Cadmium promotes the binding and centrosomal translocation of CCDC85C and PLK4 via ROS-GCLM pathway to trigger centrosome amplification in colon cancer cells.

Cadmium (Cd) is a prevalent heavy metal contaminant that can cause centrosome amplification (CA) and cancer. Since CA can initiate tumorigenesis, it is plausible that cadmium initiates tumorigenesis via CA. The present study investigated the signaling pathways underlying CA by Cd. Our findings confirmed that sub-toxic concentrations of Cd could induce CA in the HCT116 colon cancer cells, and revealed that reactive oxygen species (ROS), GCLM, CCDC85C and PLK4 were the signaling molecules that formed a pathway of ROS-GCLM-CCDC85C-PLK4. Cd not only increased the protein levels of CCDC85C and PLK4, but also promoted their distribution to the centrosomes. Molecular docking analysis revealed that CCDC85C and PLK4 had the binding potential. Indeed, antibodies against CCDC85C and PLK4 were able to pull down PLK4 and CCDC85C, respectively. Knockdown of CCDC85C decreased the Cd-promoted centrosomal distribution of PLK4. Similarly, knockdown of PLK4 reduced the centrosomal distribution of CCDC85C. Our results suggest that Cd activates ROS-GCLM pathway that triggers the expression of and binding between CCDC85C and PLK4, and promotes the translocation of CCDC85C-PLK4 complex to the centrosomes, which eventually leads to CA.