Reciprocal Regulation Between O-GlcNAcylation and β-Catenin Facilitates Cell Viability and Inhibits Apoptosis in Liver Cancer

Abstract

Abnormal expression of O-Linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) and β-catenin is a general feature of cancer and contributes to transformed phenotypes. In this study, we identified the interaction between O-GlcNAc and β-catenin, and explored their effects on the progression of liver cancer. Our results demonstrated that upregulation of O-GlcNAc was induced by high glucose, whereas the application of PuGNAc and GlcNAc increased β-catenin protein expression levels, as well as the protein's stability and nuclear accumulation in the liver cancer cell lines HEP-G2 and HuH-7. In addition, overexpression of β-catenin could increase O-GlcNAc expression levels through upregulation of uridine 5'-diphosphate (UDP)-N-acetylglucosamine pyrophosphorylase 1 (UAP1) protein expression, protein stability, and inhibition of its ubiquitination. Moreover, the O-GlcNAcylation of β-catenin promoted the proliferation, colony formation, and repressed the induction of apoptosis in HEP-G2 and HuH-7 cells. Knockdown of β-catenin reduced cell proliferation, colony formation, and tumorigenesis, and promoted cell apoptosis through the downregulation of UAP1 expression. In conclusion, this study revealed that the reciprocal regulation between O-GlcNAcylation and β-catenin facilitated the proliferation of liver cancer.