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Tang C, Zhuang H, Wang W, Wang Q, Ma X, Wang B, Zhang Z, Jiang J, Xie Z, Tan W, Yang L, Liu S, Hua Y, Xiao Y, Ding B, Chen Y, Shang C. CircNUP54 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression via facilitating HuR cytoplasmic export and stabilizing BIRC3 mRNA. Cell Death Dis 2024; 15:191. [PMID: 38443362 PMCID: PMC10914787 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-024-06570-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2023] [Revised: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been implicated in tumorigenesis and progression of various cancers. However, the underlying mechanisms of circRNAs in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have not been fully elucidated. Herein, a new oncogenic circRNA, hsa_circ_0070039 (circNUP54), was identified to be significantly upregulated in HCC through circRNA sequencing. As verified in 68 HCC samples, circNUP54 overexpression was correlated with aggressive cancerous behaviors and poor outcomes. Moreover, the function experiments showed that knockdown of circNUP54 inhibited the malignant progression of HCC in vitro and in vivo, whereas overexpression of circNUP54 had the opposite role. Mechanistic investigations carried out by RNA pull-down, RNA immunoprecipitation, and immunofluorescence revealed that circNUP54 interacted with the RNA-binding protein Hu-antigen R (HuR) and promoted its cytoplasmic export. The cytoplasmic accumulation of HuR stabilized the downstream BIRC3 mRNA through its binding to the 3' UTR region. Consequently, the encoded protein of BIRC3, cellular inhibitor of apoptosis 2 (cIAP2), proceeded to activate the NF-κB signal pathway and ultimately contributed to HCC progression. In addition, depletion of BIRC3 rescued the pro-tumorigenic effect of circNUP54 on HCC cells. Overall, this study demonstrated that circNUP54 facilitates HCC progression via regulating the HuR/BIRC3/NF-κB axis, which may serve as a promising therapeutic target for HCC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenwei Tang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China
| | - Hongkai Zhuang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China
| | - Wentao Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China
| | - Qingbin Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China
| | - Xiaowu Ma
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China
| | - Bingkun Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China
| | - Ziyu Zhang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China
| | - Jiahao Jiang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China
| | - Zhiqin Xie
- Center of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Zhuzhou Hospital Affiliated to Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Zhuzhou City, Hunan Province, 412007, China
| | - Wenliang Tan
- Center of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Zhuzhou Hospital Affiliated to Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Zhuzhou City, Hunan Province, 412007, China
| | - Lei Yang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China
| | - Songyao Liu
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China
| | - Yonglin Hua
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China
| | - Yuxin Xiao
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China
| | - Baoshan Ding
- Key Laboratory of Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering (Ministry of Education), Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yajin Chen
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China.
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China.
| | - Changzhen Shang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China.
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China.
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Zhang X, Nadolny C, Chen Q, Ali W, Hashmi SF, Deng R. Dysregulation and oncogenic activities of ubiquitin specific peptidase 2a in the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma. Am J Cancer Res 2023; 13:2392-2409. [PMID: 37424823 PMCID: PMC10326592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Ubiquitin specific peptidase 2a (USP2a) plays critical roles in protein degradation and other cellular activities. Currently, our understanding on USP2a dysregulation in subjects with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its roles in HCC pathogenesis is limited. In this study, we found that USP2a mRNA and protein levels were significantly upregulated in HCC tumors from both human and mice. USP2a overexpression in HepG2 and Huh 7 cells significantly increased cell proliferation while inhibition of USP2a activity by chemical inhibitor or stable knockout of USP2 by CRISPR markedly reduced cell proliferation. In addition, USP2a overexpression significantly augmented the resistance while knockout of USP2a markedly increased the susceptibility of HepG2 cells to bile acid-induced apoptosis and necrosis. Consistent with the oncogenic activities detected in vitro, overexpression of USP2a promoted de novo HCC development in mice with significantly increased tumor occurrence rates, tumor sizes and liver/body ratios. Further investigations with unbiased co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP)-coupled proteomic analysis and Western blot identified novel USP2a target proteins involved in cell proliferation, apoptosis, and tumorigenesis. Analysis of those USP2a target proteins revealed that USP2a's oncogenic activities are mediated through multiple pathways, including modulating protein folding and assembling through regulating protein chaperones/co-chaperones HSPA1A, DNAJA1 and TCP1, promoting DNA replication and transcription through regulating RUVBL1, PCNA and TARDBP, and altering mitochondrial apoptotic pathway through regulating VDAC2. Indeed, those newly identified USP2a target proteins were markedly dysregulated in HCC tumors. In summary, USP2a was upregulated in HCC subjects and acted as an oncogene in the pathogenesis of HCC through multiple downstream pathways. The findings provided molecular and pathogenesis bases for developing interventions to treat HCC by targeting USP2a or its downstream pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinmu Zhang
