Suppressor of hepatocellular carcinoma RASSF1A activates autophagy initiation and maturation

Cell Death Differ. 2019 Aug;26(8):1379-1395. doi: 10.1038/s41418-018-0211-7. Epub 2018 Oct 12.

Abstract

RASSF1A (Ras association domain family 1 isoform A) is a tumor suppressor and frequently inactivated by promoter hypermethylation in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Autophagy is to degrade misfolded or aggregated proteins and dysfunctional organelles. Autophagy defects enhance oxidative stress and genome instability to promote tumorigenesis. Activating autophagy flux by increasing levels of the RASSF1A-interacting microtubule-associated protein 1 S (MAP1S) leads to suppression of HCC in addition to extending lifespans. Here we tested whether RASSF1A itself functions as a HCC suppressor and activates autophagy similarly as MAP1S does. We show that RASSF1A deletion leads to an acceleration of diethylnitrosamine-induced HCC and a 31% reduction of median survival times in mice. RASSF1A enhances autophagy initiation by suppressing PI3K-AKT-mTOR through the Hippo pathway-regulatory component MST1 and promotes autophagy maturation by recruiting autophagosomes on RASSF1A-stabilized acetylated microtubules through MAP1S. RASSF1A deletion causes a blockade of autophagy flux. Therefore, RASSF1A may suppress HCC and improve survival by activating autophagy flux.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Autophagy*
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / metabolism*
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / pathology
  • Humans
  • Liver Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Liver Neoplasms / pathology
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins / deficiency
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins / genetics
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins / metabolism*

Substances

  • RASSF1 protein, human
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins