Abstract B009: TWEAK/Fn14 signalling driven super-enhancer reprogramming promotes pro-metastatic metabolic rewiring in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Abstract

Abstract Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive breast cancer subtype suffering from a lack of targeted treatment options. There is a high priority to identify effective molecular markers or driver factors specific to TNBC patients for targeted therapies. The Tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK)/Fibroblast growth factor-inducible 14 (Fn14) pathway is one such signalling cascade implicated in the pathogenesis of TNBC and other solid tumours. However, the clinical significance and biological roles of deregulated TWEAK/Fn14 signalling in regulating the epigenetic plasticity and transcriptome of TNBCs remain elusive. In this study, we performed integrative transcriptomic and epigenomic analyses of TNBC cell lines and patient samples to characterise the gene regulatory roles of TWEAK/Fn14 pathway in remodelling the super-enhancer (SE) landscape of TNBC tumours. Here, we show that Fn14 is specifically overexpressed in TNBC patients and associated with poor survival. We demonstrate that constitutive Fn14 signalling rewires the transcriptomic and epigenomic landscape of TNBC, leading to enhanced tumour growth and metastasis. We further illustrate that such mechanisms activate TNBC-specific super enhancers (SE) to drive the transcriptional activation of cancer dependency genes via chromatin looping. In particular, we uncover the SE-driven upregulation of NAMPT, which promotes NAD+ and ATP metabolic reprogramming critical for filopodia formation and metastasis. Collectively, our study details the complex mechanistic link between TWEAK/Fn14 signalling and TNBC metastasis, which reveals several vulnerabilities which could be pursued for the targeted treatment of TNBC patients. Citation Format: Yinghui Li, Nicholas Sim, Jean-Michel Carter, Kamalakshi Deka, Benita Kiat Tee Tan, Yirong Sim, Suet-Mien Tan. TWEAK/Fn14 signalling driven super-enhancer reprogramming promotes pro-metastatic metabolic rewiring in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Advances in Breast Cancer Research; 2023 Oct 19-22; San Diego, California. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(3 Suppl_1):Abstract nr B009.