Supplementary Figure 1 from Identification of a Novel c-Myc Protein Interactor, JPO2, with Transforming Activity in Medulloblastoma Cells

MYC is a key driver of cellular transformation and is deregulated in most human cancers. Studies of MYC and its interactors have provided mechanistic insight into its role as a regulator of gene transcription. MYC has been previously linked to chromatin regulation through its interaction with INI1 (SMARCB1/hSNF5/BAF47), a core member of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex. INI1 is a potent tumor suppressor that is inactivated in several types of cancers, most prominently as the hallmark alteration in pediatric malignant rhabdoid tumors. However, the molecular and functional interaction of MYC and INI1 remains unclear. Here, we characterize the MYC-INI1 interaction in mammalian cells, mapping their minimal binding domains to functionally significant regions of MYC (leucine zipper) and INI1 (repeat motifs), and demonstrating that the interaction does not interfere with MYC-MAX interaction. Protein-protein interaction network analysis expands the MYC-INI1 interaction to the SWI/SNF complex and a larger network of chromatin regulatory complexes. Genome-wide analysis reveals that the DNA-binding regions and target genes of INI1 significantly overlap with those of MYC. In an INI1-deficient rhabdoid tumor system, we observe that with re-expression of INI1, MYC and INI1 bind to common target genes and have opposing effects on gene expression. Functionally, INI1 re-expression suppresses cell proliferation and MYC-potentiated transformation. Our findings thus establish the antagonistic roles of the INI1 and MYC transcriptional regulators in mediating cellular and oncogenic functions.

Abstract The c-MYC transcription factor is a master regulator of many cellular processes and deregulation of this oncogene has been linked to more than 50% of all cancers. In normal cells, MYC is tightly controlled at a number of steps, including at the transcriptional, translational and post-translational levels. Altered regulation at any of these steps can result in deregulated, oncogenic MYC. One well-studied canonical pathway that is known to regulate MYC activity and stability at the post-translational level is the GSK3 pathway. The GSK3-FBXW7 axis regulates MYC via phosphorylation at T58, followed by ubiquitylation of MYC by the E3 ubiquitin ligase complex SCF-FBXW7 and subsequent proteasomal degradation. Accordingly, substituting threonine 58 with alanine (T58A) confers increased stability and transformative potential. Thus, characterizing the post-translational modifications (PTMs) of MYC can lead to a better understanding of the regulatory mechanisms controlling this potent oncogene. SUMOylation is a post-translational modification that utilizes a series of E1, E2 and E3 proteins for conjugation of a small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) moiety to its target protein. Growing evidence indicates that SUMOylation has many important roles in the cell, such as response to cellular stressors and transcriptional regulation. Moreover, recent reports have unveiled a potential role for SUMOylation in MYC-driven tumourigenesis. Here, using immunoprecipitation combined with mass spectrometry, we identified a MYC SUMOylation site (K326). Abrogation of signaling through this residue by substitution with arginine (K326R) has no obvious effects on MYC half-life, intracellular localization, transcriptional targets, nor on the biological effects of MYC overexpression in three different cell systems assessed for soft agar colony formation, proliferation, and apoptosis. While we have definitively demonstrated that MYC SUMOylation can occur on K326, future work will be needed to elucidate the mechanisms and biological significance of MYC regulation by SUMOylation. Citation Format: Manpreet Kalkat, Pak-Kei Chan, Amanda R. Wasylishen, Tharan Srikumar, Sam S. Kim, Romina Ponzielli, David P. Bazett-Jones, Brian Raught, Linda Z. Penn. Identification of c-MYC SUMOylation by mass spectrometry. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Myc: From Biology to Therapy; Jan 7-10, 2015; La Jolla, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2015;13(10 Suppl):Abstract nr A08.

