Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 24, 2025

The Use of Reverse Phase Protein Arrays RPPA to Explore Protein Expression Variation within Individual Renal Cell Cancers
12:22

The Use of Reverse Phase Protein Arrays RPPA to Explore Protein Expression Variation within Individual Renal Cell Cancers

Published on: January 22, 2013

33.7K

ROCK2-RNA interaction map reveals multiple biological mechanisms underlying tumor progression in renal cell carcinoma

Zhengdong Hong1, Xuexin Chen2, Lei Wang3,4

  • 1Department of Urology Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.

Human Cell
|July 7, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Rho-associated coiled-coil forming protein kinase 2 (ROCK2) plays a key role in kidney cancer. This study reveals ROCK2’s complex RNA interactions and their link to tumorigenic pathways in renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genomics

Background:

  • Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common kidney cancer, with unsatisfactory patient outcomes despite advancements.
  • Rho-associated coiled-coil forming protein kinase 2 (ROCK2) is upregulated in RCC and linked to poorer survival, but its function is unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the molecular function and RNA interactions of ROCK2 in renal cell carcinoma.
  • To identify genes and alternative splicing events regulated by ROCK2 in RCC.

Main Methods:

  • RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis of ROCK2 knockdown versus control 786-O RCC cells.
  • Individual-nucleotide-resolution Cross-linking and Purification (iRIP-seq) to map ROCK2-RNA interactions.
  • Comparative analysis of RNA-seq and iRIP-seq data.

Main Results:

  • Identified 464 differentially expressed genes and 1287 alternative splicing events regulated by ROCK2.
  • iRIP-seq revealed ROCK2 RNA binding biases in 5' UTR, intronic, and intergenic regions.
  • 292 overlapping genes between ROCK2-regulated splicing and RNA binding were enriched in tumorigenic pathways.

Conclusions:

  • Defined a comprehensive ROCK2-RNA interaction map in a human RCC cell line.
  • Demonstrated ROCK2's role in regulating alternative splicing and gene expression in kidney cancer.
  • Provided insights into the molecular mechanisms of ROCK2 in RCC development and progression.
Keywords:
RNA-seqROCK2Renal cell carcinomaTumorigenesisiRIP-seq

More Related Videos

Sample Preparation for Mass Spectrometry-based Identification of RNA-binding Regions10:52

Sample Preparation for Mass Spectrometry-based Identification of RNA-binding Regions

Published on: September 28, 2017

8.2K
Microfluidic Co-culture of Renal Healthy and Tumor Epithelium to Model Kidney Cancer Progression06:29

Microfluidic Co-culture of Renal Healthy and Tumor Epithelium to Model Kidney Cancer Progression

Published on: January 31, 2025

699

Related Concept Videos

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...
3.8K
Tumor Progression02:07

Tumor Progression

Tumor progression is a phenomenon where the pre-formed tumor acquires successive mutations to become clinically more aggressive and malignant. In the 1950s, Foulds first described the stepwise progression of cancer cells through successive stages.
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
6.4K
The Retinoblastoma Gene01:20

The Retinoblastoma Gene

Tumor suppressor genes are normal genes that can slow down cell division, repair DNA mistakes, or program the cells for apoptosis in case of irreparable damage. Hence, they play an essential role in preventing the proliferation of damaged cells.
The first-ever tumor suppressor gene called Rb was identified in retinoblastoma - a rare eye tumor in children. In inherited forms of the disease, a child inherits one defective copy of the Rb gene, which predisposes them to retinoblastoma. However,...
4.1K
The Nucleolus02:55

The Nucleolus

The nucleolus is the most prominent substructure of the nucleus. When it was first discovered, it was considered to be an isolated organelle that forms fibrils and granules. In 1931, the relationship between the nucleolus and chromosomes was first described by Heitz. He observed that the appearance and size of nucleolus varies depending on the stage of the cell cycle. He also noticed constricted regions on different chromosomes clustered together at definite cell cycle stages. These regions,...
8.9K
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...
5.1K
Cancer-Critical Genes II: Tumor Suppressor Genes01:05

Cancer-Critical Genes II: Tumor Suppressor Genes

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...
7.5K