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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Jennifer Munkley, Dr Prabhakar Rajan, Caroline Dalgliesh, Robert Jackson, Professor Craig Robson, Professor David Elliott
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
TSC2 (Tuberous sclerosis complex 2) is an important tumour suppressor gene, mutations within which are linked to the development of tuberous sclerosis and implicated in multiple tumour types. TSC2 protein complexes with TSC1 and blocks the ability of the Rheb (Ras homolog enriched in brain) GTPase to activate mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin), a crucial signal transducer which regulates protein synthesis and cell growth. Here, we report the characterisation of a novel isoform of TSC2 which is under direct control of the ligand-activated androgen receptor. TSC2 isoform A (TSC2A) is derived from an internal androgen-regulated alternative promoter and encodes a 508-amino acid cytoplasmic protein corresponding to the C-terminal region of full-length TSC2, lacking the interaction domain for TSC1 and containing an incomplete interaction domain required for Rheb inactivation. Expression of TSC2A is induced in response to androgens and full-length TSC2 is co-ordinately down-regulated, indicating an androgen-driven switch in TSC2 protein isoforms. In contrast to the well-characterised suppressive effect on cell proliferation of full-length TSC2 protein, both LNCaP and HEK293 cells over-expressing TSC2 isoform A proliferate more rapidly (measured by MTT assays) and have increased levels of cells in S-phase (measured by both Edu staining and FACS analysis). Our work indicates, for the first time, a novel role for this well-known tumour suppressor gene, which encodes an activator of cell proliferation in response to androgen stimulation.
Author(s): Munkley J, Rajan P, Lafferty NP, Dalgliesh C, Jackson RM, Robson CN, Leung HY, Elliott DJ
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: OncoTarget
Year: 2014
Volume: 5
Issue: 1
Pages: 131-139
Print publication date: 01/01/2015
Online publication date: 21/10/2013
Acceptance date: 19/10/2013
Date deposited: 29/05/2014
ISSN (electronic): 1949-2553
Publisher: Impact Journals LLC
URL: https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.1405
DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.1405
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