CLK2 mediates IκBα-independent early termination of NF-κB activation by inducing cytoplasmic redistribution and degradation.

Activation of the NF-κB pathway is strictly regulated to prevent excessive inflammatory and immune responses. In a well-known negative feedback model, IκBα-dependent NF-κB termination is a delayed response pattern in the later stage of activation, and the mechanisms mediating the rapid termination of active NF-κB remain unclear. Here, we showed IκBα-independent rapid termination of nuclear NF-κB mediated by CLK2, which negatively regulated active NF-κB by phosphorylating the RelA/p65 subunit of NF-κB at Ser180 in the nucleus to limit its transcriptional activation through degradation and nuclear export. Depletion of CLK2 increased the production of inflammatory cytokines, reduced viral replication and increased the survival of the mice. Mechanistically, CLK2 phosphorylated RelA/p65 at Ser180 in the nucleus, leading to ubiquitin‒proteasome-mediated degradation and cytoplasmic redistribution. Importantly, a CLK2 inhibitor promoted cytokine production, reduced viral replication, and accelerated murine psoriasis. This study revealed an IκBα-independent mechanism of early-stage termination of NF-κB in which phosphorylated Ser180 RelA/p65 turned off posttranslational modifications associated with transcriptional activation, ultimately resulting in the degradation and nuclear export of RelA/p65 to inhibit excessive inflammatory activation. Our findings showed that the phosphorylation of RelA/p65 at Ser180 in the nucleus inhibits early-stage NF-κB activation, thereby mediating the negative regulation of NF-κB.

Exploring the potential biological function of GRK2 in colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a malignant tumor of the gastrointestinal tract with high morbidity and mortality. There is growing evidence that GRK2 plays a key role in the development and progression of several human cancers. However, the role and potential mechanisms of GRK2 in colon cancer (COAD) are unclear. METHODS: The expression data of GRK2 was downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas database (TCGA). Variation in GRK2 was explored based on the cBioPortal database. The TIMER and TISCH2 databases were used to analyse the relationship between GRK2 expression and tumor immune microenvironment (TME). A log-rank test was used to compare the prognosis of high and low expression of GRK2 groups. Detecting the effect of GRK2 on cell cycle and apoptosis induced by 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) through the flow cytometry and detection of apoptosis-related molecules by Western blot. RESULTS: We demonstrated that GRK2 has a potential oncogenic role. GRK2 expression was upregulated in COAD, which predicted poorer overall survival in COAD patients. The cellular assays showed that GRK2 plays a role in the growth and proliferation of colon cancer cells, also the expression of GRK2 have relationship with the sensitivity of 5-FU and cell cycle progression. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that high GRK2 expression is closely associated with the development of tumor and affects the 5-FU sensitivity.

Activation of CTNNB1 by deubiquitinase UCHL3-mediated stabilization facilitates bladder cancer progression.

BACKGROUND: The catenin beta 1 gene (CTNNB1) plays a crucial role in the malignant progression of various cancers. Recent studies have suggested that CTNNB1 hyperactivation is closely related to the occurrence and development of bladder cancer (BCa). As a member of the deubiquitinating enzyme (DUB) family, ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L3 (UCHL3) is abnormally expressed in various cancers. In this study, we discovered that UCHL3 is a novel oncogene in bladder cancer, suggesting it is a promising target against bladder cancer. METHODS: We utilized CRISPR‒Cas9 technology to construct cell lines with UCHL3 stably overexpressed or knocked out. The successful overexpression or knockout of UCHL3 was determined using Western blotting. Then, we performed CCK-8, colony formation, soft agar and Transwell migration assays to determine the impact of the UCHL3 gene on cell phenotype. RNA-seq was performed with UCHL3-depleted T24 cells (established via CRISPR-Cas9-mediated genomic editing). We analyzed differences in WNT pathway gene expression in wild-type and UCHL3-deficient T24 cell lines using a heatmap and by gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). Then, we validated the effect of UCHL3 on the Wnt pathway using a dual fluorescence reporter. We then analyzed the underlying mechanisms involved using Western blots, co-IP, and immunofluorescence results. We also conducted nude mouse tumor formation experiments. Moreover, conditional UCHL3-knockout mice and bladder cancer model mice were established for research. RESULTS: We found that the overexpression of UCHL3 boosted bladder cancer cell proliferation, invasion and migration, while the depletion of UCHL3 in bladder cancer cells delayed tumor tumorigenesis in vitro and in vivo. UCHL3 was highly associated with the Wnt signaling pathway and triggered the activation of the Wnt signaling pathway, which showed that its functions depend on its deubiquitination activity. Notably, Uchl3-deficient mice were less susceptible to bladder tumorigenesis. Additionally, UCHL3 was highly expressed in bladder cancer cells and associated with indicators of advanced clinicopathology. CONCLUSION: In summary, we found that UCHL3 is amplified in bladder cancer and functions as a tumor promoter that enhances proliferation and migration of tumor cells in vitro and bladder tumorigenesis and progression in vivo. Furthermore, we revealed that UCHL3 stabilizes CTNNB1 expression, resulting in the activation of the oncogenic Wnt signaling pathway. Therefore, our findings strongly suggest that UCHL3 is a promising therapeutic target for bladder cancer.

