Inhibition of Myc-induced cell transformation by brain acid-soluble protein 1 (BASP1)

Cell transformation by the Myc oncoprotein involves transcriptional activation or suppression of specific target genes with intrinsic oncogenic or tumor-suppressive potential, respectively. We have identified the BASP1 (CAP-23, NAP-22) gene as a novel target suppressed by Myc. The acidic 25-kDa BASP1 protein was originally isolated as a cortical cytoskeleton-associated protein from rat and chicken brain, but has also been found in other tissues and subcellular locations. BASP1 mRNA and protein expression is specifically suppressed in fibroblasts transformed by the v-myc oncogene, but not in cells transformed by other oncogenic agents. The BASP1 gene encompasses 2 exons separated by a 58-kbp intron and a Myc-responsive regulatory region at the 5' boundary of untranslated exon 1. Bicistronic expression of BASP1 and v-myc from a retroviral vector blocks v-myc-induced cell transformation. Furthermore, ectopic expression of BASP1 renders fibroblasts resistant to subsequent cell transformation by v-myc, and exogenous delivery of the BASP1 gene into v-myc-transformed cells leads to significant attenuation of the transformed phenotype. The inhibition of v-myc-induced cell transformation by BASP1 also prevents the transcriptional activation or repression of known Myc target genes. Mutational analysis showed that the basic N-terminal domain containing a myristoylation site, a calmodulin binding domain, and a putative nuclear localization signal is essential for the inhibitory function of BASP1. Our results suggest that down-regulation of the BASP1 gene is a necessary event in myc-induced oncogenesis and define the BASP1 protein as a potential tumor suppressor.