Oxidative stress-induced ZEB1 acetylation drives a hybrid epithelial-mesenchymal phenotype and promotes lung metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer

While epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity (EMP) drives cancer metastasis, its regulation by redox dynamics remains poorly understood. Herein, we identified an oxidative stress-responsive CBP/SIRT1 axis that coordinated ZEB1 acetylation at K1108 to promote lung metastasis in triple-negative breast canc...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Min Guo, Yan-Jing Wang, Jie Shi, Li-Xia Cao, Yang Ou, Xiao Jia, Chun-Chun Qi, Zhao-Xian Li, Yu-Xin Liu, Si-Yu Zuo, Qiu-Ying Shuai, Tian-Wen Yu, Hua-Yu Hu, Xiao Chen, Meng-Dan Feng, Yao Xue, Hang Wang, Pei-Qing Sun, Lei Liu, Yi Shi, Shuang Yang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-10-01
Series:Redox Biology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213231725003477
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849225312475283456
author Min Guo
Yan-Jing Wang
Jie Shi
Li-Xia Cao
Yang Ou
Xiao Jia
Chun-Chun Qi
Zhao-Xian Li
Yu-Xin Liu
Si-Yu Zuo
Qiu-Ying Shuai
Tian-Wen Yu
Hua-Yu Hu
Xiao Chen
Meng-Dan Feng
Yao Xue
Hang Wang
Pei-Qing Sun
Lei Liu
Yi Shi
Shuang Yang
author_facet Min Guo
Yan-Jing Wang
Jie Shi
Li-Xia Cao
Yang Ou
Xiao Jia
Chun-Chun Qi
Zhao-Xian Li
Yu-Xin Liu
Si-Yu Zuo
Qiu-Ying Shuai
Tian-Wen Yu
Hua-Yu Hu
Xiao Chen
Meng-Dan Feng
Yao Xue
Hang Wang
Pei-Qing Sun
Lei Liu
Yi Shi
Shuang Yang
author_sort Min Guo
collection DOAJ
description While epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity (EMP) drives cancer metastasis, its regulation by redox dynamics remains poorly understood. Herein, we identified an oxidative stress-responsive CBP/SIRT1 axis that coordinated ZEB1 acetylation at K1108 to promote lung metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Mechanistically, the biochemical and functional analyses revealed that the dual-acetyltransferase CBP, through stabilization and autoacetylation by oxidative stress, formed a dynamic partnership with SIRT1 to execute precision lysine modification. This post-translational rheostat triggered the functional metamorphosis of ZEB1. During this process, ZEB1 dissociation from the transcriptional corepressor CtBP, while recruiting CBP, converts ZEB1 into a transcriptional activator of epithelial genes. The resulting hybrid epithelial‒mesenchymal phenotype orchestrated dual metastatic competence-maintaining stromal interaction capacity through partial epithelial‒mesenchymal transition (EMT) while establishing NADPH-driven redox supremacy to circumvent ferroptosis. Importantly, this acetyl switch of ZEB1 revealed a metastasis-specific therapeutic vulnerability in TNBC. Our work thus highlighted ZEB1 acetylation as a redox-interpreted mechanism coupling phenotypic plasticity with stress resistance, proposing targeted disruption of this protein post-translational modification (PTM) circuit as a precision strategy against metastatic progression.
format Article
id doaj-art-24bf273c438f4a0dacd8355c7cae196a
institution Kabale University
issn 2213-2317
language English
publishDate 2025-10-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Redox Biology
spelling doaj-art-24bf273c438f4a0dacd8355c7cae196a2025-08-25T04:14:25ZengElsevierRedox Biology2213-23172025-10-018610383410.1016/j.redox.2025.103834Oxidative stress-induced ZEB1 acetylation drives a hybrid epithelial-mesenchymal phenotype and promotes lung metastasis in triple-negative breast cancerMin Guo0Yan-Jing Wang1Jie Shi2Li-Xia Cao3Yang Ou4Xiao Jia5Chun-Chun Qi6Zhao-Xian Li7Yu-Xin Liu8Si-Yu Zuo9Qiu-Ying Shuai10Tian-Wen Yu11Hua-Yu Hu12Xiao Chen13Meng-Dan Feng14Yao Xue15Hang Wang16Pei-Qing Sun17Lei Liu18Yi Shi19Shuang Yang20Tianjin Key Laboratory of Tumour Microenvironment and Neurovascular Regulation, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, PR China; Department of Clinical Laboratory, Tianjin Union Medical Center of Nankai University, Tianjin, 300121, PR ChinaTianjin Key Laboratory of Tumour Microenvironment and Neurovascular Regulation, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, PR ChinaTianjin Key Laboratory of Tumour Microenvironment and Neurovascular Regulation, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, PR ChinaTianjin Key Laboratory of Tumour Microenvironment and Neurovascular Regulation, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, PR ChinaTianjin Key Laboratory of Tumour Microenvironment and Neurovascular Regulation, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, PR ChinaState Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Drug Research, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300000, PR ChinaTianjin Key Laboratory of Tumour Microenvironment and Neurovascular Regulation, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, PR ChinaTianjin Key Laboratory of Tumour Microenvironment and Neurovascular Regulation, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, PR ChinaTianjin Key Laboratory of Tumour Microenvironment and Neurovascular Regulation, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, PR ChinaTianjin Key Laboratory of Tumour Microenvironment and Neurovascular Regulation, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, PR ChinaTianjin Key Laboratory of Tumour Microenvironment and Neurovascular Regulation, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, PR ChinaTianjin Key Laboratory of Tumour Microenvironment and Neurovascular Regulation, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, PR ChinaTianjin Key Laboratory of Tumour Microenvironment and Neurovascular Regulation, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, PR ChinaTianjin Key Laboratory of Tumour Microenvironment and Neurovascular Regulation, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, PR ChinaTianjin Key Laboratory of Tumour Microenvironment and Neurovascular Regulation, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, PR ChinaTianjin Key Laboratory of Tumour Microenvironment and Neurovascular Regulation, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, PR ChinaTianjin Key Laboratory of Tumour Microenvironment and Neurovascular Regulation, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, PR ChinaDepartment of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, 27157, USATianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Tianjin, 300071, PR China; Corresponding author.Tianjin Key Laboratory of Tumour Microenvironment and Neurovascular Regulation, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, PR China; Corresponding author. School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, PR China.Tianjin Key Laboratory of Tumour Microenvironment and Neurovascular Regulation, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, PR China; Corresponding author. School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, PR China.While epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity (EMP) drives cancer metastasis, its regulation by redox dynamics remains poorly understood. Herein, we identified an oxidative stress-responsive CBP/SIRT1 axis that coordinated ZEB1 acetylation at K1108 to promote lung metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Mechanistically, the biochemical and functional analyses revealed that the dual-acetyltransferase CBP, through stabilization and autoacetylation by oxidative stress, formed a dynamic partnership with SIRT1 to execute precision lysine modification. This post-translational rheostat triggered the functional metamorphosis of ZEB1. During this process, ZEB1 dissociation from the transcriptional corepressor CtBP, while recruiting CBP, converts ZEB1 into a transcriptional activator of epithelial genes. The resulting hybrid epithelial‒mesenchymal phenotype orchestrated dual metastatic competence-maintaining stromal interaction capacity through partial epithelial‒mesenchymal transition (EMT) while establishing NADPH-driven redox supremacy to circumvent ferroptosis. Importantly, this acetyl switch of ZEB1 revealed a metastasis-specific therapeutic vulnerability in TNBC. Our work thus highlighted ZEB1 acetylation as a redox-interpreted mechanism coupling phenotypic plasticity with stress resistance, proposing targeted disruption of this protein post-translational modification (PTM) circuit as a precision strategy against metastatic progression.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213231725003477Oxidative stressZEB1AcetylationHybrid epithelial-mesenchymal phenotypeLung metastasisTNBC
