BRCA1 Regulates Carbohydrate Metabolism Through its RING Domain and Transcription Factor Oct1

The tumor suppressor BRCA1 regulates DNA damage responses and multiple other processes. Among these, BRCA1 heterodimerizes with BARD1 to ubiquitylate targets via its N-terminal RING domain. Here we show that BRCA1 promotes oxidative metabolism via degradation of Oct1, a transcription factor with pro-glycolytic/tumorigenic effects. BRCA1 E3 ubiquitin ligase mutation skews cells towards a glycolytic metabolic profile while elevating Oct1 protein. CRISPR-mediated Oct1 deletion reverts the glycolytic phenotype. RNAseq confirms the deregulation of metabolic genes. BRCA1 mediates direct Oct1 ubiquitylation and degradation, and mutation of two ubiquitylated Oct1 lysines insulates the protein against BRCA1-mediated destabilization. Oct1 deletion in MCF-7 breast cancer cells does not perturb growth in standard culture, but inhibits growth in soft agar and xenografts. Oct1 protein levels correlate positively with tumor aggressiveness, and inversely with BRCA1, in primary breast cancer samples. These results identify BRCA1 as an Oct1 ubiquitin ligase that catalyzes Oct1 degradation to promote oxidative metabolism. Overall design: mRNA profiles of BRCA1-I26A mutant MEFs treated with control CRISPR lentiviral vector, or an Oct1-specific CRISPR construct

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Vázquez-Arreguín K, Maddox J, Kang J, Park D, Cano RR, Factor RE, Ludwig T, Tantin D