An FBXW7-ZEB2 axis links EMT and tumour microenvironment to promote colorectal cancer stem cells and chemoresistance

Ningning Li, Roya Babaei-Jadidi, Federica Lorenzi, Bradley Spencer-Dene, Philip Clarke, Enric Domingo, Eugene Tulchinsky, Robert G J Vries, David Kerr, Yihang Pan, Yulong He, David O Bates, Ian Tomlinson, Hans Clevers, Abdolrahman S Nateri

Onderzoeksoutput: Bijdrage aan wetenschappelijk tijdschrift/periodieke uitgaveArtikelWetenschappelijkpeer review

112 Citaten (Scopus)

Samenvatting

Colorectal cancer (CRC) patients develop recurrence after chemotherapy owing to the survival of stem cell-like cells referred to as cancer stem-like cells (CSCs). The origin of CSCs is linked to the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. Currently, it remains poorly understood how EMT programmes enable CSCs residing in the tumour microenvironment to escape the effects of chemotherapy. This study identifies a key molecular pathway that is responsible for the formation of drug-resistant CSC populations. Using a modified yeast-2-hybrid system and 2D gel-based proteomics methods, we show that the E3-ubiquitin ligase FBXW7 directly binds and degrades the EMT-inducing transcription factor ZEB2 in a phosphorylation-dependent manner. Loss of FBXW7 induces an EMT that can be effectively reversed by knockdown of ZEB2. The FBXW7-ZEB2 axis regulates such important cancer cell features, as stemness/dedifferentiation, chemoresistance and cell migration in vitro, ex vivo and in animal models of metastasis. High expression of ZEB2 in cancer tissues defines the reduced ZEB2 expression in the cancer-associated stroma in patients and in murine intestinal organoids, demonstrating a tumour-stromal crosstalk that modulates a niche and EMT activation. Our study thus uncovers a new molecular mechanism, by which the CRC cells display differences in resistance to chemotherapy and metastatic potential.

Originele taal-2Engels
Pagina's (van-tot)13
TijdschriftOncogenesis
Volume8
Nummer van het tijdschrift3
DOI's
StatusGepubliceerd - 19 feb. 2019

Vingerafdruk

Duik in de onderzoeksthema's van 'An FBXW7-ZEB2 axis links EMT and tumour microenvironment to promote colorectal cancer stem cells and chemoresistance'. Samen vormen ze een unieke vingerafdruk.

Citeer dit