Differential histone deacetylase inhibitor-induced perturbations of the global proteome landscape in the setting of high-grade serous ovarian cancer

High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy in women. Its low survival rate is attributed to late detection, relapse, and drug resistance. The lack of effective second-line therapeutics remains a significant challenge. There is an opportunity to incorporate the use of histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) into HGSOC treatment. However, the mechanism and efficacy of HDACi in the context of BRCA-1/2 mutation status is understudied. Therefore, we set out to elucidate how HDACi perturb the proteomic landscape within HGSOC cells. In this work, we used TMT labeling followed by data-dependent acquisition LC-MS/MS to quantitatively determine differences in the global proteomic landscape across HDACi-treated CAOV3, OVCAR3, and COV318 (BRCA-1/2 wildtype) HGSOC cells. We identified significant differences in the HDACi-induced perturbations of global protein regulation across CAOV3, OVCAR3, and COV318 cells. The HDACi Vorinostat and Romidepsin were identified as being the least and most effective in inhibiting HDAC activity across the three cell lines, respectively. Our results provide a justification for the further investigation of the functional mechanisms associated with the differential efficacy of FDA-approved HDACi within the context of HGSOC. This will enhance the efficacy of targeted HGSOC therapeutic treatment modalities that include HDACi.