Cited by 216Cancer, Hypoxia, and MetabolismRenal cell carcinoma treatmentEpigenetics and DNA Methylation

Epigenetic expansion of VHL-HIF signal output drives multiorgan metastasis in renal cancer

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Vanharanta, Sakari, Shu, Weiping, Brenet, Fabienne, Hakimi, A Ari, Heguy, Adriana, Viale, Agnes, Reuter, Victor E, Hsieh, James J-D +2 more·2013·Nature Medicine

Abstract

Inactivation of the von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor gene, VHL, is an archetypical tumor-initiating event in clear cell renal carcinoma (ccRCC) that leads to the activation of hypoxia-inducible transcription factors (HIFs). However, VHL mutation status in ccRCC is not correlated with clinical outcome. Here we show that during ccRCC progression, cancer cells exploit diverse epigenetic alterations to empower a branch of the VHL-HIF pathway for metastasis, and the strength of this activation is associated with poor clinical outcome. By analyzing metastatic subpopulations of VHL-deficient ccRCC cells, we discovered an epigenetically altered VHL-HIF response that is specific to metastatic ccRCC. Focusing on the two most prominent pro-metastatic VHL-HIF target genes, we show that loss of Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2)-dependent histone H3 Lys27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) activates HIF-driven chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 4 (CXCR4) expression in support of chemotactic cell invasion, whereas loss of DNA methylation enables HIF-driven cytohesin 1 interacting protein (CYTIP) expression to protect cancer cells from death cytokine signals. Thus, metastasis in ccRCC is based on an epigenetically expanded output of the tumor-initiating pathway.

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  • Loss of PRC2-dependent histone H3 Lys-27 trimethylation activates HIF-mediated CXCR4 expression to promote invasion and metastasis.

    “loss of polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2)–dependent histone H3 Lys-27 trimethylation activates HIF-mediated chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 4 (CXCR4) expression to promote invasion and metastasis”

    From Hypoxic control of metastasis (2016) · cites this paper as [26]

  • Epigenetic modifications within prometastatic genes allow for enhanced expression of metastasis-associated HIF target genes.

    “epigenetic modifications within prometastatic genes allow for enhanced expression of metastasis-associated HIF target genes”

    From Hypoxic control of metastasis (2016) · cites this paper as [26]

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Authors
Vanharanta, S., Shu, W., Brenet, F., Hakimi, A. A., Heguy, A., Viale, A., Reuter, V. E., Hsieh, J. J.-D., Scandura, J. M., & Massagué, J.
Affiliations
  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (US)
  • Weill Cornell Medicine (US)
Corresponding author
Massagué, Joan
Venue
Nature Medicine
Published
2012-12-09
Volume
19
Issue
1
Pages
50-56
ISSN
  • 1078-8956 (ISSN-L)
  • 1546-170X
OpenAlex
W2086553719
Cited by
215
References
57
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 19 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 23 · 2015: 22 · 2014: 29 · 2013: 14 · 2012: 1
FWCI
6.99
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Apollo (University of Cambridge) (submittedVersion)
  • Apollo
Funders
National Cancer Institute (P01CA129243, P30CA008748, T32CA082088)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cancer Research › Cancer, Hypoxia, and Metabolism
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine › Renal cell carcinoma treatment
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Epigenetics and DNA Methylation
Keywords
clear cell renal cell carcinoma, VHL, hypoxia-inducible factor, metastasis, epigenetic reprogramming, CXCR4, H3K27me3, polycomb repressive complex 2, DNA methylation, chromatin modification, tumor progression, chemotaxis, cytokine resistance, multiple organ metastasis
MeSH terms
Animals, Base Sequence, Carcinoma, Renal Cell, Histones, Humans, Kidney Neoplasms, Neoplasm Metastasis, Transcription Factors, Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic, Mice, SCID, Mice, Inbred NOD, Sequence Analysis, DNA, DNA Methylation, Receptors, CXCR4, Cell Line, Tumor, Mice, Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, Von Hippel-Lindau Tumor Suppressor Protein, Polycomb Repressive Complex 2

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