HDAC5 stabilization by tubeimoside I suppresses cervical cancer metastasis via inhibiting H3K27ac/KPNA2 axis.

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer poses a significant threat to women's health, and its metastasis is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths. Tubeimoside I (TBMS1) is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb with anticancer properties. We previously demonstrated the anticancer effect of TBMS1 in cervical cancer by inducing autophagy-related cell death. Nevertheless, whether and how TBMS1 prevents cervical cancer metastasis remain unclear. METHODS: Wound healing, transwell assays, and a lung metastasis mouse model were used to evaluate cell metastasis. Immunoprecipitation combined with site-directed mutagenesis was used to explore ubiquitination modifications and ubiquitinated sites of histone deacetylase 5 (HDAC5). HDAC5 depletion and RNA-seq analysis were conducted to investigate the anti-metastatic mechanism of TBMS1. RESULTS: We show that low dose of TBMS1 inhibits cervical cancer metastasis. Mechanistically, TBMS1 binds to HDAC5 and prevents HDAC5 ubiquitination at lysine 137 and 538, leading to a decrease in proteasomal degradation of HDAC5. TBMS1-mediated HDAC5 upregulation further reduces the acetylation level of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27ac) and suppresses KPNA2 expression. HDAC5 depletion significantly attenuates TBMS1's anti-metastatic effect in cervical cancer. CONCLUSION: Our study reveals HDAC5/H3K27ac/KPNA2 axis as the anti-metastatic mechanism of TBMS1 in cervical cancer, suggesting TBMS1 serves as a promising drug for cervical cancer treatment.