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Shen X, Tan J, Liu R, Zhu G, Rooper L, Xing M. The genetic duet of concurrent RASAL1 and PTEN alterations promotes cancer aggressiveness by cooperatively activating the PI3K-AKT pathway. Mol Oncol 2024. [PMID: 39032134 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 05/12/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/22/2024] Open
Abstract
The significance of the prominent tumor suppressor gene for RAS protein activator-like 1 (RASAL1) could be better understood by combined genetic, clinical, and functional studies. Here, we investigated the oncogenic and clinical impacts of genetic alterations of RASAL1, particularly when coexisting with genetic alterations of the gene for phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), in 9924 cancers of 33 types in the TCGA database. We found common concurrent genetic alterations of the two genes, which were cooperatively associated with activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-AKT pathway, with cancer progression and mortality rates being 46.36% and 31.72% with concurrent gene alterations, versus 29.80% and 16.93% with neither gene alteration (HR 1.64, 95% CI 1.46-1.84 and 1.77, 95% CI 1.53-2.05), respectively. This was enhanced by additional tumor protein p53 (TP53) gene alterations, with cancer progression and mortality rates being 47.65% and 34.46% with coexisting RASAL1, PTEN, and TP53 alterations versus 25.30% and 13.11% with no alteration (HR 2.21, 95% CI 1.92-2.56 and 2.76, 95% CI 2.31-3.30), respectively. In the case of breast cancer, this genetic trio was associated with a triple-negative risk of 68.75% versus 3.83% with no genetic alteration (RR 17.94, 95% CI 9.60-33.51), consistent with the aggressive nature of triple-negative breast cancer. Mice with double knockouts of Rasal1 and Pten displayed robust Pi3k pathway activation, with the development of metastasizing malignancies, while single gene knockout resulted in only benign neoplasma. These results suggest that RASAL1, like PTEN, is a critical player in negatively regulating the PI3K-AKT pathway; defect in RASAL1 causes RAS activation, thus initiating the PI3K-AKT pathway signaling, which cannot terminate with concurrent PTEN defects. Thus, the unique concurrent RASAL1 and PTEN defects drive oncogenesis and cancer aggressiveness by cooperatively activating the PI3K-AKT pathway. This represents a robust genetic mechanism to promote human cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaopei Shen
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jie Tan
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Rengyun Liu
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Guangwu Zhu
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Lisa Rooper
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Mingzhao Xing
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Sun S, Liu Y, Zhou M, Wen J, Xue L, Han S, Liang J, Wang Y, Wei Y, Yu J, Long X, Chen X, Liang H, Huang Z, Zhang B. PA2G4 promotes the metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma by stabilizing FYN mRNA in a YTHDF2-dependent manner. Cell Biosci 2022; 12:55. [PMID: 35526051 PMCID: PMC9080163 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-022-00788-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 04/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide with high mortality. Advanced stage upon diagnosis and cancer metastasis are the main reasons for the dismal prognosis of HCC in large part. The role of proliferation associated protein 2G4 (PA2G4) in tumorigenesis and cancer progression has been widely investigated in various cancers. However, whether and how PA2G4 participates in HCC metastasis is still underexplored. RESULTS We found that the mRNA and protein levels of PA2G4 were higher in HCC samples than in normal liver tissues, and high expression of PA2G4 in HCC was correlated with a poor prognosis, by an integrative analysis of immunohistochemistry (IHC), western blot and bioinformatic approach. Moreover, the expression of PA2G4 was elevated in HCC patients with metastases than those metastasis-free. Cell migration, invasion, phalloidin staining and western blot analyses demonstrated that PA2G4 promoted epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) of HCC cells in vitro. And a lung metastasis animal model exhibited that PA2G4 enhanced metastatic ability of HCC cells in vivo. RNA-sequencing combined with dual luciferase reporter assay and evaluation of mRNA half-time indicated that PA2G4 increased FYN expression by stabilizing its mRNA transcript. Recovering the impaired FYN level induced by PA2G4 knockdown rescued the impeded cell mobilities. Furthermore, endogenous immunoprecipitation (IP) and in-situ immunofluorescence (IF) showed that YTH N6-methyladenosine RNA binding protein 2 (YTHDF2) was the endogenous binding patterner of PA2G4. In addition, RNA binding protein immunoprecipitation (RIP) and anti- N6-methyladenosine immunoprecipitation (MeRIP) assays demonstrated that FYN mRNA was N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modified and bound with PA2G4, as well as YTHDF2. Moreover, the m6A catalytic ability of YTHDF2 was found indispensable for the regulation of FYN by PA2G4. At last, the correlation of expression levels between PA2G4 and FYN in HCC tissues was verified by IHC and western blot analysis. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that PA2G4 plays a pro-metastatic role by increasing FYN expression through binding with YTHDF2 in HCC. PA2G4 may become a reliable prognostic marker or therapeutic target for HCC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheng Sun
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China.,Clinical Medical Research Center of Hepatic Surgery at Hubei Province, Wuhan, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreatic-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yiyang Liu
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China.,Clinical Medical Research Center of Hepatic Surgery at Hubei Province, Wuhan, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreatic-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Meiling Zhou
- Wuhan Institute of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Jinyuan Wen
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China.,Clinical Medical Research Center of Hepatic Surgery at Hubei Province, Wuhan, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreatic-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Lin Xue
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China.,Clinical Medical Research Center of Hepatic Surgery at Hubei Province, Wuhan, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreatic-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Shenqi Han
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China.,Clinical Medical Research Center of Hepatic Surgery at Hubei Province, Wuhan, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreatic-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Junnan Liang
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China.,Clinical Medical Research Center of Hepatic Surgery at Hubei Province, Wuhan, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreatic-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yufei Wang
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China.,Clinical Medical Research Center of Hepatic Surgery at Hubei Province, Wuhan, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreatic-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yi Wei
