MMSET is overexpressed in cancers: Link with tumor aggressiveness

MMSET is expressed ubiquitously in early development and its deletion is associated with the malformation syndrome called Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome. It is involved in the t(4; 14) (p16; q32) chromosomal translocation, which is the second most common translocation in multiple myeloma (MM) and is associated with the worst prognosis. MMSET expression has been shown to promote cellular adhesion, clonogenic growth and tumorigenicity in multiple myeloma. MMSET expression has been recently shown to increase with ascending tumor proliferation activity in glioblastoma multiforme. These data demonstrate that MMSET could be implicated in tumor emergence and/or progression. Therefore, we compared the expression of MMSET in 40 human tumor types - brain, epithelial, lymphoid - to that of their normal tissue counterparts using publicly available gene expression data, including the Oncomine Cancer Microarray database. We found significant overexpression of MMSET in 15 cancers compared to their normal counterparts. Furthermore MMSET is associated with tumor aggressiveness or prognosis in many types of these aforementioned cancers.Taken together, these data suggest that MMSET potentially acts as a pathogenic agent in many cancers. The identification of the targets of MMSET and their role in cell growth and survival will be key to understand how MMSET is associated with tumor development.     

蜕皮激素与其受体EcR-USP的转录调控机制

蜕皮激素20-羟基蜕皮酮(20-hydroxyecdysone, 20E)是一种典型的类固醇激素, 主导调控昆虫的蜕皮、变态、生殖等重要生理过程。20E受体EcR-USP已被鉴定近20年, 20E与其受体复合物的转录调控机制也有了许多重要突破。已有研究表明： （1）20E受体由核受体EcR和USP形成; （2）EcR-USP异源二聚体在分子伴侣蛋白复合物的协助下获得DNA结合活性; （3）20E通过解除共阻遏因子和募集共激活因子来激活EcR USP异源二聚体并启动下游基因的转录; (4）20E-EcR-USP配体-受体复合物引发20E初级应答基因的表达, 由20E初级反应基因编码的转录因子诱导表达的20E次级应答基因级联放大20E信号, 从而调控昆虫蜕皮、变态、生殖等生理过程。     

人源CDC50基因的分子克隆及在E.coli中的表达

糖皮质激素受体 (GR)为一种特异性配体诱导的转录因子在机体发育、生理及行为等过程中发挥重要作用 .这一过程往往受到转录协同调节因子的控制 ,包括协同抑制因子或协同激活因子的作用 .克隆了人源双跨膜受体分子 ,并命名为hCDC5 0 .该分子编码区有 10 5 6bp ,与鼠源基因mCDC5 0在核苷酸水平有 90 %一致性 .将hCDC5 0蛋白的 16 4～ 317编码序列与GST融合构建原核表达质粒进行重组蛋白的表达与纯化并制备多抗 .用二维双向扩散检测抗体为阳性 ,抗原的滴度为12 5 μg/ml.体外翻译研究显示该基因编码蛋白约为 4 0kD ,与Western检测在动物细胞中的表达一致 .用hCDC5 0真核表达质粒与GR萤光报告系统共转染COS 7细胞显示 ,hCDC5 0对GR信号转导有明显的抑制作用 ,其对GR信号通路的抑制作用达 3～ 4倍以上 .hCDC5 0可能为一个新的协同抑制因子 ,在抑制GR的转录激活过程中起作用