The tumor suppressor gene WWOX links the canonical and noncanonical NF-κB pathways in HTLV-I Tax-mediated tumorigenesis

J Fu, Z Qu, P Yan, C Ishikawa… - Blood, The Journal …, 2011 - ashpublications.org
J Fu, Z Qu, P Yan, C Ishikawa, RI Aqeilan, AB Rabson, G Xiao
Blood, The Journal of the American Society of Hematology, 2011ashpublications.org
Both the canonical and noncanonical nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) pathways have been linked
to tumorigenesis. However, it remains unknown whether and how the 2 signaling pathways
cooperate during tumorigenesis. We report that inhibition of the noncanonical NF-κB
pathway significantly delays tumorigenesis mediated by the viral oncoprotein Tax. One
function of noncanonical NF-κB activation was to repress expression of the WWOX tumor
suppressor gene. Notably, WWOX specifically inhibited Tax-induced activation of the …
Abstract
Both the canonical and noncanonical nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) pathways have been linked to tumorigenesis. However, it remains unknown whether and how the 2 signaling pathways cooperate during tumorigenesis. We report that inhibition of the noncanonical NF-κB pathway significantly delays tumorigenesis mediated by the viral oncoprotein Tax. One function of noncanonical NF-κB activation was to repress expression of the WWOX tumor suppressor gene. Notably, WWOX specifically inhibited Tax-induced activation of the canonical, but not the noncanonical NF-κB pathway. Mechanistic studies indicated that WWOX blocked Tax-induced inhibitors of κB kinaseα (IKKα) recruitment to RelA and subsequent RelA phosphorylation at S536. In contrast, WWOX Y33R, a mutant unable to block the IKKα recruitment and RelA phosphorylation, lost the ability to inhibit Tax-mediated tumorigenesis. These data provide one important mechanism by which Tax coordinates the 2 NF-κB pathways for tumorigenesis. These data also suggest a novel role of WWOX in NF-κB regulation and viral tumorigenesis.
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