Therapeutic protein PAK restrains the progression of triple negative breast cancer through degrading SREBP-1 mRNA

Abstract

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents the most challenging subtype of breast cancer. Studies have implicated an upregulation of lipid synthesis pathways in the initiation and progression of TNBC. Targeting lipid synthesis pathways may be a promising therapeutic strategy for TNBC. Our previous study developed a therapeutic protein PAK with passive targeting and inhibiting tumor proliferation. In this study, we further substantiate the efficacy of PAK in TNBC. Transcriptome sequencing analysis revealed PAK-mediated downregulation of genes involved in fatty acid synthesis, including key genes like SREBP-1, FASN, and SCD1. RNA immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrated a significant binding affinity of PAK to SREBP-1 mRNA, facilitating its degradation process. Both in vitro and in vivo models, PAK hampered TNBC progression by downregulating lipid synthesis pathways. In conclusion, this study emphasizes that PAK inhibits the progression of TNBC by binding to and degrading SREBP-1 mRNA, revealing a new strategy for regulating lipid synthesis in the intervention of TNBC and its therapeutic significance.