Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Knockdown of FAM83A to Verify Its Role in Cervical Cancer Cell Growth and Cisplatin Sensitivity
04:20

Knockdown of FAM83A to Verify Its Role in Cervical Cancer Cell Growth and Cisplatin Sensitivity

Published on: February 9, 2024

Downregulation of genes encoding for subunits of adaptor complex-3 in cervical carcinomas

A A Petrenko1, L S Pavlova, A I Karseladze

  • 1Institute of Carcinogenesis, N. N. Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Center, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Moscow, 115478, Russia.

Biochemistry. Biokhimiia
|November 28, 2006
PubMed

Insights

This study reveals reduced expression of AP-3 (adaptor protein complex 3) subunits in cervical tumors. This finding highlights potential molecular changes in cervical cancer progression and may offer new diagnostic avenues.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Oncology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Adaptor protein complex 3 (AP-3) plays crucial roles in intracellular trafficking.
  • Dysregulation of protein complexes is implicated in various cancers, including cervical cancer.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the expression levels of AP-3 subunits in cervical tumors and cancer cell lines.
  • To determine if AP-3 subunit expression is altered in cervical cancer compared to normal tissues.

Main Methods:

  • Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to quantify mRNA levels of AP-3 subunits (AP3D1, AP3B1, AP3M1, AP3S1).
  • Gene expression was compared between cervical tumor samples, adjacent normal tissues, and cervical cancer cell lines.

Main Results:

  • A significant decrease in mRNA levels for AP3D1, AP3B1, AP3M1, and AP3S1 was observed in 32%, 28%, 23%, and 26% of tumors, respectively.
  • At least one AP-3 subunit mRNA level was reduced in 60% of tumors and four out of five cancer cell lines.
  • Suppression of multiple AP-3 subunits occurred in 46% of tumors, suggesting diverse downregulation mechanisms.
  • AP-3A expression showed a trend towards more frequent suppression in tumors with lymphatic node metastasis (P = 0.034).

Conclusions:

  • This study provides the first evidence of decreased expression of AP-3A subunits in cervical tumors.
  • Altered AP-3 subunit expression may be a feature of cervical carcinogenesis.
  • The findings suggest potential roles for AP-3 in cervical cancer development and metastasis.

Related Concept Videos

Receptor Downregulation in MVBs01:15

Receptor Downregulation in MVBs

Multivesicular bodies (MVBs) are mature endosomes that sort ubiquitinated proteins and then fuse with lysosomes to degrade the sorted proteins. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) and its receptor (EGFR) form a complex that can be internalized through endocytosis, sorted into an MVB, and later degraded.
The EGFR can initiate signaling pathways that  lead to cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. Overexpression of EGFR  stimulates cells to proliferate. Excessive  EGFR activation may...
Cadherins in Tissue Organization01:19

Cadherins in Tissue Organization

The cadherins are a superfamily of cell adhesion molecules comprising over 180 variants, with specific tissues expressing a particular combination of cadherin types. Cadherins generally exhibit homophilic binding; i.e., cadherins on one cell bind to cadherins of the same or closely related type on another cell. Thus, cells of the same type have a specific affinity to bind to each other and sort themselves into clusters to form tissues.
Cell Sorting During Development
Cell sorting plays an...
Abnormal Proliferation02:23

Abnormal Proliferation

Under normal conditions, most adult cells remain in a non-proliferative state unless stimulated by internal or external factors to replace lost cells. Abnormal cell proliferation is a condition in which the cell's growth exceeds and is uncoordinated with normal cells. In such situations, cell division persists in the same excessive manner even after cessation of the stimuli, leading to persistent tumors. The tumor arises from the damaged cells that replicate to pass the damage to the daughter...
Inhibition of Cdk Activity02:34

Inhibition of Cdk Activity

The orderly progression of the cell cycle depends on the activation of Cdk protein by binding to its cyclin partner. However, the cell cycle must be restricted when undergoing abnormal changes. Most cancers correlate to the deregulated cell cycle, and since Cdks are a central component of the cell cycle, Cdk inhibitors are extensively studied to develop anticancer agents. For instance, cyclin D associates with several Cdks, such as Cdk 4/6, to form an active complex. The cyclin D-Cdk4/6 complex...
Anaphase Promoting Complex00:50

Anaphase Promoting Complex

The stepwise destruction of specific proteins is necessary for the progression and completion of the cell cycle. Such proteins are ubiquitinated by ubiquitin ligases and then subsequently destroyed by the proteasome. The SCF (Skp1/Cullin/F-box) and the anaphase-promoting complex (APC) are two important ubiquitin ligases involved in cell cycle progression. While SCF is active throughout the cell cycle, APC gets activated during metaphase to anaphase transition. Cdc20 or Cdh1 binds to APC and...