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China.,Clinical Medical Research Center of Hepatic Surgery at Hubei Province, Wuhan, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreatic-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jinjin Yu
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China.,Clinical Medical Research Center of Hepatic Surgery at Hubei Province, Wuhan, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreatic-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xin Long
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China.,Clinical Medical Research Center of Hepatic Surgery at Hubei Province, Wuhan, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreatic-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiaoping Chen
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China.,Clinical Medical Research Center of Hepatic Surgery at Hubei Province, Wuhan, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreatic-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Ministry of Education; Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, National Health Commission; Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Huifang Liang
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China. .,Clinical Medical Research Center of Hepatic Surgery at Hubei Province, Wuhan, China. .,Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreatic-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
| | - Zhao Huang
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China. .,Clinical Medical Research Center of Hepatic Surgery at Hubei Province, Wuhan, China. .,Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreatic-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
| | - Bixiang Zhang
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China. .,Clinical Medical Research Center of Hepatic Surgery at Hubei Province, Wuhan, China. .,Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreatic-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
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Zaballos MA, Acuña-Ruiz A, Morante M, Crespo P, Santisteban P. Regulators of the RAS-ERK pathway as therapeutic targets in thyroid cancer. Endocr Relat Cancer 2019; 26:R319-R344. [PMID: 30978703 DOI: 10.1530/erc-19-0098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2019] [Accepted: 04/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Thyroid cancer is mostly an ERK-driven carcinoma, as up to 70% of thyroid carcinomas are caused by mutations that activate the RAS/ERK mitogenic signaling pathway. The incidence of thyroid cancer has been steadily increasing for the last four decades; yet, there is still no effective treatment for advanced thyroid carcinomas. Current research efforts are focused on impairing ERK signaling with small-molecule inhibitors, mainly at the level of BRAF and MEK. However, despite initial promising results in animal models, the clinical success of these inhibitors has been limited by the emergence of tumor resistance and relapse. The RAS/ERK pathway is an extremely complex signaling cascade with multiple points of control, offering many potential therapeutic targets: from the modulatory proteins regulating the activation state of RAS proteins to the scaffolding proteins of the pathway that provide spatial specificity to the signals, and finally, the negative feedbacks and phosphatases responsible for inactivating the pathway. The aim of this review is to give an overview of the biology of RAS/ERK regulators in human cancer highlighting relevant information on thyroid cancer and future areas of research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel A Zaballos
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas 'Alberto Sols', Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (CIBERONC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Adrián Acuña-Ruiz
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas 'Alberto Sols', Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (CIBERONC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Marta Morante
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (CIBERONC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria (IBBTEC), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Spain
| | - Piero Crespo
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (CIBERONC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria (IBBTEC), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Spain
| | - Pilar Santisteban
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas 'Alberto Sols', Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (CIBERONC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
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7
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Chang RX, Cui AL, Dong L, Guan SP, Jiang LY, Miao CX. Overexpression of RASAL1 Indicates Poor Prognosis and Promotes Invasion of Ovarian Cancer. Open Life Sci 2019; 14:133-140. [PMID: 33817145 PMCID: PMC7874762 DOI: 10.1515/biol-2019-0015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2018] [Accepted: 01/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
RAS protein activator like-1 (RASAL1) exists in numerous human tissues and has been commonly demonstrated to act as a tumor suppressor in several cancers. This study aimed to identify the functional characteristics of RASAL1 in ovarian adenocarcinoma and a potential mechanism of action. We analyzed RASAL1 gene expression in ovarian adenocarcinoma samples and normal samples gained from the GEO and Oncomine databases respectively. Then the relationship between RASAL1 expression and overall survival (OS) was assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Furthermore, the biological effect of RASAL1 in ovarian adenocarcinoma cell lines was assessed by Quantitative real time-PCR (qRT-PCR), Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), western blot, wound healing and transwell assay. The statistical analysis showed patients with higher RASAL1 expression correlated with worse OS. The in vitro assays suggested knockdown of RASAL1 could inhibit cell proliferation, cell invasion and migration of ovarian adenocarcinoma. Moreover, the key proteins in the mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MEK/ERK) signaling pathway were also decreased in ovarian adenocarcinoma cells with RASAL1 silencing. These findings provide promising evidence that RASAL1 may be not only a powerful biomarker but also an effective therapeutic target of ovarian adenocarcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui-Xia Chang
- Department of gynecology, Heping Hospital affiliated to Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi, Shanxi 046000, P.R. China
| | - Ai-Ling Cui
- Central Laboratory, Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi, Shanxi 046000, P.R. China
| | - Lu Dong
- Department of Hematological, Heping Hospital affiliated to Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi, Shanxi 046000, P.R. China
| | - Su-Ping Guan
- Department of gynecology, Heping Hospital affiliated to Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi, Shanxi 046000, P.R. China
| | - Ling-Yan Jiang
- Department of Information, Heping Hospital affiliated to Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi, Shanxi 046000, P.R. China
| | - Cong-Xiu Miao
- Department of Reproductive heredity, Heping Hospital affiliated to Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi, Shanxi 046000, P.R. China
- E-mail:
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