RNF185 modulates JWA ubiquitination and promotes gastric cancer metastasis

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignant cancers worldwide. Metastasis leads to poor prognoses in GC patients in advanced stages. Our previous studies have demonstrated that JWA functions as a tumour suppressor and that low expression of JWA in GC tissues is significantly correlated with shorter overall survival (OS) as well as with advanced clinicopathologic features in patients. However, the mechanism of dysregulation of JWA in cancers is not clear. In the present study, we found that an E3 ubiquitin ligase, RNF185, directly interacted with JWA and promoted its ubiquitination at the K158 site, resulting in subsequent degradation. Moreover, the protein level of RNF185 was negatively correlated with JWA in tumour tissues from GC patients. High RNF185 expression was significantly correlated with shorter OS. Additionally, increased RNF185 expression facilitated GC cell migration in vitro and promoted GC metastasis in vivo by downregulating JWA expression. However, this effect was reversed by replenishment of JWA. In conclusion, our findings highlight the following: (1) RNF185 promotes GC metastasis by mediating JWA degradation via a ubiquitin-proteasome pathway; (2) the K158 site of JWA is essential for its ubiquitination in GC cells. These findings suggest that RNF185 is a novel candidate prognostic marker and potential therapeutic target for GC.