title: 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine (decitabine) can relieve p21WAF1 repression in human acute myeloid leukemia by a mechanism involving release of histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) without requiring p21WAF1 promoter demethylation.
abstract: Decitabine is a potent demethylating agent that exhibits clinical activity against myeloid malignancies. Numerous genes silenced by hypermethylation are reactivated by decitabine through a mechanism involving promoter demethylation with subsequent release of histone deacetylases (HDACs) and accumulation of acetylated histones. Recent studies indicating that decitabine also induces regional chromatin remodeling of some unmethylated genes suggest additional mechanisms of action. Decitabine reactivates unmethylated p21WAF1 in some AML cell lines but the possible occurrence of p21WAF1 methylation in AML in vivo has not been studied in detail and decitabine effects on p21WAF1 chromatin remodeling have not been reported. We found that p21WAF1 mRNA was undetectable in 6 of 24 AML patient samples and 4 of 5 AML cell lines but there was no evidence of p21WAF1 promoter methylation. However, decitabine induced p21WAF1 in AML cell lines KG-1 and KG-1a in association with release of HDAC1 and increased acetylated histone H3 at the unmethylated p21WAF1 promoter. Decitabine effects on p21WAF1 histone acetylation and induction were enhanced by the HDAC inhibitor trichostatin A and were independent of wild type p53. Our findings indicate that decitabine can relieve p21WAF1 repression in AML by a mechanism that involves release of HDAC1 without requiring promoter demethylation. Furthermore, our study provides evidence that combined decitabine and HDAC inhibitor treatment can enhance chromatin remodeling and reactivation of an unmethylated tumor suppressor gene. This latter finding is of relevance to the clinical use of these agents in AML as we found the p21WAF1 promoter to be unmethylated in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon Cancer Centre, 20 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. stuart.scott@scf.sk.ca
authors.forename: Stuart A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: Wei-Feng
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Ryo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ichinohasama
authors.forename: Calley
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hirsch
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sheridan
authors.forename: Stephen E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Sanche
authors.forename: C Ronald
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Geyer
authors.forename: John F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Decoteau
mesh_terms: D000215:Acylation / Q000187:drug effects; D001374:Azacitidine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D042002:Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly / Q000187:drug effects; D050759:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21 / Q000378:metabolism*; D019175:DNA Methylation / Q000187:drug effects; D000077209:Decitabine; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D056284:Histone Deacetylase 1; D056572:Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors; D006655:Histone Deacetylases / Q000378:metabolism*; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D006877:Hydroxamic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology; D020014:K562 Cells; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality*; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational / Q000187:drug effects; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C493956:CDKN1A protein, human; D050759:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D056572:Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors; D006657:Histones; D006877:Hydroxamic Acids; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; C012589:trichostatin A; D000077209:Decitabine; C110550:HDAC1 protein, human; D056284:Histone Deacetylase 1; D006655:Histone Deacetylases; D001374:Azacitidine