NCAPD3 contributes to lung cancer progression through modulated lactate-induced histone lactylation and MEK/ERK/LDHA axis

Lung cancer (LC) is one of the most common malignant tumors globally. Non-SMC condensin II complex subunit D3 (NCAPD3) has been involved in the progression of many kinds of tumors. However, the effects of NCAPD3 in LC remain unclear. NCAPD3 expression was investigated by the Ualcan database and using Western blot. The effect of NCAPD3 on prognosis was explored via the Kaplan-Meier plotter database. Cell viability, colony formation, apoptosis, and Transwell assays, and in vivo tumorigenesis were performed to reveal the biological roles of NCAPD3. Glycolysis was assessed via measurement of glucose consumption, extracellular acidification rate (ECAR), lactate production, and ATP levels. The deeper mechanisms of NCAPD3 were investigated by Western blot and rescue experiments. Upregulation of NCAPD3 levels in LC tissues was found in Ualcan and significantly associated with poor prognosis. The expression of NCAPD3 was up-regulated in LC cell lines compared to BEAS-2B cells. Knockdown and overexpression experiments suggested that proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion, and glycolysis were regulated by NCAPD3 via the MEK/ERK/LDHA pathway. Additionally, NCAPD3 knockdown inhibited tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistically, NCAPD3 overexpression-mediated activation of the MEK/ERK/LDHA pathway and proliferation, Glucose uptake, and glycolysis were attenuated by MEK inhibitor U0126. Also, histone lactylation helps in tumorigenesis by promoting NCAPD3 expression. Taken together, our results revealed that histone lactylation of NCAPD3 promoted proliferation, migration, invasion, and glycolysis through modulating the MEK/ERK/LDHA signaling pathway in LC, which highlights a novel understanding of NCAPD3 in LC.