A Four Amino Acid Metabolism-Associated Genes (AMGs) Signature for Predicting Overall Survival Outcomes and Immunotherapeutic Efficacy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Metabolites are important indicators of cancer and mutations in genes involved in amino acid metabolism may influence tumorigenesis. Immunotherapy is an effective cancer treatment option; however, its relationship with amino acid metabolism has not been reported. In this study, RNA-seq data for 371 liver cancer patients were acquired from TCGA and used as the training set. Data for 231 liver cancer patients were obtained from ICGC and used as the validation set to establish a gene signature for predicting liver cancer overall survival outcomes and immunotherapeutic responses. Four reliable groups based on 132 amino acid metabolism-related DEGs were obtained by consistent clustering of 371 HCC patients and a four-gene signature for prediction of liver cancer survival outcomes was developed. Our data show that in different clinical groups, the overall survival outcomes in the high-risk group were markedly low relative to the low-risk group. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that the characteristics of the 4-gene signature were independent prognostic factors for liver cancer. The ROC curve revealed that the risk characteristic is an efficient predictor for 1-, 2-, and 3-year HCC survival outcomes. The GSVA and KEGG pathway analyses revealed that high-risk score tumors were associated with all aspects of the degree of malignancy in liver cancer. There were more mutant genes and greater immune infiltrations in the high-risk groups. Assessment of the three immunotherapeutic cohorts established that low-risk score patients significantly benefited from immunotherapy. Then, we established a prognostic nomogram based on the TCGA cohort. In conclusion, the 4-gene signature is a reliable diagnostic marker and predictor for immunotherapeutic efficacy.

USP14 promotes colorectal cancer progression by targeting JNK for stabilization.

MAPK/JNK signaling is pivotal in carcinogenesis. However, ubiquitin-mediated homeostasis of JNK remains to be verified. Here, with results from RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and luciferase reporter pathway identification, we show that USP14 orchestrates MAPK/JNK signaling and identify USP14 as a deubiquitinase that interacts and stabilizes JNK. USP14 is elevated in colorectal cancer patients and is positively associated with JNK protein and downstream gene expression. USP14 ablation reduces cancer cell proliferation in vitro and colorectal tumorigenesis in vivo by downregulating MAPK/JNK pathway activation. Moreover, USP14 expression is induced by TNF-α, forming a feedback loop with JNK and leading to tumor amplification. Our study suggests that elevated expression of USP14 promotes MAPK/JNK signaling by stabilizing JNK, which in turn augments colorectal carcinogenesis, indicating a potential therapeutic target for colorectal cancer patients with increased USP14 expression.

A cancer stem cell associated gene signature for predicting overall survival of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most prevalent type of primary liver cancer characterized by high mortality and morbidity rate. The lack of effective treatments and the high frequency of recurrence lead to poor prognosis of patients with HCC. Therefore, it is important to develop robust prediction tools for predicting the prognosis of HCC. Recent studies have shown that cancer stem cells (CSC) participate in HCC progression. The aim of this study was to explore the prognostic value of CSC-related genes and establish a prediction model based on data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. In this study, 475 CSC-related genes were obtained from the Molecular Signature Database and 160 differentially expressed CSC-related genes in HCC patients were identified using the limma R package in the TCGA database. A total of 79 CSC-related genes were found to be associated with overall survival (OS). Using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and multivariate Cox regressions, a 3-gene signature (RAB10, TCOF1, and PSMD14) was constructed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were constructed to test the prediction performance of the signature. Performance of the signature was validated using the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) dataset. In addition, immune feature and functional enrichment analyses were carried out to explore the underlying mechanisms. Moreover, a co-expression network was constructed using the weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA) method to select genes significantly associated with risk scores in HCC in the TCGA dataset. The SGO2 gene was found to be significantly associated with risk scores of HCC. In vitro experiments revealed that it can promote HCC cell proliferation. Therefore, SGO2 may be a potential therapeutic target for HCC treatment. The constructed nomogram can help clinicians make decisions about HCC treatment.

c-MYC-USP49-BAG2 axis promotes proliferation and chemoresistance of colorectal cancer cells in vitro.

