Hypoxia-induced HIF1A impairs sorafenib sensitivity in hepatocellular carcinoma through NSUN2-mediated stabilization of GDF15.

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Although sorafenib is a first-line systemic therapy for advanced HCC, resistance to treatment remains a major challenge. Hypoxia is a hallmark of the tumor microenvironment and is known to promote tumor growth and progression; however, its role in modulating sorafenib response in HCC remains poorly understood.

METHODS

HCC cell lines (Hep3B and Huh7) were cultured under normoxic or hypoxic conditions and treated with sorafenib. Cell viability, apoptosis, and colony formation assays were conducted to evaluate the effect of hypoxia on sorafenib sensitivity. Luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays were used to confirm HIF1A-mediated transcriptional regulation. RNA sequencing, m5C-RIP-Seq, and bioinformatics analysis were performed to identify NSUN2-mediated downstream targets. The therapeutic efficacy of GDF15 neutralization in combination with sorafenib was assessed both in vitro and in vivo.

RESULTS

Hypoxia significantly reduced HCC cell sensitivity to sorafenib, as evidenced by increased IC50 values and decreased apoptosis. Mechanistically, hypoxia-induced HIF1A upregulated the RNA m5C methyltransferase NSUN2, which stabilized GDF15 mRNA through m5C modification, leading to enhanced GDF15 secretion. Neutralization of GDF15 inhibited Akt/mTOR signaling and enhanced sensitivity to sorafenib in both in vitro and in vivo models.

CONCLUSION

This study uncovers a novel mechanism by which hypoxia-induced HIF1A promotes sorafenib resistance in HCC via the NSUN2-mediated stabilization and upregulation of GDF15. Targeting the HIF1A/NSUN2/GDF15 axis offers a promising therapeutic strategy to overcome sorafenib resistance in HCC patients.