EZH2 depletion potentiates MYC degradation inhibiting neuroblastoma and small cell carcinoma tumor formation

Efforts to therapeutically target EZH2 have generally focused on inhibition of its methyltransferase activity, although it remains less clear whether this is the central mechanism whereby EZH2 promotes cancer. In the current study, we show that EZH2 directly interacts with both MYC family oncoproteins, MYC and MYCN, and promotes their stabilization in a methyltransferase-independent manner. By competing against the SCFFBW7 ubiquitin ligase to bind MYC and MYCN, EZH2 counteracts FBW7-mediated MYC(N) polyubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. Depletion, but not enzymatic inhibition, of EZH2 induces robust MYC(N) degradation and inhibits tumor cell growth in MYC(N) driven neuroblastoma and small cell lung carcinoma. Here, we demonstrate the MYC family proteins as global EZH2 oncogenic effectors and EZH2 pharmacologic degraders as potential MYC(N) targeted cancer therapeutics, pointing out that MYC(N) driven cancers may develop inherent resistance to the canonical EZH2 enzymatic inhibitors currently in clinical development.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates that EZH2 directly interacts with MYC and MYCN, promoting their stabilization in a methyltransferase-independent manner. By competing against SCFFBW7 ubiquitin ligase, EZH2 counteracts the degradation of MYC and MYCN, highlighting their role as global oncogenic effectors of EZH2. This research suggests that pharmacologic degradation of EZH2 may be a potential therapeutic approach for MYC-driven cancers.