C8ORF59 regulates ribosome biogenesis to affect progression in lung adenocarcinoma

Abstract Elevated ribosome biogenesis was required by tumor growth. In this study, we initially screened a set of key genes related to ribosome biogenesis from the GSEA dataset. Then, we obtained differentially expressed gene sets between cancer tissues and adjacent non-cancerous tissues from the GSE datasets. By intersecting these gene sets, we identified potential genes that may play a significant role in the progression of lung adenocarcinoma. Subsequently, through extensive literature review, we finally identified the gene Chromosome 8 Open Reading Frame 59 (C8ORF59) as an interesting candidate. Our research findings demonstrated that the knockdown of C8ORF59 significantly inhibits the migration, invasion potential, cell growth, and clonogenicity of lung adenocarcinoma cells. Additionally, apoptosis assays revealed a significant increase in apoptosis, including both early and late stages, in lung adenocarcinoma cells upon C8ORF59 knockdown. Cell cycle analysis showed that C8ORF59 knockdown arrests cells predominantly in the G0/G1 phase, indicating inhibited cell proliferation. Moreover, knocking down C8ORF59 significantly inhibits the in vivo growth of lung cancer cells. Mechanistically, downregulation of C8ORF59 significantly decreases the expression of 47S rRNA, a component associated with ribosome assembly, ribosome proteins Fibrillarin (FBL) and Ribosomal Protein L3 (RPL3). Additionally, ribosomal biogenesis targeting drugs CX-5461 and C8ORF59 loss generate synergistic effects on key proteins regulating cell cycle and apoptosis. Knocking down C8ORF59 also substantially enhanced the sensitivity of lung adenocarcinoma cells to the chemotherapeutic drug gemcitabine, suggesting a potential association between C8ORF59 and drug resistance. Collectively, these studies suggest the close involvement of C8ORF59 in the progression of lung adenocarcinoma, providing new insights for its therapeutic intervention.