Alteration of DNA Methyltransferases by Eribulin Elicits Broad DNA Methylation Changes with Potential Therapeutic Implications for Triple-negative Breast Cancer

Overview

Journal Epigenomics

Specialty Genetics

Date 2024 Feb 15

PMID 38356412

Authors

Meisam Bagheri

Min Kyung Lee

Kristen E Muller

Todd W Miller

Diwakar R Pattabiraman

Brock C Christensen

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive disease with limited treatment options. Eribulin, a chemotherapeutic drug, induces epigenetic changes in cancer cells, suggesting a unique mechanism of action. MDA-MB 231 cells were treated with eribulin and paclitaxel, and the samples from 53 patients treated with neoadjuvant eribulin were compared with those from 14 patients who received the standard-of-care treatment using immunohistochemistry. Eribulin treatment caused significant DNA methylation changes in drug-tolerant persister TNBC cells, and it also elicited changes in the expression levels of epigenetic modifiers (DNMT1, TET1, DNMT3A/B) and in primary TNBC tumors. These findings provide new insights into eribulin's mechanism of action and potential biomarkers for predicting TNBC treatment response.

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