Clusterin facilitates COMMD1 and I-kappaB degradation to enhance NF-kappaB activity in prostate cancer cells

Secretory clusterin (sCLU) is a stress-activated, cytoprotective chaperone that confers broad-spectrum cancer treatment resistance, and its targeted inhibitor (OGX-011) is currently in phase II trials for prostate, lung, and breast cancer. However, the molecular mechanisms by which sCLU inhibits treatment-induced apoptosis in prostate cancer remain incompletely defined. We report that sCLU increases NF-kappaB nuclear translocation and transcriptional activity by serving as a ubiquitin-binding protein that enhances COMMD1 and I-kappaB proteasomal degradation by interacting with members of the SCF-betaTrCP E3 ligase family. Knockdown of sCLU in prostate cancer cells stabilizes COMMD1 and I-kappaB, thereby sequestrating NF-kappaB in the cytoplasm and decreasing NF-kappaB transcriptional activity. Comparative microarray profiling of sCLU-overexpressing and sCLU-knockdown prostate cancer cells confirmed that the expression of many NF-kappaB-regulated genes positively correlates with sCLU levels. We propose that elevated levels of sCLU promote prostate cancer cell survival by facilitating degradation of COMMD1 and I-kappaB, thereby activating the canonical NF-kappaB pathway.

 

Authors: 
A. Zoubeidi, S. Ettinger, E. Beraldi, B. Hadaschik, A. Zardan, L.W. Klomp, C.C. Nelson, P.S. Rennie, M.E. Gleave
DOI: 
10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-09-0277
Pages: 
2010; 8 (1): 119-130
Published in: 
Molecular Cancer Research
Date of publication: 
January, 2010
Status of the publication: 
Published/accepted