Isoliquiritigenin suppresses the progression of malignant melanoma via targeting H2A.Z.1-E2F1 pathway.

Cutaneous melanoma is one of the most prevalent tumors, and it is still a huge challenge in the current clinical treatment. Isoliquiritigenin (ISL), which is isolated from Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch., has been reported for its anti-tumor effect. However, the underlying mechanism and targets of ISL are still not be revealed clearly. In this study, differentiallyexpressedproteins were identified bylabel-free quantitative mass spectrometry. Two isoforms of the histone variant H2A.Z, including H2A.Z.1 and H2A.Z.2, were significantly down regulated after administration of ISL in melanoma. H2A.Z.1 was highly expressed in melanoma and correlated with poor prognosis of melanoma. The expression of H2A.Z was inhibited by ISL in a concentration-dependent manner. Overexpression of H2A.Z.1 in melanoma cell lines partly restored the repressed cell proliferation and cell cycle by ISL. Moreover, E2F1 was identified as one downstream target of H2A.Z.1, which was also highly expressed in melanoma and correlated with poor prognosis of melanoma. Furthermore, in vivo assays validated the inhibitory role of ISL in melanoma proliferation and the expression of H2A.Z.1 and E2F1.Aboveall,it is indicated that ISL inhibit melanoma proliferation via targeting H2A.Z.1-E2F1 pathway. These findings explain the anti-tumor mechanism of ISL and provide potential therapeutic targets for melanoma.