The MYC oncogene is a key driver of cellular transformation that is deregulated in more than half of all human cancers. The transcriptional regulatory function of MYC and the wide spectrum of biological processes it mediates are critically tied to its chromatin interactors and epigenetic context. MYC is linked to chromatin remodeling through its interaction with INI1 (SMARCB1/hSNF5/BAF47), a core member of the SWI/SNF complex and a potent tumour suppressor. Recent sequencing efforts in many cancer types also identified frequent mutations in other members of this complex. However, the mechanistic understanding of the SWI/SNF complex in contributing to oncogenesis and its functional and molecular interaction with MYC remain unclear. Herein, we provide a comprehensive characterization of the MYC-INI1 interaction. We demonstrate their direct interaction and extensively delineate their minimal regions of interaction, corresponding to functionally important regions of MYC (leucine zipper) and INI1 (Repeats I and II). Genome-wide analysis reveals that INI1 and other SWI/SNF complex members share significant portions of MYC DNA-binding regions and target genes. Network analysis demonstrates MYC interaction with the SWI/SNF complex and an extended network of shared interactors belonging to additional chromatin regulatory complexes. Collectively, our findings provide significant insight into the interaction of MYC and INI1 at the level of protein-protein and protein-chromatin interactions. Citation Format: William B. Tu, Angelina Stojanova, Romina Ponzielli, Max Kotlyar, Pak-Kei Chan, Paul C. Boutros, Fereshteh Khosravi, Igor Jurisica, Brian Raught, Linda Z. Penn. Interaction of the MYC oncoprotein with the tumor suppressive SWI/SNF complex member INI1. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Myc: From Biology to Therapy; Jan 7-10, 2015; La Jolla, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2015;13(10 Suppl):Abstract nr A36.

Abstract When deregulated, the c-Myc oncoprotein plays a key role in the development and progression of over 50% of all human cancers. As such, innovative and effective therapeutics are urgently needed to improve the treatment and survival of cancer patients, and we believe that directly modulating the activity of Myc would fill this important gap. Recent studies using a dominant negative protein, Omomyc, have provided evidence regarding the therapeutic value of inhibiting Myc activity in cancer. Specifically, perturbing Myc activity in vivo eradicates tumors without irreversible damage to normal cells, as demonstrated in mouse models of cancer. Using a similar yet novel strategy, we have generated a minimalist hybrid protein inhibitor known as MaxE47 (ME47), which is composed of the subdomains of different b-HLH-LZ and b-HLH transcription factor families. ME47 is designed to act as a competitive inhibitor of DNA E-box binding by the Myc/Max heterodimer. We hypothesize that ME47 can be used as a tool to better understand how best to interfere with oncogenic Myc and will lead to the development of Myc-targeted therapeutics. Using our prototype inhibitor, ME47, with Omomyc as a proof-of-concept control, we have established the cell systems and assays necessary to (1) evaluate the anti-cancer efficacy of our Minimalist Hybrid Proteins in human cancer cells, and (2) to determine their mechanism of action and specificity. Here we have demonstrated that ME47 significantly reduces anchorage-independent growth in soft agar and cell viability in tumor-derived breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231, but not the non-transformed MCF10A breast cells. ME47 also significantly decreases tumor formation in xenograft mice. To begin to characterize the specificity and mechanism of action of ME47, luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays were used to evaluate whether ME47 is Myc and/or E-box specific. Using luciferase reporter constructs fused to the promoters of established Myc target genes such as Nucleolin, we have also demonstrated that MaxE47 decreases the ability of Myc to activate target gene transcription. While this work is focused on the development of a Myc/Max E-box interaction inhibitor, Dr. Linda Penn's research group is also implementing BioID mass spectrometry to identify novel Myc interacting partners (see Penn lab abstract Dingar et al.). This work could potentially reveal new targets for a similar mode of disruptive inhibition, where a Minimalist Hybrid Protein designed to inhibit the association of the novel interacting partner and Myc would disrupt Myc activity. A direct inhibitor of Myc activity in cancer would re-define the field of Myc therapeutics and could develop into a valuable tool for personalized cancer medicine in those patients with deregulated Myc. The success we have had with our ME47 inhibitor suggests that we are progressing along the path to such an inhibitor, and we look forward to continuing our work with this inhibitor and other Minimalist Hybrid Proteins. Citation Format: K. Ashley Hickman, Lindsay C. Lustig, Dharmendra Dingar, Romina Ponzielli, Christina Bros, Warren W.C Chan, Jumi Shin, Linda J.Z Penn. Characterizing a novel “Minimalist Hybrid Protein” inhibitor designed to target Myc activity in cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Myc: From Biology to Therapy; Jan 7-10, 2015; La Jolla, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2015;13(10 Suppl):Abstract nr A24.

