Nuclear Aurora-A kinase-induced hypoxia signaling drives early dissemination and metastasis in breast cancer: implications for detection of metastatic tumors
- 29 July 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Oncogene
- Vol. 40 (37), 5651-5664
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41388-021-01969-1
Abstract
Metastatic breast cancer causes most breast cancer-associated deaths, especially in triple negative breast cancers (TNBC). The metastatic drivers of TNBCs are still poorly understood, and effective treatment non-existent. Here we reveal that the presence of Aurora-A Kinase (AURKA) in the nucleus and metastatic dissemination are molecularly connected through HIF1 (Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1) signaling. Nuclear AURKA activates transcription of “hypoxia-induced genes” under normoxic conditions (pseudohypoxia) and without upregulation of oxygen-sensitive HIF1A subunit. We uncover that AURKA preferentially binds to HIF1B and co-localizes with the HIF complex on DNA. The mass-spectrometry analysis of the AURKA complex further confirmed the presence of CBP and p300 along with other TFIIB/RNApol II components. Importantly, the expression of multiple HIF-dependent genes induced by nuclear AURKA (N-AURKA), including migration/invasion, survival/death, and stemness, promote early cancer dissemination. These results indicate that nuclear, but not cytoplasmic, AURKA is a novel driver of early metastasis. Analysis of clinical tumor specimens revealed a correlation between N-AURKA presence and decreased patient survival. Our results establish a mechanistic link between two critical pathways in cancer metastasis, identifying nuclear AURKA as a crucial upstream regulator of the HIF1 transcription complex and a target for anti-metastatic therapy.Funding Information
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Cancer Institute (CA148671, CA148671, CA148671, CA148671)
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Cancer Institute
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Cancer Institute
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Cancer Institute
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | National Institutes of Health (P20GM103434)
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of General Medical Sciences (U54 GM-104942)
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