AUTHOR=Wang Danping , Wang Yifan , Wu Xuebiao , Kong Xiangxing , Li Jun , Dong Chenfang 

TITLE=RNF20 Is Critical for Snail-Mediated E-Cadherin Repression in Human Breast Cancer

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2020

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2020.613470

DOI=10.3389/fonc.2020.613470

ISSN=2234-943X

ABSTRACT=E-cadherin, a hallmark of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), is often repressed due to Snail-mediated epigenetic modification; however, the exact mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we identified that Snail interacted with RNF20, an E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase responsible for monoubiquitination of H2BK120, and G9a, a methyltransferase for H3K9me2, and formed a Snail-RNF20-G9a complex.  RNF20 expression led to the inhibition of E-cadherin expression in the human breast cancer cells. Mechanically, we showed that RNF20 and H3K9m2 were enriched on the promoter of E-cadherin and knockdown of Snail reduced the enrichment of RNF20, showing a Snail-dependent manner. RNF20 expression enhanced breast cancer cell migration, invasion, tumorsphere and colony formation. Collectively, RNF20 expression contributes to EMT induction through the epigenetic regulation of E-cadherin promoter, suggesting RNF20 as a potential target for treating breast cancer.