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Rhode Island 7 Greenhouse Road, Kingston, RI 02881, USA
| | - Christina Nadolny
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Rhode Island 7 Greenhouse Road, Kingston, RI 02881, USA
| | - Qiwen Chen
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Rhode Island 7 Greenhouse Road, Kingston, RI 02881, USA
| | - Winifer Ali
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Rhode Island 7 Greenhouse Road, Kingston, RI 02881, USA
| | - Syed F Hashmi
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Rhode Island 7 Greenhouse Road, Kingston, RI 02881, USA
| | - Ruitang Deng
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Rhode Island 7 Greenhouse Road, Kingston, RI 02881, USA
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Yuan M, Xu J, Cao S, Sun S. DDX1 is a prognostic biomarker and correlates with immune infiltrations in hepatocellular carcinoma. BMC Immunol 2022; 23:59. [PMID: 36451087 PMCID: PMC9710136 DOI: 10.1186/s12865-022-00533-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading lethal malignant tumors worldwide. DEAD-box (DDX) family helicases are implicated in numerous human cancers. However, the role of DDX1 in HCC has not yet been fully elucidated. We downloaded gene expression data and clinical information data of HCC from The Cancer Genome Atlas and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) database and conducted subsequent analyses using the R package and online portal. The results revealed that HCC tissues had higher DDX1 expression compared with either paired or unpaired normal tissues. The increased DDX1 expression was closely related to the advanced pathological grade and histologic grade of HCC. Further analysis suggested that patients with high DDX1 expression contributed to poor prognosis The Cox regression analysis revealed that the expression level of DDX1 was an independent prognostic factor for HCC. In addition, an ICGC cohort was used for external validation. The cBio-Portal, MethSurv, and UALCAN database were used for evaluating the genomic mechanism. Moreover, the Tumor Immune Estimation Resource dataset and QUANTISEQ algorithm revealed that DDX1 expression positively correlates with immune infiltrating cells. We also identified the DDX1-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and explored their biological functions by GO, KEGG, and GSEA analyses, which indicated that DDX1 may regulate the progression of HCC. In general, increased DDX1 expression predicts a poor prognosis and drives the progression of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengping Yuan
- grid.417384.d0000 0004 1764 2632Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000 People’s Republic of China
| | - Jinyong Xu
- Department of Pathology, Shenzhen Hyzen Hospital, Shenzhen, 518038 People’s Republic of China
| | - Shuguang Cao
- grid.417384.d0000 0004 1764 2632Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000 People’s Republic of China
| | - Shuangshuang Sun
- grid.417384.d0000 0004 1764 2632Department of Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000 People’s Republic of China
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A Novel circRNA hsa_circRNA_002178 as a Diagnostic Marker in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Enhances Cell Proliferation, Invasion, and Tumor Growth by Stabilizing SRSF1 Expression. JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY 2022; 2022:4184034. [PMID: 36065311 PMCID: PMC9440807 DOI: 10.1155/2022/4184034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Revised: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Background. Previous research studies have shown that the elevation of circular RNA (circRNA), hsa_circRNA_002178, was associated with the poor prognosis of breast cancer and colorectal cancer, while its molecular mechanisms underlying the effects on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are still elusive. Methods. The microarray dataset GSE97332 was obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and calculated by using the GEO2R tool to identify differentially expressed circRNAs. Differentially expressed hsa_circRNA_002178, in 7 HCC tissue samples and paracancerous tissues, as well as in HCC cell lines and normal hepatocytes, was checked by RT-qPCR. Cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins were tested in hsa_circRNA_002178-overexpressed or hsa_circRNA_002178-knocked down HCC cells. Subsequently, we identified whether hsa_circRNA_002178 binds to serine- and arginine-rich splicing factor 1 (SRSF1) and then analyzed their function in regulating HCC cell behavior. The effect on HCC cell xenograft tumor growth was observed by the knockdown of hsa_circRNA_002178 in vivo. Results. GEO2R-based analysis displayed that hsa_circRNA_002178 was upregulated in HCC tissues. Overexpression or knockdown of hsa_circRNA_002178 encouraged or impeded HCC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and EMT program. Mechanically, hsa_circRNA_002178 bound to SRSF1 3′-untranslated region (UTR) and stabilized its expression. SRSF1 weakening eliminated the effects of pcDNA-hsa_circRNA_002178 on cell malignant behavior. Finally, the knockdown of hsa_circRNA_002178 was confirmed to prevent xenograft tumor growth. Conclusions. hsa_circRNA_002178 overexpression encouraged the stability of SRSF1 mRNA expression, and it may serve as an upstream factor of SRSF1 for the diagnosis of HCC.
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