Cited by 416Telomeres, Telomerase, and SenescenceGenomics and Chromatin DynamicsChromatin Remodeling and Cancer

BRD4 Connects Enhancer Remodeling to Senescence Immune Surveillance

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Tasdemir, Nilgun, Banito, Ana, Roe, Jae-Seok, Alonso-Curbelo, Direna, Camiolo, Matthew, Tschaharganeh, Darjus F., Huang, Chun-Hao, Aksoy, Ozlem +7 more·2016·Cancer Discovery

Published version of a preprint

Abstract

Oncogene-induced senescence is a potent barrier to tumorigenesis that limits cellular expansion following certain oncogenic events. Senescent cells display a repressive chromatin configuration thought to stably silence proliferation-promoting genes while simultaneously activating an unusual form of immune surveillance involving a secretory program referred to as the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Here, we demonstrate that senescence also involves a global remodeling of the enhancer landscape with recruitment of the chromatin reader BRD4 to newly activated super-enhancers adjacent to key SASP genes. Transcriptional profiling and functional studies indicate that BRD4 is required for the SASP and downstream paracrine signaling. Consequently, BRD4 inhibition disrupts immune cell–mediated targeting and elimination of premalignant senescent cells in vitro and in vivo. Our results identify a critical role for BRD4-bound super-enhancers in senescence immune surveillance and in the proper execution of a tumor-suppressive program. Significance: This study reveals how cells undergoing oncogene-induced senescence acquire a distinctive enhancer landscape that includes formation of super-enhancers adjacent to immune-modulatory genes required for paracrine immune activation. This process links BRD4 and super-enhancers to a tumor-suppressive immune surveillance program that can be disrupted by small molecule inhibitors of the bromo and extra terminal domain family of proteins. Cancer Discov; 6(6); 612–29. ©2016 AACR. See related commentary by Vizioli and Adams, p. 576. This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 561

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Crossref · 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-16-0217

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  • Genome-wide analysis of H3K4me3, H3K27me3 and H3K27ac in senescent cells reveals dynamic acquisition and depletion of large-scale chromatin domains proposed to regulate key senescence downstream effectors.

    “Genome-wide analysis of H3 Lys4 trimethylation, H3 Lys27 trimethylation and H3 Lys27 acetylation in senescent cells has also revealed the dynamic acquisition and depletion of large-scale chromatin domains that have been proposed to regulate the expression of key senescence downstream effectors68–72”

    From Cellular senescence in ageing: from mechanisms to therapeutic opportunities (2021) · cites this paper as [71]

    The Results sections on enhancer remodeling and the SASP transcriptional profile report genome-wide H3K27ac changes in senescent IMR90 cells, including gains and losses at super-enhancers associated with senescence-related gene expression. The Methods describe analysis of H3K27ac and H3K4me1, but not the claimed H3K4me3 or H3K27me3 analyses. Page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • BRD4 supports the proper execution of cellular senescence and unexpectedly behaves as a tumour suppressor.

    “BRD4 contributes to the proper execution of cellular senescence and acts, unexpectedly, as a tumour suppressor.”
  • Chemical or genetic inactivation of BRD4 reduces the SASP, limits immune-mediated clearance in OIS, and may leave damaged cells that can escape senescence.

    “Indeed, chemical and genetic inactivation of BRD4 blunts the SASP, limits OIS immune-mediated cell clearance and may thus fail to remove damaged cells that are prone to senescence escape71.”
  • MacroH2A1, HMGB2, MLL1 and BRD4 regulate SASP factor gene expression in response to DNA damage.

    “Other epigenetic regulators, such as macroH2A1, high mobility group box 2 (HMGB2), mixed‐lineage leukemia 1 (MLL1) and bromodomain‐containing protein 4 (BRD4), have been demonstrated as regulators of SASP factor gene expression in response to DNA damage.52, 53, 54, 55”
  • BRD4 inactivation via shRNA or BET inhibitors has been shown to repress SASP gene expression in oncogene-induced senescent cells, suggesting the possibility of senescence without the SASP.

    “BRD4 inactivation via shRNA or BET inhibitors has been shown to repress SASP gene expression in oncogene-induced senescent cells [29], suggesting the possibility of senescence without the SASP [30].”

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Authors
Tasdemir, N., Banito, A., Roe, J.-S., Alonso-Curbelo, D., Camiolo, M., Tschaharganeh, D. F., Huang, C.-H., Aksoy, O., Bolden, J. E., Chen, C.-C., Fennell, M., Thapar, V., Chicas, A., Vakoc, C. R., & Lowe, S. W.
Affiliations
  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (US)
  • Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (US)
  • 1Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York.
  • Stony Brook University (US)
Corresponding author
  • Vakoc, Christopher R.
  • Lowe, Scott W.
Venue
Cancer Discovery
Published
2016-06-01
Volume
6
Issue
6
Pages
612-629
ISSN
  • 2159-8274 (ISSN-L)
  • 2159-8290
OpenAlex
W2342055991
Cited by
415
References
78
Citations by year
2026: 42 · 2025: 41 · 2024: 62 · 2023: 44 · 2022: 51 · 2021: 49 · 2020: 36 · 2019: 34 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 28 · 2016: 8
FWCI
24.15
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Cancer Discovery (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Institutional Repository (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (submittedVersion)
  • Swinburne figshare (Swinburne University of Technology) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (1s10od020122-01, 5p30ca045508-35)
  • National Institute on Aging (R56AG016379, R01AG016379)
  • National Cancer Institute (P30-CA045508, R01CA174793, P01CA013106, P30CA008748)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Telomeres, Telomerase, and Senescence
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Genomics and Chromatin Dynamics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Chromatin Remodeling and Cancer
Keywords
BRD4, super-enhancers, enhancer remodeling, oncogene-induced senescence, senescence-associated secretory phenotype, chromatin reader proteins, paracrine signaling, tumor suppression, senescent cell elimination
MeSH terms
Bromodomain Containing Proteins, Animals, Binding Sites, Cell Cycle, Enhancer Elements, Genetic, Fibroblasts, Gene Expression Regulation, Histones, Humans, Immunologic Surveillance, Membrane Proteins, Nuclear Proteins, Oncogenes, Protein Binding, Transcription Factors, Cluster Analysis, Cellular Senescence, Cell Cycle Proteins, Computational Biology, Paracrine Communication, GTP Phosphohydrolases, Gene Expression Profiling, Hepatocytes, Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly, Cell Line, Tumor, Chromatin Immunoprecipitation, Cell Proliferation, Mice, Position-Specific Scoring Matrices, High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing, Nucleotide Motifs

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