Abstract
Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) is the histone lysine N-methyltransferase component of the Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), which, in conjunction with embryonic ectoderm development (EED) and suppressor of zeste 12 homolog, regulates cell lineage determination and homeostasis. Enzymatic hyperactivity has been linked to aberrant repression of tumor suppressor genes in diverse cancers. Here, we report the development of stabilized α-helix of EZH2 (SAH-EZH2) peptides that selectively inhibit H3 Lys27 trimethylation by dose-responsively disrupting the EZH2–EED complex and reducing EZH2 protein levels, a mechanism distinct from that reported for small-molecule EZH2 inhibitors targeting the enzyme catalytic domain. MLL-AF9 leukemia cells, which are dependent on PRC2, undergo growth arrest and monocyte-macrophage differentiation upon treatment with SAH-EZH2, consistent with observed changes in expression of PRC2-regulated, lineage-specific marker genes. Thus, by dissociating the EZH2–EED complex, we pharmacologically modulate an epigenetic 'writer' and suppress PRC2-dependent cancer cell growth.
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Acknowledgements
We thank E. Smith for graphics assistance. This work was supported by US National Institutes of Health grant U01CA105423 to S.H.O. and 5R01GM090299 and a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Specialized Center of Research project grant to L.D.W. S.H.O. is an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
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W.K., L.D.W. and S.H.O. designed the experiments and wrote the manuscript. W.K. and G.H.B. synthesized the stapled peptides. T.N. generated MLL-AF9 cells and assisted W.K. with the colony-forming assay and morphological studies. G.G. performed the high-throughput microfluidic qPCR. M.A.K. assisted W.K. with the studies on HPC5, M1 and C1498 cell lines.
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L.D.W. is a scientific advisory board member and consultant for Aileron Therapeutics.
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Kim, W., Bird, G., Neff, T. et al. Targeted disruption of the EZH2–EED complex inhibits EZH2-dependent cancer. Nat Chem Biol 9, 643–650 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchembio.1331
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nchembio.1331
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