0000000000932268
AUTHOR
Caterina Cinti
Ras family genes: An interesting link between cell cycle and cancer
Ras genes are evolutionary conserved and codify for a monomeric G protein binding GTP (active form) or GDP (inactive form). The ras genes are ubiquitously expressed although mRNA analysis suggests different level expression in tissue. Mutations in each ras gene frequently were found in different tumors, suggesting their involvement in the development of specific neoplasia. These mutations lead to a constitutive active and potentially oncogenic protein that could cause a deregulation of cell cycle. Ras protein moderates cellular responses at several mitogens and/or differentiation factors and at external stimuli. These stimuli activate a series of signal transduction pathways that either can…
pRb2/p130-E2F4/5-HDAC1-SUV39H1-p300 and pRb2/p130-E2F4/5-HDAC1-SUV39H1-DNMT1 multimolecular complexes mediate the transcription of estrogen receptor-alpha in breast cancer.
The estrogen receptor-alpha (ER) plays a crucial role in normal breast development and is also linked to development and progression of mammary carcinoma. The transcriptional repression of ER-alpha gene in breast cancer is an area of active investigation with potential clinical significance. However, the molecular mechanisms that regulate the ER-alpha gene expression are not fully understood. Here we show a new molecular mechanism of ER-alpha gene inactivation mediated by pRb2/p130 in ER-negative breast cancer cells. We investigated in vivo occupancy of ER-alpha promoter by pRb2/p130-E2F4/5-HDAC1-SUV39 H1-p300 and pRb2/p130-E2F4/5-HDAC1-SUV39H1-DNMT1 complexes, and provided a link between p…
Modulation of Cell Cycle Components by Epigenetic and Genetic Events
Cell cycle progression is monitored by surveillance mechanisms, or cell cycle checkpoints, that ensure that initiation of a later event is coupled with the completion of an early cell cycle event. Deregulated proliferation is a characteristic feature of tumor cells. Moreover, defects in many of the molecules that regulate the cell cycle have been implicated in cancer formation and progression. Key among these are p53, the retinoblastoma protein (pRb) and its related proteins, p107 and pRb2/p130, and cdk inhibitors (p15, p16, p18, p19, p21, p27), all of which act to keep the cell cycle from progressing until all repairs to damaged DNA have been completed. The pRb (pRb/p16(INK4a)/cyclin D1) a…