Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 21, 2026

Evaluation of Colorectal Cancer Risk and Prevalence by Stool DNA Integrity Detection
07:35

Evaluation of Colorectal Cancer Risk and Prevalence by Stool DNA Integrity Detection

Published on: June 8, 2020

7.3K

Oncogenic splicing abnormalities induced by DEAD-Box Helicase 56 amplification in colorectal cancer

Yuta Kouyama1,2, Takaaki Masuda1, Atsushi Fujii1

  • 1Department of Surgery, Kyushu University Beppu Hospital, Oita, Japan.

Cancer Science
|August 8, 2019
PubMed

Insights

DEAD-Box Helicase 56 (DDX56) is a novel oncogene in colorectal cancer (CRC). Upregulated DDX56 promotes CRC cell proliferation and is a poor prognostic biomarker.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Alternative splicing, regulated by DEAD-Box Helicase (DDX) proteins, is crucial in cancer development.
  • The specific role of the DDX family, particularly DDX56, in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate DDX56 as a potential oncogene and prognostic biomarker in colorectal cancer.
  • To elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which DDX56 influences CRC progression.

Main Methods:

  • Bioinformatic analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset for colorectal cancer.
  • Quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) and immunohistochemical staining to assess DDX56 expression in patient samples.
  • In vitro and in vivo assays, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), and RNA sequencing to study DDX56 function and its effect on mRNA splicing.

Main Results:

  • DDX56 was identified as a candidate oncogene on chromosome 7p and found to be upregulated in CRC cells, correlating with gene amplification.
  • High DDX56 expression was significantly associated with lymphatic invasion, distant metastasis, and served as an independent poor prognostic factor in CRC patients.
  • DDX56 promoted cell proliferation by regulating the cell cycle and was found to influence alternative splicing, specifically reducing WEE1 expression.

Conclusions:

  • DDX56 is a novel oncogene and a valuable prognostic biomarker for colorectal cancer.
  • DDX56 promotes CRC progression through regulating the cell cycle and alternative splicing of the WEE1 gene, a critical component of the G2-M DNA damage checkpoint.
Keywords:
DEAD-Box Helicase 56 (DDX56)biomarkercolorectal canceroncogenesplicing factor

More Related Videos

Orthotopic Mouse Model of Colorectal Cancer08:43

Orthotopic Mouse Model of Colorectal Cancer

Published on: December 4, 2007

47.1K
Orthotopic Implantation of Patient-Derived Cancer Cells in Mice Recapitulates Advanced Colorectal Cancer06:49

Orthotopic Implantation of Patient-Derived Cancer Cells in Mice Recapitulates Advanced Colorectal Cancer

Published on: February 10, 2023

2.7K

Related Concept Videos

DNA Helicases00:55

DNA Helicases

DNA unwinding helicase enzymes are a type of motor protein. Motor proteins can translocate along filaments or polymers using energy generated from ATP hydrolysis. Helicases are involved in all the important cellular processes where DNA unwinding is required, such as DNA replication, repair, recombination, and transcription. They are present in all living organisms, but vary in their structure, function, and mechanism of action. For example, in prokaryotes, DnaB helicase binds and translocates...
23.9K
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...
11.2K
RNA Splicing01:32

RNA Splicing

Splicing is the process by which eukaryotic RNA is edited before its translation into protein. The RNA strand transcribed from eukaryotic DNA is called the primary transcript. The primary transcripts that become mRNAs are called precursor messenger RNAs (pre-mRNAs). Eukaryotic pre-mRNA contains alternating sequences of exons and introns. Exons are nucleotide sequences that code for proteins, whereas introns are the non-coding regions. In RNA splicing, introns are removed and exons are bonded...
60.4K
Alternative RNA Splicing02:18

Alternative RNA Splicing

Alternative RNA splicing is the regulated splicing of exons and introns to produce different mature mRNAs from a single pre-mRNA. Unlike in constitutive splicing where a single gene produces a single type of mRNA, alternative splicing allows an organism to produce multiple proteins from a single gene and plays an important role in protein diversity.
There are five types of alternative RNA splicing that vary in the ways the pre-mRNA segments are removed or retained in the mature mRNA. The first...
24.7K
Alternative RNA Splicing02:18

Alternative RNA Splicing

4.9K
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...
5.1K