Downregulation of SHIP2 by Hepatitis B Virus X Promotes the Metastasis and Chemoresistance of Hepatocellular Carcinoma through SKP2

Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-encoded X protein (HBx) plays an important role in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The protein SH2 domain containing inositol 5-phosphatase 2 (SHIP2) belongs to the family of enzymes that dephosphorylate the 5 position of PI(3,4,5)P3 to produce PI(3,4)P2. Expression of SHIP2 has been associated with several cancers including HCC. However, its role in the development of HBV-related HCC remains elusive. In this study, we performed tissue microarray analysis using 49 cases of HCC to explore SHIP2 expression changes and found that SHIP2 was downregulated in HBV-positive HCC. In addition, S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (SKP2), a component of the E3 ubiquitin-ligase complex, was increased in HCC cell lines that overexpressed HBx, which also showed a notable accumulation of polyubiquitinated SHIP2. Moreover, HCC cells with silenced SHIP2 had increased expression of mesenchymal markers, which promotes cell migration, enhances glucose uptake, and leads to resistance to the chemotherapy drug (5-Fluorouracil, 5-FU). Taken together, our results demonstrate that HBx downregulates SHIP2 through SKP2 and suggest a potential role for SHIP2 in HBx-mediated HCC migration.