VRK2 targeting potentiates anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in hepatocellular carcinoma through MYC destabilization.

ABSTRACT: Dysregulation of MYC proto-oncogene, bHLH transcription factor (MYC) represents a common yet mechanistically unresolved driver of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). While MYC remains an elusive therapeutic target, developing strategies to promote its degradation emerges as a promising alternative approach. Here we show that vaccinia-related kinase 2 (VRK2) functions as a direct MYC-interacting kinase that stabilizes the oncoprotein through phosphorylation at Serine (Ser)281/293. This phosphorylation enables VRK2 to compete with the Skp1-Cullin-F-box protein complex containing FBXO24 (SCF-FBXO24) E3 ligase, thereby blocking MYC polyubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. The stabilized MYC-VRK2 complex amplifies transcriptional activation of protumorigenic programs, including the immune ch

SUBMITTER: Su C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12514316 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature