ER-residential Nogo-B accelerates NAFLD-associated HCC mediated by metabolic reprogramming of oxLDL lipophagy

Nat Commun. 2019 Jul 29;10(1):3391. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-11274-x.

Abstract

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome that elevates the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Although alteration of lipid metabolism has been increasingly recognized as a hallmark of cancer cells, the deregulated metabolic modulation of HCC cells in the NAFLD progression remains obscure. Here, we discovers an endoplasmic reticulum-residential protein, Nogo-B, as a highly expressed metabolic modulator in both murine and human NAFLD-associated HCCs, which accelerates high-fat, high-carbohydrate diet-induced metabolic dysfunction and tumorigenicity. Mechanistically, CD36-mediated oxLDL uptake triggers CEBPβ expression to directly upregulate Nogo-B, which interacts with ATG5 to promote lipophagy leading to lysophosphatidic acid-enhanced YAP oncogenic activity. This CD36-Nogo-B-YAP pathway consequently reprograms oxLDL metabolism and induces carcinogenetic signaling for NAFLD-associated HCCs. Targeting the Nogo-B pathway may represent a therapeutic strategy for HCC arising from the metabolic syndrome.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Autophagy*
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / complications
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / genetics
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / metabolism*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Diet, High-Fat / adverse effects
  • Endoplasmic Reticulum / metabolism
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Profiling / methods
  • Hep G2 Cells
  • Humans
  • Kaplan-Meier Estimate
  • Lipoproteins, LDL / metabolism*
  • Liver Neoplasms / complications
  • Liver Neoplasms / genetics
  • Liver Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Metabolic Syndrome / etiology
  • Metabolic Syndrome / genetics
  • Metabolic Syndrome / metabolism
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Nude
  • Nogo Proteins / genetics
  • Nogo Proteins / metabolism*
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / complications
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / genetics
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / metabolism*
  • Signal Transduction / genetics
  • Transplantation, Heterologous

Substances

  • Lipoproteins, LDL
  • Nogo Proteins
  • oxidized low density lipoprotein