- Kim, Dae Gyu;
- Choi, Yongseok;
- Lee, Yuno;
- Lim, Semi;
- Kong, Jiwon;
- Song, JaeHa;
- Roh, Younah;
- Harmalkar, Dipesh S;
- Lee, Kwanshik;
- Goo, Ja-il;
- Cho, Hye Young;
- Mushtaq, Ameeq Ul;
- Lee, Jihye;
- Park, Song Hwa;
- Kim, Doyeun;
- Min, Byung Soh;
- Lee, Kang Young;
- Jeon, Young Ho;
- Lee, Sunkyung;
- Lee, Kyeong;
- Kim, Sunghoon
Recent development of the chemical inhibitors specific to oncogenic KRAS (Kirsten Rat Sarcoma 2 Viral Oncogene Homolog) mutants revives much interest to control KRAS-driven cancers. Here, we report that AIMP2-DX2, a variant of the tumor suppressor AIMP2 (aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase-interacting multi-functional protein 2), acts as a cancer-specific regulator of KRAS stability, augmenting KRAS-driven tumorigenesis. AIMP2-DX2 specifically binds to the hypervariable region and G-domain of KRAS in the cytosol prior to farnesylation. Then, AIMP2-DX2 competitively blocks the access of Smurf2 (SMAD Ubiquitination Regulatory Factor 2) to KRAS, thus preventing ubiquitin-mediated degradation. Moreover, AIMP2-DX2 levels are positively correlated with KRAS levels in colon and lung cancer cell lines and tissues. We also identified a small molecule that specifically bound to the KRAS-binding region of AIMP2-DX2 and inhibited the interaction between these two factors. Treatment with this compound reduces the cellular levels of KRAS, leading to the suppression of KRAS-dependent cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo. These results suggest the interface of AIMP2-DX2 and KRAS as a route to control KRAS-driven cancers.