1. Academic Validation
  2. NDRG2 regulates adherens junction integrity to restrict colitis and tumourigenesis

NDRG2 regulates adherens junction integrity to restrict colitis and tumourigenesis

  • EBioMedicine. 2020 Nov;61:103068. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2020.103068.
Mengying Wei 1 Yongzheng Ma 1 Liangliang Shen 1 Yuqiao Xu 2 Lijun Liu 1 Xin Bu 1 Zhihao Guo 1 Hongyan Qin 3 Zengshan Li 2 Zhe Wang 2 Kaichun Wu 4 Libo Yao 1 Jipeng Li 5 Jian Zhang 6
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 The State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China.
  • 2 The State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Department of Pathology, the Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China.
  • 3 State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Department of Medical Genetics and Developmental Biology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China.
  • 4 State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Xijing Hospital of Digestive Disease, Xijing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China.
  • 5 State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, National Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases and Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Fourth Military Medical University, 710032 Xi'an, China; Department of Experimental Surgery, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, 710032 Xi'an, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 6 The State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China; Key Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Pharmacology of Chinese Materia Medica of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xi'an 710032, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
Abstract

Background: Paracellular barriers play an important role in the pathogenesis of Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and maintain gut homeostasis. N-myc downstream-regulated gene 2 (NDRG2) has been reported to be a tumour suppressor gene and to inhibit colorectal Cancer metastasis. However, whether NDRG2 affects colitis initiation and colitis-associated colorectal Cancer is unclear.

Methods: Intestine-specific Ndrg2 deficiency mice (Ndrg2ΔIEC) were subjected to DSS- or TNBS-induced colitis, and AOM-DSS-induced colitis-associated tumour. HT29 cells, Caco2 cells, primary intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) from Ndrg2ΔIEC mice, mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs) from systemic Ndrg2 knockout mice, HEK293 cells and human UC and DC specimens were used to investigate NDRG2 function in colitis and colitis-associated tumour.

Findings: Ndrg2 loss led to adherens junction (AJ) structure destruction via E-cadherin expression attenuation, resulting in diminished epithelial barrier function and increased intestinal epithelial permeability. Mechanistically, NDRG2 enhanced the interaction of E3 ligase FBXO11 with Snail, the repressor of E-cadherin, to promote Snail degradation by ubiquitination and maintained E-cadherin expression. In human ulcerative colitis patients, reduced NDRG2 expression is positively correlated with severe inflammation.

Interpretation: These findings demonstrate that NDRG2 is an essential colonic epithelial barrier regulator and plays an important role in gut homeostasis maintenance and colitis-associated tumour development.

Funding: National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81770523, 31571437, 81672751), Creative Research Groups of China (No. 81421003), State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology Project (CBSKL2019ZZ11, CBSKL201406, CBSKL2017Z08 and CBSKL2017Z11), Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars of ShaanXi province (2019JC-22).

Keywords

Adherens junction; Colitis; Colitis-associated colorectal cancer; NDRG2.

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