PMEPA1 promotes gastric cancer cell proliferation by regulating the ubiquitin-mediated degradation of 14-3-3σ and promoting cell cycle progression

Gastric cancer (GC) remains a global health challenge due to its heterogeneity and diverse regional epidemiology. Treatment for advanced GC often requires chemotherapy, whose effects are closely associated with the cell cycle. This association highlights the critical need to understand cell cycle regulators that can influence the effectiveness of chemotherapy. Bioinformatics analyses were performed on transcriptome data from a hospital cohort and on a publicly available database. Flow cytometry was used for cell cycle analysis. The interaction of PMEPA1 with 14-3-3σ was confirmed by coimmunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence staining. Western blot analysis was performed following inhibition of protein synthesis and degradation to assess 14-3-3σ protein stability, while ubiquitination was evaluated after treatment with the proteasome inhibitor MG132. High PMEPA1 expression was detected in GC tissues and was correlated with poor prognosis. In vitro overexpression of PMEPA1 promoted GC cell proliferation, while knockdown of PMEPA1 inhibited cell proliferation and induced G2/M arrest. In vivo study showed that overexpressing PMEPA1 promoted tumor growth, while knocking down PMEPA1 inhibited tumor growth, as indicated by the level of the proliferation marker Ki67. 14-3-3σ was identified as a downstream target of PMEPA1. PMEPA1 binds to 14-3-3σ and promoted its degradation by facilitating its ubiquitination. Overexpression of PMEPA1 increased its interactions with TTC3 and 14-3-3σ, increased 14-3-3σ ubiquitination, and reduced 14-3-3σ stability, and the opposite effects were observed after PMEPA1 knockdown. PMEPA1 recruited TTC3, allowing the ubiquitination of 14-3-3σ and leading to its degradation, thus promoting cell cycle progression in GC.