1
|
Hermosilla VE, Gyenis L, Rabalski AJ, Armijo ME, Sepúlveda P, Duprat F, Benítez-Riquelme D, Fuentes-Villalobos F, Quiroz A, Hepp MI, Farkas C, Mastel M, González-Chavarría I, Jackstadt R, Litchfield DW, Castro AF, Pincheira R. Casein kinase 2 phosphorylates and induces the SALL2 tumor suppressor degradation in colon cancer cells. Cell Death Dis 2024; 15:223. [PMID: 38493149 PMCID: PMC10944491 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-024-06591-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
Spalt-like proteins are Zinc finger transcription factors from Caenorhabditis elegans to vertebrates, with critical roles in development. In vertebrates, four paralogues have been identified (SALL1-4), and SALL2 is the family's most dissimilar member. SALL2 is required during brain and eye development. It is downregulated in cancer and acts as a tumor suppressor, promoting cell cycle arrest and cell death. Despite its critical functions, information about SALL2 regulation is scarce. Public data indicate that SALL2 is ubiquitinated and phosphorylated in several residues along the protein, but the mechanisms, biological consequences, and enzymes responsible for these modifications remain unknown. Bioinformatic analyses identified several putative phosphorylation sites for Casein Kinase II (CK2) located within a highly conserved C-terminal PEST degradation motif of SALL2. CK2 is a serine/threonine kinase that promotes cell proliferation and survival and is often hyperactivated in cancer. We demonstrated that CK2 phosphorylates SALL2 residues S763, T778, S802, and S806 and promotes SALL2 degradation by the proteasome. Accordingly, pharmacological inhibition of CK2 with Silmitasertib (CX-4945) restored endogenous SALL2 protein levels in SALL2-deficient breast MDA-MB-231, lung H1299, and colon SW480 cancer cells. Silmitasertib induced a methuosis-like phenotype and cell death in SW480 cells. However, the phenotype was significantly attenuated in CRISPr/Cas9-mediated SALL2 knockout SW480 cells. Similarly, Sall2-deficient tumor organoids were more resistant to Silmitasertib-induced cell death, confirming that SALL2 sensitizes cancer cells to CK2 inhibition. We identified a novel CK2-dependent mechanism for SALL2 regulation and provided new insights into the interplay between these two proteins and their role in cell survival and proliferation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- V E Hermosilla
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Laboratorio de Transducción de Señales y Cáncer, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Dept of Orofacial Sciences and Dept of Anatomy, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - L Gyenis
- Department of Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - A J Rabalski
- Department of Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
- Odyssey Therapeutics, Boston, MA, USA
| | - M E Armijo
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Laboratorio de Transducción de Señales y Cáncer, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - P Sepúlveda
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Laboratorio de Transducción de Señales y Cáncer, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - F Duprat
- Departamento de Fisiopatología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - D Benítez-Riquelme
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Laboratorio de Transducción de Señales y Cáncer, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - F Fuentes-Villalobos
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Laboratorio de Transducción de Señales y Cáncer, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Laboratorio de Inmunovirología. Departamento de Microbiologia. Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - A Quiroz
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Laboratorio de Transducción de Señales y Cáncer, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - M I Hepp
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Laboratorio de Transducción de Señales y Cáncer, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Laboratorio de Investigación en Ciencias Biomédicas, Departamento de Ciencias Básicas y Morfología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - C Farkas
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Laboratorio de Transducción de Señales y Cáncer, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Laboratorio de Investigación en Ciencias Biomédicas, Departamento de Ciencias Básicas y Morfología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - M Mastel
- Heidelberg Institute for Stem Cell Technology and Experimental Medicine (HI-STEM gGmbH), 69120 Heidelberg. Cancer Progression and Metastasis Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
- Faculty of Biosciences, Heidelberg University, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - I González-Chavarría
- Departamento de Fisiopatología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - R Jackstadt
- Heidelberg Institute for Stem Cell Technology and Experimental Medicine (HI-STEM gGmbH), 69120 Heidelberg. Cancer Progression and Metastasis Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
- Faculty of Biosciences, Heidelberg University, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - D W Litchfield
- Department of Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - A F Castro
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile.
- Laboratorio de Transducción de Señales y Cáncer, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile.
| | - R Pincheira
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile.