Abstract Myc oncoprotein is a major driver of cancer initiation and progression, and thus targeting its activity would mark a key therapeutic advance. In a genetic preclinical mouse model, systemic Myc inhibition using the dominant-negative Myc mutant, termed Omomyc, showed that Ras-driven lung cancer could be eradicated without any harmful long-term effects to the animal. However, developing an anti-cancer agent that directly binds and inhibits Myc has not been possible, to date. Therefore, new strategies are required to inhibit Myc in cancer. Understanding the Myc interactome may unravel novel approaches to target Myc in cancer. The BioID proximity-based biotin labeling technique was recently developed for the characterization of protein-protein interaction networks. In BioID, the protein of interest is expressed as a fusion partner biotin ligase (BirA*), which activates biotin. The active biotin reacts with lysine residues on nearby polypeptides. Following a stringent cell lysis and streptavidin-sepharose pulldown, biotinylated proteins can be identified using MS. To date, this method has been applied to a number of different polypeptides expressed in cultured cells. Here we report the adaptation of BioID to the identification of protein-protein interactions surrounding the Myc oncoprotein in human cells grown both under standard culture conditions and in mice as tumor xenografts. Notably, in vivo BioID yielded >100 high confidence Myc interacting proteins, including >30 known binding partners such as MAX (Myc-associated factor X), TRRAP (transformation/transcription domain-associated protein), the enhancer of polycomb homologs 1 and 2 (EPC1, EPC2), lysine acetyltransferase 5 (KAT5). Putative novel Myc interactors include components of the STAGA/KAT5 and SWI/SNF chromatin remodelling complexes (see Penn lab abstract Tu et al), DNA repair and replication factors, general transcription and elongation factors, and transcriptional co-regulators such as the DNA helicase chromodomain 8 (CHD8). Providing additional confidence in these findings, ENCODE ChIP-seq datasets highlight significant coincident binding throughout the genome for the Myc interactors identified here, and we validate the previously unreported CHD8 (an ATP-dependent helicase)-Myc interaction using both a yeast two hybrid analysis and the proximity-based ligation assay (PLA). Additionally, we also validate Myc-BRD4 and Myc-TRIM24 interaction by PLA. In sum, here we identify bona fide interacting partners of Myc in vivo by use of BioID. Our study shows for the first time Myc interactome in vivo, understanding these interactors will shed more light on Myc oncogenesis, which can be used to therapeutically target Myc in cancer. Citation Format: Dharmendra Dingar, Manpreet Kalkat, Pak-Kei Chan, Swneke D. Bailey, Tharan Srikumar, William B. Tu, Etienne Coyaud, Romina Ponzielli, Max Kolyar, Igor Jurisica, Annie Huang, Mathieu Lupien, Brian Raught, Linda Z. Penn. In vivo BioID identifies novel Myc interacting partners. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Myc: From Biology to Therapy; Jan 7-10, 2015; La Jolla, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2015;13(10 Suppl):Abstract nr B04.

Solving the most critically important scientific problems or engineering groundbreaking technologies often requires teams of researchers from different backgrounds to work together. One might need to make new materials (chemistry), characterize and understand the properties of the material (physics), assemble the material into a useful device (engineering), address the biological problem to be solved (biology) and demonstrate utility in patients (medicine). A single laboratory is unlikely to have all of the expertise necessary to address complex problems that can make a significant impact on society. The merging of fields also makes otherwise impossible goals achievable, often in a timelier manner. This has led many granting agencies, academic and commercial institutions to encourage the development of interdisciplinary teams [1–3]. As a result, there has been an increase in the quantity and quality of publications combining the work of authors with diverse backgrounds. In the collaborative setting, trainees and principal investigators (PIs) alike become immersed in different areas of study, research styles and how fields beyond their own familiar worlds operate. These aspects introduce challenges to ensuring a team is productive and moving toward their research objectives. However, when the team is working well, this can be a particularly useful learning experience, leading to exceptionally well-rounded trainees that will learn from a variety of experts. While the idea of assembling the best-of-the-best scientists and engineers to address an important problem in society is of merit, the practical aspects of working together can be challenging. Ensuring success hinges on effective communication – knowing what and how best to convey thoughts and opinions. Our three research laboratories have different research experience, interests and backgrounds: we have merged together on a project that involves the identification, delivery and assessment of small peptide cancer drugs. Over the last 4 years, we have worked together to characterize and evaluate these drugs through shared funding from the Collaborative Health Research Program in Canada. Through this joint project, we have learned to be effective collaborators with one another, started to publish our results [4], and through the years, we have shared with one another experiences of good and bad collaborations. While there are a number of excellent commentaries to describe how teams in research work together [5,6], we thought an article that specifically focuses on practical tips that are important in building strong team dynamics and ensuring that the multidisciplinary research project is conducted in an efficient and productive manner in an academic setting would be useful for guiding other academic collaborators. Additionally, some of these principles may be further extended to include networking and academic-industrial collaborations.

