Brg1 mutation alters oxidative stress responses in glioblastoma

Increasing evidences suggest that the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex involved in the organization of chromatin architecture via ATP hydrolysis, plays an important role in human cancer. As TCGA gene expression analyses revealed signature of enhanced oxidative stress in GBMs harbouring Brg1mutations, we examined the involvement of ATPase subunit of BRG1 in regulating oxidative stress responses in glioma. BRG1-MUT overexpressing glioma cells exhibit intrinsically higher reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels as compared to BRG1-WT. Elevated ROS generation was concomitant with decreased expression of NF-E2- related factor 2 (NRF2), superoxide dismutases (SOD-1,2) and thioredoxins (TrX-1,2). A similar change in redox regulatory genes and ROS production was observed upon siRNA-mediated knockdown of Brg1. Increased sensitivity to temozolomide was observed upon loss of BRG1-ATPase catalytic domain. These findings highlight the role of ATPase domain of BRG1 in regulating redox homeostasis and sensitivity to oxidative stressors in glioma cells. BRG1 mutation created vulnerability to elevated ROS levels can be therapeutically exploited, with ROS stressors as a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of BRG1-mutant cancers.