PPARδ Interacts with the Hippo Coactivator YAP1 to Promote SOX9 Expression and Gastric Cancer Progression

Abstract

Despite established functions of PPARδ in lipid metabolism and tumorigenesis, the mechanisms underlying its role in gastric cancer are undefined. Here, we demonstrate that SOX9 was dramatically induced by stably expressing PPARδ and by its agonist GW501516 in human gastric cancer cell lines. PPARδ knockdown in patient-derived gastric cancer cells dramatically reduced SOX9 expression and transcriptional activity, with corresponding decreases in invasion and tumor sphere formation. Mechanistically, PPARδ induced SOX9 transcription through direct interaction with and activation of the Hippo coactivator YAP1. PPARδ–YAP1 interaction occurred via the C-terminal domain of YAP1, and both TEAD- and PPARE-binding sites were required for SOX9 induction. Notably, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genetic ablation of YAP1 or SOX9 abolished PPARδ-mediated oncogenic functions. Finally, expression of PPARδ, YAP1, and SOX9 were significantly correlated with each other and with poor survival in a large cohort of human gastric cancer tissues. Thus, these findings elucidate a novel mechanism by which PPARδ promotes gastric tumorigenesis through interaction with YAP1 and highlights the PPARδ/YAP1/SOX9 axis as a novel therapeutic target in human gastric cancer.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2020
Source ID
10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-19-0895

Entities

People

  • Ailing W. Scott
  • Bin Liu
  • Jaffer Ajani
  • Jeannelyn Santiano Estrella
  • Jiankang Jin
  • Lang Ma
  • Randy L Johnson
  • Shumei Song
  • Yan Xu
  • Yongxi Song
  • Yuan Li
  • Zhenning Wang

Organizations

  • First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University
  • National Institutes of Health
  • United States Department of Defense
  • United States Public Health Service
  • University of Texas at Austin

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Biology
  • Chemistry

Readers

  • Breast cancer cell signaling and growth regulation.
  • Computer Engineering
  • Vector-Borne Disease and Entomology

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology