A splicing variant of Merlin promotes metastasis in hepatocellular carcinoma.

ABSTRACT: Merlin, which is encoded by the tumour suppressor gene Nf2, plays a crucial role in tumorigenesis and metastasis. However, little is known about the functional importance of Merlin splicing forms. In this study, we show that Merlin is present at low levels in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), particularly in metastatic tumours, where it is associated with a poor prognosis. Surprisingly, a splicing variant of Merlin that lacks exons 2, 3 and 4 ((Δ2-4)Merlin) is amplified in HCC and portal vein tumour thrombus (PVTT) specimens and in the CSQT2 cell line derived from PVTT. Our studies show that (Δ2-4)Merlin interferes with the capacity of wild-type Merlin to bind β-catenin and ERM, and it is expressed in the cytoplasm rather than at the cell surface. Furthermore, (Δ2-4)Merlin overexpressi

SUBMITTER: Luo ZL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4633634 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature