近日,國際腫瘤領域知名雜誌Carcinogenesis發表了中科院上海生命科學研究院營養科學研究所陳雁研究組的最新研究進展,揭示了PAQR3是結腸癌發生過程中的一個新的抑癌基因。
陳雁研究組長期致力於PAQR3即RKTG的研究,發現PAQR3能通過在空間上調控細胞內關鍵信號通路,影響多種細胞功能,但是關於PAQR3是否在結腸癌中發揮作用還不清楚。
在這一研究中,博士生王笑等人發現,PAQR3基因缺失能夠促進一種可以自發形成腸癌的APCmin小鼠的腫瘤形成,PAQR3基因缺失顯著增加了小鼠的腸腫瘤數量。在結腸癌細胞系中,研究人員發現PAQR3負向調控細胞增殖以及EGF介導的細胞信號通路的轉導。通過與營養所方靖研究組合作研究發現,在中國人結腸癌患者的臨床樣本中,PAQR3的表達水平在腫瘤中顯著低於癌旁組織,並且PAQR3的表達水平與腫瘤惡性程度呈負相關。
因此,這一工作在細胞、動物和人群三個層面上揭示了PAQR3是一個參與結腸癌發生發展的抑癌基因,為未來結腸癌的治療提供了一個新的潛在靶點。
該研究得到中科院、基金委和科技部項目的支持。(生物谷Bioon.com)
PAQR3 plays a suppressive role in the tumorigenesis of colorectal cancers
Xiao Wang1, Xue-bing Li1, Fengjuan Fan1, Shi Jiao1, Lingdi Wang1, Lu Zhu1, Yi Pan1, Guo-hao Wu2, Zhi-Qiang LING3, jing Fang1,* and Yan Chen1,*
PAQR3 is a member of the Progestin and AdipoQ Receptor (PAQR) family and was recently characterized as a spatial regulator that negatively modulates Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK signaling cascade. However, little is known about the physiological functions of PAQR3 in the tumorigenesis of colorectal cancers. The function of PAQR3 in colorectal cancer development in mice was analyzed by crossing Paqr3-depleted mice with ApcMin/+ mice that have a germ-line mutation of the gene encoding tumor suppressor adenomatous polyposis coli (APC). The survival time and tumor area in the small intestine of the ApcMin/+ mice was significantly aggravated by Paqr3 deletion. The cell proliferation rate, anchorage-independent growth, EGF-stimulated ERK phosphorylation, and EGF-induced nuclear accumulation of b-catenin were inhibited by PAQR3 overexpression and enhanced by PAQR3 knockdown in SW-480 colorectal cancer cells. In humans, the expression level of PAQR3 was significantly decreased in colorectal cancer samples in comparison with adjacent normal tissues. In addition, the expression level of PAQR3 was inversely associated with tumor grade in the colorectal cancer samples. Collectively, our data reveal for the first time that PAQR3 has a tumor suppressor activity in the development of colorectal cancers.