- Laboratorio de Transducción de Señales y Cáncer, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Deng Z, Ji Y, Han B, Tan Z, Ren Y, Gao J, Chen N, Ma C, Zhang Y, Yao Y, Lu H, Huang H, Xu M, Chen L, Zheng L, Gu J, Xiong D, Zhao J, Gu J, Chen Z, Wang K. Early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma via no end-repair enzymatic methylation sequencing of cell-free DNA and pre-trained neural network. Genome Med 2023; 15:93. [PMID: 37936230 PMCID: PMC10631027 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-023-01238-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is important in order to improve patient prognosis and survival rate. Methylation sequencing combined with neural networks to identify cell-free DNA (cfDNA) carrying aberrant methylation offers an appealing and non-invasive approach for HCC detection. However, some limitations exist in traditional methylation detection technologies and models, which may impede their performance in the read-level detection of HCC. METHODS We developed a low DNA damage and high-fidelity methylation detection method called No End-repair Enzymatic Methyl-seq (NEEM-seq). We further developed a read-level neural detection model called DeepTrace that can better identify HCC-derived sequencing reads through a pre-trained and fine-tuned neural network. After pre-training on 11 million reads from NEEM-seq, DeepTrace was fine-tuned using 1.2 million HCC-derived reads from tumor tissue DNA after noise reduction, and 2.7 million non-tumor reads from non-tumor cfDNA. We validated the model using data from 130 individuals with cfDNA whole-genome NEEM-seq at around 1.6X depth. RESULTS NEEM-seq overcomes the drawbacks of traditional enzymatic methylation sequencing methods by avoiding the introduction of unmethylation errors in cfDNA. DeepTrace outperformed other models in identifying HCC-derived reads and detecting HCC individuals. Based on the whole-genome NEEM-seq data of cfDNA, our model showed high accuracy of 96.2%, sensitivity of 93.6%, and specificity of 98.5% in the validation cohort consisting of 62 HCC patients, 48 liver disease patients, and 20 healthy individuals. In the early stage of HCC (BCLC 0/A and TNM I), the sensitivity of DeepTrace was 89.6 and 89.5% respectively, outperforming Alpha Fetoprotein (AFP) which showed much lower sensitivity in both BCLC 0/A (50.5%) and TNM I (44.7%). CONCLUSIONS By combining high-fidelity methylation data from NEEM-seq with the DeepTrace model, our method has great potential for HCC early detection with high sensitivity and specificity, making it potentially suitable for clinical applications. DeepTrace: https://github.com/Bamrock/DeepTrace.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhenzhong Deng
- Department of Oncology, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yongkun Ji
- BamRock Research Department, Suzhou BamRock Biotechnology Ltd., Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Bing Han
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Transplantation Surgery, Department of General Surgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
- Department of Transplantation, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhongming Tan
- Hepatobiliary Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Yuqi Ren
- College of Intelligence and Computing, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Jinghan Gao
- Department of Software Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Nan Chen
- National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases, Jiangsu Institute of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Cong Ma
- Suzhou Known Biotechnology Ltd, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Yichi Zhang
- Department of Transplantation, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yunhai Yao
- Infectious Disease Department, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Hong Lu
- Infectious Disease Department, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Heqing Huang
- Infectious Disease Department, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Midie Xu
- Department of Pathology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lei Chen
- Department of Pathology, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Leizhen Zheng
- Department of Oncology, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jianchun Gu
- Department of Oncology, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Deyi Xiong
- College of Intelligence and Computing, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.
| | - Jianxin Zhao
- Department of Interventional Medicine, the affiliated hospital of infectious diseases of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215131, Jiangsu Province, China.
| | - Jinyang Gu
- Department of Transplantation, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
- Liver Transplantation Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
| | - Zutao Chen
- Infectious Disease Department, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China.
- Suzhou Key Laboratory of Pathogen Bioscience and Anti-Infective Medicine, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China.
