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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Biology Open

EWSR1-FLI1 expression combined with monoallelic EWSR1 depletion is associated with mitotic spindle damage and nocodazole sensitivity

  • Evan T. Schulz1
  • Alejandro Parrales2
  • Tomoo Iwakuma2
  • Mizuki Azuma1
  1. 1Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, US A
  2. 2Department of Pediatrics, Children's Mercy Research Institute, Kansas City, MO, USA
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Abstract

Microtubule-destabilizing agents (MDAs) and microtubule-stabilizing agents (MSAs) are commonly used chemotherapeutic agents due to their ability to induce cell death by compromising the dynamics of spindles during mitosis. Ewing sarcoma, the second most common pediatric bone cancer, is known to selectively respond to MDAs as a first-line treatment, but not to MSAs. Ewing sarcoma cells carry an aberrant EWSR1-FLI1 fusion gene and only one wild-type EWSR1 allele. To investigate the origin of this MDA sensitivity, we used an isogenic cell line carrying a (AID-EWSR1/wt;EWSR1-FLI1-mCherry/wt) genotype that enables conditional induction of EWSR1-FLI1 expression (Tet-On system) and EWSR1 knockdown derived from one EWSR1 allele (auxin-degron system). A combination of EWSR1-FLI1 expression and EWSR1 knockdown enhances apoptosis upon nocodazole treatment, a type of MDA. Our study revealed that the mitotic spindles of Ewing sarcoma cells (A673, RD-ES and SK-ES1) contain elevated levels of tubulin damage, visualized with GTP-tubulin, compared to mesenchymal stem cells. Consistently, the combination of EWSR1-FLI1 expression and EWSR1 knockdown in the isogenic (AID-EWSR1/wt;EWSR1-FLI1-mCherry/wt) cell line also leads to an increased incidence of damage in mitotic spindles. Together, we propose that the sensitivity of Ewing sarcoma cells is potentially derived from the increased levels of damage to mitotic spindles caused by EWSR1-FLI1 expression and EWSR1 knockdown.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{schulz2026ewsr1fli1,
  title = {{EWSR1-FLI1 expression combined with monoallelic EWSR1 depletion is associated with mitotic spindle damage and nocodazole sensitivity}},
  author = {Evan T. Schulz and Alejandro Parrales and Tomoo Iwakuma and Mizuki Azuma},
  journal = {Biology Open},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1242/bio.062763},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1242/bio.062763},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - EWSR1-FLI1 expression combined with monoallelic EWSR1 depletion is associated with mitotic spindle damage and nocodazole sensitivity
AU  - Evan T. Schulz
AU  - Alejandro Parrales
AU  - Tomoo Iwakuma
AU  - Mizuki Azuma
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/23
JO  - Biology Open
DO  - 10.1242/bio.062763
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1242/bio.062763
AB  - Microtubule-destabilizing agents (MDAs) and microtubule-stabilizing agents (MSAs) are commonly used chemotherapeutic agents due to their ability to induce cell death by compromising the dynamics of spindles during mitosis. Ewing sarcoma, the second most common pediatric bone cancer, is known to selectively respond to MDAs as a first-line treatment, but not to MSAs. Ewing sarcoma cells carry an aberrant EWSR1-FLI1 fusion gene and only one wild-type EWSR1 allele. To investigate the origin of this MDA sensitivity, we used an isogenic cell line carrying a (AID-EWSR1/wt;EWSR1-FLI1-mCherry/wt) genotype that enables conditional induction of EWSR1-FLI1 expression (Tet-On system) and EWSR1 knockdown derived from one EWSR1 allele (auxin-degron system). A combination of EWSR1-FLI1 expression and EWSR1 knockdown enhances apoptosis upon nocodazole treatment, a type of MDA. Our study revealed that the mitotic spindles of Ewing sarcoma cells (A673, RD-ES and SK-ES1) contain elevated levels of tubulin damage, visualized with GTP-tubulin, compared to mesenchymal stem cells. Consistently, the combination of EWSR1-FLI1 expression and EWSR1 knockdown in the isogenic (AID-EWSR1/wt;EWSR1-FLI1-mCherry/wt) cell line also leads to an increased incidence of damage in mitotic spindles. Together, we propose that the sensitivity of Ewing sarcoma cells is potentially derived from the increased levels of damage to mitotic spindles caused by EWSR1-FLI1 expression and EWSR1 knockdown.
SN  - 2046-6390
ER  -