Premium
Functional analysis of BORIS in immortalized bronchioepithelial cells (BEAS)
Author(s) -
Caragacianu Diana L,
Rao Mahadev,
Hussain Mustafa,
Schrump David
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.22.2_supplement.208
Subject(s) - carcinogenesis , biology , epigenetics , cancer research , phenotype , dna methylation , cell growth , immortalised cell line , cell culture , cancer , gene , gene expression , genetics
BORIS is a germline‐specific and cancer testis gene encoding a transcriptional regulator, aberrantly expressed in many cancers including lung cancer. BORIS is involved in genome wide demethylation during male germline development and removal of methylation in tumors. This demethylation coincides with derepression of other cancer testis genes. Given the increased expression of BORIS in tumor cells, and its epigenetic effects on tumorigenesis, we sought to determine whether expression of this gene in an immortalized bronchioepithelial cell line (BEAS) can contribute to a malignant phenotype. Upon transduction of BEAS with BORIS, our in vitro data show a phenotypic change, demonstrating increased proliferation and loss of contact inhibition. This increase in cell number appears related to increased cell growth rather than effects on apoptosis. Here we show that expression of BORIS may confer a tumorigenic phenotype upon otherwise nonmalignant bronchial epithelial cells. These studies will be further expanded to evaluate additional markers of tumorigenesis and malignancy, such as matrigel invasion assays, resistance to chemotherapy drugs and use in a xenograft mouse model to evaluate tumorigenicity in vivo.