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SMOC1 is a tenascin-C interacting protein over-expressed in brain tumors

Florence Brellier1, Sabrina Ruggiero, Daniela Zwolanek

  • 1Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Novartis Research Foundation, Basel, Switzerland. florence.brellier@fmi.ch

Matrix Biology : Journal of the International Society for Matrix Biology
|February 26, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Researchers identified SPARC-related modular calcium-binding protein 1 (SMOC1) as a novel interactor of tenascin-C, a protein overexpressed in many cancers. SMOC1 is also elevated in brain tumors and can modulate tenascin-C

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Oncology

Background:

  • Tenascin-C is an extracellular matrix protein frequently overexpressed in various cancers.
  • Identifying tenascin-C interactors can reveal new insights into cancer biology and potential therapeutic targets.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify novel proteins that interact with tenascin-C.
  • To investigate the role of SPARC-related modular calcium-binding protein 1 (SMOC1) in cancer, particularly its interaction with tenascin-C and its expression levels in brain tumors.

Main Methods:

  • Affinity purification of secreted proteins using a tenascin-C column followed by mass spectrometry.
  • Co-immunoprecipitation and Surface Plasmon Resonance Spectroscopy to confirm and quantify tenascin-C and SMOC1 interaction.
  • Analysis of RNA profiling data and Western blot to assess SMOC1 expression in brain tumors.
  • Cell migration assays to evaluate the functional impact of SMOC1 on tenascin-C-mediated glioma cell behavior.

Main Results:

  • Mass spectrometry identified phosphoglycerate kinase 1, clusterin, fibronectin, SMOC1, and nidogen-2 as potential tenascin-C interactors.
  • The interaction between tenascin-C and SMOC1 was confirmed, with a K(D) of 2.59∗10(-9)M, sensitive to EDTA.
  • SMOC1 mRNA and protein levels were significantly increased in oligodendrogliomas, astrocytomas, and glioblastomas compared to normal brain tissue.
  • SMOC1 demonstrated the ability to counteract the chemo-attractive effect of tenascin-C on U87 glioma cells.

Conclusions:

  • SPARC-related modular calcium-binding protein 1 (SMOC1) is a novel cancer-associated protein that interacts with tenascin-C.
  • SMOC1 expression is elevated in brain tumors, suggesting a role in tumorigenesis.
  • SMOC1 may play a role in modulating cancer cell migration in response to tenascin-C.

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