PMVK drives hepatocarcinogenesis via SP1 phosphorylation–mediated lipid metabolic reprogramming

Source: PubMed Central Open Access, NCBI / U.S. National Library of Medicine

Metabolic reprogramming is a hallmark of cancer, yet the critical drivers and mechanisms in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain incompletely understood. Through a metabolism-focused CRISPR screen, we identified phosphomevalonate kinase (PMVK), a mevalonate pathway enzyme, as a key regulator of HCC stemness and progression. PMVK directly phosphorylates the transcription factor SP1 at Thr, which enhances SP1’s DNA binding affinity and promotes its interaction with the master lipid regulator SREBP1/2, driving a transcriptional program essential for de novo cholesterol and fatty acid synthesis. Clinically, PMVK levels are positively correlated with phospho-SP1 (Thr) levels and predicate poor prognosis in patients with HCC. Functionally, we demonstrate that genetic or pharmacologic inhibition of the PMVK-SP1 axis, including using the SP1 inhibitor mithramycin A (MTA), significantly suppresses HCC tumorigenesis. In conclusion, our findings uncover the PMVK-SP1 axis as a central driver of lipid metabolic reprogramming and hepatocarcinogenesis, highlighting it as a compelling therapeutic target in HCC. PMVK reprograms lipid biosynthesis to drive HCC stemness and progression. teaser