Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 20, 2026

A Protocol for Genetic Induction and Visualization of Benign and Invasive Tumors in Cephalic Complexes of Drosophila melanogaster
07:23

A Protocol for Genetic Induction and Visualization of Benign and Invasive Tumors in Cephalic Complexes of Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: September 11, 2013

Oncogenic cooperation between SOCS family proteins and EGFR identified using a Drosophila epithelial transformation

Héctor Herranz1, Xin Hong, Nguyen Thanh Hung

  • 1Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Singapore 138673, Singapore.

Genes & Development
|July 18, 2012
PubMed

Insights

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate cancer growth. This study identifies bantam miRNA and its target Socs36E as key cooperating factors in EGFR-driven tumor formation and metastasis, with human SOCS5 showing similar tumor suppressor roles.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Oncology

Background:

  • MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are critical regulators of gene expression implicated in cancer.
  • Identifying specific miRNA targets is crucial for understanding their role in oncogenesis.
  • Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) signaling is frequently dysregulated in various cancers.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify miRNA targets cooperating with oncogenes in tumor formation.
  • To investigate the role of the miRNA bantam and its target Socs36E in EGFR-driven tumorigenesis.
  • To explore the conserved function of human SOCS5 in cancer.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a Drosophila model of epithelial transformation.
  • Investigated the interaction between bantam miRNA, Socs36E, and EGFR signaling.
  • Examined the role of human SOCS5 in cellular transformation assays.

Main Results:

  • Identified bantam miRNA and Socs36E as cooperating factors in EGFR-driven tumorigenesis and metastasis.
  • Demonstrated that bantam promotes growth by inhibiting Socs36E, a negative growth regulator.
  • Showed that Socs36E acts as a tumor suppressor in conjunction with EGFR activation.
  • Found that human SOCS5 functions as a candidate tumor suppressor in EGFR/RAS pathway activation.

Conclusions:

  • Bantam miRNA and Socs36E are key players in EGFR-driven tumorigenesis and metastasis.
  • Socs36E and its human ortholog SOCS5 exhibit tumor-suppressive functions in cooperation with EGFR signaling.
  • These findings highlight conserved mechanisms of miRNA-target interactions in cancer development.

More Related Videos

The Drosophila Imaginal Disc Tumor Model: Visualization and Quantification of Gene Expression and Tumor Invasiveness Using Genetic Mosaics10:31

The Drosophila Imaginal Disc Tumor Model: Visualization and Quantification of Gene Expression and Tumor Invasiveness Using Genetic Mosaics

Published on: October 6, 2016

Induction and Diagnosis of Tumors in Drosophila Imaginal Disc Epithelia08:14

Induction and Diagnosis of Tumors in Drosophila Imaginal Disc Epithelia

Published on: July 25, 2017

Related Concept Videos

Mitogens and the Cell Cycle02:38

Mitogens and the Cell Cycle

Mitogens and their receptors play a crucial role in controlling the progression of the cell cycle. However, the loss of mitogenic control over cell division leads to tumor formation. Therefore, mitogens and mitogen receptors play an important role in cancer research. For instance, the epidermal growth factor (EGF) - a type of mitogen and its transmembrane receptor (EGFR), decides the fate of the cell's proliferation. When EGF binds to EGFR, a member of the ErbB family of tyrosine kinase...
Abnormal Proliferation02:23

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...
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...
Cancer-Critical Genes I: Proto-oncogenes01:33

Cancer-Critical Genes I: Proto-oncogenes

Genes usually encode proteins necessary for the proper functioning of a healthy cell. Mutations can often cause changes to the gene expression pattern, thereby altering the phenotype.
When the function of certain critical genes, especially those involved in cell cycle regulation and cell growth signaling cascades, gets disrupted, it upsets the cell cycle progression. Such cells with unchecked cell cycles start proliferating uncontrollably and eventually develop into tumors.
Such genes that act...