RAD21-mediated epigenetic regulation promotes lung adenocarcinoma progression and sensitizes cancer cells to ERK-targeted therapy

The cohesin complex, a critical chromatin organizer and transcriptional regulator, is pivotal in oncogenesis. In lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), its core subunit RAD21 is frequently amplified and overexpressed. However, its functional mechanisms and potential in targeted-therapy improvement remain elusive. Here, survival analysis and immunohistochemistry revealed that high RAD21 protein levels correlate with poor patient prognosis. Genetic depletion of RAD21 suppressed LUAD cell proliferation by inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, while significantly reducing metastatic capacity both in vitro and in vivo. Integrated transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) and chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) analysis demonstrated that RAD21 occupies genomic regions of genes linked to MAPK signaling and metastasis. RAD21 depletion repressed epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), focal adhesion, and MAPK/ERK cascade activation. RAD21 further modulated H3K4me3 chromatin modification, inducing widespread transcriptional dysregulation of cancer-associated genes. Pharmacological ERK inhibition with ulixertinib effectively reversed RAD21-driven metastasis, particularly in KRAS-mutant contexts. Our findings establish RAD21-mediated epigenetic regulation as a novel mechanism driving LUAD progression. The efficacy of ulixertinib in suppressing cancer metastasis in preclinical models highlights its translational potential for LUAD therapy.