INPP4B is upregulated and functions as an oncogenic driver through SGK3 in a subset of melanomas

Inositol polyphosphate 4-phosphatase type II (INPP4B) negatively regulates PI3K/Akt signalling and has a tumour suppressive role in some types of cancers. However, we have found that it is upregulated in a subset of melanomas. Here we report that INPP4B can function as an oncogenic driver through activation of serum- and glucocorticoid-regulated kinase 3 (SGK3) in melanoma. While INPP4B knockdown inhibited melanoma cell proliferation and retarded melanoma xenograft growth, overexpression of INPP4B enhanced melanoma cell and melanocyte proliferation and triggered anchorage-independent growth of melanocytes. Noticeably, INPP4B-mediated melanoma cell proliferation was not related to activation of Akt, but was mediated by SGK3. Upregulation of INPP4B in melanoma cells was associated with loss of miRNA (miR)-494 and/or miR-599 due to gene copy number reduction. Indeed, overexpression of miR-494 or miR-599 downregulated INPP4B, reduced SGK3 activation, and inhibited melanoma cell proliferation, whereas introduction of anti-miR-494 or anti-miR-599 upregulated INPP4B, enhanced SGK3 activation, and promoted melanoma cell proliferation. Collectively, these results identify upregulation of INPP4B as an oncogenic mechanism through activation of SGK3 in a subset of melanomas, with implications for targeting INPP4B and restoring miR-494 and miR-599 as novel approaches in the treatment of melanomas with high INPP4B expression.