USP35 promotes the growth of ER positive breast cancer by inhibiting ferroptosis via BRD4-SLC7A11 axis

Abstract Anti-estrogen endocrine therapies greatly improve survival of estrogen receptor positive (ER + ) breast cancer. Unfortunately, about 30% of patients do not respond to endocrine therapies initially. We previously showed that deubiquitinase USP35 and ERα act in a positive feedback loop to pro...

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Main Authors: Jiawei Cao, Tao Wu, Tong Zhou, Zewei Jiang, Yinrui Ren, Jiawei Yu, Jiayi Wang, Changrui Qian, Guang Wu, Licai He, Hongzhi Li, Rixu Lin, Min Liu, Haihua Gu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-01-01
Series:Communications Biology
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-07513-1
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Summary:Abstract Anti-estrogen endocrine therapies greatly improve survival of estrogen receptor positive (ER + ) breast cancer. Unfortunately, about 30% of patients do not respond to endocrine therapies initially. We previously showed that deubiquitinase USP35 and ERα act in a positive feedback loop to promote the carcinogenesis of ER+ breast cancer although it is unclear whether USP35 regulates cell death in ER+ breast cancer. In this study, we uncovered that USP35 inhibited ferroptosis of ER+ breast cancer cells. Mechanistically, USP35 interacted with, deubiquitinated, and stabilized BRD4. Consequentially, BRD4 mediated USP35-induced SLC7A11 upregulation, inhibiting ferroptosis and promoting the growth of ER+ breast cancer cells. Furthermore, BRD4 inhibitor (+)-JQ-1 inhibited USP35-enhanced tumorigenesis in vivo. Our findings demonstrated that the USP35-BRD4-SLC7A11 axis contributes to the growth of ER+ breast cancer by inhibiting ferroptosis. Targeting USP35 together with ferroptosis inducer may represent a potential promising strategy for treating ER+ breast cancer that does not respond to endocrine therapies.
ISSN:2399-3642