title: Analysis of prostate-specific membrane antigen splice variants in LNCap cells.
abstract: The prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), a product of the folate hydrolase (FOLH1) gene, is highly expressed as a largely extracellular membrane-anchored protein in malignant prostate tissues and in nonprostatic tumor neovasculature. Treatment of prostate cancer LNCap cells with spliceswitching oligonucleotides (SSOs) modulated splicing of FOLH1 pre-mRNA from the full-length PSMA splice variant to three splice variants: the cytoplasmic PSM', alternatively spliced at exon 1, and the previously unexamined PSMADelta6 and PSMADelta18 variants, which lack exons 6 and 18, respectively. Application of SSOs decreased membrane PSMA levels and increased PSM', PSMADelta6, and PSMADelta18 transcripts. As a result, PSM' protein was translocated to the cytoplasm, and switching to PSMADelta6 and PSMADelta18 downregulated PSMA expression. NAALADase assays showed that PSM' retained enzymatic activity. PSMADelta6 and PSMADelta18 were not active, presumably due to a change in a reading frame that eliminated the NAALDase active site or the dimerization domain or both in these proteins.
authors.affiliation: Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7295, USA.
authors.forename: Tiffany
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Ryszard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kole
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing / Q000187:drug effects*; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000737:chemistry; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000737:chemistry; D043425:Glutamate Carboxypeptidase II / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D021381:Protein Transport; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D000954:Antigens, Surface; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C473848:FOLH1 protein, human; D043425:Glutamate Carboxypeptidase II