Aberrant expression of CITED2 promotes prostate cancer metastasis by activating the nucleolin-AKT pathway

Nat Commun. 2018 Oct 5;9(1):4113. doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-06606-2.

Abstract

Despite many efforts to develop hormone therapy and chemotherapy, no effective strategy to suppress prostate cancer metastasis has been established because the metastasis is not well understood. We here investigate a role of CBP/p300-interacting transactivator with E/D-rich carboxy-terminal domain-2 (CITED2) in prostate cancer metastasis. CITED2 is highly expressed in metastatic prostate cancer, and its expression is correlated with poor survival. The CITED2 gene is highly activated by ETS-related gene that is overexpressed due to chromosomal translocation. CITED2 acts as a molecular chaperone to guide PRMT5 and p300 to nucleolin, thereby activating nucleolin. Informatics and experimental data suggest that the CITED2-nucleolin axis is involved in prostate cancer metastasis. This axis stimulates cell migration through the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and promotes cancer metastasis in a xenograft mouse model. Our results suggest that CITED2 plays a metastasis-promoting role in prostate cancer and thus could be a target for preventing prostate cancer metastasis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acetylation
  • Adenocarcinoma / genetics
  • Adenocarcinoma / metabolism*
  • Cell Movement
  • Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Methylation
  • Neoplasm Metastasis
  • Nucleolin
  • PC-3 Cells
  • Phosphoproteins / metabolism*
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / genetics
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Protein-Arginine N-Methyltransferases / metabolism
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / metabolism*
  • RNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
  • Repressor Proteins / metabolism*
  • Serine Endopeptidases / genetics
  • Trans-Activators / metabolism*
  • Transcriptional Regulator ERG / genetics
  • p300-CBP Transcription Factors / metabolism

Substances

  • CITED2 protein, human
  • ERG protein, human
  • Phosphoproteins
  • RNA-Binding Proteins
  • Repressor Proteins
  • Trans-Activators
  • Transcriptional Regulator ERG
  • PRMT5 protein, human
  • Protein-Arginine N-Methyltransferases
  • p300-CBP Transcription Factors
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
  • Serine Endopeptidases
  • TMPRSS2 protein, human