NYMC Faculty Publications
First Page
1476
Last Page
1476
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-16-2014
Department
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Abstract
Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors are undergoing clinical trials as anticancer agents, but some exhibit resistance mechanisms linked to anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 functions, such as BH3-only protein silencing. HDAC inhibitors that reactivate BH3-only family members might offer an improved therapeutic approach. We show here that a novel seleno-α-keto acid triggers global histone acetylation in human colon cancer cells and activates apoptosis in a p21-independent manner. Profiling of multiple survival factors identified a critical role for the BH3-only member Bcl-2-modifying factor (Bmf). On the corresponding BMF gene promoter, loss of HDAC8 was associated with signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3)/specificity protein 3 (Sp3) transcription factor exchange and recruitment of p300. Treatment with a p300 inhibitor or transient overexpression of exogenous HDAC8 interfered with BMF induction, whereas RNAi-mediated silencing of STAT3 activated the target gene. This is the first report to identify a direct target gene of HDAC8 repression, namely, BMF. Interestingly, the repressive role of HDAC8 could be uncoupled from HDAC1 to trigger Bmf-mediated apoptosis. These findings have implications for the development of HDAC8-selective inhibitors as therapeutic agents, beyond the reported involvement of HDAC8 in childhood malignancy.
Recommended Citation
Kang, Y., Nian, H., Rajendran, P., Kim, E., Dashwood, W. M., Pinto, J. T., . . . Dashwood, R. H. (2014). HDAC8 and STAT3 repress BMF gene activity in colon cancer cells. Cell Death and Disease, 5(10), e1476. doi:10.1038/cddis.2014.422
Publisher's Statement
Originally published in Cell Death and Disease. Licensed under CC-BY 4.0. https://doi.org/10.1038/cddis.2014.422
Comments
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