[PDF][PDF] Cancer-specific retargeting of BAF complexes by a prion-like domain

G Boulay, GJ Sandoval, N Riggi, S Iyer, R Buisson… - Cell, 2017 - cell.com
G Boulay, GJ Sandoval, N Riggi, S Iyer, R Buisson, B Naigles, ME Awad, S Rengarajan
Cell, 2017cell.com
Alterations in transcriptional regulators can orchestrate oncogenic gene expression
programs in cancer. Here, we show that the BRG1/BRM-associated factor (BAF) chromatin
remodeling complex, which is mutated in over 20% of human tumors, interacts with EWSR1,
a member of a family of proteins with prion-like domains (PrLD) that are frequent partners in
oncogenic fusions with transcription factors. In Ewing sarcoma, we find that the BAF complex
is recruited by the EWS-FLI1 fusion protein to tumor-specific enhancers and contributes to …
Summary
Alterations in transcriptional regulators can orchestrate oncogenic gene expression programs in cancer. Here, we show that the BRG1/BRM-associated factor (BAF) chromatin remodeling complex, which is mutated in over 20% of human tumors, interacts with EWSR1, a member of a family of proteins with prion-like domains (PrLD) that are frequent partners in oncogenic fusions with transcription factors. In Ewing sarcoma, we find that the BAF complex is recruited by the EWS-FLI1 fusion protein to tumor-specific enhancers and contributes to target gene activation. This process is a neomorphic property of EWS-FLI1 compared to wild-type FLI1 and depends on tyrosine residues that are necessary for phase transitions of the EWSR1 prion-like domain. Furthermore, fusion of short fragments of EWSR1 to FLI1 is sufficient to recapitulate BAF complex retargeting and EWS-FLI1 activities. Our studies thus demonstrate that the physical properties of prion-like domains can retarget critical chromatin regulatory complexes to establish and maintain oncogenic gene expression programs.
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