title: Molecular targeting of CSN5 in human hepatocellular carcinoma: a mechanism of therapeutic response.
abstract: Development of targeted therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a major challenge. We have recently identified an elevated expression of the fifth subunit of COP9 signalosome (CSN5) in early HCC as compared with dysplastic stage. In the present study, we explored the possibility of CSN5 being a potential therapeutic target for HCC. Our results show that CSN5 knockdown by small-interfering (si) RNA caused a strong induction of apoptosis and inhibition of cell-cycle progression in HCC cells in vitro. The down-regulation of CSN5 was sufficient to interfere with CSN function as evidenced by the accumulation of neddylated Cullin 1 and changes in the protein levels of CSN-controlled substrates SKP2, p53, p27 and nuclear factor-κB, albeit to a different degree depending on the HCC cell line, which could account for the CSN5 knockdown phenotype. The transcriptomic analysis of CSN5 knockdown signature showed that the anti-proliferative effect was driven by a common subset of molecular alterations including down-regulation of cyclin-dependent kinase 6 (CDK6) and integrin β1 (ITGB1), which were functionally interconnected with key oncogenic regulators MYC and TGFβ1 involved in the control of proliferation, apoptotic cell death and HCC progression. Consistent with microarray analysis, western blotting revealed that CSN5 depletion increased phosphorylation of Smad 2/3, key mediators of TGFβ1 signaling, decreased the protein levels of ITGB1, CDK6 and cyclin D1 and caused reduced expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2, while elevating the levels of pro-apoptotic Bak. A chemically modified variant of CSN5 siRNA was then selected for in vivo application based on the growth inhibitory effect and minimal induction of unwanted immune response. Systemic delivery of the CSN5 3/8 variant by stable-nucleic-acid-lipid particles significantly suppressed the tumor growth in Huh7-luc+ orthotopic xenograft model. Taken together, these results indicate that CSN5 has a pivotal role in HCC pathogenesis and maybe an attractive molecular target for systemic HCC therapy.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Carcinogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Y-H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Judge
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Seo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kitade
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Gómez-Quiroz
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.forename: B-K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: J U
authors.initials: JU
authors.lastname: Marquardt
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Raggi
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Avital
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Conner
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: MacLachlan
authors.forename: V M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Factor
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Thorgeirsson
mesh_terms: D000075686:COP9 Signalosome Complex; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002455:Cell Division; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D015536:Down-Regulation; D055785:Gene Knockdown Techniques; D006801:Humans; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases; C501488:COPS5 protein, human; D000075686:COP9 Signalosome Complex