Professor Pan Duojia "Cell" cracks the mystery of tumor suppressor genes
Editor's Choice: Researchers at Johns Hopkins University and Howard Hughes Medical School have uncovered the important relationship between Merlin and Hippo signaling pathways, which has revealed an important role of Merlin Molecular function. Related results were published in the online version of Cell Magazine on September 5. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University, Howard Hughes Medical School published an article titled "Spatial Organization of Hippo Signaling at the Plasma Membrane Mediated by the Tumor Suppressor Merlin / NF2", targeting cancer suppressor genes that have been receiving much attention The role of Merlin / NF2 reveals the important relationship between Merlin and Hippo signaling pathway, and thus analyzes an important molecular function of Merlin. Related results were published in the online version of Cell Magazine on September 5. Corresponding author is Professor of Molecular Biology at Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Pandoga, a Yangtze River Scholar, and Professor Pan once served as a tenured professor at the UT Southwestern Medical Center in the United States. Give up the honor of being a tenured professor at the University of Texas and go to Johns Hopkins University to teach. The biological model study found that the tumor suppressor gene NF2 encodes a protein containing the FERM region Merlin. The Merlin protein has the function of inhibiting mitotic signals near the extracellular cytoplasm and is an important regulator of the replication process in many cell and tissue types. Although the cancer suppressing effect of Merlin / NF2 has been determined as early as two decades ago, scientists still know very little about its precise molecular mechanism of action. Recent studies on fruit flies have shown that there is a potential relationship between Merlin and the Hippo pathway. In this article, the researchers carried out in-depth discussions to break the new mechanism of spatial regulation of plasma membrane signals involved in Merlin / NF2. The ppo signal transduction pathway is a signal transduction pathway discovered a few years ago. The study found that the Hippo signaling pathway is a key signaling pathway involved in the regulation of organ size development. This view was first discovered in Drosophila. Later research found that Hippo has the same function during mammalian development. In recent years, more and more evidence shows that this signal pathway also regulates stem cell self-renewal and tissue regeneration, especially closely related to the occurrence of cancer. Therefore, the study of this pathway is not only an important issue in developmental biology, but also has a guiding significance for the treatment of human diseases. In the study, the researchers found that Merlin can promote the downstream Hippo signaling pathway in Drosophila and mammals, and this process does not require activation of Hpo / Mst's intrinsic kinase activity, which is the same as Merlin's role in Hpo / Mst shown in previous studies Usually the linear model is not the same. Moreover, Merlin can directly bind to and summon the effector kinase Wts / Lats and gather on the cell membrane, thereby promoting Wts phosphorylation through the Hpo-Sav kinase complex. Further studies have shown that if the actin cytoskeleton is destroyed, it will also promote the Merlin-Wts interaction, which indicates that Merlin is involved in the regulation of Hippo signaling. These findings revealed an important molecular function of Merlin, and pointed out that the plasma membrane is a key subcellular element in the Hippo signaling process. The role of Merlin is closely related to a known rare genetic disease: neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2), which is a rare genetic disease characterized by multiple tumors of the spine and brain. In 1993, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and other institutions discovered the NF2 gene. At that time, it was discovered that NF2 is obviously a tumor suppressor gene, but its exact function is unclear. The protein encoded by the NF2 gene is named merlin, and it exists at the interface between the cell membrane and the filament network supporting the cell, the cytoskeleton. Metal Aromatherapy Ornaments,Car Mounted Air Outlet Decorative Ornaments,Car Air Outlet Decoration,Car Mounted Air Outlet Decoration DONGGUAN TETSUMET TECHNOLOGY CO.,LTD , https://www.tetsumet.com