Abstract 1729: Investigating deregulated circadian clock machinery in cancer cells
Authors: Watt Pauline J. van der , Davis Kate , Leaner Virna 
Published: August 2019

The circadian clock plays an integral role in cellular functioning by temporally controlling gene expression, and there is accumulating evidence for a link between circadian clock disruption and cancer progression. In this study we aimed to investigate circadian clock gene expression and oscillation patterns in cervical and oesophageal cancers, in order to determine whether disruptions in circadian clock functioning occur in these cancer types. Microarray gene expression analysis revealed the circadian clock gene, Per2, to be one of the most significantly downregulated genes in cervical cancer patient tissue compared to normal epithelium. In addition, Oncomine data-mining revealed significant downregulation of not only Per2, but multiple members of the circadian clock gene family (Clock, Bmal1, Per1, Per2, Cry1, Rev-erbα and RORα) in cervical cancer tissue compared to normal. Real-time RT-PCR analysis of circadian clock genes in oesophageal cancer patient tissue compared to matched normal epithelium revealed significant downregulation of Clock, Per2, Cry1 and RORα in oesophageal tumour tissue. Significant positive correlations were observed where circadian clock genes were simultaneously dysregulated in tumour tissue specimens. In cell line models, Clock, Bmal1, Per2, Cry1 and RORα circadian clock genes were significantly downregulated in transformed cells, compared to their untransformed counterparts, as well as in most cervical and oesophageal cancer cell lines compared to non-cancer epithelial cells. Patterns of protein expression did not accurately match mRNA expression, likely due to extensive post-translational processing, but Clock and Cry1 protein levels were considerably reduced in the cancer cell lines compared to normal. Overexpression of circadian clock genes in cancer cell lines negatively affected cell proliferation, highlighting the tumour suppressor properties of these genes in cervical and oesophageal cancer cells. Despite downreglated expression of circadian clock genes, cervical and oesophageal cancer cells maintain functional circadian oscillations, after synchronisation with Dexamethasone, as shown using real-time bioluminescence imaging, suggesting that their circadian clock mechanisms are still intact. Together, this study is a first to describe deregulated circadian clock machinery in cervical and oesophageal cancer cells, although the cells maintain a functional circadian rhythm. The study has relevance to the field of chronotherapy, where elucidating differences in circadian clock functioning in normal and cancer cells could yield better insights into the timing of administration of chemotherapy, ultimately ensuring a better patient response.

Citation Format: Pauline J. van der Watt, Kate Davis, Virna Leaner. Investigating deregulated circadian clock machinery in cancer cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1729.