bmf facilitated IFN-γ-induced autophagy by reducing the interaction of Beclin-1 and Bcl-2. Furthermore, autophagy was prominent in cultured bmf(-/-) but not in bmf(+/+) cells. Collectively, these observations show that deacetylation of p53 suppresses Bmf expression and facilitates autophagy.

A class of biaryl benzamides was identified and optimized as selective HDAC1&2 inhibitors (SHI-1:2). These agents exhibit selectivity over class II HDACs 4-7, as well as class I HDACs 3 and 8; providing examples of selective HDAC inhibitors for the HDAC isoforms most closely associated with cancer. The hypothesis for the increased selectivity is the binding of a pendant aromatic group in the internal cavity of the HDAC1&2 enzymes. SAR development based on an initial lead led to a series of potent and selective inhibitors with reduced off-target activity and tumor growth inhibition activity in a HCT-116 xenograft model.

De novo DNA methyltransferases, Dnmt3a and 3b, were purified by fractionation of S-100 extract from mouse lymphosarcoma cells through several chromatographic matrices followed by glycerol density gradient centrifugation. Dnmt3a was separated from Dnmt3b and Dnmt1 in the first column, Q-Sepharose whereas Dnmt3b co-purified with Dnmt1 after further fractionation through Mono-S and Mono-Q columns and glycerol density gradient centrifugation. Following purification, the majority of de novo DNA methyltransfearse activity was associated with Dnmt3b/Dnmt1 fractions. By contrast, the fractions containing Dnmt3a alone exhibited markedly reduced activity, which correlated with diminished expression of this isoform in these cells. Histone deacetylase 1(Hdac1) cofractionated with Dnmt3a throughout purification whereas Hdac1 was separated from Dnmt3b/Dnmt1 following chromatography on Mono-Q column. Dnmt3a purified through glycerol gradient centrifugation was also associated with a histone H3 methyltransferase (HMTase) activity whereas purified Dnmt3b/Dnmt1 was devoid of any HMTase activity. The activity of this HMTase was abolished when lysine 9 of N-terminal histone H3 peptide was replaced by leucine whereas mutation of lysine 4 to leucine inhibited this activity only partially. This is the first report on the identification of a few key co-repressors associated with endogenous Dnmt3a and of a complex containing Dnmt3b and a minor form of Dnmt1 following extensive biochemical fractionation.

Histone acetylation/deacetylation is a central mechanism for regulating transcription through chromatin remodeling. The brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene (Bdnf) is regulated in part through chromatin remodeling. An inhibitor of histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity, Trichostatin A (TSA), has differential effects on two activation dependent regions of the Bdnf gene physically linked to transcription sites for exons 1 and 4. We determined that TSA treatment of cultures of hippocampal neurons produced a stronger response at promoter 1. Transcriptional activation of promoter 1 correlated with increased occupancy of the promoter by acetylated histones (H3AcK9/K14). TSA treatment also produced a time-dependent increase in the level of H3AcK9 and H3AcK14 protein and Hdac1 mRNA levels and HDAC1 protein levels. Taken together, these findings suggest that inhibition of HDAC activity by TSA activates Bdnf transcription and a compensatory change in HDAC1 expression in neurons. This response may reflect a genome-wide change in gene expression.

Yin Yang 1 (YY1) is a highly conserved and multifunctional transcription factor. The diverse activities of YY1 are regulated and sometimes modified by interaction with various other proteins. By using a yeast two-hybrid screening system, SAP30 was identified as a protein that associates with YY1 and it is able to enhance YY1-mediated repression in a dose-dependent manner. SAP30 is a 30kDa nuclear protein and is a component of the human histone deacetylase complex. In this study, the interaction of SAP30 and YY1 was confirmed both by in vitro and in vivo assays. The interaction domains between YY1 and SAP30 were mapped to the C-terminal segment of YY1 (295-414) and the C-terminal 91 amino acid region of SAP30. The observation that YY1, SAP30, and HDAC1 form a complex in vivo provides evidence that YY1 also recruits HDAC1 indirectly via its binding to SAP30. These results describe a novel mechanism for YY1-mediated repression.

In our efforts to understand how transcription may be regulated in Entamoeba histolytica, we have examined if this parasite has conserved enzymatic mechanisms for targeted acetylation and deacetylation of histones. Western blotting indicated that basic nuclear proteins in the size range of 16-23 kDa were acetylated in amebic trophozoites, suggesting histone acetylation. Single representatives of the GNAT and MYST family of histone acetyltransferases (HATs) were identified in the E. histolytica genome and their expression in amebic trophozoites was detected by reverse transcription of RNA followed by the polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Full-length recombinant EhMYST protein demonstrated HAT activity with calf thymus histones and showed a preference for histone H4, similar to the yeast MYST protein, Esa1. However, ehMYST did not complement a yeast esa1 mutation. Histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity was detected in nuclear extracts from E. histolytica, and characteristically, was inhibited by trichostatin A (TSA). Consistent with the observation of HDAC activity, RT-PCR analysis demonstrated that an amebic hdac1 homolog (ehHDAC) is expressed and appropriately spliced in E. histolytica trophozoites. Our results suggest that mechanisms for histone acetylation and deacetylation are operational in E. histolytica.

In liver, most genes are expressed with a porto-central gradient. The transcription factor hepatic nuclear-factor4alpha (HNF4alpha) is associated with 12% of the genes in adult liver, but its involvement in zonation of gene expression has not been investigated. A putative HNF4alpha-response element in the upstream enhancer of glutamine synthetase (GS), an exclusively pericentral enzyme, was protected against DNase-I and interacted with a protein that is recognized by HNF4alpha-specific antiserum. Chromatin-immunoprecipitation assays of HNF4alpha-deficient (H4LivKO) and control (H4Flox) livers with HNF4alpha antiserum precipitated the GS upstream enhancer DNA only from H4Flox liver. Identical results were obtained with a histone-deacetylasel (HDAC1) antibody, but antibodies against HDAC3, SMRT and SHP did not precipitate the GS upstream enhancer. In H4Flox liver, GS, ornithine aminotransferase (OAT) and thyroid hormone-receptor beta1 (TRbeta1) were exclusively expressed in pericentral hepatocytes. In H4LivKO liver, this pericentral expression remained unaffected, but the genes were additionally expressed in the periportal hepatocytes, albeit at a lower level. The expression of the periportal enzyme phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase had declined in HNF4alpha-deficient hepatocytes. GS-negative cells, which were present as single, large hepatocytes or as groups of small cells near portal veins, did express HNF4alpha. Clusters of very small GS- and HNF4alpha-negative, and PCNA- and OV6-positive cells near portal veins were contiguous with streaks of brightly HNF4alpha-positive, OV6-, PCNA-, and PEPCK-dim cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings show that HNF4alpha suppresses the expression of pericentral proteins in periportal hepatocytes, possibly via a HDAC1-mediated mechanism. Furthermore, we show that HNF4alpha deficiency induces foci of regenerating hepatocytes.

Histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) and metastasis-associated protein 1 (MTA1) form the nucleosome remodeling and histone deacetylation (NuRD) complex and may possibly play a central role in cancer development. However, limited data has been reported regarding the expression of both HDAC1 and MTA1. The aim of the present study was to clarify the clinical role of HDAC1 and MTA1 expression in colon cancer. Seventy-four patients with colon cancer, who underwent colectomy at our institution, were enrolled in this study. Expression of HDAC1 and MTA1 was examined immunohistochemically. The patients were divided into four groups: HDAC1-positive group (n=58), HDAC1-negative group (n=16), MTA1-positive group (n=38) and MTA1-negative group (n=36). Clinicopathological factors and survival rates were compared between the groups. Regarding the clinicopathological factors, the depth of tumor invasion and stage correlated significantly with HDAC1 expression (p<0.05). Age, depth of tumor invasion and vascular invasion tended to correlate with MTA1 expression. The 5-year survival rate in the HDAC1-positive group (55.1%) was significantly worse compared to the HDAC1-negative group (86.5%) (p<0.05), and the 5-year survival rate of the MTA1-positive group (50.5%) was significantly worse than that of the MTA1-negative group (73.1%) (p=0.05). In patients with stages II-IV and curability A, B, the survival rate in those with HDAC1-positive expression was significantly worse than those with HDAC1-negative expression (p<0.05), and the survival rate of the MTA1-positive group tended to be worse than that of the MTA1-negative group (p=0.07). Overall survival in both the HDAC1 and MTA1-positive groups was significantly worse than overall survival of the other groups (p<0.05). Disease-free survival in both the HDAC1- and MTA1-positive groups, among patients with stages II-IV and curability A, B, was also significantly worse than that of the other groups (p<0.05). HDAC1 and MTA1 expression levels were significantly related to poorer prognosis. Therefore, HDAC1 and MTA1 expression levels are potential prognostic indicators for colon cancer.

BACKGROUND

Class I histone deacetylases (HDACs) are often overexpressed in cancer, and their inhibition typically leads cancer cells, but not normal cells, to apoptosis. Hence, the field of cancer therapy has experienced a continued surge in the development of HDAC inhibitors.

METHODS

Class I comprises of HDAC1, 2, 3 and 8. HDAC1, 2 and 3 are active as subunits of multiprotein complexes while an HDAC8 complex has not been identified. Besides being a major contributor to poor prognosis in childhood neuroblastoma, little is known of HDAC8 functions and substrates. The targeting and activities of HDAC1 - 3 are modulated by post-translational modifications and association with numerous proteins. The composition of the various HDAC complexes is cell type dependent and fluctuates with intra- and intercellular stimuli. These HDAC complexes play roles at multiple levels in gene expression and genome stability. The application of isoform-specific HDAC inhibitors has met with varying success in clinical trials.

CONCLUSIONS

To elucidate the mechanism and cellular impact of HDAC inhibitors, we need to identify the spectrum of class I HDAC complexes and their functions. In the cases of HDAC1 - 3, selectivity of HDAC inhibitors should be directed against relevant complexes. HDAC8 active site unique features facilitate the design of selective inhibitors.