Deubiquitinases (DUBs) play critical roles in tumorigenesis and are emerging as potential therapeutic targets. However, it remains less clear which DUBs may play important roles and represent a realistic vulnerability for a particular type of tumor. Here we revealed that Ubiquitin Specific Peptidase 49 (USP49) is transcriptionally activated by c-MYC in colorectal cancer (CRC), and CRC patients with elevated USP49 levels exhibited significantly shorter survival. Knockdown of USP49 markedly inhibited CRC cell proliferation, colony formation, and chemotherapy resistance in vitro. Investigation of mechanisms unravels that USP49 deubiquitinates and stabilizes Bcl-2-Associated Athanogene 2 (BAG2), a well-known protein that antagonizes apoptosis and enables adaptive response of CRC cells. This study identified a novel mechanism by which USP49 promotes CRC cell survival by stabilizing BAG2 through the c-MYC-USP49-BAG2 axis, indicating that USP49 may become a potential therapeutic target for CRC.

NLK is required for Ras/ERK/SRF/ELK signaling to tune skeletal muscle development by phosphorylating SRF and antagonizing the SRF/MKL pathway.

Serum response factor (SRF) regulates differentiation and proliferation by binding to RhoA-actin-activated MKL or Ras-MAPK-activated ELK transcriptional coactivators, but the molecular mechanisms responsible for SRF regulation remain unclear. Here, we show that Nemo-like kinase (NLK) is required for the promotion of SRF/ELK signaling in human and mouse cells. NLK was found to interact with and phosphorylate SRF at serine residues 101/103, which in turn enhanced the association between SRF and ELK. The enhanced affinity of SRF/ELK antagonized the SRF/MKL pathway and inhibited mouse myoblast differentiation in vitro. In a skeletal muscle-specific Nlk conditional knockout mouse model, forming muscle myofibers underwent hypertrophic growth, resulting in an increased muscle and body mass phenotype. We propose that both phosphorylation of SRF by NLK and phosphorylation of ELKs by MAPK are required for RAS/ELK signaling, confirming the importance of this ancient pathway and identifying an important role for NLK in modulating muscle development in vivo.

PTPN18 promotes colorectal cancer progression by regulating the c-MYC-CDK4 axis.

Protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 18 (PTPN18) is often highly expressed in colorectal cancer (CRC), but its role in this disease remains unclear. We demonstrated that PTPN18 overexpression promotes growth and tumorigenesis in CRC cells and that PTPN18 deficiency yields the opposite results in vitro. Moreover, a xenograft assay showed that PTPN18 deficiency significantly inhibited tumorigenesis in vivo. PTPN18 activated the MYC signaling pathway and enhanced CDK4 expression, which is tightly associated with the cell cycle and proliferation in cancer cells. Finally, we found that MYC interacted with PTPN18 and increased the protein level of MYC. In conclusion, our results suggest that PTPN18 promotes CRC development by stabilizing the MYC protein level, which in turn activates the MYC-CDK4 axis. Thus, PTPN18 could be a novel therapeutic target in the future.

miR-210 Participates in Hepatic Ischemia Reperfusion Injury by Forming a Negative Feedback Loop With SMAD4.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury is a major complication of liver transplantation, resection, and hemorrhagic shock. Hypoxia is a key pathological event associated with IR injury. MicroRNA-210 (miR-210) has been characterized as a micromanager of hypoxia pathway. However, its function and mechanism in hepatic IR injury is unknown. APPROACH AND RESULTS: In this study, we found miR-210 was induced in liver tissues from patients subjected to IR-related surgeries. In a murine model of hepatic IR, the level of miR-210 was increased in hepatocytes but not in nonparenchymal cells. miR-210 deficiency remarkably alleviated liver injury, cell inflammatory responses, and cell death in a mouse hepatic IR model. In vitro, inhibition of miR-210 decreased hypoxia/reoxygenation (HR)-induced cell apoptosis of primary hepatocytes and LO2 cells, whereas overexpression of miR-210 increased cells apoptosis during HR. Mechanistically, miR-210 directly suppressed mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 4 (SMAD4) expression under normoxia and hypoxia condition by directly binding to the 3' UTR of SMAD4. The pro-apoptotic effect of miR-210 was alleviated by SMAD4, whereas short hairpin SMAD4 abrogated the anti-apoptotic role of miR-210 inhibition in primary hepatocytes. Further studies demonstrated that hypoxia-induced SMAD4 transported into nucleus, in which SMAD4 directly bound to the promoter of miR-210 and transcriptionally induced miR-210, thus forming a negative feedback loop with miR-210. CONCLUSIONS: Our study implicates a crucial role of miR-210-SMAD4 interaction in hepatic IR-induced cell death and provides a promising therapeutic approach for liver IR injury.

