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  • Oncogenomics
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Isolation and characterization of a novel gene, hRFI, preferentially expressed in esophageal cancer

Oncogene volume 21, pages 5024–5030 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

hTID1, a human homologue of Drosophila tumor suppressor, I(2)tid regulates the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria and subsequent alteration of caspase-3 activity on apoptosis induced by exogenous stimuli, such as tumor necrosis factor-α and mitomycin C. To search for an interacting molecule with hTid1, we applied two-hybrid yeast screening and isolated a novel gene, which encodes a 46 kDa protein of 373 residues. Within the deduced amino acid sequence, a region showing homology to the Ring Finger domain of X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein was identified and the gene was designated as hRFI, standing for human Ring Finger homologous to IAP type. A 2.0 kb hRFI transcript was ubiquitously expressed in all human tissues as well as several cancer cell lines examined. Northern blot analysis showed that in 70% (14 out of 20) of esophageal cancer patients, expression of hRFI in cancerous regions was two or more times higher than in the corresponding normal tissues. HeLa cells transfected with hRFI construct exhibited a tendency to resist TNF-α induced apoptosis, suggesting an anti-apoptotic function of the hRFI product. Finally, hRFI protein was shown to be cleaved within the DEDD sequence spanning residues 230–233 by caspase-3 during the apoptotic induction.

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Acknowledgements

Dr H Ishii has to be specially acknowledged for his advice and comments on this work. We are grateful to Mr H Alder for sequencing analyses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, 113-8655, Tokyo, Japan

    Shin Sasaki, Toshiaki Watanabe & Hirokazu Nagawa

  2. Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, BLSB Room 1050, 233 South 10th Street, Philadelphia, 19107, PA, USA

    Shin Sasaki, Tatsuya Nakamura & Carlo M Croce

  3. Laboratory of Genome Technology, Human Genome Center, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shorikanedai, Minato-ku, 108-8639, Tokyo, Japan

    Hirofumi Arakawa

  4. Department of Surgery, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, 4546, Tsurumihara, Beppu, 874-0838, Oita, Japan

    Masaki Mori

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  1. Shin Sasaki
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Correspondence to Shin Sasaki.

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AB084914.

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Sasaki, S., Nakamura, T., Arakawa, H. et al. Isolation and characterization of a novel gene, hRFI, preferentially expressed in esophageal cancer. Oncogene 21, 5024–5030 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.onc.1205627

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