eEF1A2 promotes PTEN-GSK3β-SCF complex-dependent degradation of Aurora kinase A and is inactivated in breast cancer

Warapen Treekitkarnmongkol, Luisa M. Solis, Deivendran Sankaran, Mihai Gagea, Pankaj K. Singh, Ragini Mistry, Tristian Nguyen, Kazuharu Kai, Jiajun Liu, Kaori Sasai, Yoshimi Jitsumori, Jianwen Liu, Norio Nagao, Fabio Stossi, Michael A. Mancini, Ignacio I. Wistuba, Alastair M. Thompson, Jonathan M. Lee, Juan Cadiñanos, Kwong Kwok WongCatherine M. Abbott, Aysegul A. Sahin, Suyu Liu, Hiroshi Katayama, Subrata Sen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

The translation elongation factor eEF1A promotes protein synthesis. Its methylation by METTL13 increases its activity, supporting tumor growth. However, in some cancers, a high abundance of eEF1A isoforms is associated with a good prognosis. Here, we found that eEF1A2 exhibited oncogenic or tumor-suppressor functions depending on its interaction with METTL13 or the phosphatase PTEN, respectively. METTL13 and PTEN competed for interaction with eEF1A2 in the same structural domain. PTEN-bound eEF1A2 promoted the ubiquitination and degradation of the mitosis-promoting Aurora kinase A in the S and G2 phases of the cell cycle. eEF1A2 bridged the interactions between the SKP1-CUL1- FBXW7 (SCF) ubiquitin ligase complex, the kinase GSK3β, and Aurora-A, thereby facilitating the phosphorylation of Aurora-A in a degron site that was recognized by FBXW7. Genetic ablation of Eef1a2 or Pten in mice resulted in a greater abundance of Aurora-A and increased cell cycling in mammary tumors, which was corroborated in breast cancer tissues from patients. Reactivating this pathway using fimepinostat, which relieves inhibitory signaling directed at PTEN and increases FBXW7 expression, combined with inhibiting Aurora-A with alisertib, suppressed breast cancer cell proliferation in culture and tumor growth in vivo. The findings demonstrate a therapeutically exploitable, tumor-suppressive role for eEF1A2 in breast cancer.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numbereadh4475
JournalScience signaling
Volume17
Issue number826
DOIs
StatePublished - 2024

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

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