Phosphorylation of MAVS/VISA by Nemo-like kinase (NLK) for degradation regulates the antiviral innate immune response.

MAVS is essential for antiviral immunity, but the molecular mechanisms responsible for its tight regulation remain poorly understood. Here, we show that NLK inhibits the antiviral immune response during viral infection by targeting MAVS for degradation. NLK depletion promotes virus-induced antiviral cytokine production and decreases viral replication, which is potently rescued by the reintroduction of NLK. Moreover, the depletion of NLK promotes antiviral effects and increases the survival times of mice after infection with VSV. NLK interacts with and phosphorylates MAVS at multiple sites on mitochondria or peroxisomes, thereby inducing the degradation of MAVS and subsequent inactivation of IRF3. Most importantly, a peptide derived from MAVS promotes viral-induced IFN-ß production and antagonizes viral replication in vitro and in vivo. These findings provide direct insights into the molecular mechanisms by which phosphorylation of MAVS regulates its degradation and influences its activation and identify an important peptide target for propagating antiviral responses.

Cancer testis antigen 55 deficiency attenuates colitis-associated colorectal cancer by inhibiting NF-κB signaling.

Colitis-associated cancer (CAC), a prototype of inflammation-associated cancer, is one of the most common gastrointestinal tumors. As a potential cancer testis antigen (CT antigen), cancer testis antigen 55 (CT55) is expressed in different tumors and normal testes. However, its role in CAC remains unknown. Here, we identified CT55 as a new potent promoter of CAC. We discovered that Ct55 deficiency alleviated inflammatory responses, decreased cell proliferation and colitis-associated tumorigenesis in an azoxymethane/dextran sulfate sodium (AOM/DSS) mouse model. Mechanistically, CT55 acts as an accelerator of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-induced nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling. Upon stimulation with TNF-α, CT55 interacts with the IκB kinase (IKK) complex, which increases the phosphorylation of IKKα/ß and activates IKK-p65 signaling, while knockout of CT55 blocks IKK-p65 signaling. Notably, inhibition of IKK abolished the positive effect of CT55 on NF-κB activation. Collectively, our findings strongly indicate that CT55 deficiency suppresses the development of CAC and that the CT55-TNF-α-induced NF-κB axis may represent a promising target for CAC therapy.

DUB3 deubiquitinates and stabilizes NRF2 in chemotherapy resistance of colorectal cancer.

The transcription factor nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (NRF2) is one of the master regulators that control hundreds of genes containing antioxidant response elements (AREs). The NRF2-ARE pathway plays a complex role in colorectal cancer (CRC). NRF2 activity is known to be regulated by KEAP1-CUL3 E3 ligase-mediated ubiquitination, indicating the importance of deubiquitination regulation. However, the deubiquitinase (DUB) of NRF2 remains unknown. Here, by screening a DUB library, we identified DUB3 as a DUB that remarkably stabilized NRF2. Further experiments demonstrated that DUB3 promoted NRF2 stability and transcriptional activity by decreasing the K48-linked ubiquitination of NRF2. Coimmunoprecipitation studies revealed interactions between NRF2 and DUB3, as well as between KEAP1 and DUB3, indicating that NRF2, DUB3, and KEAP1 formed a large functional complex. Importantly, ectopic expression of DUB3 caused NRF2-dependent chemotherapy resistance in colon cancer cell lines. Thus, to the best of our knowledge, our findings are the first to identify DUB3 as a NRF2 DUB and may provide a new strategy against chemotherapy resistance in CRC and other NRF2-related diseases.

Hypoxia-induced microRNA-191 contributes to hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury through the ZONAB/Cyclin D1 axis.

Hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in liver transplantation settings and involves severe cell death and inflammatory responses. MicroRNA-191 has recently been reported to be abnormally expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma and other liver diseases in the regulation of important cellular processes. However, little is known about its function and molecular mechanism in IRI. Here, we demonstrate that miR-191 is significantly upregulated in a cultured cell line during hypoxia/reperfusion (H/R) and in liver tissue during IRI in mice. The activation of miR-191 under hypoxic conditions is mediated by hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF1α) binding to its promoter region. Global miR-191 KO mice were constructed by CRISPR/Cas9 system, and we found that miR-191 deficiency markedly reduces liver tissue damage, cell inflammatory responses and cell death in a mouse hepatic IRI model. Under the H/R condition, miR-191 overexpression promotes G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and cell apoptosis, but inhibition of miR-191 facilitates cell cycle progression and decreases cell death. Mechanistically, upon induction by hypoxia or ischemia, miR-191 suppresses expression of ZO-1-associated Y-box factor (ZONAB) and its downstream factor Cyclin D1, consequently resulting in cell death and tissue injury. Moreover, the effects of miR-191 on cell cycle arrest and cell apoptosis are abrogated by ZONAB overexpression, and vice versa. Taken together, our results indicate an important role of the HIF1α/miR-191/ZONAB signaling pathway in hepatic IRI and suggest miR-191 as a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of liver IRI.

Cordycepin induces Bax­dependent apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells.

Cordycepin, or 3'­deoxyadenosine, is a derivative of the nucleoside adenosine. Initially extracted from the fungus Cordyceps militaris, cordycepin exhibits antitumor activity against certain cancer cell lines; however, the mechanism by which cordycepin counteracts colorectal cancer (CRC) remains poorly understood. The aim of the present study was to explore the underlying mechanisms of cordycepin against human CRC. To investigate the molecular mechanisms of cordycepin against colon cancer and in driving apoptosis, p53 and Bcl­2­like protein 4­null (Bax­/­) colon cancer HCT116 cell lines were used. Cell viability and growth were repressed in a dose­dependent manner in cells treated with cordycepin. Treatment with cordycepin resulted in increased apoptosis in HCT116 cells; however, flow cytometic analysis demonstrated that apoptosis was notably decreased in the Bax­/­ HCT116 cell lines, but not in the p53­/­ HCT116 cell lines. Furthermore, cordycepin exposure resulted in the translocation of Bax from the cytosol to the mitochondria and the subsequent release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria. Results from the present study demonstrated that cordycepin inhibited colon cancer cell growth in vitro and this appears to be through the endogenous Bax­dependent mitochondrial apoptosis pathway, which suggested a molecular mechanism for cordycepin against human colon cancer. These results indicated the possibility of cordycepin as a novel drug for the prevention of colon cancer.

Nemo-like kinase (NLK) primes colorectal cancer progression by releasing the E2F1 complex from HDAC1.

Control of E2F1 activity is restricted via its interactions with RB1 and HDAC1. However, the detailed regulatory mechanisms underlying the E2F1/HDAC1 complex remain elusive. Here, we report that Nemo-like kinase (NLK) boosts cell cycle progression, which facilitates tumor development by releasing the E2F1 protein from HDAC1. Deletion of NLK largely blocks colorectal tumor proliferation and development. Moreover, RNA-seq shows that cell cycle is arrested at the G1/S phase in NLK-deficient cells and that the expression of E2F complex-targeted genes are affected, whereas overexpression of NLK but not an NLK mutant restores the wild-type phenotype. Mechanistically, we show that NLK interacts with the E2F1 complex, leading to disassembly of the E2F1/HDAC1 complex and thus diminishing the ability of E2F1 to bind to target gene promoters. Our results indicate that NLK boosts cell proliferation and E2F1 activity and controls the cell cycle switch by releasing HDAC1 from the E2F1 complex.

USP49 participates in the DNA damage response by forming a positive feedback loop with p53.

The p53 tumor suppressor is a critical factor in the DNA damage response (DDR), and regulation of p53 stability has a key role in this process. In our study, we identified USP49 as a novel deubiquitinase (DUB) for p53 from a library consisting of 80 DUBs and found that USP49 has a positive effect on p53 transcriptional activity and protein stability. Investigation of the mechanism revealed that USP49 interacts with the N terminus of p53 and suppresses several types of p53 ubiquitination. Furthermore, USP49 rendered HCT116 cells more sensitive to etoposide (Eto)-induced DNA damage and was upregulated in response to several types of cell stress, including DNA damage. Remarkably, USP49 expression was regulated by p53 and USP49 in knockout mice, which are more susceptible to azoxymethane/dextran sulfate sodium (AOM/DSS)-induced colon tumors. These findings suggest that USP49 has an important role in DDR and may act as a potential tumor suppressor by forming a positive feedback loop with p53.

