Resveratrol limits epithelial to mesenchymal transition through modulation of KHSRP/hnRNPA1-dependent alternative splicing in mammary gland cells
BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS
Authors: Moshiri, Arfa; Puppo, Margherita; Rossi, Martina; Gherzi, Roberto; Briata, Paola
Abstract
Resveratrol (RESV) is a natural polyphenolic compound endowed with anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative, as well as pro-apoptotic activities that make it a potential anti-tumor compound. Here we show that RESV counteracts the TGF-beta-induced Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) phenotype in mammary gland cells and affects the alternative exon usage of pre-mRNAs that encode crucial factors in adhesion and migration including CD44, ENAH, and FGFR2- in a panel of immortalized and transformed mammary gland cells. RESV causes a shift from the mesenchymal-specific forms of these factors to the respective epithelial forms and increases the expression of the RNA-binding proteins KHSRP and hnRNPAl. From a mechanistic point of view, we show that the combined silencing of KHSRP and hnRNPA1 prevents the RESV-dependent inclusion of the epithelial-type exons in the Cd44 pre-mRNA. Our findings support an unexpected regulatory mechanism where RESV limits EMT by controlling gene expression at post-transcriptional level. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
SUMO1 modification of KHSRP regulates tumorigenesis by preventing the TL-G-Rich miRNA biogenesis
MOLECULAR CANCER
Authors: Yuan, Haihua; Deng, Rong; Zhao, Xian; Chen, Ran; Hou, Guofang; Zhang, Hailong; Wang, Yanli; Xu, Ming; Jiang, Bin; Yu, Jianxiu
Abstract
Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators involved in diverse physiological and pathological processes including cancer. SUMO (small ubiquitin-like modifier) is a reversible protein modifier. We recently found that SUMOylation of TARBP2 and DGCR8 is involved in the regulation of the miRNA pathway. KHSRP is a single stranded nucleic acid binding protein with roles in transcription and mRNA decay, and it is also a component of the Drosha-DGCR8 complex promoting the miRNA biogenesis. Methods: The in vivo SUMOylation assay using the Ni2+-NTA affinity pulldown or immunoprecipitation (IP) and the in vitro E.coli-based SUMOylation assay were used to analyze SUMOylation of KHSRP. Nuclear/Cytosol fractionation assay and immunofluorescent staining were used to observe the localization of KHSRP. High-throughput miRNA sequencing, quantantive RT-PCR and RNA immunoprecipitation assay (RIP) were employed to determine the effects of KHSRP SUMO1 modification on the miRNA biogenesis. The soft-agar colony formation, migration, vasculogenic mimicry (VM) and three-dimensional (3D) cell culture assays were performed to detect the phenotypes of tumor cells in vitro, and the xenograft tumor model in mice was conducted to verify that SUMO1 modification of KHSRP regulated tumorigenesis in vivo. Results: KHSRP is modified by SUMO1 at the major site K87, and this modification can be increased upon the microenvironmental hypoxia while reduced by the treatment with growth factors. SUMO1 modification of KHSRP inhibits its interaction with the pri-miRNA/Drosha-DGCR8 complex and probably increases its translocation from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. Consequently, SUMO1 modification of KHSRP impairs the processing step of pre-miRNAs from pri-miRNAs which especially harbor short G-rich stretches in their terminal loops (TL), resulting in the downregulation of a subset of TL-G-Rich miRNAs such as let-7 family and consequential tumorigenesis. Conclusions: Our data demonstrate how the miRNA biogenesis pathway is connected to tumorigenesis and cancer progression through the reversible SUMO1 modification of KHSRP.