Lysine demethylase KDM1A promotes cell growth via FKBP8–BCL2 axis in hepatocellular carcinoma

Advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a dismal prognosis. KDM1A (lysine demethylase 1A), overexpressed in multiple cancer types, is a lysine demethylase that targets both histone and nonhistone proteins. However, it is unclear how KDM1A expression affects HCC etiology. Here, we show that KDM1A can interact with and demethylate FKBP8 (FKBP prolyl isomerase 8), a cytoplasmic protein that regulates cell survival through the antiapoptotic protein BCL2 (B-cell lymphoma-2). We show that demethylation of FKBP8 enhances its ability to stabilize BCL2. Consistently, we observed positive correlation between KDM1A and BCL2 protein levels in liver cancer patients. Functionally, we reveal that FKBP8 demethylation by KDM1A is critical for liver cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo. We went on to explore the mechanisms that might regulate KDM1A cytoplasmic localization. We found that the cytoplasmic localization and protein stability of KDM1A were promoted by acetylation at lysine-117 by the acetyl transferase KAT8 (lysine acetyltransferase 8). In agreement with this, we show that KDM1A–K117 (lysine 117) acetylation promotes demethylation of FKBP8 and level of BCL2. Finally, it has been shown that the efficacy of sorafenib, a first-line treatment for advanced HCC, is limited by clinical resistance. We show that KDM1A and BCL2 protein levels are increased during acquired sorafenib resistance, whereas inhibiting KDM1A can antagonize sorafenib resistance. Collectively, these results define a functional KDM1A–FKBP8–BCL2 axis in HCC.