β-catenin links von Hippel-Lindau to aurora kinase A and loss of primary cilia in renal cell carcinoma.

von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) gene mutations are associated with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). A hallmark of ccRCC is loss of the primary cilium. Loss of this key organelle in ccRCC is caused by loss of VHL and associated with increased Aurora kinase A (AURKA) and histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) activities, which drive disassembly of the primary cilium. However, the underlying mechanism by which VHL loss increases AURKA levels has not been clearly elucidated, although it has been suggested that hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) mediates increased AURKA expression in VHL-null cells. By contrast, we found that elevated AURKA expression is not increased by HIF-1α, suggesting an alternate mechanism for AURKA dysregulation in VHL-null cells. We report here that AURKA expression is driven by β-catenin transcription in VHL-null cells. In a panel of RCC cell lines, we observed nuclear accumulation of β-catenin and increased AURKA signaling to HDAC6. Moreover, HIF-1α inhibited AURKA expression by inhibiting β-catenin transcription. VHL knockdown activated β-catenin and elevated AURKA expression, decreased primary cilia formation, and caused significant shortening of cilia length in cells that did form cilia. The β-catenin responsive transcription inhibitor iCRT14 reduced AURKA levels and rescued ciliary defects, inducing a significant increase in primary cilia formation in VHL-deficient cells. These data define a role for β-catenin in regulating AURKA and formation of primary cilia in the setting of VHL deficiency, opening new avenues for treatment with β-catenin inhibitors to rescue ciliogenesis in ccRCC.