Mitochondrial RNA methyltransferase TRMT61B is a new, potential biomarker and therapeutic target for highly aneuploid cancers

Autor: Alberto Martín, Carolina Epifano, Borja Vilaplana-Marti, Iván Hernández, Rocío I. R. Macías, Ángel Martínez-Ramírez, Ana Cerezo, Pablo Cabezas-Sainz, Maria Garranzo-Asensio, Sandra Amarilla-Quintana, Déborah Gómez-Domínguez, Eduardo Caleiras, Jordi Camps, Gonzalo Gómez-López, Marta Gómez de Cedrón, Ana Ramírez de Molina, Rodrigo Barderas, Laura Sánchez, Susana Velasco-Miguel, Ignacio Pérez de Castro
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Cell death and differentiation.
ISSN: 1476-5403
Popis: Despite being frequently observed in cancer cells, chromosomal instability (CIN) and its immediate consequence, aneuploidy, trigger adverse effects on cellular homeostasis that need to be overcome by anti-stress mechanisms. As such, these safeguard responses represent a tumor-specific Achilles heel, since CIN and aneuploidy are rarely observed in normal cells. Recent data have revealed that epitranscriptomic marks catalyzed by RNA-modifying enzymes change under various stress insults. However, whether aneuploidy is associated with such RNA modifying pathways remains to be determined. Through an in silico search for aneuploidy biomarkers in cancer cells, we found TRMT61B, a mitochondrial RNA methyltransferase enzyme, to be associated with high levels of aneuploidy. Accordingly, TRMT61B protein levels are increased in tumor cell lines with an imbalanced karyotype as well as in different tumor types when compared to control tissues. Interestingly, while TRMT61B depletion induces senescence in melanoma cell lines with low levels of aneuploidy, it leads to apoptosis in cells with high levels. The therapeutic potential of these results was further validated by targeting TRMT61B in transwell and xenografts assays. We show that TRM61B depletion reduces the expression of several mitochondrial encoded proteins and limits mitochondrial function. Taken together, these results identify a new biomarker of aneuploidy in cancer cells that could potentially be used to selectively target highly aneuploid tumors.
Databáze: OpenAIRE