Blockage of TMEM189 induces G2/M arrest and inhibits the growth of breast tumors

Cancer is the major cause of premature death in humans worldwide, demanding more efficient therapeutics. Aberrant cell proliferation resulting from the loss of cell cycle regulation is the major hallmark of cancer, so targeting cell cycle is a promising strategy to combat cancer. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the dysregulation of cell cycle of cancer cells remains poorly understood. TMEM189, a newly identified protein, plays roles in the biosynthesis of ethanolamine plasmalogen and the regulation of autophagy. Here, we demonstrated that the expression level of TMEM189 was negatively correlated with the survival rate of the cancer patients. TMEM189 deficiency significantly suppresses the cancer cell proliferation and migration, and causes cell cycle G2/M arrest both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, TMEM189 depletion suppressed the growth of breast tumors in vivo. Taken together, our work indicated that TMEM189 promotes cancer progression by regulating cell cycle G2/M transition, suggesting that it is a promising target in cancer therapy.