MCUR1-Mediated Mitochondrial Calcium Signaling Facilitates Cell Survival of Hepatocellular Carcinoma via Reactive Oxygen Species-Dependent P53 Degradation

Aims: Levels of the mitochondrial calcium uniporter regulator 1 (MCUR1) increases during development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, mechanisms of how mitochondrial Ca2+ homeostasis is modulated and its function remain limited in cancers. Results: MCUR1 was frequently upregulated in HCC cells to enhance the Ca2+ uptake into mitochondria in an MCU-dependent manner, which significantly facilitated cell survival by inhibiting mitochondria-dependent intrinsic apoptosis and promoting proliferation of HCC cells, and thus led to poor prognosis. In vivo assay confirmed these results, indicating that overexpressed MCUR1 notably decreased the fraction of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL)-positive cells and increased the positive Ki67 staining in xenograft tumors, while reduced MCUR1 expression was associated with impaired growth capacity of HCC cells in nude mice. The survival advantage conferred by MCUR1-mediated mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake was majorly caused by elevated production of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species and subsequent AKT/MDM2-induced P53 degradation, which regulated the expression level of apoptosis-related molecules and cell cycle-related molecules. Treatment of mitochondrial Ca2+-buffering protein parvalbumin remarkably inhibited the growth of HCC cells. Conclusions and Innovation: Our study provides evidence supporting a possible tumor-promoting role for MCUR1-mediated mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake and uncovers a mechanistic understanding that links change of mitochondrial Ca2+ homeostasis to cancer cell survival, which suggests a potential novel therapeutic target for HCC.