Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 4, 2026

09:58
Mapping the Structure-Function Relationships of Disordered Oncogenic Transcription Factors Using Transcriptomic Analysis
Published on: June 27, 2020
The E2F3-Oncomir-1 axis is activated in Wilms' tumor.
Eric J Kort1, Leslie Farber, Maria Tretiakova
1Laboratory of Molecular Epidemiology, Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA.
Cancer Research
|June 4, 2008
Summary
The E2F3-Oncomir-1 pathway is activated in Wilms
Area of Science:
- Genomics
- Molecular Biology
- Oncology
Background:
- The microRNA (miRNA) cluster Oncomir-1 is known to be oncogenic and is located on chromosome 13.
- Previous in vitro research indicated that the transcription factor E2F3 regulates Oncomir-1 transcription.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the deregulation of the E2F3-Oncomir-1 axis in primary human tumors.
- To provide the first evidence of this axis's involvement in Wilms' tumor (WT).
Main Methods:
- Combined expression profiling of both mRNA and miRNAs in Wilms' tumor samples.
- Analysis of RNA expression signatures to identify E2F3 gene signatures.
- Immunohistochemistry to validate E2F3 protein expression.
- Quantitative PCR to confirm miRNA expression levels.
Main Results:
- An E2F3 gene signature was activated in all analyzed WT samples, distinguishing them from other kidney tumors.
- E2F3 protein expression was found to be lowest in early-stage tumors and highest in metastatic tissue.
- Members of the Oncomir-1 family were most highly expressed in WT compared to other kidney tumor subtypes.
- Quantitative PCR confirmed overexpression of these miRNAs in WT relative to normal kidney tissue.
Conclusions:
- The E2F3-Oncomir-1 axis is suggested to be activated in Wilms' tumor.
- The study highlights the utility of integrated genomics, combining gene signature analysis with miRNA expression profiling, for identifying perturbed protein-miRNA interactions in diseases.
Related Concept Videos
The Retinoblastoma Gene
Tumor suppressor genes are normal genes that can slow down cell division, repair DNA mistakes, or program the cells for apoptosis in case of irreparable damage. Hence, they play an essential role in preventing the proliferation of damaged cells.
The first-ever tumor suppressor gene called Rb was identified in retinoblastoma - a rare eye tumor in children. In inherited forms of the disease, a child inherits one defective copy of the Rb gene, which predisposes them to retinoblastoma. However,...
The first-ever tumor suppressor gene called Rb was identified in retinoblastoma - a rare eye tumor in children. In inherited forms of the disease, a child inherits one defective copy of the Rb gene, which predisposes them to retinoblastoma. However,...
The Retinoblastoma Gene
Tumor suppressor genes are normal genes that can slow down cell division, repair DNA mistakes, or program the cells for apoptosis in case of irreparable damage. Hence, they play an essential role in preventing the proliferation of damaged cells.
The first-ever tumor suppressor gene called Rb was identified in retinoblastoma - a rare eye tumor in children. In inherited forms of the disease, a child inherits one defective copy of the Rb gene, which predisposes them to retinoblastoma. However,...
The first-ever tumor suppressor gene called Rb was identified in retinoblastoma - a rare eye tumor in children. In inherited forms of the disease, a child inherits one defective copy of the Rb gene, which predisposes them to retinoblastoma. However,...
Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway
The gene encoding the main signaling molecules of the Wnt signaling pathways (the Wnt proteins) was discovered almost four decades ago by Nüsslein-Volhard and Wieschaus. They identified and originally named the gene "wingless" (wg) after a phenotype discovered during their landmark genetic screen in Drosophila for body pattern defects. At around the same time, another researcher named Harold Varmus found that a murine tumor virus activates the mammalian wg homolog, Int-1, which results in tumor...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
The mTOR pathway or the...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
The mTOR pathway or the...
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...