Wang Hanling, Zhang Sulin, Pan Qiang, Guo Jiacheng, Li Ni, Chen Lifan, Xu Junyu, Zhou Jingyi, Gu Yongqiang, Wang Xuege, Zhang Guoying, Lian Yannan, Zhang Wei, Lin Naiheng, Jin Zige, Zang Yi, Lan Weihua, Cheng Xiaoyan, Tan Minjia, Chen Fei Xavier, Jiang Jun, Liu Qiuli, Zheng Mingyue, Qin Jun
CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Drug Discovery and Design Center, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Nat Cancer. 2025 Apr;6(4):629-646. doi: 10.1038/s43018-025-00928-z. Epub 2025 Mar 18.
The transdifferentiation from adenocarcinoma to neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) in men confers antiandrogen therapy resistance. Here our analysis combining CRISPR‒Cas9 screening with single-cell RNA sequencing tracking of tumor transition demonstrated that antiandrogen-induced zinc finger MYND-type containing 8 (ZMYND8)-dependent epigenetic programming orchestrates NEPC transdifferentiation. Ablation of Zmynd8 prevents NEPC development, while ZMYND8 upregulation mediated by achaete-scute homolog 1 promotes NEPC differentiation. We show that forkhead box protein M1 (FOXM1) stabilizes ZMYND8 binding to chromatin regions characterized by H3K4me1-H3K14ac modification and FOXM1 targeting. Antiandrogen therapy releases the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex from the androgen receptor, facilitating its interaction with ZMYND8-FOXM1 to upregulate critical neuroendocrine lineage regulators. We develop iZMYND8-34, a small molecule designed to inhibit ZMYND8's histone recognition, which effectively blocks NEPC development. These findings reveal the critical role of ZMYND8-dependent epigenetic programming induced by androgen deprivation therapy in orchestrating lineage fate. Targeting ZMYND8 emerges as a promising strategy for impeding NEPC development.
Nat Commun. 2021-12-21
Nat Rev Urol. 2021-10
Discov Oncol. 2025-4-28
Nat Commun. 2021-10-1