Che-1 sustains hypoxic response of colorectal cancer cells by affecting Hif-1a stabilization

Solid tumors are less oxygenated than normal tissues, and for this reason the cancer cells have developed several molecular mechanisms of adaptation to hypoxic environment. Moreover, his poor oxygenation is a major indicator of an adverse prognosis and leads resistance to standard anticancer treatment. Previous reports from this laboratory showed an involvement of Che-1/AATF (Che-1) in cancer cell survival under stress conditions, and on the basis of these observations, we hypothesized that Che-1 might have a role in the response of cancer cells to hypoxia. Methods: The human colon adenocarcinoma cell line HCT116 depleted or not for Che-1 by siRNA, was subjected to normoxic and hypoxic conditions to perform studies about the role of this protein in metabolic adaptation and cell proliferation. The expression of Che-1 under normoxia or hypoxia was detected using western blot assays; cell metabolism was assessed by NMR spectroscopy and functional assays. Further molecular studies were performed by RNA seq, qRT-PCR and ChIP analysis. Results: In this paper we report that Che-1 expression is required for the adaptation of the cells to hypoxia, playing and important role in metabolic modulation. Indeed, Che-1 depletion impacted on glycolysis by altering the expression of several genes involved in the response to hypoxia by modulating the levels of HIF-1alpha. Conclusions: These data demonstrate a novel player in the regulation of a HIF1alpha in response to hypoxia. We found that the transcriptional down-regulation of a members of E3 ubiquitin ligase family SIAH2 by Che-1, produces a failure in the degradation by the hydroxylase PHD3 with a decrease in HIF-1alpha levels during hypoxia. Overall design: The human colon adenocarcinoma cell line HCT116 depleted or not for Che-1 by siRNA was profiled for mRNA high-troughput sequencing (RNA-seq)