RalB degradation by dihydroartemisinin induces autophagy and IFI16/caspase-1 inflammasome depression in the human laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Xinli Shi; Shenghao Li; Li Wang; Hui Li; Zhen Li; Weiyi Wang; Jing Bai; Yajing Sun; Jianchun Li; Xiaoming Li

doi:10.1186/s13020-020-00340-y

RalB degradation by dihydroartemisinin induces autophagy and IFI16/caspase-1 inflammasome depression in the human laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Chin Med. 2020 Jun 19:15:64. doi: 10.1186/s13020-020-00340-y. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Xinli Shi^#^{1

2}, Shenghao Li^#², Li Wang^#³, Hui Li¹, Zhen Li¹, Weiyi Wang^{1

4}, Jing Bai¹, Yajing Sun¹, Jianchun Li³, Xiaoming Li¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Bethune International Peace Hospital, Shijiazhuang, 050081 China.
² Department of Pathobiology and Immunology, Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, Shijiazhuang, 050200 China.
³ Laboratory of Organ Fibrosis Prophylaxis and Treatment by Combine Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Research Center of Combine Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Affiliated Traditional Medicine Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000 China.
⁴ Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, 050000 China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Background: Interferon-inducible 16 (IFI16)/caspase-1 inflammasome activates and secretes IL-1β. However, it is still unclear whether the IFI16 inflammasome is involved in human laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Autophagy directly removed inflammasome components and limited early IL-1β production. RalB is required for the crosstalk between inflammasome and autophagy in macrophages. Dihydroartemisinin (DHA), the main derived ingredient of artemisinin, has a variety of biological activities. The mechanism of DHA in regulating the crosstalk between IFI16 inflammasome and autophagy by inhibiting RalB expression was analyzed in order to provide clues for new therapeutic methods in laryngeal cancer.

Methods: The expression of IFI16 was analyzed by Oncomine and GEPIA databases and detected by Western blot and immunohistochemistry. The relationship between IFI16 inflammasome and autophagy was investigated by transmission electron microscopy, immunofluorescence assay, etc. in Hep-2, Cal-27 and HeLa cells treated with DHA. The xenograft tumor of hep-2 cell in nude mice were used to assess the effect of DHA on laryngeal cancer.

Results: It was reported for the first time in this study that IFI16 was overexpressed and positively correlated with caspase-1 in laryngeal carcinoma tissues. DHA significantly inhibited the activation of inflammasome and reduced IL-1β production in the microenvironment of Hep-2 cell xenograft tumor in nude mice. Mechanistically, we found that DHA degraded RalB, inhibited USP33 expression, and triggered autophagy. Meanwhile, enhanced autophagy can reduce the expression of RalB and USP33. Furthermore, DHA promotes autophagy, which suppresses the activation of IFI16/caspase-1 inflammasome and IL-1β production.

Conclusions: Therefore, our findings demonstrate that DHA may act as a RalB inhibitor to regulate the crosstalk between autophagy and IFI16/caspase-1 inflammasome, which inhibits IL-1β production in tumor microenvironment.

Keywords: Autophagy; Dihydroartemisinin; IFI16 inflammasome; Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma; RalB.