ISSN: 1837-9664Journal of Cancer
Global reach, higher impact
J Cancer 2022; 13(7):2061-2073. doi:10.7150/jca.66080 This issue Cite
Research Paper
EGLN1 induces tumorigenesis and radioresistance in nasopharyngeal carcinoma by promoting ubiquitination of p53 in a hydroxylase-dependent manner
1. Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
2. Department of Radiation Cancer, Hubei Cancer Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
3. The Comprehensive Cancer Centre of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School & Clinical Cancer Institute of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
#These authors contributed equally to this article.
Abstract
Egl-9 Family Hypoxia Inducible Factor 1 (EGLN1) is a proline hydroxylase mediating degradation of hypoxia-inducible factor α (HIFα) through the ubiquitination system. Studies have indicated an essential role for EGLN1 in angiogenesis and tumorigenesis. However, there is no consensus on the regulation of EGLN1 and its mechanism of action on nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). This study explored the association of the expression of EGLN1 with characteristics of NPC tumors and its underlying mechanism. We found that the expression of EGLN1 showed a positive correlation with tumor T classification and clinical staging of patients with NPC. EGLN1 could promote cell proliferation, invasion and migration, and even enhance the cancer stem cells (CSCs) prosperity and radioresistance of NPC cells. Mechanistically, EGLN1 facilitated degradation of tumor protein p53 through the ubiquitination system. This effect could be weakened in the presence of dimethyloxalylglycine (DMOG), suggesting that EGLN1 down-regulated p53 based on its hydroxylase activity. In conclusion, overexpression of EGLN1 promoted oncogenesis and induced a CSC-like phenotype in NPC cells, then enhancing the ability for radioresistance by interacting with p53 in a hydroxylase-dependent manner. Thus, EGLN1 might serve as a potential therapeutic target for NPC.
Keywords: nasopharyngeal carcinoma, Egl-9 family hypoxia inducible factor 1, tumor protein p53, ubiquitination, cancer stem cell
Citation styles
