NFYC-37 promotes tumor growth by activating the mevalonate pathway in bladder cancer

Summary: Dysregulation of transcription is a hallmark of cancer, including bladder cancer (BLCA). CRISPR-Cas9 screening using a lentivirus library with single guide RNAs (sgRNAs) targeting human transcription factors and chromatin modifiers is used to reveal genes critical for the proliferation and survival of BLCA cells. As a result, the nuclear transcription factor Y subunit gamma (NFYC)-37, but not NFYC-50, is observed to promote cell proliferation and tumor growth in BLCA. Mechanistically, NFYC-37 interacts with CBP and SREBP2 to activate mevalonate pathway transcription, promoting cholesterol biosynthesis. However, NFYC-50 recruits more of the arginine methyltransferase CARM1 than NFYC-37 to methylate CBP, which prevents the CBP-SREBP2 interaction and subsequently inhibits the mevalonate pathway. Importantly, statins targeting the mevalonate pathway can suppress NFYC-37-induced cell proliferation and tumor growth, indicating the need for conducting a clinical trial with statins for treating patients with BLCA and high NFYC-37 levels, as most patients with BLCA have high NFYC-37 levels.