PUBLICATION

ALDH1A3-acetaldehyde metabolism potentiates transcriptional heterogeneity in melanoma

Authors
Lu, Y., Travnickova, J., Badonyi, M., Rambow, F., Coates, A., Khan, Z., Marques, J., Murphy, L.C., Garcia-Martinez, P., Marais, R., Louphrasitthiphol, P., Chan, A.H.Y., Schofield, C.J., von Kriegsheim, A., Marsh, J.A., Pavet, V., Sansom, O.J., Illingworth, R.S., Patton, E.E.
ID
ZDB-PUB-240705-4
Date
2024
Source
Cell Reports   43: 114406114406 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Patton, E. Elizabeth
Keywords
ACSS2, ALDH1A3, CP: Cancer, CP: Metabolism, Nifuroxazide, TFAP2B, acetaldehyde, melanoma, neural crest stem cell, pyruvate metabolism, residual disease
MeSH Terms
  • Acetaldehyde*/metabolism
  • Acetaldehyde*/pharmacology
  • Aldehyde Oxidoreductases/genetics
  • Aldehyde Oxidoreductases/metabolism
  • Animals
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Coenzyme A Ligases/genetics
  • Coenzyme A Ligases/metabolism
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic/drug effects
  • Histones/metabolism
  • Humans
  • Melanoma*/drug therapy
  • Melanoma*/genetics
  • Melanoma*/metabolism
  • Melanoma*/pathology
  • Neural Crest/drug effects
  • Neural Crest/metabolism
  • Transcription, Genetic/drug effects
  • Zebrafish*
PubMed
38963759 Full text @ Cell Rep.
Abstract
Cancer cellular heterogeneity and therapy resistance arise substantially from metabolic and transcriptional adaptations, but how these are interconnected is poorly understood. Here, we show that, in melanoma, the cancer stem cell marker aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A3 (ALDH1A3) forms an enzymatic partnership with acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) synthetase 2 (ACSS2) in the nucleus to couple high glucose metabolic flux with acetyl-histone H3 modification of neural crest (NC) lineage and glucose metabolism genes. Importantly, we show that acetaldehyde is a metabolite source for acetyl-histone H3 modification in an ALDH1A3-dependent manner, providing a physiologic function for this highly volatile and toxic metabolite. In a zebrafish melanoma residual disease model, an ALDH1-high subpopulation emerges following BRAF inhibitor treatment, and targeting these with an ALDH1 suicide inhibitor, nifuroxazide, delays or prevents BRAF inhibitor drug-resistant relapse. Our work reveals that the ALDH1A3-ACSS2 couple directly coordinates nuclear acetaldehyde-acetyl-CoA metabolism with specific chromatin-based gene regulation and represents a potential therapeutic vulnerability in melanoma.
Genes / Markers
Figures
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Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping