ChIP-Seq of TRIB3 and ATF4 in HepG2 cells treated with bortezomib

The proteasome is an appealing anti-cancer drug target and the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib has been approved for the treatment of certain types of malignancies. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying cancer cell resistance to bortezomib remain poorly understood. The pseudokinase TRIB3, an inhibitor of ATF4, is expressed at a high basal level in hepatoma cells and is strongly upregulated in response to bortezomib. To map genome-wide chromatin binding loci of TRIB3 protein, we fused a Flag tag to endogenous TRIB3 in HepG2 cells and performed ChIP-Seq. The results demonstrate that TRIB3 predominantly colocalizes with ATF4 on chromatin and the proteins reside in genomic regions containing the C/EBP-ATF motif. Bortezomib treatment leads to a robust enrichment of TRIB3 binding near genes induced by bortezomib and involved in the ER stress response and cell death. Disruption of TRIB3 increases C/EBP-ATF-driven transcription, augments ER stress and cell death in cells exposed to bortezomib, while TRIB3 overexpression enhances the cell survival. Thus, TRIB3, colocalizing with ATF4 and limiting its transcriptional activity, functions as a factor increasing resistance to bortezomib, while pharmacological over-activation of eIF2alpha-ATF4 can overcome the endogenous restraint mechanisms and sensitize cells to bortezomib. Overall design: ChIP-Seq of Flag-tagged endogenous TRIB3 and endogenous ATF4 in HepG2 cells