Work

The Rb tumor suppressor regulates epithelial cell migration and polarity

Year: 2018

Type: article

Abstract: Altered cell polarity and migration are hallmarks of cancer and metastases. Here we show that inactivation of the retinoblastoma gene (Rb) tumor suppressor causes defects in tissue closure that reflect the inability of Rb null epithelial cells to efficiently migrate and polarize. These defects occur independently of pRB's anti-proliferative role and instead correlate with upregulation of RhoA signaling and mislocalization of apical-basal polarity proteins. Notably, concomitant inactivation of tp53 specifically overrides the motility defect, and not the aberrant polarity, thereby uncovering previously unappreciated mechanisms by which Rb and tp53 mutations cooperate to promote cancer development and metastases.

Source: Molecular Carcinogenesis

DOI: 10.1002/mc.22886

Authors: Tiziana Parisi, Michele Balsamo, Frank Gertler, Jacqueline A. Lees

Institutions: Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research At MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Language: English

Topic: Cancer-related Molecular Pathways

Subfield: Oncology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute