MYC, a downstream target of BRD-NUT, is necessary and sufficient for the blockade of differentiation in NUT midline carcinoma. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • NUT midline carcinoma (NMC) is an aggressive type of squamous cell carcinoma that is defined by the presence of BRD-NUT fusion oncogenes, which encode chimeric proteins that block differentiation and maintain tumor growth. BRD-NUT oncoproteins contain two bromodomains whose binding to acetylated histones is required for the blockade of differentiation in NMC, but the mechanisms by which BRD-NUT act remain uncertain. Here, we provide evidence that MYC is a key downstream target of BRD4-NUT. Expression profiling of NMCs shows that the set of genes whose expression is maintained by BRD4-NUT is highly enriched for MYC upregulated genes, and MYC and BRD4-NUT protein expression is strongly correlated in primary NMCs. More directly, we find that BRD4-NUT associates with the MYC promoter and is required to maintain MYC expression in NMC cell lines. Moreover, both siRNA knockdown of MYC and a dominant-negative form of MYC, omomyc, induce differentiation of NMC cells. Conversely, differentiation of NMC cells induced by knockdown of BRD4-NUT is abrogated by enforced expression of MYC. Together, these findings suggest that MYC is a downstream target of BRD4-NUT that is required for maintenance of NMC cells in an undifferentiated, proliferative state. Our findings support a model in which dysregulation of MYC by BRD-NUT fusion proteins has a central role in the pathogenesis of NMC.

publication date

  • April 22, 2013

Research

keywords

  • Carcinoma, Squamous Cell
  • Nuclear Proteins
  • Oncogene Proteins, Fusion
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc

Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC3942361

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 84898008939

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1038/onc.2013.126

PubMed ID

  • 23604113

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 33

issue

  • 13