Pten-NOLC1 Fusion Promotes C-MET and EGFR Signaling in Human Cancers (RNAseq Sample D025 section 1-2)
Description
Phosphatase and tensin homolog (Pten) deletion and mutation are common in human cancers, leading to unchecked PI3K activation promoting cancer cell growth and survival. Here, we report a Pten derived pro-cancer growth gene fusion Pten-NOLC1 originated from a chr10 genome rearrangement and identified through a transcriptome sequencing analysis of human cancers. Pten-NOLC1 fusion is found in primary human cancer samples and cancer cell lines from different organs. The product of Pten-NOLC1 is a nuclear protein that interacts and activates promoters of EGFR, c-MET, GAB1, RAF1, etc. Pten-NOLC1 promotes cancer proliferation, growth, invasion and metastasis, and reduces the survival of animals xenografted with Pten-NOLC1-expressing cancer cells. Genomic disruption of Pten-NOLC1 induces cancer cell death, while genomic integration of this fusion gene into the liver coupled with somatic Pten deletion produces spontaneous liver cancers in mice. Our studies indicate that Pten-NOLC1 gene fusion is a driver for human cancers.