C/EBPβ promotes poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor resistance by enhancing homologous recombination repair in high-grade serous ovarian cancer

Oncogene. 2021 Jun;40(22):3845-3858. doi: 10.1038/s41388-021-01788-4. Epub 2021 May 8.

Abstract

PARP inhibitors (PARPi) are efficacious in treating high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HG-SOC) with homologous recombination (HR) deficiency. However, they exhibit suboptimal efficiency in HR-proficient cancers. Here, we found that the expression of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein β (C/EBPβ), a transcription factor, was inversely correlated with PARPi sensitivity in vitro and in vivo, both in HR-proficient condition. High C/EBPβ expression enhanced PARPi tolerance; PARPi treatment in turn induced C/EBPβ expression. C/EBPβ directly targeted and upregulated multiple HR genes (BRCA1, BRIP1, BRIT1, and RAD51), thereby inducing restoration of HR capacity and mediating acquired PARPi resistance. C/EBPβ is a key regulator of the HR pathway and an indicator of PARPi responsiveness. Targeting C/EBPβ could induce HR deficiency and rescue PARPi sensitivity accordingly. Our findings indicate that HR-proficient patients may benefit from PARPi via targeting C/EBPβ, and C/EBPβ expression levels enable predicting and tracking PARPi responsiveness during treatment.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Protein-beta / metabolism*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cystadenocarcinoma, Serous / drug therapy*
  • Cystadenocarcinoma, Serous / genetics
  • Cystadenocarcinoma, Serous / metabolism
  • Cystadenocarcinoma, Serous / pathology
  • Drug Resistance, Neoplasm
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred NOD
  • Mice, SCID
  • Neoplasm Grading
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / genetics
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / pathology
  • Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase Inhibitors / pharmacology*
  • Recombinational DNA Repair*
  • Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

Substances

  • CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Protein-beta
  • CEBPB protein, human
  • Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase Inhibitors