Targeting RCC1 to block the human soft-tissue sarcoma by disrupting nucleo-cytoplasmic trafficking of Skp2

• Published in: Cell death & disease Vol. 15; no. 4; p. 241
• Main Authors: Zhuang, Mingzhi, Li, Fengyue, Liang, Hong, Su, Yongfu, Cheng, Lei, Lin, Bingkai, Zhou, Jun, Deng, Runzhi, Chen, Linying, Lyu, Peng, Lu, Zhonglei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Springer Nature B.V 01.04.2024; Nature Publishing Group UK; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Animals; Bioinformatics; Cell Cycle; Cell Cycle Proteins - metabolism; Cell migration; Cell proliferation; Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p27 - genetics; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p27 - metabolism; Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors - genetics; Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors - metabolism; Humans; Malignancy; Metastases; Mice; Nuclear Proteins - metabolism; Phenotypes; Prognosis; S-Phase Kinase-Associated Proteins - genetics; S-Phase Kinase-Associated Proteins - metabolism; Sarcoma; Sarcoma - genetics; Sarcoma - pathology; Skp2 protein; Tumorigenesis; Ubiquitination; Up-Regulation
• ISSN: 2041-4889; 2041-4889
• DOI: 10.1038/s41419-024-06629-2

Soft-tissue sarcomas (STS) emerges as formidable challenges in clinics due to the complex genetic heterogeneity, high rates of local recurrence and metastasis. Exploring specific targets and biomarkers would benefit the prognosis and treatment of STS. Here, we identified RCC1, a guanine-nucleotide exchange factor for Ran, as an oncogene and a potential intervention target in STS. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that RCC1 is highly expressed and correlated with poor prognosis in STS. Functional studies showed that RCC1 knockdown significantly inhibited the cell cycle transition, proliferation and migration of STS cells in vitro, and the growth of STS xenografts in mice. Mechanistically, we identified Skp2 as a downstream target of RCC1 in STS. Loss of RCC1 substantially diminished Skp2 abundance by compromising its protein stability, resulting in the upregulation of p27 and G1/S transition arrest. Specifically, RCC1 might facilitate the nucleo-cytoplasmic trafficking of Skp2 via direct interaction. As a result, the cytoplasmic retention of Skp2 would further protect it from ubiquitination and degradation. Notably, recovery of Skp2 expression largely reversed the phenotypes induced by RCC1 knockdown in STS cells. Collectively, this study unveils a novel RCC1-Skp2-p27 axis in STS oncogenesis, which holds promise for improving prognosis and treatment of this formidable malignancy.