title: Inhibition of oncogenic transformation by mammalian Lin-9, a pRB-associated protein.
abstract: Genetic studies in Caenorhabditis elegans identified lin-9 to function together with the retinoblastoma homologue lin-35 in vulva differentiation. We have now identified a human homologue of Lin-9 (hLin-9) and provide evidence about its function in the mammalian pRB pathway. hLin-9 binds to pRB and cooperates with pRB in flat cell formation in Saos-2 cells. In addition, hLin-9 synergized with pRB and Cbfal to transactivate an osteoblast-specific reporter gene. In contrast, hLin-9 was not involved in pRB-mediated inhibition of cell cycle progression or repression of E2F-dependent transactivation. Consistent with these data, hLin-9 was able to associate with partially penetrant pRB mutants that do not bind to E2F, but retain the ability to activate transcription and to promote differentiation. hLin-9 can also inhibit oncogenic transformation, dependent on the presence of a functional pRB protein. RNAi-mediated knockdown of Lin-9 can substitute for the loss of pRB in transformation of human primary fibroblasts. These data suggest that hLin-9 has tumor-suppressing activities and that the ability of hLin-9 to inhibit transformation is mediated through its association with pRB.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Molecular Biology and Tumor Research (IMT), Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Sladjana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gagrica
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hauser
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kolfschoten
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Osterloh
authors.forename: Reuven
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Agami
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gaubatz
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D002460:Cell Line; D048430:Cell Shape / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D050684:E2F Transcription Factors; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D011485:Protein Binding; D016160:Retinoblastoma Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D050684:E2F Transcription Factors; C414732:LIN-9 protein, C elegans; C501563:LIN9 protein, human; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D016160:Retinoblastoma Protein; D014157:Transcription Factors; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; C493765:efl-1 protein, C elegans