Macrophages-stimulated PRMT1-mediated EZH2 methylation promotes breast cancer metastasis

Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2020 Dec 17;533(4):679-684. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2020.10.037. Epub 2020 Oct 20.

Abstract

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are important monocytes in the breast cancer microenvironment. They facilitate the distant metastasis of breast cancer. However, the detailed mechanisms of TAM-derived cancer metastasis have not been clearly elucidated. Here, we demonstrate that PRMT1 is essential for TAM-mediated breast cancer cell migration and metastasis. TAMs increase EZH2 stability by stimulating PRMT1-mediated meR342-EZH2 formation through the secretion of interleukin-6 (IL-6) cytokine. Moreover, high expression levels of TAMs are positively correlated with PRMT1, meR342-EZH2, and EZH2 expression in breast cancer patients. Our study presents a novel mechanism of TAM-induced breast cancer metastasis via the IL-6-PRMT1-meR342-EZH2 axis.

Keywords: Cancer metastasis; EZH2; IL-6; PRMT1; Post-translational modifications; Tumor-associated macrophages.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Breast Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Breast Neoplasms / pathology
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Movement / genetics
  • Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 Protein / metabolism*
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / genetics
  • Humans
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Interleukin-6 / metabolism
  • Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / metabolism
  • Macrophages / metabolism*
  • Methylation
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Neoplasm Metastasis
  • Protein Stability
  • Protein-Arginine N-Methyltransferases / genetics
  • Protein-Arginine N-Methyltransferases / metabolism*
  • Repressor Proteins / genetics
  • Repressor Proteins / metabolism*
  • Tumor Microenvironment / genetics
  • Ubiquitination
  • Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

Substances

  • Interleukin-6
  • Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
  • Repressor Proteins
  • Tifab protein, human
  • PRMT1 protein, human
  • Protein-Arginine N-Methyltransferases
  • EZH2 protein, human
  • Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 Protein