Dissecting transcription of the 8q24-MYC locus in prostate cancer recognizes the equilibration between androgen receptor direct and indirect dual-functions

Abstract Background Androgen receptor (AR) activation and repression dual-functionality only became known recently and still remains intriguing in prostate cancer (PCa). MYC is a prominent oncogene that functionally entangles with AR signaling in PCa. Further exploration of AR regulatory mechanisms on MYC gene transcription bears clinical and translation significance. Methods Bioinformatics analysis of PCa cell line and clinical RNA-Seq and ChIP-Seq (chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing) datasets to anchor interactions of AR and MYC transcriptional networks. ChIP-qPCR and 3C (chromosome conformation capture) analyses to probe MYC distal regulation by AR binding sites (ABSs). CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome-editing to specify functions of ABS within the 8q24-MYC locus on androgen-mediated MYC transcription. Global FoxA1 and HoxB13 distribution profiling to advance AR transcriptional mechanisms. Results Here we recognize AR bi-directional transcription mechanisms by exploiting the prominent 8q24-MYC locus conferring androgen hyper-sensitivity. At ~ 25 Kb downstream of the MYC gene, we identified an undefined ABS, P10. By chromatin analyses, we validated androgen-dependent spatial interaction between P10 and MYC-Promoter (MYC-Pro) and temporal epigenetic repression of these MYC-proximal elements. We next designed a CRISPR/Cas9-mediated double genomic knock-out (KO) strategy to show that P10-KO slightly lessened androgen-elicited MYC transrepression in LNCaP-AR cells. In similar genomic editing assays, androgen-mediated MYC repression became slightly deepened upon KO of P11, an ABS in the PVT1 gene locus highly enriched in AR-binding motifs and peaks. We also investigated multiple ABSs in the established PCAT1 super-enhancer that distally interacts with MYC-Pro for transactivation, with each KO pool consistently shown to relieve androgen-elicited MYC repression. In the end, we systemically assessed androgen effects in the 8q24-MYC locus and along PCa genome to generalize H3K27ac and BRD4 re-distribution from pioneer factors (FoxA1 and HoxB13) to AR sites. Conclusion Together, we reconciled these observations by unifying AR dual-functions that are mechanistically coupled to and equilibrated by co-factor redistribution. Graphical Abstract