AbstractCARM1 is a cancer-relevant protein arginine methyltransferase that regulates many aspects of transcription. Its pharmacological inhibition is a promising anti-cancer strategy. HereSKI-73is presented as a CARM1 chemical probe with pro-drug properties.SKI-73can rapidly penetrate cell membranes and then be processed into active inhibitors, which are retained intracellularly with 10-fold enrichment for days. These compounds were characterized for their potency, selectivity, modes of action, and on-target engagement.SKI-73recapitulates the effect of CARM1 knockout against breast cancer cell invasion. Single-cell RNA-seq analysis revealed that theSKI-73-associated reduction of invasiveness act via altering epigenetic plasticity and suppressing the invasion-prone subpopulation. Interestingly,SKI-73and CARM1 knockout alter the epigenetic plasticity with remarkable difference, arguing distinct modes of action between the small-molecule and genetic perturbation. We therefore discovered a CARM1-addiction mechanism of cancer metastasis and developed a chemical probe to target this process.
Correction: A chemical probe of CARM1 alters epigenetic plasticity against breast cancer cell invasion
