Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, Health Science Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315211, China.
Department of Oncology, The First Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315020, China.
Cell Death Dis. 2023 Jun 21;14(6):368. doi: 10.1038/s41419-023-05891-0.
Endometrial carcinoma (ECa) is the most common malignant gynecological cancer, with an increased incidence and fatality rate worldwide, while the pathogenesis is still largely unknown. In this study, we confirmed that FBXO7, a gene coding FBXO7 E3 ubiquitin ligase, is significantly downregulated and mutated (5.87%; 31/528) in ECa specimens, and the abnormal low expression and mutations of FBXO7 are associated with the occurrence of ECa. We also identify the excessive expression of INF2 protein, a key factor that triggers mitochondrial division by recruiting the DRP1 protein, and the elevated INF2 protein is significantly negatively correlated with the low FBXO7 protein in ECa specimens. Mechanistically, FBXO7 restrains ECa through inhibiting INF2-associated mitochondrial division via FBXO7-mediated ubiquitination and degradation of INF2. Moreover, we found that ECa-associated FBXO7 mutants are defective in the ubiquitination and degradation of INF2, promoting ECa cells proliferation, migration and apoptosis inhibition via inducing mitochondrial hyper-division. In addition, we found that it could reverse FBXO7 deletion or ECa-associated FBXO7 mutants-induced proliferation, migration, apoptosis inhibition and mitochondrial hyper-division of ECa cells by INF2 or DNM1L knockdown, or DRP1 inhibitor Mdivi-1. In summary, our study shows that FBXO7 acts as a novel tumor suppressor in ECa by inhibiting INF2-DRP1 axis-associated mitochondrial division through the ubiquitination and degradation of INF2 while the effect is destroyed by ECa-associated FBXO7 and INF2 mutants, highlights the key role of FBXO7-INF2-DRP1 axis in ECa tumorigenesis and provides a new viewpoint to treat ECa patients with FBXO7 deletion or mutations by targeting INF2-DRP1 axis-associated mitochondrial division.
子宫内膜癌(ECa)是最常见的妇科恶性肿瘤,其发病率和死亡率在全球范围内呈上升趋势,但其发病机制仍在很大程度上未知。在本研究中,我们证实 FBXO7(编码 FBXO7 E3 泛素连接酶的基因)在 ECa 标本中显著下调和突变(5.87%;31/528),FBXO7 的异常低表达和突变与 ECa 的发生有关。我们还发现 INF2 蛋白的过度表达,该蛋白是通过招募 DRP1 蛋白触发线粒体分裂的关键因素,并且在 ECa 标本中,升高的 INF2 蛋白与低 FBXO7 蛋白呈显著负相关。在机制上,FBXO7 通过 FBXO7 介导的 INF2 泛素化和降解来抑制 INF2 相关的线粒体分裂,从而抑制 ECa。此外,我们发现 ECa 相关的 FBXO7 突变体在 INF2 的泛素化和降解方面存在缺陷,通过诱导线粒体过度分裂,促进 ECa 细胞增殖、迁移和凋亡抑制。此外,我们发现通过 INF2 或 DNM1L 的敲低,或 DRP1 抑制剂 Mdivi-1,可逆转 FBXO7 缺失或 ECa 相关 FBXO7 突变体诱导的 ECa 细胞增殖、迁移、凋亡抑制和线粒体过度分裂。综上所述,我们的研究表明,FBXO7 通过 INF2-DRP1 轴相关的线粒体分裂的泛素化和降解,作为一种新型的肿瘤抑制因子在 ECa 中发挥作用,而这种作用被 ECa 相关的 FBXO7 和 INF2 突变体破坏,突出了 FBXO7-INF2-DRP1 轴在 ECa 肿瘤发生中的关键作用,并为通过靶向 FBXO7-INF2-DRP1 轴相关的线粒体分裂来治疗具有 FBXO7 缺失或突变的 ECa 患者提供了新的观点。