CRISPR/Cas9 Screening Reveals that UBE2L3 Modulates Autophagic Flux through TSC2 Ubiquitination and Potentiates PD-1 Blockade in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a distinct breast cancer subtype, poses significant challenges to conventional therapeutic approaches, and effective targeted therapies are limited. CRISPR/Cas9 library screening has demonstrated unprecedented efficiency and revolutionary potential in the identification of therapeutic targets. In this study, we performed CRISPR/Cas9 library screening and identified the E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme UBE2L3 as a critical regulatory factor in the progression of TNBC. Loss of UBE2L3 restricted tumor cell growth by modulating autophagy in TNBC cells. Mechanistically, UBE2L3 downregulation led to increased tuberous sclerosis complex 2 (TSC2) expression, suppressing mTOR activity and altering autophagic processes in tumor cells. This regulation was mediated through the interaction between UBE2L3 and the E3 ubiquitin ligase SMURF2, which together control TSC2 protein ubiquitination and degradation. Autophagy and the tumor microenvironment are closely associated, and we observed that UBE2L3 knockdown in TNBC tumors significantly increased CD8+ T lymphocyte infiltration and enhanced tumor sensitivity to anti-PD-1 therapy. Collectively, our findings provide a theoretical foundation for considering UBE2L3 as a potential therapeutic target in TNBC.