scholarly journals Recent Progress in Mouse Models for Tumor Suppressor Genes and its Implications in Human Cancer

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. CMO.S10358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazushi Inoue ◽  
Elizabeth A. Fry ◽  
Pankaj Taneja
Keyword(s):  
Tumor Suppressor ◽  
Mouse Models ◽  
Tumor Suppressor Genes ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Human Cancer ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Oncogenic Signaling ◽  
Suppressor Genes ◽  
Somatic Tissues ◽  
Oncogenic Signaling Pathways

Gain-of-function mutations in oncogenes and loss-of-function mutations in tumor suppressor genes (TSG) lead to cancer. In most human cancers, these mutations occur in somatic tissues. However, hereditary forms of cancer exist for which individuals are heterozygous for a germline mutation in a TSG locus at birth. The second allele is frequently inactivated by gene deletion, point mutation, or promoter methylation in classical TSGs that meet Knudson's two-hit hypothesis. Conversely, the second allele remains as wild-type, even in tumors in which the gene is haplo-insufficient for tumor suppression. This article highlights the importance of PTEN, APC, and other tumor suppressors for counteracting aberrant PI3K, β-catenin, and other oncogenic signaling pathways. We discuss the use of gene-engineered mouse models (GEMM) of human cancer focusing on Pten and Apc knockout mice that recapitulate key genetic events involved in initiation and progression of human neoplasia. Finally, the therapeutic potential of targeting these tumor suppressor and oncogene signaling networks is discussed.

scholarly journals Transposon Mutagenesis-Guided CRISPR/Cas9 Screening Strongly Implicates Dysregulation of Hippo/YAP Signaling in Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor Development

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1584
Author(s):  
Germán L. Vélez-Reyes ◽  
Nicholas Koes ◽  
Ji Hae Ryu ◽  
Gabriel Kaufmann ◽  
Mariah Berner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tumor Suppressor ◽  
Schwann Cell ◽  
Peripheral Nerve ◽  
Cell Line ◽  
Schwann Cells ◽  
Tumor Suppressor Genes ◽  
Tumor Formation ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Suppressor Genes ◽  
Nerve Sheath

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are highly aggressive, genomically complex, have soft tissue sarcomas, and are derived from the Schwann cell lineage. Patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 syndrome (NF1), an autosomal dominant tumor predisposition syndrome, are at a high risk for MPNSTs, which usually develop from pre-existing benign Schwann cell tumors called plexiform neurofibromas. NF1 is characterized by loss-of-function mutations in the NF1 gene, which encode neurofibromin, a Ras GTPase activating protein (GAP) and negative regulator of RasGTP-dependent signaling. In addition to bi-allelic loss of NF1, other known tumor suppressor genes include TP53, CDKN2A, SUZ12, and EED, all of which are often inactivated in the process of MPNST growth. A sleeping beauty (SB) transposon-based genetic screen for high-grade Schwann cell tumors in mice, and comparative genomics, implicated Wnt/β-catenin, PI3K-AKT-mTOR, and other pathways in MPNST development and progression. We endeavored to more systematically test genes and pathways implicated by our SB screen in mice, i.e., in a human immortalized Schwann cell-based model and a human MPNST cell line, using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. We individually induced loss-of-function mutations in 103 tumor suppressor genes (TSG) and oncogene candidates. We assessed anchorage-independent growth, transwell migration, and for a subset of genes, tumor formation in vivo. When tested in a loss-of-function fashion, about 60% of all TSG candidates resulted in the transformation of immortalized human Schwann cells, whereas 30% of oncogene candidates resulted in growth arrest in a MPNST cell line. Individual loss-of-function mutations in the TAOK1, GDI2, NF1, and APC genes resulted in transformation of immortalized human Schwann cells and tumor formation in a xenograft model. Moreover, the loss of all four of these genes resulted in activation of Hippo/Yes Activated Protein (YAP) signaling. By combining SB transposon mutagenesis and CRISPR/Cas9 screening, we established a useful pipeline for the validation of MPNST pathways and genes. Our results suggest that the functional genetic landscape of human MPNST is complex and implicate the Hippo/YAP pathway in the transformation of neurofibromas. It is thus imperative to functionally validate individual cancer genes and pathways using human cell-based models, to determinate their role in different stages of MPNST development, growth, and/or metastasis.

scholarly journals Inactivation of X-linked tumor suppressor genes in human cancer

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 463-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Runhua Liu ◽  
Mandy Kain ◽  
Lizhong Wang
Keyword(s):  
Tumor Suppressor ◽  
Tumor Suppressor Genes ◽  
Human Cancer ◽  
Suppressor Genes

Progression of colorectal cancer is associated with multiple tumor suppressor gene defects but inhibition of tumorigenicity is accomplished by correction of any single defect via chromosome transfer

1992 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 1387-1395
Author(s):  
M C Goyette ◽  
K Cho ◽  
C L Fasching ◽  
D B Levy ◽  
K W Kinzler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Tumor Suppressor ◽  
Tumor Suppressor Genes ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Chromosome 18 ◽  
Chromosome 5 ◽  
Suppressor Genes ◽  
Single Defect

Carcinogenesis is a multistage process that has been characterized both by the activation of cellular oncogenes and by the loss of function of tumor suppressor genes. Colorectal cancer has been associated with the activation of ras oncogenes and with the deletion of multiple chromosomal regions including chromosomes 5q, 17p, and 18q. Such chromosome loss is often suggestive of the deletion or loss of function of tumor suppressor genes. The candidate tumor suppressor genes from these regions are, respectively, MCC and/or APC, p53, and DCC. In order to further our understanding of the molecular and genetic mechanisms involved in tumor progression and, thereby, of normal cell growth, it is important to determine whether defects in one or more of these loci contribute functionally in the progression to malignancy in colorectal cancer and whether correction of any of these defects restores normal growth control in vitro and in vivo. To address this question, we have utilized the technique of microcell-mediated chromosome transfer to introduce normal human chromosomes 5, 17, and 18 individually into recipient colorectal cancer cells. Additionally, chromosome 15 was introduced into SW480 cells as an irrelevant control chromosome. While the introduction of chromosome 17 into the tumorigenic colorectal cell line SW480 yielded no viable clones, cell lines were established after the introduction of chromosomes 15, 5, and 18. Hybrids containing chromosome 18 are morphologically similar to the parental line, whereas those containing chromosome 5 are morphologically distinct from the parental cell line, being small, polygonal, and tightly packed. SW480-chromosome 5 hybrids are strongly suppressed for tumorigenicity, while SW480-chromosome 18 hybrids produce slowly growing tumors in some of the animals injected. Hybrids containing the introduced chromosome 18 but was significantly reduced in several of the tumor reconstitute cell lines. Introduction of chromosome 5 had little to no effect on responsiveness, whereas transfer ot chromosome 18 restored responsiveness to some degree. Our findings indicate that while multiple defects in tumor suppressor genes seem to be required for progression to the malignant state in colorectal cancer, correction of only a single defect can have significant effects in vivo and/or in vitro.

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