A fluorescent probe for monitoring PTP-PEST enzymatic activity
ANALYST
Authors: Casey, Garrett R.; Stains, Cliff, I
Abstract
Phosphatase non-receptor type 12 (PTPN12 or PTP-PEST) is a critical regulator of cell migration, acting as a tumor suppressor in cancer. Decreases in PTP-PEST expression correlate with aggressive phenotypes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Despite the importance of PTP-PEST in cellular signaling, methods to directly monitor its enzymatic activity are lacking. Herein, we report the design, synthesis, and optimization of a probe to directly monitor PTP-PEST enzymatic activityviaa fluorescent readout. This activity sensor, termed pPEST1tide, is capable of detecting as little as 0.2 nM recombinant PTP-PEST. In addition, we demonstrate that this probe can selectively report on PTP-PEST activity using a panel of potential off-target enzymes. In the long-term, this activity probe could be utilized to identify small molecule modulators of PTP-PEST activity as well as provide a prognostic readout for HCC.
cMET promotes metastasis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in colorectal carcinoma by repressing RKIP
JOURNAL OF CELLULAR PHYSIOLOGY
Authors: Wang, Siyun; Ma, Haiqing; Yan, Yan; Chen, Yu; Fu, Sirui; Wang, Junjiang; Wang, Ying; Chen, Hao; Liu, Jianhua
Abstract
Increasing evidence indicates that c-mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor (cMET) plays an important role in the malignant progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. As a metastasis suppressor, raf kinase inhibitory protein (RKIP) loss has been reported in many cancer types. In this study, the expression levels of cMET and RKIP in CRC tissues and cell lines were determined, and their crosstalk and potential biological effects were explored in vitro and in vivo. Our results showed that cMET was inversely correlated with RKIP. Both cMET upregulation and RKIP downregulation indicated poor clinical outcomes. Moreover, the MAPK/ERK signaling pathway was implicated in the regulation of cMET and RKIP. Overexpression of cMET promoted tumor cell epithelial-mesenchymal transition, invasion, migration, and chemoresistance, whereas the effects could be efficiently inhibited by increased RKIP. Notably, small hairpin RNA-mediated cMET knockdown dramatically suppressed cell proliferation, although no RKIP-induced influence on cell growth was observed in CRC. Altogether, cMET overexpression may contribute to tumor progression by inhibiting the antioncogene RKIP, providing preclinical justification for targeting RKIP to treat cMET-induced metastasis of CRC.