A RASSF1A-HIF1α loop drives Warburg effect in cancer and pulmonary hypertension

Nat Commun. 2019 May 13;10(1):2130. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-10044-z.

Abstract

Hypoxia signaling plays a major role in non-malignant and malignant hyperproliferative diseases. Pulmonary hypertension (PH), a hypoxia-driven vascular disease, is characterized by a glycolytic switch similar to the Warburg effect in cancer. Ras association domain family 1A (RASSF1A) is a scaffold protein that acts as a tumour suppressor. Here we show that hypoxia promotes stabilization of RASSF1A through NOX-1- and protein kinase C- dependent phosphorylation. In parallel, hypoxia inducible factor-1 α (HIF-1α) activates RASSF1A transcription via HIF-binding sites in the RASSF1A promoter region. Vice versa, RASSF1A binds to HIF-1α, blocks its prolyl-hydroxylation and proteasomal degradation, and thus enhances the activation of the glycolytic switch. We find that this mechanism operates in experimental hypoxia-induced PH, which is blocked in RASSF1A knockout mice, in human primary PH vascular cells, and in a subset of human lung cancer cells. We conclude that RASSF1A-HIF-1α forms a feedforward loop driving hypoxia signaling in PH and cancer.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Hypoxia*
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Glycolysis
  • HEK293 Cells
  • HeLa Cells
  • Humans
  • Hypertension, Pulmonary / pathology*
  • Hypertension, Pulmonary / surgery
  • Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit / metabolism*
  • Lung / blood supply
  • Lung / pathology
  • Lung / surgery
  • Lung Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Myocytes, Smooth Muscle
  • NADPH Oxidase 1 / metabolism
  • Primary Cell Culture
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic / genetics
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Kinase C / metabolism
  • Proteolysis
  • Pulmonary Artery / cytology
  • Signal Transduction
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins / genetics
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins / metabolism*

Substances

  • HIF1A protein, human
  • Hif1a protein, mouse
  • Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit
  • RASSF1 protein, human
  • RASSF1 protein, mouse
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins
  • NADPH Oxidase 1
  • NOX1 protein, human
  • NOX1 protein, mouse
  • Protein Kinase C