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DDX1 is required for testicular tumorigenesis, partially through the transcriptional activation of 12p stem cell genes

Oncogene volume 28, pages 2142–2151 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

Cytogenetic analysis has identified 12p gain as the most frequent abnormality in human testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs). It has been suggested that amplification and overexpression of stem cell-associated genes, including cyclin-D2, on the human chromosome 12p region are involved in germ cell tumorigenesis. By subtractive cDNA analysis, we identified Ddx1, a member of the DEAD-box protein family, as a gene predominantly expressed in the primordial germ cells of mouse embryos. Knockdown of Ddx1 in a mouse spermatogonia-derived cell line, GC-1spg, by short interference RNA repressed the expression of cyclin-D2, CD9 and GDF3 genes. In the mouse cyclin-D2 gene, a genomic DNA region between −348 and −329 was responsible for transcriptional activation by DDX1 based on reporter and gel shift assays. Similarly, DDX1 knockdown in the human TGCT cell line NEC8 repressed the expression of stem cell-associated genes localized on chromosome 12p13.3, including cyclin-D2, CD9 and NANOG. DDX1-knocked-down TGCT cells could not form solid tumors in nude mice. Furthermore, in situ hybridization revealed that DDX1 mRNA was produced in both seminoma and nonseminoma types of human TGCT samples. We conclude that DDX1 is a critical factor for testicular tumorigenesis.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Y Futamata (Nippon Becton Dickinson) for help in the cell sorting experiments. We extend our thanks to all laboratory members for their technical assistance and valuable advice. The anti-SSEA-1 antibody (MC-480) developed by Dr D Solter and Dr BB Knowles was obtained from the Developmental Studies Hybridoma Bank developed under the auspices of the NICHD and was maintained by the University of Iowa, Department of Biological Sciences, Iowa City, IA 52242. This work was supported by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan.

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  1. S Okamoto

    Present address: 3Current address: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, 38 Nishigonaka Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8585, Japan.,

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Stem Cell Project Group, The Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo Metropolitan Organization for Medical Research, Tokyo, Japan

    K Tanaka, S Okamoto, H Tamura & T Hara

  2. Core Technology and Research Center, The Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo Metropolitan Organization for Medical Research, Tokyo, Japan

    Y Ishikawa

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  1. K Tanaka
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  3. Y Ishikawa
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Correspondence to K Tanaka or T Hara.

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Tanaka, K., Okamoto, S., Ishikawa, Y. et al. DDX1 is required for testicular tumorigenesis, partially through the transcriptional activation of 12p stem cell genes. Oncogene 28, 2142–2151 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/onc.2009.89

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