Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34933446›Full record

ArticlemBio2021

GRWD1-WDR5-MLL2 Epigenetic Complex Mediates H3K4me3 Mark and Is Essential for Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus-Induced Cellular Transformation.

Shan Wei, Songjian Lu, Lifan Liang, Xian Wang, Wan Li, Tingting Li, Luping Chen, Enguo Ju, Xinquan Zhang, Zhao Lai and 3 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in mBio, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
0.2field-weighted citation impact, top 44% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. GRWD1 Drives Melanoma Growth Through NF-κB Signaling Pathway.Dermatology practical & conceptual · 2025
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Shan WeiCancer Virology Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, and Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Songjian LuDepartment of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Lifan LiangDepartment of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Xian WangCancer Virology Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, and Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Wan LiCancer Virology Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, and Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Tingting LiCancer Virology Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, and Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Luping ChenCancer Virology Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, and Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Enguo JuCancer Virology Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, and Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Xinquan ZhangCancer Virology Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, and Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Zhao LaiGreehey Children's Cancer Research Institute and Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA.
Yufei HuangCancer Virology Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, and Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Xinghua LuDepartment of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Shou-Jiang GaoCancer Virology Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, and Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center · USUniversity of Pittsburgh · USThe University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio · US

Funding

VECTOR CORE FACILITYP30CA047904 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI CHRISTOPHER J. BAKKENIST · 1988 to 2026
$158.0M
TISSUE CULTURE---COREP30CA054174 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCIENCE CENTER · PI Lei Zheng · 1991 to 2026
$59.1M
Cell Model for KSHV Infection and Genetic ManipulationR01CA096512 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCIENCE CENTER · PI Shou-Jiang Gao · 2003 to 2026
$7.4M
Regulation of KSHV replication by N6-methyladenosine (m6A) - Diversity SupplementR01CA124332 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCIENCE CENTER · PI GAO, SHOU-JIANG · 2007 to 2025
$5.0M
Interpretable deep learning models for translational medicine RenewalR01LM012011 · NLM · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI Tanner J. Freeman, XINGHUA LU · 2015 to 2026
$3.6M
Mechanism of KSHV-induced angiogenesisR01CA132637 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCIENCE CENTER · PI GAO, SHOU-JIANG · 2008 to 2020
$3.6M
HISTONE MODIFIERS IN ORAL KSHV INFECTION AND MALIGNANCIESR01DE025465 · NIDCR · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · PI GAO, SHOU-JIANG · 2015 to 2019
$2.0M
Targeting KSHV malignancies and persistent infectionR01CA197153 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · PI GAO, SHOU-JIANG · 2015 to 2019
$1.9M
KSHV microRNAs in tumor invasion and angiogenesisR01CA213275 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · PI GAO, SHOU-JIANG · 2017 to 2021
$959k
High Throughput DNA Sequencer: Illumina HiSeq 3000 SequencerS10OD021805 · OD · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCIENCE CENTER · PI LAI, ZHAO · 2016 to 2016
$600k
NCI NIH HHS P30 CA047904NCI NIH HHS P30 CA054174NCI NIH HHS R01 CA096512NCI NIH HHS R01 CA124332NCI NIH HHS R01 CA132637NCI NIH HHS R01 CA197153NCI NIH HHS R01 CA213275NIDCR NIH HHS R01 DE025465NIH HHS S10 OD021805NLM NIH HHS R01 LM012011
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Infection by Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is causally associated with numerous cancers. The mechanism of KSHV-induced oncogenesis remains unclear. By performing a CRISPR-Cas9 screening in a model of KSHV-induced cellular transformation of primary cells, we identified epigenetic regulators that were essential for KSHV-induced cellular transformation. Examination of TCGA data sets of the top 9 genes, including glutamate-rich WD repeat containing 1 (GRWD1), a WD40 family protein upregulated by KSHV, that had positive effects on cell proliferation and survival of KSHV-transformed cells (KMM) but not the matched primary cells (MM), uncovered the predictive values of their expressions for patient survival in numerous types of cancer. We revealed global epigenetic remodeling including H3K4me3 epigenetic active mark in KMM cells compared to MM cells. Knockdown of GRWD1 inhibited cell proliferation, cellular transformation, and tumor formation and caused downregulation of global H3K4me3 mark in KMM cells. GRWD1 interacted with WD repeat domain 5 (WDR5), the core protein of H3K4 methyltransferase complex, and several H3K4me3 methyltransferases, including myeloid leukemia 2 (MLL2). Knockdown of WDR5 and MLL2 phenocopied GRWD1 knockdown, caused global reduction of H3K4me3 mark, and altered the expression of similar sets of genes. Transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) and chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) analyses further identified common and distinct cellular genes and pathways that were regulated by GRWD1, WDR5, and MLL2. These results indicate that KSHV hijacks the GRWD1-WDR5-MLL2 epigenetic complex to regulate H3K4me3 methylation of specific genes, which is essential for KSHV-induced cellular transformation. Our work has identified an epigenetic complex as a novel therapeutic target for KSHV-induced cancers.

Indexed as

Cell Transformation, ViralEpigenesis, GeneticAnimalsCarrier ProteinsDNA-Binding ProteinsHerpesvirus 8, HumanHistonesHumansIntracellular Signaling Peptides and ProteinsMiceMice, NudeNeoplasm ProteinsProtein BindingSarcoma, KaposiCarrier ProteinsDNA-Binding ProteinsGRWD1 protein, humanhistone H3 trimethyl Lys4HistonesIntracellular Signaling Peptides and ProteinsKMT2D protein, humanNeoplasm ProteinsWDR5 protein, humanepigenetic regulatorsglutamate-rich WD repeat containing 1GRWD1H3K4me3H3 lysine 4 trimethylationKaposi’s sarcomaKaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirusKSKSHVMLL2myeloid/lymphoid or mixed-lineage leukemia 2WDR5WD repeat domain 5

Identifiers

PMID34933446
PMCPMC8689518
OpenAlexW4200166560

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.