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Qu M, Zhang G, Qu H, Vu A, Wu R, Tsukamoto H, Jia Z, Huang W, Lenz HJ, Rich JN, Kay SA. Circadian regulator BMAL1::CLOCK promotes cell proliferation in hepatocellular carcinoma by controlling apoptosis and cell cycle. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2214829120. [PMID: 36595671 PMCID: PMC9926257 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2214829120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a global health challenge whose incidence is growing worldwide. Previous evidence strongly supported the notion that the circadian clock controls physiological homeostasis of the liver and plays a key role in hepatocarcinogenesis. Despite the progress, cellular and molecular mechanisms underpinning this HCC-clock crosstalk remain unknown. Addressing this knowledge gap, we show here that although the human HCC cells Hep3B, HepG2, and Huh7 displayed variations in circadian rhythm profiles, all cells relied on the master circadian clock transcription factors, BMAL1 and CLOCK, for sustained cell growth. Down-regulating Bmal1 or Clock in the HCC cells induced apoptosis and arrested cell cycle at the G2/M phase. Mechanistically, we found that inhibiting Bmal1/Clock induced dysregulation of the cell cycle regulators Wee1 and p21 which cooperatively contribute to tumor cell death. Bmal1/Clock knockdown caused downregulation of Wee1 that led to apoptosis activation and upregulation of p21 which arrested the cell cycle at the G2/M phase. Collectively, our results suggest that the circadian clock regulators BMAL1 and CLOCK promote HCC cell proliferation by controlling Wee1 and p21 levels, thereby preventing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Our findings shed light on cellular impact of the clock proteins for maintaining HCC oncogenesis and provide proof-of-principle for developing cancer therapy based on modulation of the circadian clock.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Qu
- International Institutes of Medicine, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Yiwu, Zhejiang322000, China
- Department of Neurology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA90089
| | - Guoxin Zhang
- Hillman Cancer Center and Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA15232
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA15232
| | - Han Qu
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA92521
| | - Alexander Vu
- Department of Neurology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA90089
| | - Raymond Wu
- Southern California Research Center for Alcoholic Liver and Pancreatic Diseases and Cirrhosis and Department of Pathology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA90033
| | - Hidekazu Tsukamoto
- Southern California Research Center for Alcoholic Liver and Pancreatic Diseases and Cirrhosis and Department of Pathology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA90033
| | - Zhenyu Jia
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA92521
- Graduate Program in Genetics, Genomics, and Bioinformatics, University of California, Riverside, CA92521
| | - Wendong Huang
- Department of Diabetes Complications and Metabolism, Arthur Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA91010
| | - Heinz-Josef Lenz
- Division of Oncology, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA90032
| | - Jeremy N. Rich
- Hillman Cancer Center and Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA15232
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA15232
| | - Steve A. Kay
- Department of Neurology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA90089
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