The RNA binding protein neuro-oncological ventral antigen 1 (NOVA1) regulates IL-6 mRNA stability to enhance JAK2-STAT3 signaling in CRC

The molecular mechanisms governing the metastasis of colorectal cancer (CRC) are incompletely understood. In the present study, we found NOVA1 to be expressed at higher levels in CRC cell lines and tissue samples, and this upregulation was positively correlated with TNM stage (p = 0.034), poor differentiation (p = 0.001), and lymph node metastasis (p = 0.008). Both overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) were both significantly decreased in patients with high NOVA1 expression relative to those with low expression. Through a multivariate analysis, we determined that NOVA1 independently predicted poor outcomes in those with CRC. In further functional studies, we found that NOVA1 expression controlled the proliferation and invasive characteristics of CRC cells via a mechanism wherein NOVA1 bound and stabilized the IL6 mRNA, enhancing IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 signaling to in turn upregulate matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) 2, 7, and 9. NOVA1 therefore plays key functional roles in regulating CRC progression, and our results further indicate that it serve as a valuable prognostic biomarker and potentially a target for therapeutic treatment in individuals with CRC.