Abstract 1711: Rearranged active enhancers and promoter-enhancer contacts promote lipid metabolic reprogramming during secondary trastuzumab adaptation of HER2 positive breast cancer
Authors: Duan Ningjun , Hua Yijia , Yin Yongmei 
Published: March 2024

Background: The development of secondary trastuzumab resistance signifies an evolutionary adaptation within HER2-positive breast cancer during anti-HER2 treatment. Our research reveals a comprehensive metabolic reprogramming, with a particular emphasis on the synthesis of unsaturated fatty acids and the degradation of arachidonic acid, accompanying this adaptation. Non-mutational epigenetic variations, particularly alterations in active enhancers, coupled with the rearrangement of enhancer-promoter contacts, demonstrate robust correlations with lipid metabolic reprogramming. These findings suggest that non-mutational epigenetic variations play a crucial role in driving the adaptation to trastuzumab.

Materials and Methods: In a prior investigation, we successfully generated secondary trastuzumab-resistant SKBR3_HR cells. In our current study, total RNA was extracted from both trastuzumab-resistant SKBR3_HR and trastuzumab-sensitive SKBR3 cells for transcriptome analysis. Additionally, mass spectrometry was employed to analyze cellular metabolism in both resistant and sensitive cell populations. Simultaneously, we utilized the CUT&Tag kit with an anti-H3K27ac antibody to create a sequencing library for active enhancer measurement. Furthermore, the Micro-C kit was applied to generate a sequencing library for genome contact measurement.

Results: In our study, secondary trastuzumab-adaptive SKBR3_HR cells demonstrated a reduction in cellular unsaturated fatty acids, with more than 110 UFAs or UFA-containing lipids showing decreases, while only 36 exhibited increases. This phenomenon may be attributed to the downregulation of SCD, FADS2, and HACD2. Simultaneously, the upregulation of PTGS1 and PTGES may contribute to a higher conversion of arachidonic acid to prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), resulting in immune inhibition. In SKBR3 and SKBR3_HR cells, 10,955 and 10,889 non-promoter H3K27me3 peaks, respectively, were identified as active enhancer regions. Among them, 379 enhancers became silent, and 313 transitioned into an active state during the formation of trastuzumab adaptation. Trastuzumab adaptation led to an increase in intra-chromosomal interactions, particularly short-distance contacts (&lt; 1MB). By employing the activity-by-contact (ABC) algorithm, we observed significant variant contacts between PTGES and SCD promoters and enhancers within 1MB genomic regions in SKBR3_HR cells compared to SKBR3 cells.

Conclusion: The formation of secondary trastuzumab adaptation involves the rearrangement of active enhancers and promoter-enhancer contacts, serving as an effective force to drive lipid

metabolic reprogramming, especially the synthesis of unsaturated fatty acids and PGE2 production, reshaping the cellular fatty acid composition and anti-tumor immunity.

Citation Format: Ningjun Duan, Yijia Hua, Yongmei Yin. Rearranged active enhancers and promoter-enhancer contacts promote lipid metabolic reprogramming during secondary trastuzumab adaptation of HER2 positive breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 1711.