| | - Ke Wang
- Hepatobiliary Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Iyer AS, Shaik MR, Raufman JP, Xie G. The Roles of Zinc Finger Proteins in Colorectal Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:10249. [PMID: 37373394 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241210249] [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: 05/27/2023] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite colorectal cancer remaining a leading worldwide cause of cancer-related death, there remains a paucity of effective treatments for advanced disease. The molecular mechanisms underlying the development of colorectal cancer include altered cell signaling and cell cycle regulation that may result from epigenetic modifications of gene expression and function. Acting as important transcriptional regulators of normal biological processes, zinc finger proteins also play key roles in regulating the cellular mechanisms underlying colorectal neoplasia. These actions impact cell differentiation and proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, apoptosis, homeostasis, senescence, and maintenance of stemness. With the goal of highlighting promising points of therapeutic intervention, we review the oncogenic and tumor suppressor roles of zinc finger proteins with respect to colorectal cancer tumorigenesis and progression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aishwarya S Iyer
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Mohammed Rifat Shaik
- Department of Medicine, University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown Campus, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Jean-Pierre Raufman
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
- VA Maryland Healthcare System, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
- Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Guofeng Xie
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
- VA Maryland Healthcare System, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
- Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Lakpour N, Ghods R, Sadeghi MR, Ranjbar MM, Abolhasani M, Kiani J, Saliminejad K, Balay-Goli L, Bayat AA, Souri F, Madjd Z. Production and characterization of a new specific monoclonal antibody against A-isoform of SALL4: A novel emerging testicular cancer marker. Andrologia 2022; 54:e14608. [PMID: 36229227 DOI: 10.1111/and.14608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
SALL4 transcription factor plays an important role to maintain the pluripotent and self-renewal of embryonic stem cells. It contributes to the growth of many cancers and embryonic development. With the exception of spermatogonia, SALL4 expression is silenced in most adult tissues after birth; nevertheless, it is re-expressed in a subset of different solid malignancies. SALL4 is a new, precise biomarker for testicular germ cell cancers that was just introduced. The whole isoform of SALL4 is called SALL4-A. Regarding the lack of antibody against human SALL4 isoforms, the pattern of expression, the role of each isoform remain unknown. Furthermore, in isoform specific evaluations, we aimed, for the first time, to produce and characterize mAb against human SALL4-A. Immunization of mice were performed with a selected 33-mer synthetic peptide of SALL4-A conjugated with KLH. Hybridoma cells were screened by ELISA for positive reactivity with SALL4-A peptide. From the ascites fluid of mice that had been injected with hybridoma cells, anti-SALL4-A mAbs were isolated using a protein G column. Reactivity of the mAbs was evaluated using the peptide and SALL4-A recombinant protein by ELISA and IHC on testicular cancer tissue as positive control, and normal kidney, stomach and prostate tissues as negative control. The produced mAb could well detect SALL4-A in testicular cancer tissues using IHC, while the reactivity was negative in normal kidney, stomach and prostate tissues. Using ELISA, the mAb affinity for the peptide and SALL4-A recombinant protein was assessed, and it was shown to be reasonably high. The mAb detected SALL4-A in nucleus and cytoplasm of several cancer cells and spermatogonia in testicular cancer tissue. In addition, it could recognize SALL4-A recombinant protein. Our produced monoclonal antibody against isoform-A of human SALL4 can specifically recognize SALL4-A using either IHC or ELISA. We hope that this mAb could help researchers in isoform-specific study of human SALL4.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Niknam Lakpour
- Oncopathology Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Reproductive Biotechnology Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Roya Ghods
- Oncopathology Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Reza Sadeghi
- Reproductive Biotechnology Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Maryam Abolhasani
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, (IUMS), Tehran, Iran
| | - Jafar Kiani
- Oncopathology Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Kioomars Saliminejad
- Reproductive Biotechnology Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Leila Balay-Goli
- Reproductive Biotechnology Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Ahmad Bayat
- Monoclonal Antibody Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fahimeh Souri
- Monoclonal Antibody Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Zahra Madjd
- Oncopathology Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, (IUMS), Tehran, Iran
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Sun B, Xu L, Bi W, Ou WB. SALL4 Oncogenic Function in Cancers: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Relevance. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23042053. [PMID: 35216168 PMCID: PMC8876671 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23042053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Revised: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
