MADD/DENN splice variant of the IG20 gene is necessary and sufficient for cancer cell survival

The IG20 gene is overexpressed in human tumors and cancer cell lines, and encodes at least four splice variants (SVs) namely, IG20pa, MADD, IG20-SV2 and DENN-SV. Earlier, gain-of-function studies showed that IG20-SVs can exhibit diverse functions and play a critical role in cell proliferation and apoptosis. Expression of exogenous IG20pa or DENN-SV rendered cells either susceptible or resistant to induced apoptosis, respectively, whereas MADD and IG20-SV2 had no apparent effect. In order to understand the contrasting effects of the IG20-SVs in a physiologically more relevant system, we expressed exon-specific small hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) to selectively knockdown specific IG20-SVs. Consistent with an earlier study, knockdown of all IG20-SVs resulted in spontaneous apoptosis of HeLa and PA-1 cells. In addition, we unambiguously demonstrated that knockdown of MADD can render cells susceptible to spontaneous apoptosis but had no discernible effect on cell proliferation, colony size or cell cycle progression. Moreover, expression of MADD alone, and not DENN-SV, in the absence of endogenous IG20-SVs was sufficient to prevent spontaneous apoptosis. Our results show the utility of shRNAs for selective knockdown of particular IG20-SVs and their potential therapeutic value in cancer. Further, they demonstrate that MADD alone is sufficient and necessary for cancer cell survival.