Triple-negative breast cancer(TNBC)is an aggressive disease characterized by high metastatic potential and limited treatment options.Protein kinase C-eta(PKCη),an antiapoptotic kinase of the novel PKC subfamily,is as...Triple-negative breast cancer(TNBC)is an aggressive disease characterized by high metastatic potential and limited treatment options.Protein kinase C-eta(PKCη),an antiapoptotic kinase of the novel PKC subfamily,is associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer patients.Analysis of TNBC tumors revealed that PRKCH(PKCη)expression is linked to an epithelial‒mesenchymal transition(EMT)signature,which is indicative of a metastatic phenotype.Using genetic ablation studies,we showed that PKCηpromotes metastasis by enhancing EMT and stemness.Notably,compared with those in PKCη-intact tumors,orthotopic xenografts of PKCη-knockout cells in NSG mice resulted in reduced tumor growth and metastasis.Mechanistically,PKCηfunctions as a negative regulator of the Hippo pathway by activating YAP.PKCηphosphorylates YAP at Ser128,leading to its stabilization and nuclear translocation,which promotes metastasis.We also demonstrated that PKCηnegatively regulates AKT,thereby further sustaining the downregulation of the Hippo pathway.Finally,we show that an evolutionarily conserved peptide encoded by an upstream open reading frame(uORF)preceding the PKCηcoding sequence functions as a PKCηdegrader,activating the Hippo pathway and promoting YAP degradation.Together,our findings reveal a PKCη-driven signaling axis that regulates the Hippo-YAP pathway in TNBC metastasis,highlighting the potential therapeutic vulnerability of this aggressive disease.展开更多
基金funded by the Israel Science Foundation:ISF 3280/24 to Etta Livneh,Ministry of Science,Technology and Space#4981 to Etta LivnehISF,302/21 to Moshe Elkabets+2 种基金ISF,2802/22 to Ofir Cohen.The United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation:BSF,#2021055 to Moshe Elkabets,#2023129 to Ofir Cohen.Ministry of Innovation,Science&Technology:MOST,#5912 to Moshe Elkabets and Ofir CohenAcceleration was granted by the Israel Cancer Research Foundation:ICRF,#1060612 to Moshe Elkabets and ICRF#81233611 to Ofir CohenVijayasteltar B Liju was awarded a Kreitman postdoctoral fellowship from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev,Beersheva,Israel.
摘要Triple-negative breast cancer(TNBC)is an aggressive disease characterized by high metastatic potential and limited treatment options.Protein kinase C-eta(PKCη),an antiapoptotic kinase of the novel PKC subfamily,is associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer patients.Analysis of TNBC tumors revealed that PRKCH(PKCη)expression is linked to an epithelial‒mesenchymal transition(EMT)signature,which is indicative of a metastatic phenotype.Using genetic ablation studies,we showed that PKCηpromotes metastasis by enhancing EMT and stemness.Notably,compared with those in PKCη-intact tumors,orthotopic xenografts of PKCη-knockout cells in NSG mice resulted in reduced tumor growth and metastasis.Mechanistically,PKCηfunctions as a negative regulator of the Hippo pathway by activating YAP.PKCηphosphorylates YAP at Ser128,leading to its stabilization and nuclear translocation,which promotes metastasis.We also demonstrated that PKCηnegatively regulates AKT,thereby further sustaining the downregulation of the Hippo pathway.Finally,we show that an evolutionarily conserved peptide encoded by an upstream open reading frame(uORF)preceding the PKCηcoding sequence functions as a PKCηdegrader,activating the Hippo pathway and promoting YAP degradation.Together,our findings reveal a PKCη-driven signaling axis that regulates the Hippo-YAP pathway in TNBC metastasis,highlighting the potential therapeutic vulnerability of this aggressive disease.