The c-MYC transcription factor is a master regulator of many cellular processes and deregulation of this oncogene has been linked to more than 50% of all cancers. This deregulation can take many forms, including altered post-translational regulation. Here, using immunoprecipitation combined with mass spectrometry, we identified a MYC SUMOylation site (K326). Abrogation of signaling through this residue by substitution with arginine (K326R) has no obvious effects on MYC half-life, intracellular localization, transcriptional targets, nor on the biological effects of MYC overexpression in two different cell systems assessed for soft agar colony formation, proliferation, and apoptosis. While we have definitively demonstrated that MYC SUMOylation can occur on K326, future work will be needed to elucidate the mechanisms and biological significance of MYC regulation by SUMOylation.

Studying the effects of the physicochemical properties of nanomaterials on cellular uptake, toxicity, and exocytosis can provide the foundation for designing safer and more effective nanoparticles for clinical applications. However, an understanding of the effects of these properties on subcellular transport, accumulation, and distribution remains limited. The present study investigates the effects of surface density and particle size of semiconductor quantum dots on cellular uptake as well as nuclear transport kinetics, retention, and accumulation. The current work illustrates that cellular uptake and nuclear accumulation of nanoparticles depend on surface density of the nuclear localization signal (NLS) peptides with nuclear transport reaching a plateau at 20% surface NLS density in as little as 30 min. These intracellular nanoparticles have no effects on cell viability up to 72 h post treatment. These findings will set a foundation for engineering more sophisticated nanoparticle systems for imaging and manipulating genetic targets in the nucleus.

The BioID proximity-based biotin labeling technique was recently developed for the characterization of protein-protein interaction networks [1]. To date, this method has been applied to a number of different polypeptides expressed in cultured cells. Here we report the adaptation of BioID to the identification of protein-protein interactions surrounding the c-MYC oncoprotein in human cells grown both under standard culture conditions and in mice as tumor xenografts. Notably, in vivo BioID yielded >100 high confidence MYC interacting proteins, including >30 known binding partners. Putative novel MYC interactors include components of the STAGA/KAT5 and SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complexes, DNA repair and replication factors, general transcription and elongation factors, and transcriptional co-regulators such as the DNA helicase protein chromodomain 8 (CHD8). Providing additional confidence in these findings, ENCODE ChIP-seq datasets highlight significant coincident binding throughout the genome for the MYC interactors identified here, and we validate the previously unreported MYC-CHD8 interaction using both a yeast two hybrid analysis and the proximity-based ligation assay. In sum, we demonstrate that BioID can be utilized to identify bona fide interacting partners for a chromatin-associated protein in vivo. This technique will allow for a much improved understanding of protein-protein interactions in a previously inaccessible biological setting. BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE:The c-MYC (MYC) oncogene is a transcription factor that plays important roles in cancer initiation and progression. MYC expression is deregulated in more than 50% of human cancers, but the role of this protein in normal cell biology and tumor progression is still not well understood, in part because identifying MYC-interacting proteins has been technically challenging: MYC-containing chromatin-associated complexes are difficult to isolate using traditional affinity purification methods, and the MYC protein is exceptionally labile, with a half-life of only ~30 min. Developing a new strategy to gain insight into MYC-containing protein complexes would thus mark a key advance in cancer research. The recently described BioID proximity-based labeling technique represents a promising new complementary approach for the characterization of protein-protein interactions (PPIs) in cultured cells. Here we report that BioID can also be used to characterize protein-protein interactions for a chromatin-associated protein in tumor xenografts, and present a comprehensive, high confidence in vivo MYC interactome. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Protein dynamics in health and disease. Guest Editors: Pierre Thibault and Anne-Claude Gingras.

