Oncogenic Role of SND1 in Development and Progression of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

SND1, a subunit of the miRNA regulatory complex RISC, has been implicated as an oncogene in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we show that hepatocyte-specific SND1 transgenic mice (Alb/SND1 mice) develop spontaneous HCC with partial penetrance and exhibit more highly aggressive HCC induced by chemical carcinogenesis. Livers from Alb/SND1 mice exhibited a relative increase in inflammatory markers and spheroid-generating tumor-initiating cells (TIC). Mechanistic investigations defined roles for Akt and NF-kappa B signaling pathways in promoting TIC formation in Alb/SND1 mice. In human xenograft models of subcutaneous or orthotopic HCC, administration of the selective SND1 inhibitor 30, 50-deoxythymidine bisphosphate (pdTp), inhibited tumor formation without effects on body weight or liver function. Our work establishes an oncogenic role for SND1 in promoting TIC formation and highlights pdTp as a highly selective SND1 inhibitor as a candidate therapeutic lead to treat advanced HCC. (C)2017 AACR.