CEBPA facilitates LOXL2 and LOXL3 transcription to promote BCL-2 stability and thus enhances the growth and metastasis of lung carcinoma cells in vitro

Lung carcinoma (LC) is a complicated and highly heterogeneous disease with high morbidity and mortality. Both lysyl oxidase-like (LOXL) 2 and 3 act in cancer progression. This work endeavors to illustrate the influence of LOXL2/LOXL3 on LC progression and the underlying mechanisms. LOXL family genes and CCAAT enhancer binding protein A (CEBPA) were analyzed in the TCGA database for their expression patterns in LC patients and their correlations with the patient's prognosis. CEBPA, LOXL2, and LOXL3 expression levels were determined in LC cells. Gain- and loss-of-function assays were conducted, followed by assays for cell proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), apoptosis, invasion, and migration. The binding of CEBPA or B cell lymphoma protein (BCL)-2 to LOXL2/LOXL3 was verified. The ubiquitination level of BCL-2 and histone acetylation level of LOXL2/LOXL3 in LC cells were analyzed. Database analyses revealed that LC patients had high CEBPA, LOXL2, and LOXL3 expression, which were related to poor prognosis. LC cells also exhibited high CEBPA, LOXL2, and LOXL3 levels. LOXL2/LOXL3 knockdown subdued EMT, proliferation, migration, and invasion while enhancing the apoptosis of LC cells. LOXL2/LOXL3 could bind to CEBPA and BCL-2. LOXL2/LOXL3 knockdown upregulated BCL-2 ubiquitination level and diminished BCL-2 expression in LC cells. CEBPA recruited Tip60 to enhance histone acetylation and transcription of LOXL2/LOXL3 in LC cells. BCL-2 overexpression abolished the impacts of LOXL2/LOXL3 knockdown on LC cells. In conclusion, CEBPA boosts LOXL2 and LOXL3 transcription to facilitate BCL-2 stability by recruiting Tip60 and thus contributes to LC cell growth and metastasis.