3490

IGFBP7

AGM|FSTL2|IBP-7|IGFBP-7|IGFBP-7v|IGFBPRP1|MAC25|PSF|RAMSVPS|TAF;insulin-like growth factor binding protein 7;IGFBP7;insulin-like growth factor binding protein 7

IGF-binding protein 7|IGFBP-rP1|PGI2-stimulating factor|angiomodulin|insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7|prostacyclin-stimulating factor|tumor-derived adhesion factor

4q12

protein-coding

BACKGROUND: mac25 is a follistatin (FS)-like protein that has a growth-suppressing effect on a p53-deficient osteosarcoma cell line (Saos-2). The protein exhibits a strong homology to FS, an activin-binding protein, and part of its sequence includes the consensus sequence of the member of the Kazal serine protease inhibitor family. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Localization of mac25 protein was analyzed using mac25 protein fused with green fluorescent protein (GFP). Recombinant mac25 protein was expressed in E. coli and purified. The recombinant mac25 protein was added in culture medium for analysis of growth suppression and cell cycle analysis. Binding of mac25 protein to activin A was studied by immunoprecipitation and Western blots analysis. RESULTS: mac25 protein was localized in the cytoplasm and secreted into culture medium. Addition of recombinant mac25 protein (10-7 M) into the culture medium induced significant suppression of the growth of human cervical carcinoma cells (HeLa) and murine embryonic carcinoma cells (P19), as well as osteosarcoma cells (Saos-2). mac25 protein was co-immunoprecipitated with activin A, a result that suggests that mac25 may be a secreted tumor-suppressor that binds activin A. CONCLUSION: mac25 exhibits homology to insulin-like growth factor-binding proteins (IGF-BPs) and to fibroblast growth factor receptor. The multi-functional nature of mac25 protein may be important for growth-suppression and/or cellular senescence.

Insulin-like growth factor binding-protein-7 (IGFBP7) was obtained from our previous colonic adenocarcinoma (CRC) and normal mucosa suppression subtraction hybridization (SSH) cDNA libraries. By RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry, we found that IGFBP7 was overexpressed in CRC tissue compared to normal tissue. However, our in vitro experiments performed in 10 CRC cell lines showed that IGFBP7 expressed only in SW480 and Caco2 cell lines, which implied an underlying reversible regulatory mechanism. Using methylation-specific PCR (MSP) and bisulfite sodium PCR (BSP), we found that its expression was associated with DNA hypomethylation of exon1. This was further supported by the in vitro study which showed restored IGFBP7 expression after demethylation agent 5-aza-2-deoxycytidine treatment. Correlation analysis between IGFBP7 expression and prognosis indicated that overexpression of IGFBP7 in CRC tissue correlated with favourable survival. Investigation of the functional role of IGFBP7 through transfection studies showed that IGFBP7 protein could inhibit growth rate, decrease colony formation activity, and induce apoptosis in RKO and SW620 cells, suggesting it a potential tumor suppressor protein in colorectal carcinogenesis. In conclusion, our study clearly demonstrated that IGFBP7 plays a potential tumor suppressor role against colorectal carcinogenesis and its expression is associated with DNA hypomethylation of exon 1.

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-7 (IGFBP7) is a gene identified as being low expressed in colorectal adenocarcinoma (CRC) cell lines. In the current study, we investigated the function of IGFBP7 in CRC by transfection studies. We found that IGFBP7 could inhibit cell growth, decrease soft agar colony formation activity and induce apoptosis in RKO and SW620 cells. Correlation analysis between the expression of IGFBP7 in CRC tissue and the prognosis in 218 patients showed that high expression of IGFBP7 was associated with favorable prognosis. Based on above results, we conclude that IGFBP7 plays a potential tumor suppressor role in colorectal carcinogenesis.

PURPOSE: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly virulent malignancy with no effective treatment, thus requiring innovative and effective targeted therapies. The oncogene astrocyte-elevated gene-1 (AEG-1) plays a seminal role in hepatocarcinogenesis and profoundly downregulates insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-7 (IGFBP7). The present study focuses on analyzing potential tumor suppressor functions of IGFBP7 in HCC and the relevance of IGFBP7 downregulation in mediating AEG-1 function. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: IGFBP7 expression was detected by immunohistochemistry in HCC tissue microarray and real-time PCR and ELISA in human HCC cell lines. Dual FISH was done to detect LOH at IGFBP7 locus. Stable IGFBP7-overexpressing clones were established in the background of AEG-1-overexpressing human HCC cells and were analyzed for in vitro proliferation and senescence and in vivo tumorigenesis and angiogenesis. RESULTS: IGFBP7 expression is significantly downregulated in human HCC samples and cell lines compared with normal liver and hepatocytes, respectively, and inversely correlates with the stages and grades of HCC. Genomic deletion of IGFBP7 was identified in 26% of patients with HCC. Forced overexpression of IGFBP7 in AEG-1-overexpressing HCC cells inhibited in vitro growth and induced senescence, and profoundly suppressed in vivo growth in nude mice that might be an end result of inhibition of angiogenesis by IGFBP7. CONCLUSION: The present findings provide evidence that IGFBP7 functions as a novel putative tumor suppressor for HCC and establish the corollary that IGFBP7 downregulation can effectively modify AEG-1 function. Accordingly, targeted overexpression of IGFBP7 might be a potential novel therapy for HCC.