Synthesis and mechanisms of action of novel harmine derivatives as potential antitumor agents.

A series of novel harmine derivatives bearing a benzylindine substituent in position-1 of ß-carboline ring were synthesized and evaluated as antitumor agents. The N2-benzylated ß-carboline derivatives 3a-g represented the most interesting anticancer activities and compound 3c was found to be the most active agent to diverse cancer cell lines such as gastric carcinoma, melanoma and colorectal cancer. Notably, compound 3c showed low toxicity to normal cells. The treatment significantly induced cell apoptosis. Mechanistically, PI3K/AKT signaling pathway mediated compound 3c-induced apoptosis. Compound 3c inhibited phosphorylation of AKT and promoted the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The ROS scavenger, LNAC and GSH, could disturb the effect of compound 3c induced apoptosis and PI3K activity inhibitor LY294002 synergistically enhanced compound 3c efficacy. Moreover, the results from nude mice xenograft model showed that compound 3c treatment effectively inhibited tumor growth and decreased tumor weight. Collectively, our results demonstrated that compound 3c exerts apoptotic effect in cancer cells via suppression of phosphorylated AKT and evocation of ROS generation, which suggested that compound 3c might be served as a promising therapeutic agent for cancer treatment.

Stabilization of ATF5 by TAK1-Nemo-like kinase critically regulates the interleukin-1ß-stimulated C/EBP signaling pathway.

Interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) is a key proinflammatory cytokine that initiates several signaling cascades, including those involving CCAAT/enhancer binding proteins (C/EBPs). The mechanism by which IL-1ß propagates a signal that activates C/EBP has remained elusive. Nemo-like kinase (NLK) is a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)-like kinase associated with many pathways and phenotypes that are not yet well understood. Using a luciferase reporter screen, we found that IL-1ß-induced C/EBP activation was positively regulated by NLK. Overexpression of NLK activated C/EBP and potentiated IL-1ß-triggered C/EBP activation, whereas knockdown or knockout of NLK had the opposite effect. NLK interacted with activating transcription factor 5 (ATF5) and inhibited the proteasome-dependent degradation of ATF5 in a kinase-independent manner. Consistently, NLK deficiency resulted in decreased levels of ATF5. NLK cooperated with ATF5 to activate C/EBP, whereas NLK could not activate C/EBP upon knockdown of ATF5. Moreover, TAK1, a downstream effector of IL-1ß that acts upstream of NLK, mimicked the ability of NLK to stabilize ATF5 and activate C/EBP. Thus, our findings reveal the TAK1-NLK pathway as a novel regulator of basal or IL-1ß-triggered C/EBP activation though stabilization of ATF5.

UbcH10 overexpression increases carcinogenesis and blocks ALLN susceptibility in colorectal cancer.

Cyclins are essential for cell proliferation, the cell cycle and tumorigenesis in all eukaryotes. UbcH10 regulates the degradation of cyclins in a ubiquitin-dependent manner. Here, we report that UbcH10 is likely involved in tumorigenesis. We found that cancer cells exposed to n-acetyl-leu-leu-norleucinal (ALLN) treatment and UbcH10 depletion exhibit a synergistic therapeutic effect. Abundant expression of UbcH10 drives resistance to ALLN-induced cell death, while cells deficient in UbcH10 were susceptible to ALLN-induced cell death. The depletion of UbcH10 hindered tumorigenesis both in vitro and in vivo, as assessed by colony formation, growth curve, soft agar and xenograft assays. These phenotypes were efficiently rescued through the introduction of recombinant UbcH10. In the UbcH10-deficient cells, alterations in the expression of cyclins led to cell cycle changes and subsequently decreases in tumorigenesis. The tumorigenesis of xenograft tumors from UbcH10-deficient cells treated with ALLN was decreased relative to wild-type cells treated with ALLN in nude mice. On the molecular level, we observed that UbcH10 deficiency enhances the activation of caspase 8 and caspase 3 but not caspase 9 to impair cell viability upon ALLN treatment. Collectively, our results suggest that, as an oncogene, UbcH10 is a potential drug target for the treatment of colorectal cancer.