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Spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase 1 is a gene-specific transcriptional regulator that drives brain tumor aggressiveness

Oncogene volume 38, pages 6794–6800 (2019)Cite this article

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Abstract

Spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase 1 (SAT1), the rate-limiting enzyme in polyamine catabolism, has broad regulatory roles due to near ubiquitous polyamine binding. We describe a novel function of SAT1 as a gene-specific transcriptional regulator through local polyamine acetylation. SAT1 expression is elevated in aggressive brain tumors and promotes resistance to radiotherapy. Expression profiling in glioma cells identified SAT1 target genes that distinguish high- and low-grade tumors, in support of the prognostic utility of SAT1 expression. We further discovered mechanisms of SAT1-driven tumor aggressiveness through promotion of expression of both DNA damage response pathways as well as cell cycle regulatory genes. Mechanistically, SAT1 associates specifically with the promoter of the MELK gene, which functionally controls other SAT1 targets, and leads biologically to maintenance of neurosphere stemness in conjunction with FOXM1 and EZH2. CRISPR knockin mutants demonstrate the essentiality of the polyamine acetyltransferase activity of SAT1 for its function as a transcriptional regulator. Together, the data demonstrate that gene-specific polyamine removal is a major transcriptional regulatory mechanism active in high-grade gliomas that drives poor outcomes.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by P30CA125123 (CJC); and R01CA187053 (SMW).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiation Oncology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, 33136, USA

    Vijay S. Thakur & Scott M. Welford

  2. Department of Biochemistry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA

    Brittany Aguila

  3. Department of Pharmacology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA

    Adina Brett-Morris

  4. Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Chad J. Creighton

  5. Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Chad J. Creighton

  6. Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, 33136, USA

    Scott M. Welford

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  1. Vijay S. Thakur
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Correspondence to Scott M. Welford.

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Thakur, V.S., Aguila, B., Brett-Morris, A. et al. Spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase 1 is a gene-specific transcriptional regulator that drives brain tumor aggressiveness. Oncogene 38, 6794–6800 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41388-019-0917-0

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