SCFFBXW5-mediated degradation of AQP3 suppresses autophagic cell death through the PDPK1-AKT-MTOR axis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells

AQP3 (aquaporin 3 (Gill blood group)), a member of the AQP family, is an aquaglyceroporin which transports water, glycerol and small solutes across the plasma membrane. Beyond its role in fluid transport, AQP3 plays a significant role in regulating various aspects of tumor cell behavior, including cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Nevertheless, the underlying regulatory mechanism of AQP3 in tumors remains unclear. Here, for the first time, we report that AQP3 is a direct target for ubiquitination by the SCFFBXW5 complex. In addition, we revealed that downregulation of FBXW5 significantly induced AQP3 expression to prompt macroautophagic/autophagic cell death in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. Mechanistically, AQP3 accumulation induced by FBXW5 knockdown led to the degradation of PDPK1/PDK1 in a lysosomal-dependent manner, thus inactivating the AKT-MTOR pathway and inducing autophagic death in HCC. Taken together, our findings revealed a previously undiscovered regulatory mechanism through which FBXW5 degraded AQP3 to suppress autophagic cell death via the PDPK1-AKT-MTOR axis in HCC cells.