Nuclear translocation of type I transforming growth factor β receptor confers a novel function in RNA processing

Mol Cell Biol. 2012 Jun;32(12):2183-95. doi: 10.1128/MCB.00320-12. Epub 2012 Apr 2.

Abstract

Signaling of transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) is redirected in cancer to promote malignancy, but how TGF-β function is altered in a transformed cell is not fully understood. We investigated TGF-β signaling by profiling proteins that differentially bound to type I TGF-β receptor (TβRI) in nontransformed, HER2-transformed, and HER2-negative breast cancer cells using immunoprecipitation followed by protein identification. Interestingly, several nuclear proteins implicated in posttranscriptional RNA processing were uniquely identified in the TβRI coprecipitates from HER2-transformed cells. Ligand-inducible nuclear translocation of TβRI was observed only in transformed cells, and the translocation required importin β1, nucleolin, and Smad2/3. This trafficking was dependent on the high Ran GTPase activity resulting from oncogenic transformation. In the nucleus, TβRI associated with purine-rich RNA sequences in a synergistic manner with the RNA-binding factor hnRNP A1. We further found that nuclear translocation of TβRI specifically induced epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) transcript isoform c, which encodes a soluble EGFR protein, through alternative splicing or 3'-end processing. Our study confirms a cancer-specific nuclear translocation of TβRI and demonstrates its potential function in regulating nuclear RNA processing, as well as a novel gain-of-function mechanism of TGF-β signaling in cancer.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Alternative Splicing
  • Breast Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Nucleus / metabolism*
  • ErbB Receptors / metabolism
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Karyopherins / metabolism
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism*
  • Protein Transport
  • Receptor, ErbB-2 / metabolism
  • Receptor, Transforming Growth Factor-beta Type I
  • Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta / metabolism*
  • Signal Transduction*
  • Smad2 Protein / metabolism
  • Transcription, Genetic

Substances

  • Karyopherins
  • Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta
  • SMAD2 protein, human
  • Smad2 Protein
  • EGFR protein, human
  • ErbB Receptors
  • Receptor, ErbB-2
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • Receptor, Transforming Growth Factor-beta Type I