Michaela Petz

Consequences of deregulated protein N-glycosylation on cancer pathogenesis are poorly understood. TUSC3 is a gene with a putative function in N-glycosylation, located on the short arm of chromosome 8. This is a chromosomal region of frequent genetic loss in ovarian cancer. We established recently that the expression of TUSC3 is epigenetically decreased in epithelial ovarian cancer compared to benign controls and provides prognostic information on patient survival. Therefore, we analyzed the consequences of silenced TUSC3 expression on proliferation, invasion and migration of ovarian cell lines. In addition, we performed subcellular fractionation, co-immunofluorescence and co-immunoprecipitation experiments to establish the molecular localization of TUSC3 in ovarian cancer cells. We demonstrated that TUSC3 is localized in the endoplasmic reticulum as a subunit of the oligosaccharyltransferase complex and is capable of modulation of glycosylation patterning of ovarian cancer cells. Most importantly, silencing of TUSC3 enhances proliferation and migration of ovarian cancer cells in vitro. Our observations suggest a role for N-glycosylating events in ovarian cancer pathogenesis in general, and identify TUSC3 as a tumor suppressor gene in ovarian cancer in particular.

BACKGROUND.: Current prognostic information in ovarian cancer is based on tumor stage, tumor grade, and postoperative tumor size. Reliable molecular prognostic markers are scarce. In this article, the authors describe epigenetic events in a frequently deleted region on chromosome 8p22 that influence the expression of tumor suppressor candidate 3 (TUSC3), a putative tumor suppressor gene in ovarian cancer.METHODS.: Messenger RNA expression and promoter hypermethylation of TUSC3 were studied in ovarian cancer cell lines and in tumor samples from 2 large, independent ovarian cancer cohorts using polymerase chain reaction‐based methods.RESULTS.: The results indicated that TUSC3 expression is decreased significantly because of promoter methylation in malignant ovarian tumors compared with benign controls. Almost 33% of ovarian cancer samples had detectable TUSC3 promoter methylation. Furthermore, methylation status of the TUSC3 promoter had a significant and independent influence on progression‐free and overall survival.CONCLUSIONS.: TUSC3 hypermethylation predicted progression‐free and overall survival in ovarian cancer. The current observations suggested a role for N‐glycosylating events in ovarian cancer pathogenesis in general and identified the epigenetic silencing of TUSC3 as a prognostic factor in this disease. Cancer 2013. © 2012 American Cancer Society.

The extracellular matrix protein Laminin B1 (LamB1) regulates tumor cell migration and invasion. Carcinoma cells acquire invasive properties by epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), which is a fundamental step in dissemination of metastatic cells from the primary tumor. Recently, we showed that enhanced translation of LamB1 upon EMT of malignant hepatocytes is mediated by an internal ribosome entry site (IRES). We demonstrated that the IRES transacting factor La binds the minimal IRES motif and positively modulates IRES activity of LamB1. Here, we show that platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) enhances IRES activity of LamB1 by the increasing cytoplasmic localization of La during EMT. Accordingly, cells expressing dominant negative PDGF receptor display reduced cytoplasmic accumulation of La and show no elevation of IRES activity or endogenous LamB1 levels after stimulation with PDGF. Furthermore, La-mediated regulation of LamB1 IRES activity predominantly depends on MAPK/ERK signaling downstream of PDGF. Notably, LamB1 expression is not significantly downregulated by the impairment of the translation initiation factor eIF4E. In vivo , knockdown of La associated with decreased LamB1 expression and reduced tumor growth. Together, these data suggest that PDGF is required for the cytoplasmic accumulation of La that triggers IRES-dependent translation of LamB1 during EMT.

The majority of transcripts that harbor an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) are involved in cancer development via corresponding proteins. A crucial event in tumor progression referred to as epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) allows carcinoma cells to acquire invasive properties. The translational activation of the extracellular matrix component laminin B1 (LamB1) during EMT has been recently reported suggesting an IRES-mediated mechanism. In this study, the IRES activity of LamB1 was determined by independent bicistronic reporter assays. Strong evidences exclude an impact of cryptic promoter or splice sites on IRES-driven translation of LamB1. Furthermore, no other LamB1 mRNA species arising from alternative transcription start sites or polyadenylation signals were detected that account for its translational control. Mapping of the LamB1 5′-untranslated region (UTR) revealed the minimal LamB1 IRES motif between −293 and −1 upstream of the start codon. Notably, RNA affinity purification showed that the La protein interacts with the LamB1 IRES. This interaction and its regulation during EMT were confirmed by ribonucleoprotein immunoprecipitation. In addition, La was able to positively modulate LamB1 IRES translation. In summary, these data indicate that the LamB1 IRES is activated by binding to La which leads to translational upregulation during hepatocellular EMT.

Both RAS and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signaling cascades are central in tumorigenesis and show synergisms depending on tumor stage and tissue context. In this review we focus on the interaction of RAS subeffector proteins with signaling components of the TGF-β family including those of TGF-βs, activins and bone morphogenic proteins. Compelling evidence indicates that RAS signaling is essentially involved in the switch from tumor-suppressive to tumor-promoting functions of the TGF-β family leading to enhanced cancer growth and metastatic dissemination of primary tumors. Thus, the interface of these signaling cascades is considered as a promising target for the development of novel cancer therapeutics. The current pharmacological anti-cancer concepts combating the molecular cooperation between RAS and TGF-β family signaling during carcinoma progression are critically discussed.