HIF1α Plays a Crucial Role in the Development of TFE3–Rearranged Renal Cell Carcinoma by Orchestrating a Metabolic Shift Toward Fatty Acid Synthesis

Abstract

Tumor development often requires cellular adaptation to a unique, high metabolic state; however, the molecular mechanisms that drive such metabolic changes in TFE3–rearranged renal cell carcinoma (TFE3-RCC) remain poorly understood. TFE3-RCC, a rare subtype of RCC, is defined by the formation of chimeric proteins involving the transcription factor TFE3. In this study, we analyzed cell lines and genetically engineered mice, demonstrating that the expression of the chimeric protein PRCC-TFE3 induced a hypoxia-related signature by transcriptionally upregulating HIF1α and HIF2α. The upregulation of HIF1α by PRCC-TFE3 led to increased cellular ATP production by enhancing glycolysis, which also supplied substrates for the TCA cycle while maintaining mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. We crossed TFE3-RCC mouse models with Hif1α and/or Hif2α knockout mice and found that Hif1α, rather than Hif2α, is essential for tumor development in vivo. RNA-seq and metabolomic analyses of the kidney tissues from these mice revealed that ketone body production is inversely correlated with tumor development, whereas de novo lipid synthesis is upregulated through the HIF1α/SREBP1-dependent mechanism in TFE3-RCC. Our data suggest that the coordinated metabolic shift via the PRCC-TFE3/HIF1α/SREBP1 axis is a key mechanism by which PRCC-TFE3 enhances cancer cell metabolism, promoting tumor development in TFE3-RCC.