Abstract 1693: Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase in clear cell renal cell carcinoma primary tumors and metastases
2016-07-15

Abstract Background/Purpose: Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) is an enzyme involved in the biotransformation of many drugs and xenobiotic compounds. It is overexpressed in different cancers and has been shown to enhance the migratory and invasive activity of cancer cells. Additionally, NNMT is an important regulator of the methylation potential in cells by consumption of S-adenosyl methionine (SAM), an important substrate for methyltransferases. By this mechanism NNMT reduces methylation of proteins such as certain histones leading to epigenetic remodeling and induced expression of tumor-promoting genes (Ulanovskaya et al, Nat. Chem. Biol. 2013). In clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), the dominant histological subtype of renal cell cancer, NNMT is expressed at high levels compared to normal kidney tissue and could represent a novel therapeutic target, especially for the treatment of metastatic disease which is marked by a five-year survival rate of below 10% with currently available therapies. Methods: We analyzed NNMT in a ccRCC patient cohort from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) concerning mRNA expression (n = 463), somatic variations (n = 410) and association with clinical parameters and patient survival. In an independent collection of ccRCC tissues (n = 64), corresponding normal kidney tissues and metastatic tissues from different organs (n = 129), NNMT mRNA and protein expression were quantified via Real-Time PCR and immunohistochemical staining of tissue microarrays, respectively. Results: In both cohorts, NNMT mRNA expression was significantly upregulated in tumor compared to non-tumor tissue. Somatic mutations and copy number alterations in the NNMT gene locus were observed in only a small number of patients. NNMT mRNA expression correlated weakly with tumor stage and grading in both cohorts, but not with the presence of lymph node or distant metastases. In Kaplan-Meier analyses high NNMT expression was associated with worse overall and cancer-specific survival. In ccRCC metastases from different organ sites, NNMT mRNA and protein expression were also induced compared to normal kidney tissue and high expression was again associated with worse patient survival in Kaplan-Meier analysis (HR = 2.15, Plog-rank = 0.05). Conclusion: NNMT mRNA and protein are highly expressed not only in primary tissue of ccRCC, but also in metastases derived from different organs, offering it as a potential drug-target for metastatic ccRCC. Although NNMT expression is a good prognostic indicator for patient survival, its molecular function in ccRCC tumorigenesis and metastasis formation has to be further evaluated. Supported by the Robert Bosch Foundation, Stuttgart, Germany and the ICEPHA Grant Tuebingen-Stuttgart, Germany Citation Format: Anna Reustle, Steffen Rausch, Stefan Winter, Florian Büttner, Stephan Kruck, Joerg Hennenlotter, Marcus Scharpf, Falko Fend, Jens Bedke, Arnulf Stenzl, Matthias Schwab, Elke Schaeffeler. Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase in clear cell renal cell carcinoma primary tumors and metastases. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 1693.