AKAP8 promotes ovarian cancer progression and antagonizes PARP inhibitor sensitivity through regulating hnRNPUL1 transcription

Ovarian cancer (OC) is the highest worldwide cancer mortality cause among gynecologic tumors, but its underlying molecular mechanism remains largely unknown. Here, we report that the RNA binding protein A-kinase anchoring protein 8 (AKAP8) is highly expressed in ovarian cancer and predicts poor prognosis for ovarian cancer patients. AKAP8 promotes ovarian cancer progression through regulating cell proliferation and metastasis. Mechanically, AKAP8 is enriched at chromatin and regulates the transcription of the specific hnRNPUL1 isoform. Moreover, AKAP8 phase separation modulates the hnRNPUL1 short isoform transcription. Ectopic expression of the hnRNPUL1 short isoform could partially rescue the growth inhibition effect of AKAP8-knockdown in ovarian cancer cells. In addition, AKAP8 modulates PARP1 expression through hnRNPUL1, and AKAP8 inhibition enhances PAPR inhibitor cytotoxicity in ovarian cancer. Together, our study uncovers the crucial function of AKAP8 condensation-mediated transcription regulation, and targeting AKAP8 could be potential for improvement of ovarian cancer therapy.