PABPC1-induced stabilization of IFI27 mRNA promotes angiogenesis and malignant progression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma through exosomal miRNA-21-5p

BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence has demonstrated that RNA-binding protein dysregulation is involved in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) progression. However, the role of poly (A) binding protein cytoplasmic 1 (PABPC1) in ESCC is unclear. We therefore aimed to explore the functions and potential mechanisms of PABPC1 in ESCC progression. METHODS: PABPC1 expression was characterized using immunohistochemistry and qRT-PCR in ESCC tissues and cell lines. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and luciferase reporter assays were used to detect histone acetylation in the promoter region of PABPC1. A series of in vitro and in vivo assays were further applied to elucidate the functions and underlying molecular mechanisms of PABPC1 in ESCC angiogenesis and malignant procession. RESULTS: PABPC1 expression was upregulated in ESCC tissues compared with in normal esophageal epithelial tissues. Elevated PABPC1 expression was correlated with tumor cell differentiation and poor prognosis in patients. Sp1 and p300 cooperated to increase the level of H2K37ac in the PABPC1 promoter. Functionally, PABPC1 overexpression enhanced esophageal squamous cell proliferation and invasion by activating the IFN/IFI27 signaling pathway. PABPC1 interacted with eIF4G to increase the stability of IFI27 mRNA by competing with RNA exosomes in ESCC. Furthermore, PABPC1/IFI27 could increase miR-21-5p expression to enable exosomal delivery of miR-21-5p to human umbilical vein endothelial cells to increase angiogenesis via inhibiting CXCL10. CONCLUSION: PABPC1 plays a critical role in ESCC malignant progression by interacting with eIF4G to regulate IFI27 mRNA stability and promote angiogenesis via exosomal miR-21-5p/CXCL10. Taken together, our results suggest that PABPC1 is a promising therapeutic target for ESCC. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13046-022-02339-9.