A novel MYC-ZNF706-SLC7A11 regulatory circuit contributes to cancer progression and redox balance in human hepatocellular carcinoma

The oncogenic potential of chromosome 8q22 copy number gain in liver cancer remains to be depicted. Here, we report that ZNF706, encoded by a gene mapped to chromosome 8q22, is a C2H2-type zinc finger protein. However, the biological function and mechanism of ZNF706 have been poorly investigated. Clinically, ZNF706 expression was elevated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and high ZNF706 expression was associated with unfavorable survival in HCC patients. Functional experiments revealed that ZNF706 knockdown inhibited HCC progression both in vitro and in vivo. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and chromatin immunoprecipitation-based deep sequencing (ChIP-seq) revealed that mechanistically, ZNF706 is a crucial ferroptosis regulator and that SLC7A11 is a critical target of ZNF706. In addition, ZNF706 knockdown inhibited SLC7A11 expression, increased lipid peroxidation, and promoted ferroptosis. Further analysis revealed that ZNF706 is a novel direct target transcriptionally activated by MYC in HCC cells. Importantly, MYC depletion reduced SLC7A11-mediated redox homeostasis, and this effect was reversed by ZNF706 reexpression. Collectively, our data demonstrate that ZNF706 is a potential oncogene in liver cancer and functions as a ferroptosis regulator by modulating SLC7A11 expression, constituting a potential therapeutic target for HCC.