ENO1 suppresses cancer cell ferroptosis by degrading the mRNA of iron regulatory protein 1

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huafeng Zhang ◽  
Tong Zhang ◽  
Linchong Sun ◽  
Yijie Hao ◽  
Wenhao Ma ◽  
...  

Abstract α-Enolase 1 (ENO1) is a critical glycolytic enzyme whose aberrant expression drives the pathogenesis of various cancers. ENO1 has been indicated to have additional roles beyond its conventional metabolic activity, but the underlying mechanisms and biological consequences remain elusive. Here, we show that ENO1 suppresses iron regulatory protein 1 (IRP1) expression to regulate iron homeostasis and survival of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. Mechanistically, we unprecedentedly uncover that ENO1, as an RNA-binding protein, recruits CNOT6 to accelerate the mRNA decay of IRP1 in cancer cells, leading to inhibition of mtioferin-1 (Mfrn1) expression and subsequent repression of mitochondrial iron-induced ferroptosis. Moreover, through in vitro and in vivo experiments and clinical sample analysis, we identified IRP1 and Mfrn1 as tumor suppressors by inducing ferroptosis in HCC cells. Taken together, this study establishes a novel role for the ENO1/IRP1/Mfrn1 pathway in the pathogenesis of HCC and reveals a previously unknown connection between the ENO1/IRP1/Mfrn1 pathway and ferroptosis, suggesting a potential innovative cancer therapy.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yarong Guo ◽  
Bao Chai ◽  
Junmei Jia ◽  
Mudan Yang ◽  
Yanjun Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective Dysregulation of KLF7 participates in the development of various cancers, but it is unclear whether there is a link between HCC and aberrant expression of KLF7. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of KLF7 in proliferation and migration of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. Methods CCK8, colony growth, transwell, cell cycle analysis and apoptosis detection were performed to explore the effect of KLF7, VPS35 and Ccdc85c on cell function in vitro. Xenografted tumor growth was used to assess in vivo role of KLF7. Chip-qPCR and luciferase reporter assays were applied to check whether KLF7 regulated VPS35 at transcriptional manner. Co-IP assay was performed to detect the interaction between VPS35 and Ccdc85c. Immunohistochemical staining and qRT-PCR analysis were performed in human HCC sampels to study the clinical significance of KLF7, VPS35 and β-catenin. Results Firstly, KLF7 was highly expressed in human HCC samples and correlated with patients’ differentiation and metastasis status. KLF7 overexpression contributed to cell proliferation and invasion of HCC cells in vitro and in vivo. KLF7 transcriptional activation of VPS35 was necessary for HCC tumor growth and metastasis. Further, co-IP studies revealed that VPS35 could interact with Ccdc85c in HCC cells. Rescue assay confirmed that overexpression of VPS35 and knockdown of Ccdc85c abolished the VPS35-medicated promotion effect on cell proliferation and invasion. Finally, KLF7/VPS35 axis regulated Ccdc85c, which involved in activation of β-catenin signaling pathway, confirmed using β-catenin inhibitor, GK974. Functional studies suggested that downregulation of Ccdc85c partly reversed the capacity of cell proliferation and invasion in HCC cells, which was regulated by VPS35 upregulation. Lastly, there was a positive correlation among KLF7, VPS35 and active-β-catenin in human HCC patients. Conclusion We demonstrated that KLF7/VPS35 axis promoted HCC cell progression by activating Ccdc85c-medicated β-catenin pathway. Targeting this signal axis might be a potential treatment strategy for HCC.


Oncogenesis ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruize Gao ◽  
David Buechel ◽  
Ravi K. R. Kalathur ◽  
Marco F. Morini ◽  
Mairene Coto-Llerena ◽  
...  

AbstractUnderstanding the mechanisms underlying evasive resistance in cancer is an unmet medical need to improve the efficacy of current therapies. In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), aberrant expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 α (HIF1α) and increased aerobic glycolysis metabolism are drivers of resistance to therapy with the multi-kinase inhibitor Sorafenib. However, it has remained unknown how HIF1α is activated and how its activity and the subsequent induction of aerobic glycolysis promote Sorafenib resistance in HCC. Here, we report the ubiquitin-specific peptidase USP29 as a new regulator of HIF1α and of aerobic glycolysis during the development of Sorafenib resistance in HCC. In particular, we identified USP29 as a critical deubiquitylase (DUB) of HIF1α, which directly deubiquitylates and stabilizes HIF1α and, thus, promotes its transcriptional activity. Among the transcriptional targets of HIF1α is the gene encoding hexokinase 2 (HK2), a key enzyme of the glycolytic pathway. The absence of USP29, and thus of HIF1α transcriptional activity, reduces the levels of aerobic glycolysis and restores sensitivity to Sorafenib in Sorafenib-resistant HCC cells in vitro and in xenograft transplantation mouse models in vivo. Notably, the absence of USP29 and high HK2 expression levels correlate with the response of HCC patients to Sorafenib therapy. Together, the data demonstrate that, as a DUB of HIF1α, USP29 promotes Sorafenib resistance in HCC cells, in parts by upregulating glycolysis, thereby opening new avenues for therapeutically targeting Sorafenib-resistant HCC in patients.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nhan Huynh ◽  
Qiuxiang Ou ◽  
Pendleton Cox ◽  
Roland Lill ◽  
Kirst King-Jones

