The Down syndrome-associated DYRK1A kinase has been reported as a stimulator of the developmentally important Hedgehog (Hh) pathway, but cells from Down syndrome patients paradoxically display reduced Hh signaling activity. Here, we find that DYRK1A stimulates GLI transcription factor activity through phosphorylation of general nuclear localization clusters. In contrast, in vivo and in vitro experiments reveal that DYRK1A kinase can also function as an inhibitor of endogenous Hh signaling by negatively regulating ABLIM proteins, the actin cytoskeleton and the transcriptional co-activator MKL1 (MAL). As a final effector of the DYRK1A–ABLIM-Actin-MKL1 sequence, we identify the MKL1-interactor Jumonji-domain demethylase 1A (JMJD1A) as a novel Hh pathway component stabilizing the GLI1 protein in a demethylase-independent manner. Furthermore, a Jumonji-specific small molecule antagonist represents a novel and powerful inhibitor of Hh signal transduction by inducing GLI1 protein degradation in vitro and in vivo.

The Hedgehog (HH) pathway has been identified as an important deregulated signal transduction pathway in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), a cancer type characterized by a highly metastatic phenotype. In PDAC, the canonical HH pathway activity is restricted to the stromal compartment while HH signaling in the tumor cells is reduced as a consequence of constitutive KRAS activation. Here we report that in the tumor compartment of PDAC the HH pathway effector transcription factor GLI1 regulates epithelial differentiation. RNAi-mediated knockdown of GLI1 abolished characteristics of epithelial differentiation, increased cell motility and synergized with TGFβ to induce an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Notably, EMT conversion in PDAC cells occurred in the absence of induction of SNAIL or SLUG, two canonical inducers of EMT in many other settings. Further mechanistic analysis revealed that GLI1 directly regulated the transcription of E-cadherin, a key determinant of epithelial tissue organization. Collectively, our findings identify GLI1 as an important positive regulator of epithelial differentiation, and they offer an explanation for how decreased levels of GLI1 are likely to contribute to the highly metastatic phenotype of PDAC.

Uncontrolled Hedgehog (Hh) signaling is the cause of several malignancies, including the pediatric cancer medulloblastoma, a neuroectodermal tumor affecting the cerebellum. Despite the development of potent Hh pathway antagonists, medulloblastoma drug resistance is still an unresolved issue that requires the identification of novel drug targets. Following up on our observation that histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) expression was increased in Hh-driven medulloblastoma, we found that this enzyme is essential for full Hh pathway activation. Intriguingly, these stimulatory effects of HDAC6 are partly integrated downstream of primary cilia, a known HDAC6-regulated structure. In addition, HDAC6 is also required for the complete repression of basal Hh target gene expression. These contrasting effects are mediated by HDAC6 0 s impact on Gli2 mRNA and GLI3 protein expression. As a result of this complex interaction with Hh signaling, global transcriptome analysis revealed that HDAC6 regulates only a subset of Smoothened-and Gli-driven genes, including all well-established Hh targets such as Ptch1 or Gli1. Importantly, medulloblastoma cell survival was severely compromised by HDAC6 inhibition in vitro and pharmacologic HDAC6 blockade strongly reduced tumor growth in an in vivo allograft model. In summary, our data describe an important role for HDAC6 in regulating the mammalian Hh pathway and encourage further studies focusing on HDAC6 as a novel drug target in medulloblastoma.

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Nature Communications 6: Article number:8023 (2015); Published: 27 August 2015; Updated: 26 October 2015 In Fig. 2j of this Article, the image in the lower left panel was inadvertently duplicated from the upper left panel during the final stages of manuscript preparation. The correct version of the figure appears below.

<p>This file contains experiments about the role of HDAC6 in cilia formation.</p>

<p>Material lists</p>

<p>This file contains images of mice with xenograft samples at the end of the experiment.</p>