The regulation of snail: on the ubiquitin edge

Abstract

Metastasis accounts for a majority of cancer death. One key feature during metastasis is epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which is regulated by transcription factors such as Snail and Twist. In non-malignant cells, Snail has a short half-life and is degraded via ubiquitination, but its stability is increased in cancer cell. However, the mechanism by which Snail escapes ubiquitination and degradation remains unknown. Recently, we found that Dub3 is a deubiquinase of Snail. Most importantly, we determined that Dub3 responded to extracellular signals such as IL-6, and that the resultant signaling prevented Snail degradation, and promoted cancer growth, invasion, and migration. In this highlight, we present a concise picture of how the transcription factor Snail is regulated by ubiquitination in cancer cells, the role of Dub3 in this process, and its potential use as a treatment target.

Epigenetic Regulation and Post-Translational Modifications of SNAI1 in Cancer Metastasis

“…SNAI1 s ubiquitination and degradation are controlled by a number of F-box ligases, including β-TRCP1/FBXW1, FBXL14, FBXL5, FBXO11, and FBXO45 [46]. Recently, more E3 ligases have been discovered (Figure 2).…”