The degradation of cell cycle regulators by SKP2/CKS1 ubiquitin ligase is genetically controlled in rodent liver cancer and contributes to determine the susceptibility to the disease.
Previous work showed a genetic control of cell cycle deregulation during hepatocarcinogenesis. We now evaluated in preneoplastic lesions, dysplastic nodules and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), chemically induced in genetically susceptible F344 and resistant Brown Norway (BN) rats, the role of cell cycle regulating proteins in the determination of a phenotype susceptible to HCC development. p21(WAF1), p27(KIP1), p57(KIP2) and p130 mRNA levels increased in fast growing lesions of F344 rats. Lower/no increases occurred in slowly growing lesions of BN rats. A similar behavior of RassF1A mRNA was previously found in the 2 rat strains. However, p21(WAF1), p27(KIP1), p57(KIP), p130 and RassF1A proteins exhibited no change/low increase in the lesions of F344 rats and consistent rise in dysplastic nodules and HCC of BN rats. Increase in Cks1-Skp2 ligase and ubiquitination of cell cycle regulators occurred in F344 but not in BN rat lesions, indicating that posttranslational modifications of cell cycle regulators are under genetic control and contribute to determine a phenotype susceptible to HCC. Moreover, proliferation index of 60 human HCCs was inversely correlated with protein levels but not with mRNA levels of P21(WAF1), P27(KIP1), P57(KIP2) and P130, indicating a control of human HCC proliferation by posttranslational modifications of cell cycle regulators.
Calvisi
Diego F
DF
Department of Biomedical Sciences, Division of Experimental Pathology and Oncology, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy.
Pinna
Federico
F
Ladu
Sara
S
Muroni
Maria R
MR
Frau
Maddalena
M
Demartis
Ilaria
I
Tomasi
Maria L
ML
Sini
Marcella
M
Simile
Maria M
MM
Seddaiu
Maria A
MA
Feo
Francesco
F
Pascale
Rosa M
RM
D000818:Animals; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D047468:Immunoprecipitation; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D051381:Rats; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D044786:S-Phase Kinase-Associated Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D054875:Ubiquitination
D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D044786:S-Phase Kinase-Associated Proteins