1. Academic Validation
  2. PDE4D binds and interacts with YAP to cooperatively promote HCC progression

PDE4D binds and interacts with YAP to cooperatively promote HCC progression

  • Cancer Lett. 2022 Aug 10;541:215749. doi: 10.1016/j.canlet.2022.215749.
Huili Ren 1 Yingxiang Chen 1 Zhou Ao 1 Qi Cheng 2 Xiaoyan Yang 3 Hua Tao 4 Lixin Zhao 4 Ao Shen 4 Peiyuan Li 5 Qin Fu 6
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
  • 2 Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
  • 3 Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China; Key Laboratory for Drug Target Research and Pharmacodynamic Evaluation of Hubei Province, Wuhan, China.
  • 4 Key Laboratory of Molecular Target & Clinical Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 511436, China.
  • 5 Department of Gastroenterology, Wenchang People's Hospital, Hainan, China; Division of Gastroenterology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China. Electronic address: pyli@tjh.tjmu.edu.cn.
  • 6 Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China; Key Laboratory for Drug Target Research and Pharmacodynamic Evaluation of Hubei Province, Wuhan, China. Electronic address: fuqin@mails.tjmu.edu.cn.
Abstract

The role of cAMP in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is controversial and the biological function of cAMP-hydrolysing Enzyme phosphodiesterase 4D (PDE4D) in HCC remains unclear. In this study, we observed markedly higher PDE4D expression in HCC patients with poor survival. PDE4D bound to yes-associated protein (YAP), and PDE4D expression positively correlated with YAP expression in HCC. Overexpression of PDE4D increased YAP dephosphorylation and activity and promoted HCC cell growth in vitro and in vivo, which was attenuated by the YAP Inhibitor verteporfin. In contrast, silencing PDE4D reduced YAP expression and HCC cell growth. Notably, forced expression of YAP promoted PDE4D and YAP target gene expression and cell growth, which were abrogated by the PDE4D inhibitor roflumilast. Mechanistically, silencing of YAP caused PDE4D downregulation and HCC cell Apoptosis via extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) activation. Roflumilast activated cAMP-PKA signaling and induced cAMP-PKA-dependent YAP phosphorylation at serine 127, resulting in YAP degradation and suppression of HCC growth, which were reversed by the PKA Inhibitor PKI. Additionally, transfection of the YAP-S127A mutant reversed roflumilast-mediated suppression of YAP and cell growth. Taken together, our findings indicate that PDE4D binds to and interacts with YAP to promote HCC progression. Targeting the PDE4D-YAP interaction with roflumilast may be an effective strategy for HCC treatment.

Keywords

Extracellular signal-regulated kinase; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Phosphodiesterase 4; Yes-associated protein; cAMP/PKA pathway; roflumilast.

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