SALL4, a member of the SALL family, is an embryonic stem cell regulator involved in self-renewal and pluripotency. Recently, SALL4 overexpression was found in malignant cancers, including lung cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, breast cancer, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, osteosarcoma, acute myeloid leukemia, ovarian cancer, and glioma. This review updates recent advances of our knowledge of the biology of SALL4 with a focus on its mechanisms and regulatory functions in tumors and human hematopoiesis. SALL4 overexpression promotes proliferation, development, invasion, and migration in cancers through activation of the Wnt/β-catenin, PI3K/AKT, and Notch signaling pathways; expression of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation genes; and inhibition of the expression of the Bcl-2 family, caspase-related proteins, and death receptors. Additionally, SALL4 regulates tumor progression correlated with the immune microenvironment involved in the TNF family and gene expression through epigenetic mechanisms, consequently affecting hematopoiesis. Therefore, SALL4 plays a critical oncogenic role in gene transcription and tumor growth. However, there are still some scientific hypotheses to be tested regarding whether SALL4 is a therapeutic target, such as different tumor microenvironments and drug resistance. Thus, an in-depth understanding and study of the functions and mechanisms of SALL4 in cancer may help develop novel strategies for cancer therapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Wen-Bin Ou
- Correspondence: ; Tel./Fax: +86-571-8684-3303
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
SALL Proteins; Common and Antagonistic Roles in Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13246292. [PMID: 34944911 PMCID: PMC8699250 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13246292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Transcription factors play essential roles in regulating gene expression, impacting the cell phenotype and function, and in the response of cells to environmental conditions. Alterations in transcription factors, including gene amplification or deletion, point mutations, and expression changes, are implicated in carcinogenesis, cancer progression, metastases, and resistance to cancer treatments. Not surprisingly, transcription factor activity is altered in numerous cancers, representing a unique class of cancer drug targets. This review updates and integrates information on the SALL family of transcription factors, highlighting the synergistic and/or antagonistic functions they perform in various cancer types. Abstract SALL proteins are a family of four conserved C2H2 zinc finger transcription factors that play critical roles in organogenesis during embryonic development. They regulate cell proliferation, survival, migration, and stemness; consequently, they are involved in various human genetic disorders and cancer. SALL4 is a well-recognized oncogene; however, SALL1–3 play dual roles depending on the cancer context and stage of the disease. Current reviews of SALLs have focused only on SALL2 or SALL4, lacking an integrated view of the SALL family members in cancer. Here, we update the recent advances of the SALL members in tumor development, cancer progression, and therapy, highlighting the synergistic and/or antagonistic functions they perform in similar cancer contexts. We identified common regulatory mechanisms, targets, and signaling pathways in breast, brain, liver, colon, blood, and HPV-related cancers. In addition, we discuss the potential of the SALL family members as cancer biomarkers and in the cancer cells’ response to therapies. Understanding SALL proteins’ function and relationship will open new cancer biology, clinical research, and therapy perspectives.
Collapse
|
7
|
Sills ES, Wood SH. Phenotype from SAMD9 Mutation at 7p21.1 Appears Attenuated by Novel Compound Heterozygous Variants at RUNX2 and SALL1. Glob Med Genet 2021; 9:124-128. [PMID: 35707773 PMCID: PMC9192166 DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1740018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Sterile α motif domain-containing protein 9 (SAMD9) is a regulatory protein centrally involved in cell proliferation and apoptosis. Mapped to 7p21.2, variants in
SAMD9
have been reported in <50 pediatric cases worldwide, typically with early lethality. Germline gain-of-function
SAMD9
variants are associated with MIRAGE syndrome (myelodysplasia, infection, restricted growth, adrenal hypoplasia, genital anomalies, and enteropathy). Spalt like transcription factor 1 (SALL1) is a zinc finger transcriptional repressor located at 16q12.1 where only two transcript variants in
SALL1
are known.
RUNX2
(6p21.1) encodes a nuclear protein with a Runt DNA-binding domain critical for osteoblastic differentiation, skeletal morphogenesis, and serves as a scaffold for nucleic acids and regulatory factors involved in skeletal gene expression. RUNX2 and SALL1 are thus both “master regulators” of tissue organization and embryo development. Here, we describe exome sequencing and copy number variants in two previously unknown mutations—R824Q in SAMD9, and Q253H in SALL1. A multiexon 3′ terminal duplication of
RUNX2
not previously encountered is also reported. This is the first known phenotype assessment for an intersection of all three variants in a healthy 46,XX adult. Focusing on developmental progress, ultrastructural renal anatomy, and selected reproductive aspects, we describe this unique genotype diagnosed incidentally during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) illness. Individually, disruption in
SAMD9, RUNX2,
or
SALL1
would be expected to give a bleak prognosis. However, this variant convergence appears to dampen severe pathology perhaps by cross-gene silencing of effects normally deleterious when such changes occur alone.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- E. Scott Sills
- Reproductive Research Section, Center for Advanced Genetics, San Clemente, California, United States
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Palomar Medical Center, Escondido, California, United States
| | - Samuel H. Wood
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Palomar Medical Center, Escondido, California, United States
- Gen 5 Fertility Center, San Diego, California, United States
| |
Collapse
|