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A novel potent tumour promoter aberrantly overexpressed in most human cancers

Atsushi Takahashi1, Hisashi Tokita, Kenzo Takahashi

  • 1Division of Molecular and Clinical Genetics, Department of Molecular Genetics, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan. atsushit@sentan.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp

Scientific Reports
|February 23, 2012
PubMed

Insights

The FEAT protein is overexpressed in most cancers but not normal tissues. Ectopic FEAT expression in mice caused aggressive cancers, suggesting FEAT as a target for cancer screening and prevention.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cancer Research

Background:

  • Tumor complexity and heterogeneity impede identifying commonalities across cancers.
  • Limited knowledge of ubiquitous molecular events in neoplasms hinders targeted screening and prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of the FEAT protein in tumorigenesis.
  • To explore FEAT as a potential target for cancer screening and prevention.

Main Methods:

  • Assessed FEAT protein expression in human cancers and normal tissues.
  • Utilized transgenic mice models with ectopic FEAT expression in various organs.
  • Performed gene expression profiling to identify downstream signaling pathways.

Main Results:

  • FEAT protein is overexpressed in most human cancers, with low expression in normal tissues like the testis, brain, and liver.
  • Ectopic FEAT expression in mice led to spontaneous development of invasive malignant lymphoma (48%) and hepatocellular carcinoma (35%).
  • Gene expression profiling indicated FEAT drives receptor tyrosine kinase and hedgehog signaling pathways.

Conclusions:

  • The FEAT protein is a potent driver of tumorigenesis in vivo.
  • Identifying FEAT-like ubiquitous oncoproteins offers promising avenues for cost-effective cancer screening and prevention.

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