There is a tremendous need for novel strategies aimed at directly assessing activities of
histone modifiers to probe epigenetic determinants associated with
disease progression. Here, we developed a high-throughput
peptide microarray assay to identify altered
histone lysine (de)acetylation activity in
prostate cancer (PCa). This microarray-based activity assay revealed up-regulated
histone acetyltransferase (HAT) activity against specific
histone H3 sites in a castrate-resistant (CR) PCa cell line compared to its
hormone-sensitive (HS) isogenic counterpart.
NAD+-dependent deacetylation assays revealed down-regulated
sirtuin activity in validated CR lines. Levels of
acetyltransferases GCN5, PCAF, CBP, and p300 were unchanged between matched HS and CR cell lines. However, autoacetylation of p300 at K1499, a modification known to enhance HAT activity and a target of deacetylation by
SIRT2, was highly elevated in CR cells, while
SIRT2 protein level was reduced in CR cells. Interrogation of HS and matched CR xenograft lines reveals that H3K18 hyperacetylation, increased p300 activity, and decreased
SIRT2 expression are associated with progression to CR in 8/12 (66%). Tissue microarray analysis revealed that hyperacetylation of H3K18 is a feature of CRPC. Inhibition of p300 results in lower H3K18ac levels and increased expression of
androgen receptors. Thus, a novel
histone array identifies altered
enzyme activities during the progression to CRPC and may be utilized in a
personalized medicine approach. Reduced
SIRT2 expression and increased p300 activity lead to a concerted mechanism of hyperacetylation at specific
histone lysine sites (H3K9, H3K14, and H3K18) in CRPC.