Slug is temporally regulated by cyclin E in cell cycle and controls genome stability

The transcriptional repressor Slug is best known to control epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and promote cancer invasion/metastasis. In this study, we demonstrate that Slug is temporally regulated during cell cycle progression. At G1/S transition, cyclin E–cyclin-dependent kinase 2 mediates the phosphorylation of Slug at Ser-54 and Ser-104, resulting in its ubiquitylation and degradation. Non-phosphorylatable Slug is markedly stabilized at G1/S transition compared with wild-type Slug and greatly leads to downregulation of DNA synthesis and checkpoint-related proteins, including TOP1, DNA Ligase IV and Rad17, reduces cell proliferation, delays S-phase progression and contributes to genome instability. Our results indicate that Slug has multifaceted roles in cancer progression by controlling both EMT and genome stability.