AbstractIron Regulatory Protein 1 (IRP1) is a bifunctional cytosolic iron sensor. When iron levels are normal, IRP1 harbours an iron-sulphur cluster (holo-IRP1), an enzyme with aconitase activity. When iron levels fall, IRP1 loses the cluster (apo-IRP1) and binds to iron-responsive elements (IREs) in messenger RNAs (mRNAs) encoding proteins involved in cellular iron uptake, distribution, and storage. Here we show that mutations in the Drosophila 1,4-Alpha-Glucan Branching Enzyme (AGBE) gene cause porphyria. AGBE was hitherto only linked to glycogen metabolism and a fatal human disorder known as glycogen storage disease type IV. AGBE binds specifically to holo-IRP1 and to mitoNEET, a protein capable of repairing IRP1 iron-sulphur clusters. This interaction ensures nuclear translocation of holo-IRP1 and downregulation of iron-dependent processes, demonstrating that holo-IRP1 functions not just as an aconitase, but throttles target gene expression in anticipation of declining iron requirements.


Biochemistry ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 36 (13) ◽  
pp. 3950-3958 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin L. Schalinske ◽  
Sheila A. Anderson ◽  
Polygena T. Tuazon ◽  
Opal S. Chen ◽  
M. Claire Kennedy ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fengping Yao ◽  
Xiaohong Cui ◽  
Ying Zhang ◽  
Zhuchun Bei ◽  
Hongquan Wang ◽  
...  

2009 ◽  
Vol 29 (8) ◽  
pp. 2219-2229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly B. Zumbrennen ◽  
Michelle L. Wallander ◽  
S. Joshua Romney ◽  
Elizabeth A. Leibold

ABSTRACT Iron regulatory protein 2 (IRP2) is an RNA-binding protein that regulates the posttranscriptional expression of proteins required for iron homeostasis such as ferritin and transferrin receptor 1. IRP2 RNA-binding activity is primarily regulated by iron-mediated proteasomal degradation, but studies have suggested that IRP2 RNA binding is also regulated by thiol oxidation. We generated a model of IRP2 bound to RNA and found that two cysteines (C512 and C516) are predicted to lie in the RNA-binding cleft. Site-directed mutagenesis and thiol modification show that, while IRP2 C512 and C516 do not directly interact with RNA, both cysteines are located within the RNA-binding cleft and must be unmodified/reduced for IRP2-RNA interactions. Oxidative stress induced by cellular glucose deprivation reduces the RNA-binding activity of IRP2 but not IRP2-C512S or IRP2-C516S, consistent with the formation of a disulfide bond between IRP2 C512 and C516 during oxidative stress. Decreased IRP2 RNA binding is correlated with reduced transferrin receptor 1 mRNA abundance. These studies provide insight into the structural basis for IRP2-RNA interactions and reveal an iron-independent mechanism for regulating iron homeostasis through the redox regulation of IRP2 cysteines.


2003 ◽  
Vol 185 (16) ◽  
pp. 4764-4771 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hesheng Zhang ◽  
Robert L. Switzer

ABSTRACT The genes encoding the enzymes of pyrimidine nucleotide biosynthesis (pyr genes) are regulated in Bacillus subtilis and many other bacterial species by transcriptional attenuation. When UMP or UTP is bound to the PyrR regulatory protein, it binds to pyr mRNA at specific sequences and secondary structures in the RNA. Binding to this site prevents formation of an antiterminator stem-loop in the RNA and permits formation of a downstream terminator, leading to reduced expression of the pyr genes lying downstream from the terminator. The functioning of several other transcriptional attenuation systems has been shown to involve transcriptional pausing; this observation stimulated us to use single-round transcription of pyr genes to test for formation of paused transcripts in vitro. Using templates with each of the three known B. subtilis pyr attenuation sites, we identified one major pause site in each in which the half-life of the paused transcript was increased four- to sixfold by NusA. In each case pausing at the NusA-stimulated site prevented formation of a complete antiterminator stem-loop, while it resulted in increased time for a PyrR binding loop to form and for PyrR to bind to this loop. Thus, the pausing detected in vitro is potentially capable of playing a role in establishing the correct timing for pyr attenuation in vivo. With two of three pyr templates the combination of NusA with PyrR markedly stimulated termination of transcription at the normal termination sites. This suggests that NusA, by stabilizing pausing, plays a role in termination of pyr transcription in vivo.


2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 3469-3474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Qian ◽  
Mohamed Hassanein ◽  
Megan D. Hoeksema ◽  
Bradford K. Harris ◽  
Yong Zou ◽  
...  

Aberrant expression of RNA-binding proteins has profound implications for cellular physiology and the pathogenesis of human diseases such as cancer. We previously identified the Fragile X-Related 1 gene (FXR1) as one amplified candidate driver gene at 3q26-29 in lung squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). FXR1 is an autosomal paralog of Fragile X mental retardation 1 and has not been directly linked to human cancers. Here we demonstrate that FXR1 is a key regulator of tumor progression and its overexpression is critical for nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell growth in vitro and in vivo. We identified the mechanisms by which FXR1 executes its regulatory function by forming a novel complex with two other oncogenes, protein kinase C, iota and epithelial cell transforming 2, located in the same amplicon via distinct binding mechanisms. FXR1 expression is a candidate biomarker predictive of poor survival in multiple solid tumors including NSCLCs. Because FXR1 is overexpressed and associated with poor clinical outcomes in multiple cancers, these results have implications for other solid malignancies.


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