Methylation of the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor by SMYD2 and functional interactions between retinoblastoma and C-MYC in a mouse model of hepatocellular carcinoma

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Abstract/Contents

Abstract
The retinoblastoma tumor suppressor RB is a central cell cycle regulator. Here we demonstrate that RB can be methylated by SMYD2 at lysine 860, a highly conserved and novel site of modification. This methylation event occurs in vitro and in cells and is regulated during cell cycle progression, cellular differentiation, and in response to DNA damage. Furthermore, we show that RB mono-methylation at lysine 860 provides a direct binding site for the methyl-binding domain of the transcriptional repressor L3MBTL1. This modification may be crucial for regulating the function of RB as a tumor suppressor. Inactivation of RB and activation of the MYC family of oncogenes are frequent events in a large spectrum of human cancers. Here, we sought to also test whether loss of RB function would affect cancer development in a mouse model of c-MYC-induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We found that RB inactivation has minimal effects on the cell cycle, cell death, and differentiation features of liver tumors driven by increased levels of c-MYC. However, combined loss of RB and activation of c-MYC led to an increase in polyploidy in mature hepatocytes before the development of tumors and a trend for decreased survival after cancer initiation.

Description

Type of resource text
Form electronic; electronic resource; remote
Extent 1 online resource.
Publication date 2011
Issuance monographic
Language English

Creators/Contributors

Associated with Saddic, Louis Alexander III
Associated with Stanford University, Department of Cancer Biology.
Primary advisor Sage, Julien
Thesis advisor Sage, Julien
Thesis advisor Artandi, Steven E
Thesis advisor Lipsick, Joseph Steven, 1955-
Thesis advisor Wysocka, Joanna, Ph. D
Advisor Artandi, Steven E
Advisor Lipsick, Joseph Steven, 1955-
Advisor Wysocka, Joanna, Ph. D

Subjects

Genre Theses

Bibliographic information

Statement of responsibility Louis Alexander Saddic, III.
Note Submitted to the Department of Cancer Biology.
Thesis Ph.D. Stanford University 2011
Location electronic resource

Access conditions

Copyright
© 2011 by Louis Alexander Saddic
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).

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