Nuclear FGFR2 negatively regulates hypoxia-induced cell invasion in prostate cancer by interacting with HIF-1 and HIF-2

Sci Rep. 2019 Mar 5;9(1):3480. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-39843-6.

Abstract

The fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) is a membrane receptor that promotes cell proliferation and differentiation. FGFR2 is also present in the nucleus, which raises a question on a new role of FGFR2 in regulating gene expression. Hypoxia-inducible factors 1 and 2 (HIF-1 and HIF-2) are nuclear proteins that transactivate many genes essential for cancer survival and metastasis under hypoxic conditions. Here, we investigated if nuclear FGFR2 modulates the HIF-driven hypoxic response. Using the TCGA database, we found that FGFR2 downregulation is associated with poor prognosis in prostate cancer. A gene-set enrichment analysis showed that metastasis- and hypoxia-related genes are associated with a low expression of FGFR2 in prostate cancer. Thus, we tested the possibility that FGFR2 negatively regulates the hypoxia-triggered metastasis of prostate cancer. FGFR2 controls migration and invasion of prostate cancer cells under hypoxia by inhibiting the HIF-driven gene expression. FGFR2 and HIF proteins co-localize and associate in the nucleus under hypoxia. FGFR2 interacts with the transactivation domain of HIF-1α and blocks the recruitment of coactivator p300, resulting in repression of HIF target genes. Based on these results, we propose a novel function of FGFR2 as a metastasis suppressor by controlling HIF-mediated hypoxic responses.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors / genetics
  • Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors / metabolism*
  • Cell Hypoxia*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Movement
  • Cell Nucleus / metabolism
  • Down-Regulation
  • E1A-Associated p300 Protein / metabolism
  • Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
  • Humans
  • Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1 / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1 / genetics
  • Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1 / metabolism*
  • Kaplan-Meier Estimate
  • Male
  • Prognosis
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / mortality
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / pathology*
  • RNA Interference
  • RNA, Small Interfering / metabolism
  • Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 2 / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 2 / genetics
  • Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 2 / metabolism*
  • Transcriptional Activation

Substances

  • Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors
  • Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1
  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • endothelial PAS domain-containing protein 1
  • E1A-Associated p300 Protein
  • EP300 protein, human
  • FGFR2 protein, human
  • Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 2