title: Dragon (repulsive guidance molecule b, RGMb) is a novel gene that promotes colorectal cancer growth.
abstract: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers and a major cause of cancer death. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying CRC initiation, growth and metastasis are poorly understood. Dragon (RGMb), a member of the repulsive guidance molecule (RGM) family, has been recently identified as a co-receptor for bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling, but the role of Dragon in CRC development is undefined. Here, we show that Dragon expression was increased in colon cancer tissues compared to control tissues in CAC mouse model and in human patients. Dragon promoted proliferation of CT26.WT and CMT93 colon cancer cells and accelerated tumor growth in the xenograft mouse model. Dragon's action on colon cancer development was mediated via the BMP4-Smad1/5/8 and Erk1/2 pathways. Therefore, our results have revealed that Dragon is a novel gene that promotes CRC growth through the BMP pathway. Dragon may be exploited as a potential therapeutic target for CRC treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Zhongshan Hospital, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Zhongshan Hospital, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China.
authors.forename: Guo-Bin
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Zhongshan Hospital, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Xiao
authors.initials: XX
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Zhongshan Hospital, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China.
authors.forename: Chuan-Xing
authors.initials: CX
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Zhongshan Hospital, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China.
authors.forename: Huan-Huan
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China.|Center for Molecular Imaging and Translational Medicine, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China.
authors.forename: Ye-Sen
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Jin-Fang
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Shao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong, China.|School of Biomedical Sciences Core Laboratory, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, China.
authors.forename: Yin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Zhongshan Hospital, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China.
authors.forename: Jian-Lin
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Zhongshan Hospital, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China.|Faculty of Clinical Medicine, Medical College, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China.|State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China.
authors.forename: Bayasi
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Guleng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015816:Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000235:genetics; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D058851:GPI-Linked Proteins; D055785:Gene Knockdown Techniques; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
chemical_list: D015816:Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal; D058851:GPI-Linked Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C560433:RGMB protein, human; C483497:Rgmb protein, mouse
keywords: BMP; Erk1/2; Smad1/5/8; colorectal cancer; dragon; proliferation