Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 9, 2026

Differentiation of the SH-SY5Y Human Neuroblastoma Cell Line
08:07

Differentiation of the SH-SY5Y Human Neuroblastoma Cell Line

Published on: February 17, 2016

Lovastatin blocks N-ras oncogene-induced neuronal differentiation

C E Mendola1, J M Backer

  • 1Molecular Biology Section, Lederle Laboratories, American Cyanamid Company, Pearl River, New York 10965.

Cell Growth & Differentiation : the Molecular Biology Journal of the American Association for Cancer Research
|October 1, 1990
PubMed

Insights

Lovastatin blocks the essential farnesylation of ras p21, preventing N-ras oncogene-induced neuronal differentiation in rat cells. This suggests targeting ras p21 processing can eliminate oncogene-induced phenotypes.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Ras p21 proteins require post-translational processing for proper localization to the inner plasma membrane.
  • Farnesylation is the initial and mandatory processing step for ras p21.
  • Lovastatin, a HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, has the potential to inhibit the farnesylation of newly synthesized ras p21.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effect of lovastatin on N-ras oncogene-induced neuronal differentiation.
  • To determine if lovastatin-mediated inhibition of ras p21 farnesylation underlies its effect on neuronal differentiation.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing UR61J rat pheochromocytoma cells for N-ras oncogene-induced differentiation studies.
  • Employing lovastatin as a competitive inhibitor of HMG-CoA reductase.
  • Assessing the impact of lovastatin on ras p21 farnesylation and subsequent neuronal differentiation.

Main Results:

  • Lovastatin effectively blocked N-ras oncogene-induced neuronal differentiation in UR61J cells.
  • The observed blockade of differentiation by lovastatin was directly attributed to the inhibition of ras p21 farnesylation.
  • Data confirmed that lovastatin interferes with the critical processing step of ras p21.

Conclusions:

  • The proper post-translational processing of ras p21 is crucial for oncogene-induced cellular phenotypes.
  • Inhibiting ras p21 farnesylation, for example with lovastatin, can prevent oncogene-driven cellular changes.
  • Targeting ras p21 processing represents a potential strategy to eliminate ras oncogene-induced phenotypes in mammalian cells.

More Related Videos

Analysis of Retinoic Acid-induced Neural Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells in Two and Three-dimensional Embryoid Bodies09:04

Analysis of Retinoic Acid-induced Neural Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells in Two and Three-dimensional Embryoid Bodies

Published on: April 22, 2017

Drug-Induced Senescence in Liver Cells Promotes M2 Macrophage Polarization: Implications for Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor-Associated Hepatotoxicity09:32

Drug-Induced Senescence in Liver Cells Promotes M2 Macrophage Polarization: Implications for Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor-Associated Hepatotoxicity

Published on: October 17, 2025

Related Concept Videos

The Ras Gene02:38

The Ras Gene

The Ras-gene-encoded proteins are regulators of signaling pathways controlling cell proliferation, differentiation, or cell survival. The Ras-gene family in humans constitutes three primary members—the HRas, NRas, and KRas. These genes code for four functionally distinct yet closely related proteins—the HRas, NRas, KRas4A, and KRas4B. The involvement of mutant Ras genes in human cancer was first discovered in 1982 and is among the most common causes of human tumorigenesis.
Ras is a superfamily...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

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...
Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer01:03

Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer

Rous Sarcoma virus or RSV was discovered by F. Peyton Rous in the year 1911 as a filterable transmissible agent that could cause tumors in chickens. He won a Nobel Prize for this discovery in 1966. His experiments clearly demonstrated that some cancers could be caused by infectious agents and led to the discovery of many more cancer-causing viruses in animals as well as humans.
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand  RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...
Small GTPases - Ras and Rho01:24

Small GTPases - Ras and Rho

Ras and Rho are small monomeric GTPases that act downstream of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) and regulate various cellular processes. These GTPases switch between active and inactive states by binding to guanine nucleotides.
Three regulatory proteins control their activity:
Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer01:03

Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer

Rous Sarcoma virus or RSV was discovered by F. Peyton Rous in the year 1911 as a filterable transmissible agent that could cause tumors in chickens. He won a Nobel Prize for this discovery in 1966. His experiments clearly demonstrated that some cancers could be caused by infectious agents and led to the discovery of many more cancer-causing viruses in animals as well as humans.
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand  RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

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...