SYVN1 ubiquitinates FoxO1 to induce β-catenin nuclear translocation, PD-L1-mediated metastasis, and immune evasion of hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND: A high incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most frequently diagnosed form of liver cancer, is observed in Africa and Asia. SYVN1 is upregulated in HCC; however, the biological roles of SYVN1 in immune evasion remain unclear. METHODS: RT-qPCR and western blot were employed to detect the expression levels of SYVN1 and the key molecules in HCC cells and tissues. Flow cytometry was used to determine the proportion of T cells, and an ELISA assay was used to determine the amount of IFN-γ secreted. Cell viability was monitored by CCK-8 and colony formation assays. The metastatic properties of HCC cells were detected by Transwell assays. Bioinformatics analysis, ChIP, and luciferase assays were used to study the transcriptional regulation of PD-L1. Co-IP was used to detect direct interaction between SYVN1 and FoxO1, as well as the ubiquitination of FoxO1. The in vitro findings were validated in xenograft and lung metastasis models. RESULTS: In HCC cells and tissues, SYVN1 was upregulated while FoxO1 was downregulated. SYVN1 knockdown or FoxO1 overexpression reduced PD-L1 expression, and inhibited immune evasion, cell growth, and metastasis in HCC cells. Mechanistically, FoxO1 regulated PD-L1 transcription in a β-catenin-independent or -dependent manner. Functional studies further showed that SYVN1 promoted immune evasion, cell proliferation, migration and invasion via facilitating ubiquitin-proteasome-dependent degradation of FoxO1. In vivo investigations showed that silencing of SYVN1 inhibited immune evasion and metastasis of HCC cells, possible via the FoxO1/PD-L1 axis. CONCLUSION: SYVN1 regulates FoxO1 ubiquitination to stimulate β-catenin nuclear translocation and promotes PD-L1-mediated metastasis and immune evasion in HCC. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13402-023-00811-y.