%0 Journal Article
%T Caspase-3 promotes oncogene-induced malignant transformation via EndoG-dependent Src-STAT3 phosphorylation.
%A Zhu C
%A Fan F
%A Li CY
%A Xiong Y
%A Liu X
%J Cell Death Dis
%V 15
%N 7
%D 2024 Jul 9
%M 38977663
暂无%R 10.1038/s41419-024-06884-3
%X Accumulating evidence suggests that caspase-3 plays critical roles beyond apoptosis, serving pro-survival functions in malignant transformation and tumorigenesis. However, the mechanism of non-apoptotic action of caspase-3 in oncogenic transformation remains unclear. In the present study, we show that caspase-3 is consistently activated in malignant transformation induced by exogenous expression of oncogenic cocktail (c-Myc, p53DD, Oct-4, and H-Ras) in vitro as well as in the mouse mammary tumor virus-polyomavirus middle T antigen (MMTV-PyMT) mouse model of breast cancer. Genetic ablation of caspase-3 significantly attenuated oncogene-induced transformation of mammalian cells and delayed breast cancer progression in MMTV-PyMT transgenic mice. Mechanistically, active caspase-3 triggers the translocation of endonuclease G (EndoG) from mitochondria, which migrates to the nucleus, thereby induces phosphorylation of Src-STAT3 signaling pathway to facilitate oncogenic transformation. Taken together, our data suggest that caspase-3 plays pivotal role in facilitating rather than suppressing oncogene-induced malignant transformation of mammalian cells.