Abstract 3237: KDM1A/LSD1 inhibition enhances chemotherapy response in ovarian cancer

Abstract

Abstract Background: Ovarian cancer (OCa) is the deadliest of all gynecological cancers. The standard treatment for OCa is platinum-based chemotherapy, such as carboplatin or cisplatin in combination with paclitaxel. Most patients are initially responsive to these treatments; however, nearly 90% will develop recurrence and inevitably succumb to chemotherapy-resistant disease. Recent studies have revealed that the epigenetic modifier lysine-specific histone demethylase (KDM1A/LSD1) is highly overexpressed in OCa. However, whether KDM1A plays a role in chemoresistance and whether its inhibition enhances chemotherapy response in OCa is unknown. In this study, we explored the hypothesis that KDM1A inhibition will sensitize OCa cells to standard-of-care chemotherapy. Methods: Transduction of KDM1A-specific shRNA was used to generate KDM1A knockdown (KD) cells. Cell viability, colony formation, and apoptosis assays were used to determine the impact of KDM1A KD on sensitization of SKOV3, OVCAR8, and OVCAR5 OCa cells to cisplatin, carboplatin, and paclitaxel. The combination effect of KDM1A inhibitors (NCD38 and SP2509) and chemotherapy drugs was further determined. Mechanistic studies were conducted using RNA-sequencing, RT-qPCR, and Western blotting. In vivo efficacy ofKDM1A knockdown with or without chemotherapy was determined using OCa orthotopic xenograft models. Results: Analysis of TCGA datasets revealed that KDM1A expression is negatively correlated with OCa survival, and its expression is high in patients who do not respond to chemotherapy. Further, Western blotting results show that treatment with chemotherapy drugs cisplatin, carboplatin, and paclitaxel increased KDM1A expression in OCa cells. KDM1A-KD or KDM1A inhibition sensitized OCa cells to chemotherapy drugs in reducing cell viability, survival, and enhancing apoptosis. Moreover, knockdown of KDM1A sensitized carboplatin-resistantA2780-CP70 cells to carboplatin treatment. RNA-seq studies revealed that KDM1A-KD and cisplatin-regulated genes showed negative correction with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and positive correlation with apoptosis-related pathways. Importantly, KDM1A KD in combination with cisplatin significantly reduced the tumor growth in the orthotopic OCa xenograft model. Conclusion: These results suggest that the combination of KDM1A inhibitors with chemotherapy is a viable therapeutic approach for the treatment of OCa Citation Format: Jessica D. Johnson, Yihong Chen, Sridharan Jayamohan, Yi He, Diksha Jamwal, Neetesh Pandey, Edward Kost, Ratna K. Vadlamudi, Gangadhara R. Sareddy. KDM1A/LSD1 inhibition enhances chemotherapy response in ovarian cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 3237.