FLI1 induces erythroleukemia through opposing effects on UBASH3A and UBASH3B expression.

BACKGROUND: FLI1 is an oncogenic transcription factor that promotes diverse malignancies through mechanisms that are not fully understood. Herein, FLI1 is shown to regulate the expression of Ubiquitin Associated and SH3 Domain Containing A/B (UBASH3A/B) genes. UBASH3B and UBASH3A are found to act as an oncogene and tumor suppressor, respectively, and their combined effect determines erythroleukemia progression downstream of FLI1. METHODS: Promoter analysis combined with luciferase assays and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis were applied on the UBASH3A/B promoters. RNAseq analysis combined with bioinformatic was used to determine the effect of knocking-down UBASH3A and UBASH3B in leukemic cells. Downstream targets of UBASH3A/B were inhibited in leukemic cells either via lentivirus-shRNAs or small molecule inhibitors. Western blotting and RT-qPCR were used to determine transcription levels, MTT assays to assess proliferation rate, and flow cytometry to examine apoptotic index. RESULTS: Knockdown of FLI1 in erythroleukemic cells identified the UBASH3A/B genes as potential downstream targets. Herein, we show that FLI1 directly binds to the UBASH3B promoter, leading to its activation and leukemic cell proliferation. In contrast, FLI1 indirectly inhibits UBASH3A transcription via GATA2, thereby antagonizing leukemic growth. These results suggest oncogenic and tumor suppressor roles for UBASH3B and UBASH3A in erythroleukemia, respectively. Mechanistically, we show that UBASH3B indirectly inhibits AP1 (FOS and JUN) expression, and that its loss leads to inhibition of apoptosis and acceleration of proliferation. UBASH3B also positively regulates the SYK gene expression and its inhibition suppresses leukemia progression. High expression of UBASH3B in diverse tumors was associated with worse prognosis. In contrast, UBASH3A knockdown in erythroleukemic cells increased proliferation; and this was associated with a dramatic induction of the HSP70 gene, HSPA1B. Accordingly, knockdown of HSPA1B in erythroleukemia cells significantly accelerated leukemic cell proliferation. Accordingly, overexpression of UBASH3A in different cancers was predominantly associated with good prognosis. These results suggest for the first time that UBASH3A plays a tumor suppressor role in part through activation of HSPA1B. CONCLUSIONS: FLI1 promotes erythroleukemia progression in part by modulating expression of the oncogenic UBASH3B and tumor suppressor UBASH3A.

Liver cancer stem cell dissemination and metastasis: uncovering the role of NRCAM in hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Liver cancer stem cells (LCSCs) play an important role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the mechanisms that link LCSCs to HCC metastasis remain largely unknown. This study aims to reveal the contributions of NRCAM to LCSC function and HCC metastasis, and further explore its mechanism in detail. METHODS: 117 HCC and 29 non-HCC patients with focal liver lesions were collected and analyzed to assess the association between NRCAM and HCC metastasis. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) was used to explore the biological characteristics of cells with high NRCAM expression in metastatic HCC. The role and mechanism of NRCAM in LCSC dissemination and metastasis was explored in vitro and in vivo using MYC-driven LCSC organoids from murine liver cells. RESULTS: Serum NRCAM is associated with HCC metastasis and poor prognosis. A scRNA-seq analysis identified that NRCAM was highly expressed in LCSCs with MYC activation in metastatic HCC. Moreover, NRCAM facilitated LCSC migration and invasion, which was confirmed in MYC-driven LCSC organoids. The in vivo tumor allografts demonstrated that NRCAM mediated intra-hepatic/lung HCC metastasis by enhancing the ability of LCSCs to escape from tumors into the bloodstream. Nrcam expression inhibition in LCSCs blocked HCC metastasis. Mechanistically, NRCAM activated epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastasis-related matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) through the MACF1 mediated ß-catenin signaling pathway in LCSCs. CONCLUSIONS: LCSCs typified by high NRCAM expression have a strong ability to invade and migrate, which is an important factor leading to HCC metastasis.