Associations of epigenome-wide DNA methylation patterns with chemosensitivity and chemoresistance of small cell lung cancer cell lines (AACR-NCI-EORTC 2019)
Increased methylation and low expression of TREX1 were associated with SCLC cell line sensitivity to multiple Aurora kinase inhibitors AZD-1152, SCH-1473759, SNS-314, and TAK-901, as well as to the CDK inhibitor R-547, Vertex ATR inhibitor Cpd 45, and the mitotic spindle disruptor vinorelbine...Among other examples, EPAS1 (HIF2A) was associated with several Aurora kinase inhibitors, the PLK1 inhibitor GSK-461364, and the Bcl-2 inhibitor ABT-737...IGFBP5, which is expressed in the tuft cell-like SCLC subtype, was associated with the mTOR inhibitor INK-128...Methylation and expression of YAP1, a SCLC lineage driver regulating the Hippo pathway, were correlated with the MTOR inhibitor rapamycin...The 5’ UTR region of the epigenetic modifier EZH2 was associated with Aurora kinase inhibitors and the FGFR inhibitor BGJ-398. These and multiple other associations identified in this study provide a novel understanding of epigenetic mechanisms which may modulate SCLC response to chemotherapy, and suggest potential molecular targets for combination therapies. This research was supported in part with federal funds from the National Cancer Institute, NIH, under contract HHSN261200800001E.