Abstract 2127: Polycomb signaling reciprocally regulates sensitivity of testicular germ cell tumors cells to cisplatin and DNA hypomethylating agents
Authors: Singh Ratnakar , Bikorimana Emmanuel , Fazal Zeeshan , Yerby Cliff , Baldwin Hannah , Hattab Aleyah Destiny , Tomlin Megan , Corbet Andrea K. , Boyd Raya Iman , Shahid Khadeeja , Shokry Doha Naguib Ahmed Mohamed , Spinella Sarah Joy , Spinella Michael J. 
Published: July 2021

Testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) are the most frequent solid cancers of males between the ages of 16 to 39 and have the highest mortality in this age group. Testicular cancer is highly curable with platinum-based chemotherapeutics. However, 15-20% of patients are resistant and succumb to their disease. The mechanisms for cisplatin sensitivity/resistance in testicular cancer is unclear. Previously we showed that cisplatin refractory testicular cancer is highly sensitive to the DNA methyltransferase inhibitors (DNMTi), 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-AZA-DC) and guadecitabine in vivo and in vitro. High expression of DNMT3B correlates with sensitivity to DNMTi in TGCT cells. Based on these preclinical findings we recently completed a phase 1 clinical trial which demonstrated the combination of guadecitabine and cisplatin was tolerable and effective in treating patients with platinum refractory germ cell cancer. To better understand the mechanism of chemotherapy sensitivity/resistance in testicular cancer we generated a series of cisplatin resistant cell models. Genome wide methylome array and de novo transcriptional profiling of cisplatin resistant TGCT cells revealed decreased global H3K27 methylation due to suppression of the polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2 ). To better understand the relationship between cisplatin and 5-AZA-DC sensitivity, 5-AZA-DC resistant testicular cancer cells were also generated. Remarkably, there was a reciprocal relationship between cisplatin and 5-AZA-DC resistance, with cisplatin resistance associated with increased sensitivity to 5-AZA-DC and 5-AZA-DC resistance associated with increased sensitivity to cisplatin. Transcriptomics profiling and other studies in 5-AZA-DC resistant cells revealed increased H3K27me3, repression of polycomb target genes and a dramatic decreased in DNMT3B expression, the exact opposite of the situation in cisplatin resistant cells. Further knockdown of DNMT3B resulted in induction of H3K27me3, decreased sensitivity to 5-AZA-DC and increased sensitivity to cisplatin. These data suggest that DNA methylation and polycomb signaling are interconnected drivers of chemotherapy and epigenetic therapy responses in TGCTs. Ongoing H3K27 me3 ChIP-Seq, global methylation analysis, and validation studies will be described to further elucidate these mechanisms with the goal of devising novel epigenetic-based therapies for testicular and potentially other cancers.

Citation Format: Ratnakar Singh, Emmanuel Bikorimana, Zeeshan Fazal, Cliff Yerby, Hannah Baldwin, Aleyah Destiny Hattab, Megan Tomlin, Andrea K. Corbet, Raya Iman Boyd, Khadeeja Shahid, Doha Naguib Ahmed Mohamed Shokry, Sarah Joy Spinella, Michael J. Spinella. Polycomb signaling reciprocally regulates sensitivity of testicular germ cell tumors cells to cisplatin and DNA hypomethylating agents [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 2127.