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Despite the great success of small molecule inhibitors in the treatment of patients with BRAF V600E mutated melanoma, the response to these drugs remains transient and patients eventually relapse within a few months, highlighting the need to develop novel combination therapies based on the understanding of the molecular changes induced by BRAF V600E inhibitors. The acute inhibition of oncogenic signaling can rewire entire cellular signaling pathways and thereby create novel cancer cell vulnerabilities. Here, we demonstrate that inhibition of BRAF V600E oncogenic signaling in melanoma cell lines leads to destabilization of the large subunit of RNA polymerase II POLR2A (polymerase RNA II DNA-directed polypeptide A), thereby preventing its binding to the unconventional prefoldin RPB5 interactor (URI1) chaperone complex and the successful assembly of RNA polymerase II holoenzymes. Furthermore, in melanoma cell lines treated with mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitors, α-amanitin, a specific and irreversible inhibitor of RNA polymerase II, induced massive apoptosis. Pre-treatment of melanoma cell lines with MAPK inhibitors significantly reduced IC50 values to α-amanitin, creating a state of collateral vulnerability similar to POLR2A hemizygous deletions. Thus, the development of melanoma specific α-amanitin antibody-drug conjugates could represent an interesting therapeutic approach for combination therapies with BRAF V600E inhibitors.

Transcription and DNA damage repair act in a coordinated manner. Recent studies have shown that double-strand DNA breaks (DSBs) are repaired in a transcription-coupled manner. Active transcription results in a faster recruitment of DSB repair factors and expedites DNA repair. On the other hand, transcription is repressed by DNA damage through multiple mechanisms. We previously reported that TLP, a TATA box-binding protein (TBP) family member that functions as a transcriptional regulator, is also involved in DNA damage-induced apoptosis. However, the mechanism by which TLP affects DNA damage response was largely unknown. Here we show that TLP-mediated global transcriptional repression after DSBs is crucial for apoptosis induction by DNA-damaging agents such as etoposide and doxorubicin. Compared to control cells, TLP-knockdown cells were resistant to etoposide-induced apoptosis and exhibited an elevated level of global transcription after etoposide exposure. DSBs were efficiently removed in transcriptionally hyperactive TLP-knockdown cells. However, forced transcriptional shutdown using transcriptional inhibitors α-amanitin and 5,6-dichloro-1-ß-D-ribofuranosylbenzimidazole (DRB) slowed down DSB repair and resensitized TLP-knockdown cells to etoposide. Taken together, these results indicate that TLP is a critical determinant as to how cells respond to DSBs and triggers apoptosis to cells that have sustained DNA damage.

To study the relationship between chromatin condensation, gene transcription and developmental competence during oocyte maturation and to explore the mechanisms by which meiotic arrest maintenance (MAM) and sexual maturity improve oocyte competence, we examined effects of MAM with roscovitine or db-cAMP on chromatin condensation, gene transcription and developmental potential of NSN or SN oocytes from prepubertal or adult mice. MAM with roscovitine improved the developmental competence and global gene transcription of prepubertal NSN (prep-NSN) and adult-SN oocytes while having no effect on those of prep-SN oocytes. MAM with db-cAMP facilitated neither development nor transcription in any type of oocytes. MAM with either roscovitine or db-cAMP promoted chromatin condensation of prep-NSN oocytes. MAM with roscovitine promoted gene transcription and chromatin condensation simultaneously through inhibiting cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 5 and 2, respectively. The results suggested that MAM with roscovitine improved oocyte competence by promoting gene transcription via inhibiting CDK5. Oocyte cytoplasmic maturation is correlated with gene transcription but not with chromatin condensation. The difference in developmental competence between prepubertal NSN and SN oocytes and between prepubertal and adult SN oocytes was because while the former had not, the latter had completed or acquired the ability for transcription of important genes.

Cancer relapse occurs with substantial frequency even after treatment with curative intent. Here we studied drug-tolerant colonies (DTCs), which are subpopulations of cancer cells that survive in the presence of drugs. Proteomic characterization of DTCs identified stemness- and epithelial-dominant subpopulations, but functional screening suggested that DTC formation was regulated at the transcriptional level independent from protein expression patterns. We consistently found that α-amanitin, an RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) inhibitor, effectively inhibited DTCs by suppressing TAF15 expression, which binds to RNA to modulate transcription and RNA processing. Sequential administration of α-amanitin and cisplatin extended overall survival in a cancer-relapse mouse model, namely peritonitis carcinomatosa. Therefore, post-treatment cancer relapse may occur through non-distinct subpopulations and may be effectively prevented by α-amanitin to disrupt transcriptional machinery, including TAF15.