Abstract LB037: Chromatin modifications guide Pax5 dependent gene expression in NE like prostate cancer

Abstract

Background: Prolonged ablation of androgen receptor pathway in prostate cancer leads to the emergence of therapy resistant neuroendocrine-like (NE-like) aggressive lineage. This NE development is associated with chromatin reprogramming underlying epigenetic alterations and changes in transcriptional network. Clinically, NE development follows a poorer progression with multifaceted therapeutic challenges. Current lack of effective understanding of this NE trans-differentiation process limits the stratification of therapeutic window with further worsened patient management. The following study aims to identify the sequential molecular players responsible for therapy resistant NE like development. Objective: The primary objective of this study is to understand how chromatin modifications along with epigenetic regulation dictates the establishment of NE trans-differentiation process in Prostate Cancer in response to Androgen Receptor blockade therapy. Methods: We generated various NE-like cell lines either by genetic modification or therapeutic selection. We performed RNA Seq, ATAC Seq and acetylated Histone (H3K18 and H3K27) ChIP Seq in our developed NE and adenocarcinoma cell lines. We next compared ATAC Seq and Acetylated histone ChIP Seq with RNA Seq in C4-2B and C4-2BER. Results: Our ATAC Seq and acetylated histone footprints (Ac H3K18 and Ac H3K27 ChIP Seq) analyses revealed an enhanced chromatin accessibility during adenocarcinoma to NE transformation. Overlapping RNA seq results further suggested newly transcribed neuronal genes with higher degrees of promoter accessibility. Transcription Factor scanning analysis among newly active gene promoters revealed preferential binding of Pax5, whose expression has been validated to be selectively occurring in NE lineage unlike adenocarcinoma. Further analysis of Pax5 promoter site suggested that changes in 5-hydroxymethylation pattern during adenocarcinoma to NE transformation guided the recruitment of PBX1 at Pax5 promoter. Validating NE patient expression in silico supported that PBX1/Pax5 expressions are selective in NE lineage development. Conclusions: Our study concludes that specific chromatin alterations guide the recruitment of PBX1 to upregulate Pax5 to maintain a therapy resistant neuronal surrounding in NE-like prostate cancer development. Citation Format: Sreyashi Bhattacharya, Ridwan Islam, Sanika Bodas, Juhi Mishra, Dipanwita Das, Kaustubh Datta, Samikshan Dutta. Chromatin modifications guide Pax5 dependent gene expression in NE like prostate cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr LB037.