Roquin1 Suppresses Breast Cancer Growth by Inducing Cell Cycle Arrest via Selectively Destabilizing Cell Cycle–Promoting Gene mRNAs

Abstract Background: Dysregulation of cell cycle progression is one of the common features of human cancer cells, however, its mechanism remains unclear. This study aims to clarify the role and the underlying mechanisms of Roquin1 in cell cycle arrest induction in breast cancer.Methods: Public cancer databases were analyzed to identify the expression pattern of Roquin1 in human breast cancers and the significant association with patient survival. Quantitative real-time PCR and western blots were performed to detect the expression of Roquin1 in breast cancer samples and cell lines. Cell counting, MTT assay, flow cytometry, and in vivo study were conducted to investigate the effects of Roquin1 on cell proliferation, cell cycle progression and tumor progression. RNA-sequencing was applied to identify the differential genes and pathways regulated by Roquin1. RNA immunoprecipitation assay, luciferase reporter assay, mRNA half-life detection, RNA affinity binding assay, and RIP-ChIP were used to explore the molecular mechanisms of Roquin1.Results: We showed that Roquin1 expression in breast cancer tissues and cell lines was inhibited, and the reduction in Roquin1 expression was associated with poor overall survival and relapse free survival of patients with breast cancer. Roquin1 overexpression inhibited breast cancer cell proliferation and induced G1/S cell cycle arrest without causing significant apoptosis. In contrast, knockdown of Roquin1 promoted breast cancer cell growth and cycle progression. Moreover, in vivo induction of Roquin1 by adenovirus significantly suppressed breast tumor growth and metastasis. Mechanistically, Roquin1 selectively destabilizing cell cycle–promoting genes, including Cyclin D1, Cyclin E1, cyclin dependent kinase 6 (CDK6) and minichromosome maintenance 2 (MCM2) through targeting the stem–loop structure in the 3’untranslated region (3’UTR) of mRNAs via its ROQ domain, leading to the downregulation of cell cycle–promoting mRNAs.Conclusions: Our findings demonstrated that Roquin1 was a novel breast tumor suppressor and could induce G1/S cell cycle arrest by selectively downregulating the expression of cell cycle–promoting genes, which might as a potential molecular target for breast cancer treatment.