In this chapter, we discuss in detail two essential methods used to evaluate the interaction of Myc with another protein of interest: co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) and in vitro pull-down assays. Co-IP is a method that, by immunoaffinity, allows the identification of protein-protein interactions within cells. We provide methods to conduct Co-IPs from whole-cell extracts as well as cytoplasmic and nuclear-enriched fractions. By contrast, the pull-down assay evaluates whether a bait protein that is bound to a solid support can specifically interact with a prey protein that is in solution. We provide methods to conduct in vitro pull-downs and further detail how to use this assay to distinguish whether a protein-protein interaction is direct or indirect. We also discuss methods used to screen for Myc interactors and provide an in silico strategy to help prioritize hits for further validation using the described Co-IP and in vitro pull-down assays.

High-throughput, microarray-based chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP-chip) technology allows in vivo elucidation of transcriptional networks. However this complex is not yet readily accessible, in part because its many parameters have not been systematically evaluated and optimized. We address this gap by systematically assessing experimental-design parameters including antibody purity, dye-bias, array-batch, inter-day hybridization bias, amplification method and choice of hybridization control. The combined performance of these optimized parameters shows a 90% validation rate in ChIP-chip analysis of Myc genomic binding in HL60 cells using two different microarray platforms. Increased sensitivity and decreased noise in ChIP-chip assays will enable wider use of this methodology to accurately and affordably elucidate transcriptional networks.

Abstract c-myc oncogene activation is critical in the pathogenesis of a spectrum of human malignancies. The c-Myc NH2-terminal domain (MycNTD) is essential for cellular transformation, and mediates critical protein interactions that modulate c-Myc oncogenic properties. In medulloblastoma, the most common malignant pediatric brain tumor, deregulated c-myc expression is linked with poorer disease phenotypes and outcomes. The biological basis for these associations is, however, not well understood. To better understand mechanisms underlying Myc-mediated transformation of medulloblastoma, we sought to identify novel MycNTD protein interactors from a medulloblastoma cell line library using a unique two-hybrid system. We identified a novel MycNTD binding protein, JPO2, which shows nuclear colocalization with c-Myc, and interacts with c-Myc both in vitro and in mammalian cells. In Rat1a transformation assays, JPO2 potentiates c-Myc transforming activity, and can complement a transformation-defective Myc mutant. Immunohistochemical studies indicate tumor-specific JPO2 expression in human medulloblastoma, and an association of JPO2 expression with metastatic tumors. Significantly, JPO2 expression induces colony formation in UW228, a medulloblastoma cell line, whereas RNAi-mediated JPO2 knockdown impairs colony formation in UW228, and in Myc-transformed UW228 cells. These data provide evidence for biochemical and functional interaction between c-Myc and JPO2 in medulloblastoma transformation. JPO2 is closely related to JPO1, a Myc transcriptional target with transforming activity. As tumor-specific JPO1 expression in human and murine medulloblastoma has also been reported; these collective observations suggest important functional links between the novel JPO protein family and c-Myc in medulloblastoma transformation.

The potent Myc oncoprotein plays a pivotal role as a regulator of tumorigenesis in numerous human cancers of diverse origin. Experimental evidence shows that inhibiting Myc significantly halts tumour cell growth and proliferation. This review summarises recent progress in understanding the function of Myc as a transcription factor, with emphasis on key protein interactions and target gene regulation. In addition, major advances in drug development aimed at eliminating Myc are described, including antisense and triple helix forming oligonucleotides, porphyrins and siRNA. Future anti-Myc strategies are also discussed that inhibit Myc at the level of expression and/or function. Targeting the dark side of Myc with novel therapeutic agents promises to have a profound impact in combating cancer.

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