Targeting TIP60 inhibits tumorigenesis in non-small cell lung cancer [ChIP-seq]

Histone modifications play crucial roles in transcriptional activation, and aberrant epigenetic changes are associated with oncogenesis. Lysine (K) acetyltransferases 5 (TIP60, also known as KAT5) is reportedly implicated in cancer development, although its function in lung cancer remains unclear. Here we demonstrate that TIP60 knockdown in non-small cell lung cancer cells decreased tumor cell progression. Furthermore, analysis of a mouse lung cancer model with lung-specific conditional Tip60 knockout revealed suppressed tumor formation relative to controls, but no apparent effects on normal lung homeostasis. RNA-seq and ChIP-seq analyses of inducible TIP60 knockdown H1975 cells relative to controls revealed transglutaminase enzyme (TGM5) as downstream of TIP60. In addition, a candidate TIP60 inhibitor suppressed tumor growth in cell culture and in vivo. Taken together, suppression of TIP60 activity shows tumor-specific efficacy against lung cancer, with no overt effect on normal tissues. Our work suggests that targeting TIP60 could be a promising approach in treating lung cancer. Comparative H4ac modification profiles of ChIP-seq data for H1975 control cells and its KD derivatives {shTIP60-1 (sh-B) and shTIP60-2 (sh-C)}.