Abstract
Supratentorial ependymoma (ST-EPN) is a type of malignant brain tumor mainly seen in children. Since 2014, it has been known that an intrachromosomal fusion C11orf95-RELA is an oncogenic driver in ST-EPN [Parker et al. Nature 506:451–455 (2014); Pietsch et al. Acta Neuropathol 127:609–611 (2014)] but the molecular mechanisms of oncogenesis are unclear. Here we show that the C11orf95 component of the fusion protein dictates DNA binding activity while the RELA component is required for driving the expression of ependymoma-associated genes. Epigenomic characterizations using ChIP-seq and HiChIP approaches reveal that C11orf95-RELA modulates chromatin states and mediates chromatin interactions, leading to transcriptional reprogramming in ependymoma cells. Our findings provide important characterization of the molecular underpinning of C11orf95-RELA fusion and shed light on potential therapeutic targets for C11orf95-RELA subtype ependymoma.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 951-960 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Acta Neuropathologica |
| Volume | 140 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 2020 |
Funding
We would like to thank members of the CCL laboratory at the Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine for helpful discussions and Amanda Lazarus for administrative support. This work was partially supported by funding from the Chenevert Family Foundation, Inc. (CCL) and the Martin J. Gavin Endowment at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center (CCL), National Cancer Institute P30CA034196 (to AWC) and the National Human Genome Research Institute R01-HG009900 (to AWC).
Keywords
- 3D genome
- C11orf95-RELA
- Supratentorial ependymoma
- Transcription factor
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pathology and Forensic Medicine
- Clinical Neurology
- Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience