A system-level approach identifies HIF-2α as a critical regulator of chondrosarcoma progression

Hyeonkyeong Kim, Yongsik Cho, Hyeon Seop Kim, Donghyun Kang, Donghyeon Cheon, Yi Jun Kim, Moon Jong Chang, Kyoung Min Lee, Chong Bum Chang, Seung Baik Kang, Hyun Guy Kang, Jin Hong Kim

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Scopus citations

Abstract

Chondrosarcomas, malignant cartilaginous neoplasms, are capable of transitioning to highly aggressive, metastatic, and treatment-refractory states, resulting in significant patient mortality. Here, we aim to uncover the transcriptional program directing such tumor progression in chondrosarcomas. We conduct weighted correlation network analysis to extract a characteristic gene module underlying chondrosarcoma malignancy. Hypoxia-inducible factor-2α (HIF-2α, encoded by EPAS1) is identified as an upstream regulator that governs the malignancy gene module. HIF-2α is upregulated in high-grade chondrosarcoma biopsies and EPAS1 gene amplification is associated with poor prognosis in chondrosarcoma patients. Using tumor xenograft mouse models, we demonstrate that HIF-2α confers chondrosarcomas the capacities required for tumor growth, local invasion, and metastasis. Meanwhile, pharmacological inhibition of HIF-2α, in conjunction with the chemotherapy agents, synergistically enhances chondrosarcoma cell apoptosis and abolishes malignant signatures of chondrosarcoma in mice. We expect that our insights into the pathogenesis of chondrosarcoma will provide guidelines for the development of molecular targeted therapeutics for chondrosarcoma.

Original languageEnglish
Article number5023
JournalNature Communications
Volume11
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Dec 2020

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The authors thank the staff from the orthopedic surgery teams of the National Cancer Center, Seoul National University Boramae Hospital, and Seoul National University Bundang Hospital and the patients for participating in the study. We would also like to acknowledge Professor Joel A. Block, Rush University Medical Centre, Chicago, USA, for provision of the JJ012 cell line. This work was supported by grants from the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2015M3A9E6028674, NRF-2016R1A5A1010764, and NRF-2017M3A9D8064193), Korean Ministry for Health and Welfare (1520070), the Institute for Basic Science from the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning of Korea (IBS-R008-D1), and Suh Kyungbae foundation.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020, The Author(s).

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