0000000000705001

AUTHOR

Alfredo Fusco

The receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase PTPRJ negatively modulates the CD98hc oncoprotein in lung cancer cells.

PTPRJ, a receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase strongly downregulated in human cancer, displays tumor suppressor activity by negatively modulating several proteins involved in proliferating signals. Here, through a proteomic-based approach, we identified a list of potential PTPRJ-interacting proteins and among them we focused on CD98hc, a type II glycosylated integral membrane protein encoded by SLC3A2, corresponding to the heavy chain of a heterodimeric transmembrane amino-acid transporter, including LAT1. CD98hc is widely overexpressed in several types of cancers and contributes to the process of tumorigenesis by interfering with cell proliferation, adhesion, and migration. We first valid…

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Role of PTPRJ genotype in papillary thyroid carcinoma risk

The strong genetic predisposition to papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) might be due to a combination of low-penetrance susceptibility variants. Thus, the research into gene variants involved in the increase of susceptibility to PTC is a relevant field of investigation. The gene coding for the receptor-type tyrosine phosphatase PTPRJ has been proposed as a cancer susceptibility gene, and its role as a tumor suppressor gene is well established in thyroid carcinogenesis. In this study, we want to ascertain the role of PTPRJ genotype in the risk for PTC. We performed a case–control study in which we determined the PTPRJ genotype for the non-synonymous Gln276Pro and Asp872Glu polymorphisms by PC…

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Mitochondrial G protein coupled receptor kinase 2 regulates proinflammatory responses in macrophages.

G-protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) levels are elevated in inflammation but its role is not clear yet. Here we show that GRK2 expression is dependent on NFκB transcriptional activity. In macrophages, LPS induces GRK2 accumulation in mitochondria increasing biogenesis. The overexpression of the carboxy-terminal domain of GRK2 (βARK-ct), known to displace GRK2 from plasma membranes, in macrophages induces earlier localization of GRK2 in mitochondria in response to LPS leading to increased mt-DNA transcription, reduced ROS production and cytokines expression. Our study shows the relevance of GRK2 subcellular localization in macrophage’s biology and its potential therapeutic properties i…

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