Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 transcriptional regulation: A novel crosstalk between histone modification H3K9ac and ETS1 motif hypomethylation in BRCA1-mutated ovarian cancer

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) plays a critical role in ovarian cancer progression. However, the epigenetic mechanism regulating PARP1 transcription remains largely unknown. Here, we show that the hypomethylated ETS1 motif is a key regulatory element for the PARP1 gene in BRCA1-mutated ovarian cancer. Mechanistically, the ETS1 motif hypomethylation-mediated increase of active histone marker H3K9ac and transcription factor ETS1 enrichment synergistically activates PARP1 transcription. Clinicopathological data indicate that a hypomethylated ETS1 motif was associated with high-grade tumors (P = 0.026) and pN1 (P = 0.002). Univariate survival analysis demonstrated an association between the hypomethylated ETS1 motif and an increased risk of death in BRCA1-mutated ovarian cancer patients. Our findings imply that the genetic (such as BRCA1 mutation) and epigenetic mechanisms (such as hypomethylated ETS1 motif, and histone modification H3K9ac and transcription factor ETS1 binding) are jointly involved in the malignant progression of PARP1-related ovarian cancer.