spellingShingle Min Guo
Yan-Jing Wang
Jie Shi
Li-Xia Cao
Yang Ou
Xiao Jia
Chun-Chun Qi
Zhao-Xian Li
Yu-Xin Liu
Si-Yu Zuo
Qiu-Ying Shuai
Tian-Wen Yu
Hua-Yu Hu
Xiao Chen
Meng-Dan Feng
Yao Xue
Hang Wang
Pei-Qing Sun
Lei Liu
Yi Shi
Shuang Yang
Oxidative stress-induced ZEB1 acetylation drives a hybrid epithelial-mesenchymal phenotype and promotes lung metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer
Redox Biology
Oxidative stress
ZEB1
Acetylation
Hybrid epithelial-mesenchymal phenotype
Lung metastasis
TNBC
title Oxidative stress-induced ZEB1 acetylation drives a hybrid epithelial-mesenchymal phenotype and promotes lung metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer
title_full Oxidative stress-induced ZEB1 acetylation drives a hybrid epithelial-mesenchymal phenotype and promotes lung metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer
title_fullStr Oxidative stress-induced ZEB1 acetylation drives a hybrid epithelial-mesenchymal phenotype and promotes lung metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer
title_full_unstemmed Oxidative stress-induced ZEB1 acetylation drives a hybrid epithelial-mesenchymal phenotype and promotes lung metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer
title_short Oxidative stress-induced ZEB1 acetylation drives a hybrid epithelial-mesenchymal phenotype and promotes lung metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer
title_sort oxidative stress induced zeb1 acetylation drives a hybrid epithelial mesenchymal phenotype and promotes lung metastasis in triple negative breast cancer
topic Oxidative stress
ZEB1
Acetylation
Hybrid epithelial-mesenchymal phenotype
Lung metastasis
TNBC
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213231725003477
work_keys_str_mv AT minguo oxidativestressinducedzeb1acetylationdrivesahybridepithelialmesenchymalphenotypeandpromoteslungmetastasisintriplenegativebreastcancer
AT yanjingwang oxidativestressinducedzeb1acetylationdrivesahybridepithelialmesenchymalphenotypeandpromoteslungmetastasisintriplenegativebreastcancer
AT jieshi oxidativestressinducedzeb1acetylationdrivesahybridepithelialmesenchymalphenotypeandpromoteslungmetastasisintriplenegativebreastcancer
AT lixiacao oxidativestressinducedzeb1acetylationdrivesahybridepithelialmesenchymalphenotypeandpromoteslungmetastasisintriplenegativebreastcancer
AT yangou oxidativestressinducedzeb1acetylationdrivesahybridepithelialmesenchymalphenotypeandpromoteslungmetastasisintriplenegativebreastcancer
AT xiaojia oxidativestressinducedzeb1acetylationdrivesahybridepithelialmesenchymalphenotypeandpromoteslungmetastasisintriplenegativebreastcancer
AT chunchunqi oxidativestressinducedzeb1acetylationdrivesahybridepithelialmesenchymalphenotypeandpromoteslungmetastasisintriplenegativebreastcancer
AT zhaoxianli oxidativestressinducedzeb1acetylationdrivesahybridepithelialmesenchymalphenotypeandpromoteslungmetastasisintriplenegativebreastcancer
AT yuxinliu oxidativestressinducedzeb1acetylationdrivesahybridepithelialmesenchymalphenotypeandpromoteslungmetastasisintriplenegativebreastcancer
AT siyuzuo oxidativestressinducedzeb1acetylationdrivesahybridepithelialmesenchymalphenotypeandpromoteslungmetastasisintriplenegativebreastcancer
AT qiuyingshuai oxidativestressinducedzeb1acetylationdrivesahybridepithelialmesenchymalphenotypeandpromoteslungmetastasisintriplenegativebreastcancer
AT tianwenyu oxidativestressinducedzeb1acetylationdrivesahybridepithelialmesenchymalphenotypeandpromoteslungmetastasisintriplenegativebreastcancer
AT huayuhu oxidativestressinducedzeb1acetylationdrivesahybridepithelialmesenchymalphenotypeandpromoteslungmetastasisintriplenegativebreastcancer
AT xiaochen oxidativestressinducedzeb1acetylationdrivesahybridepithelialmesenchymalphenotypeandpromoteslungmetastasisintriplenegativebreastcancer
AT mengdanfeng oxidativestressinducedzeb1acetylationdrivesahybridepithelialmesenchymalphenotypeandpromoteslungmetastasisintriplenegativebreastcancer
AT yaoxue oxidativestressinducedzeb1acetylationdrivesahybridepithelialmesenchymalphenotypeandpromoteslungmetastasisintriplenegativebreastcancer
AT hangwang oxidativestressinducedzeb1acetylationdrivesahybridepithelialmesenchymalphenotypeandpromoteslungmetastasisintriplenegativebreastcancer
AT peiqingsun oxidativestressinducedzeb1acetylationdrivesahybridepithelialmesenchymalphenotypeandpromoteslungmetastasisintriplenegativebreastcancer
AT leiliu oxidativestressinducedzeb1acetylationdrivesahybridepithelialmesenchymalphenotypeandpromoteslungmetastasisintriplenegativebreastcancer
AT yishi oxidativestressinducedzeb1acetylationdrivesahybridepithelialmesenchymalphenotypeandpromoteslungmetastasisintriplenegativebreastcancer
AT shuangyang oxidativestressinducedzeb1acetylationdrivesahybridepithelialmesenchymalphenotypeandpromoteslungmetastasisintriplenegativebreastcancer