Naslov
R-RAS2 oncogene shows structural and functional conservation between sponges and humans

Autori
Talajić, Antea ; Dominko, Kristina ; Beljan, Silvestar ; Ćetković, Helena

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Skup
The Biochemistry Global Summit - the 25th IUBMB Congress, the 46th FEBS Congress and the 15th PABMB Congress

Mjesto i datum
Lisabon, Portugal, 9.-14.7.2022

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
R-RAS2, Porifera, cancer

Sažetak
Human Ras-related protein R-RAS2/TC21, a member of Ras family of proteins, is a ubiquitously expressed small GTPase with an important role in signal transduction that controls multiple cellular processes. Functional dysregulation of R- RAS2 has been shown to contribute to oncogenesis, as it triggers critical biological processes for cancer cells, including proliferation, survival and migration. Although the evolution of cancer is still not fully understood, there is increasing interest in studying the cancer-related genes in non-bilaterian basal animals, considering that many oncogenes and tumor suppressors appeared early in the evolution of Metazoa. Therefore, we used sponges, the basal organisms that changed only slightly during the evolution, to better understand the biological functions and evolution of R-RAS2. We identified homolog of human R-RAS2 in the freshwater cave sponge Eunapius subterraneus using bioinformatic tools and our evolutionary analysis showed high conservation of this protein among metazoans. Biochemical characterization revealed that sponge R-RAS2 possesses intrinsic GTPase activity, same as human R-RAS2. Intracellular localization of both sponge and human R-RAS2 was in endosomal and plasma membranes indicating their similar biological characteristics. The roles of human and sponge R- RAS2 in cell proliferation, migration and invasion confirmed their similar cancer-related functions. All in all, this study implies that biological functions of R-RAS2 and their biochemical background were established early in the metazoan evolution and possibly much earlier in the evolution of life.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Biologija

POVEZANOST RADA