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Kok V, Tang JY, Eng G, Tan SY, Chin J, Quek C, Lai WX, Lim TK, Lin Q, Chua J, Cheong J. SFPQ promotes RAS-mutant cancer cell growth by modulating 5′-UTR mediated translational control of CK1α. NAR Cancer 2022; 4:zcac027. [PMID: 36177382 PMCID: PMC9513841 DOI: 10.1093/narcan/zcac027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Oncogenic mutations in the RAS family of small GTPases are commonly found in human cancers and they promote tumorigenesis by altering gene expression networks. We previously demonstrated that Casein Kinase 1α (CK1α), a member of the CK1 family of serine/threonine kinases, is post-transcriptionally upregulated by oncogenic RAS signaling. Here, we report that the CK1α mRNA contains an exceptionally long 5′-untranslated region (UTR) harbouring several translational control elements, implicating its involvement in translational regulation. We demonstrate that the CK1α 5′-UTR functions as an IRES element in HCT-116 colon cancer cells to promote cap-independent translation. Using tobramycin-affinity RNA-pulldown assays coupled with identification via mass spectrometry, we identified several CK1α 5′-UTR-binding proteins, including SFPQ. We show that RNA interference targeting SFPQ reduced CK1α protein abundance and partially blocked RAS-mutant colon cancer cell growth. Importantly, transcript and protein levels of SFPQ and other CK1α 5′-UTR-associated RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are found to be elevated in early stages of RAS-mutant cancers, including colorectal and lung adenocarcinoma. Taken together, our study uncovers a previously unappreciated role of RBPs in promoting RAS-mutant cancer cell growth and their potential to serve as promising biomarkers as well as tractable therapeutic targets in cancers driven by oncogenic RAS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Venetia Jing Tong Kok
- Precision Medicine Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (YLLSoM), National University of Singapore , Singapore
| | - Jia Ying Tang
- Precision Medicine Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (YLLSoM), National University of Singapore , Singapore
| | - Gracie Wee Ling Eng
- Precision Medicine Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (YLLSoM), National University of Singapore , Singapore
| | - Shin Yi Tan
- Precision Medicine Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (YLLSoM), National University of Singapore , Singapore
| | - Joseph Tin Foong Chin
- Precision Medicine Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (YLLSoM), National University of Singapore , Singapore
| | - Chun Hian Quek
- School of Applied Science , Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore
| | - Wei Xuan Lai
- Department of Physiology, YLLSoM, National University of Singapore , Singapore
| | - Teck Kwang Lim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore , Singapore
| | - Qingsong Lin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore , Singapore
| | - John Jia En Chua
- Department of Physiology, YLLSoM, National University of Singapore , Singapore
- LSI Neurobiology Programme, National University of Singapore , Singapore
- Healthy Longevity Translational Research Programme, YLLSoM, National University of Singapore , Singapore
| | - Jit Kong Cheong
- Precision Medicine Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (YLLSoM), National University of Singapore , Singapore
- NUS Centre for Cancer Research, National University of Singapore , Singapore
- Department of Biochemistry, YLLSoM, National University of Singapore , Singapore
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