title: Altered expression of retinoblastoma protein-interacting zinc finger gene, RIZ, in human leukaemia.
abstract: The retinoblastoma protein-interacting zinc finger gene (RIZ), a member of the nuclear protein methyltransferase superfamily, is characterized by the presence of the N-terminal PR domain. The RIZ gene encodes for two proteins, RIZ1 and RIZ2. While RIZ1 contains the PR (PRDI-BF1 and RIZ homologous) domain, RIZ2 lacks it. RIZ gene expression is altered in a variety of human cancers and RIZ1 is now considered to be a candidate tumour suppressor. To investigate the role of RIZ in leukaemogenesis, we analysed the differential expression of RIZ1 and RIZ2 by quantitative real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction assay. Our results showed that the expression of RIZ1 was significantly decreased in leukaemia cell lines (14 out of 17, 82%) and in patients with acute myeloblastic leukaemia (eight out of 14, 57%). In contrast, RIZ2 expression was increased in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (eight out of 11, 73%), compared with normal bone marrow cells. These findings indicate that suppression of RIZ1 expression or enhancement of RIZ2 expression may have an important role in leukaemogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Hematology, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: Kuniaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Meguro
authors.forename: Yasuo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tohmiya
authors.forename: Tadao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Funato
authors.forename: Shigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shibahara
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sasaki
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D011495:Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase; D006801:Humans; D007621:Karyotyping; D007938:Leukemia / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics; D016160:Retinoblastoma Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D016335:Zinc Fingers / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D016160:Retinoblastoma Protein; D014157:Transcription Factors; D011495:Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase; C093563:PRDM2 protein, human