The APC/C E3 Ligase Complex Activator FZR1 Restricts BRAF Oncogenic Function
Menée sur des lignées cellulaires de mélanome et à l'aide de modèles murins, cette étude met en évidence des mécanismes par lesquels les protéines FZR1 et BRAF interagissent pour réguler la tumorigenèse
BRAF drives tumorigenesis by coordinating the activation of RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK oncogenic signaling cascade. However, upstream pathway(s) governing BRAF kinase activity and protein stability remains undefined. Here, we report that in primary cells with active APCFZR1, APCFZR1 earmarks BRAF for ubiquitination-mediated proteolysis, while in cancer cells with APC-free FZR1, FZR1 suppresses BRAF through disrupting BRAF dimerization. Moreover, we identified FZR1 as a direct target of ERK and CYCLIN D1/CDK4 kinases. Phosphorylation of FZR1 inhibits APCFZR1, leading to elevation of a cohort of oncogenic APCFZR1 substrates to facilitate melanomagenesis. Importantly, CDK4 and/or BRAF/MEK inhibitors restore APCFZR1 E3 ligase activity, which might be critical for their clinical effects. Furthermore, FZR1 depletion co-operates with AKT hyper-activation to transform primary melanocytes, while genetic ablation of Fzr1 synergizes with Pten loss, leading to aberrant co-activation of BRAF/ERK and AKT signaling in mice. Our findings therefore reveal a reciprocal suppression mechanism between FZR1 and BRAF in controlling tumorigenesis.