Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Mutagenesis and Analysis of Genetic Mutations in the GC-rich KISS1 Receptor Sequence Identified in Humans with Reproductive Disorders
12:49

Mutagenesis and Analysis of Genetic Mutations in the GC-rich KISS1 Receptor Sequence Identified in Humans with Reproductive Disorders

Published on: September 4, 2011

Metastasis suppressor gene KiSS-1 encodes peptide ligand of a G-protein-coupled receptor

T Ohtaki1, Y Shintani, S Honda

  • 1Pharmaceutical Discovery Research Division, Takeda Chemical Industries Ltd, Wadai 10, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 300-4293, Japan. Ohtaki_Tetsuya@takeda.co.jp

Nature
|June 1, 2001
PubMed

Insights

The KiSS-1 gene product, metastin, suppresses cancer metastasis by inhibiting cell invasion and spread. This discovery offers a potential new therapeutic strategy for treating metastatic cancers.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Metastasis is a primary cause of cancer mortality, involving complex cellular processes.
  • The human KiSS-1 gene is known to suppress metastasis in melanoma and breast cancer but its product and mechanism remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify the KiSS-1 gene product and elucidate its functional mechanisms in metastasis suppression.

Main Methods:

  • Isolation and characterization of the KiSS-1 gene product from human placenta.
  • Identification of the product as the endogenous ligand for the orphan G-protein-coupled receptor hOT7T175, named metastin.
  • In vitro assays assessing metastin's effect on chemotaxis and invasion in transfected cells.
  • In vivo studies evaluating metastin's impact on pulmonary metastasis in melanoma models.

Main Results:

  • The KiSS-1 gene encodes a 54-amino-acid peptide, metastin.
  • Metastin inhibits chemotaxis and invasion of hOT7T175-transfected cells in vitro.
  • Metastin attenuates pulmonary metastasis in vivo in a melanoma model.

Conclusions:

  • Metastin, the KiSS-1 gene product, acts as a metastasis suppressor.
  • The findings suggest potential therapeutic strategies targeting the metastin/hOT7T175 pathway for cancer treatment.

More Related Videos

Analysis of the c-KIT Ligand Promoter Using Chromatin Immunoprecipitation09:40

Analysis of the c-KIT Ligand Promoter Using Chromatin Immunoprecipitation

Published on: June 27, 2017

Fluorescence Labeling to Visualize Low-Expressed Proteins in Zebrafish09:38

Fluorescence Labeling to Visualize Low-Expressed Proteins in Zebrafish

Published on: January 24, 2025

Related Concept Videos

X-Inactivation01:58

X-Inactivation

The human X chromosome contains over ten times the number of genes as in the Y chromosome. Since males have only one X chromosome, and females have two, one might expect females to produce twice as many of the proteins, with undesirable results.
Co-activators and Co-repressors02:04

Co-activators and Co-repressors

Gene transcription is regulated by the synergistic action of several proteins that form a complex at a gene regulatory site. This is observed in eukaryotes, where the regulation of gene expression is a complex process. Regulatory proteins in eukaryotes can broadly be classified into two types – regulators that bind directly to specific DNA sequences and co-regulators that associate with regulatory proteins but cannot directly bind to the DNA. These co-regulators are further divided into...
Eukaryotic Transcription Inhibitors01:52

Eukaryotic Transcription Inhibitors

Certain biochemical processes, such as embryonic development and cell growth regulation, depend on the repression of specific genes. DNA binding proteins known as eukaryotic transcription inhibitors regulate the repression of gene expression in eukaryotes. The presence of these inhibitors at the required location and time in the cell is triggered by the presence of hormones and additional signals from other cells.
Eukaryotic transcription inhibitors usually contain two distinct domains, a DNA...
Regulation of Nuclear Protein Sorting01:45

Regulation of Nuclear Protein Sorting

Nuclear protein sorting regulates nucleus composition and gene expression, crucial for determining the fate of a eukaryotic cell. Hence, the entry and exit of molecules across the nuclear envelope is a tightly controlled process. Nuclear protein sorting can be inhibited by one of the following ways: 1) masking cargo signal sequences, 2) modifying the nuclear receptor's affinity for cargo, 3) controlling the nuclear pore size, 4) retaining the cargo during its transit to the cytosol or the...