Aberrant NPM Expression during Nf1Loss and Its Role in Promoting Proliferation
Abstract
Nf1 encodes a novel tumor suppressor protein named neurofibromin that acts to inhibit the Ras oncogene. A recent study demonstrated that the nucleolar proto-oncogene nucleophosmin (NPM) was highly expressed in Nf1deficient astrocytes along with numerous other ribosomal biosynthesis proteins. NPM senses abnormal growth signals within the astrocyte and responds by increasing protein synthesis rates. We are hypothesizing that these increased rates are partly responsible for the aberrant growth of Nf1-deficient astrocytes. Thus, the goal of this work will be t0 determine the contribution of elevated NPM levels to astrocyte proliferation. We believe that the insights gained from this study will greatly improve our understanding of the mechanism (s) by which neurofibromin loss promotes cell growth and proliferation. This work could be translated into any number of cell systems implicated in NF1 due to its mechanistic and evolutionary conservation. In addition, our results will open up a new generation of targets aimed at disrupting aberrant protein translation networks that appear to go awry during Neurofibromatosis.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA472364
Entities
People
- Jason D Weber
Organizations
- Washington University in St. Louis