Increased RNA and Protein Degradation Is Required for Counteracting Transcriptional Burden and Proteotoxic Stress in Human Aneuploid Cells

Aneuploidy results in a stoichiometric imbalance of protein complexes that jeopardizes cellular fitness. Aneuploid cells thus need to compensate for the imbalanced DNA levels by regulating their RNA and protein levels, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. In this study, we dissected multiple diploid versus aneuploid cell models. We found that aneuploid cells cope with transcriptional burden by increasing several RNA degradation pathways, and are consequently more sensitive to the perturbation of RNA degradation. At the protein level, aneuploid cells mitigate proteotoxic stress by reducing protein translation and increasing protein degradation, rendering them more sensitive to proteasome inhibition. These findings were recapitulated across hundreds of human cancer cell lines and primary tumors, and aneuploidy levels were significantly associated with the response of patients with multiple myeloma to proteasome inhibitors. Aneuploid cells are therefore preferentially dependent on several key nodes along the gene expression process, creating clinically actionable vulnerabilities in aneuploid cells. Significance: Aneuploidy is a hallmark of cancer that is associated with poor prognosis and worse drug response. We reveal that cells with extra chromosomes compensate for their imbalanced DNA content by altering their RNA and protein metabolism, rendering them more sensitive to perturbation of RNA and protein degradation. See related commentary by Bakhoum, p. 2315.