Allosteric activation dictates PRC2 activity independent of its recruitment to chromatin

Abstract

PRC2 is a therapeutic target for several types of cancers currently undergoing clinical trials. Its activity is regulated by a positive feedback loop whereby its terminal enzymatic product, H3K27me3, is specifically recognized and bound by an aromatic cage present in its EED subunit. The ensuing allosteric activation of the complex stimulates H3K27me3 deposition on chromatin. Here, we report a step-wise feedback mechanism entailing key residues within distinctive interfacing motifs of EZH2 or EED that are found mutated in cancers and/or Weaver syndrome. PRC2 harboring these EZH2 or EED mutants manifest little activity in vivo but, unexpectedly, exhibited similar chromatin association as wild-type PRC2, indicating an uncoupling of PRC2 activity and recruitment. With genetic and chemical tools, we further demonstrated that targeting allosteric activation overrode the gain-of-function effect of EZH2Y646X oncogenic mutations. These results revealed critical implications to the regulation and biology of PRC2 and a novel vulnerability in tackling PRC2-addicted cancers.