Systemic Par-4 inhibits non-autochthonous tumor growth

Cancer Biol Ther. 2011 Jul 15;12(2):152-7. doi: 10.4161/cbt.12.2.15734. Epub 2011 Jul 15.

Abstract

The tumor suppressor protein Par-4 (Prostate apoptosis response-4) is spontaneously secreted by normal and cancer cells. Extracellular Par-4 induces caspase-dependent apoptosis in cancer cell cultures by binding, via its effector SAC domain, to cell surface GRP78 receptor. However, the functional significance of extracellular Par-4/SAC has not been validated in animal models. We show that Par-4/SAC-transgenic mice express systemic Par-4/SAC protein and are resistant to the growth of non-autochthonous tumors. Consistently, secretory Par-4/SAC pro-apoptotic activity can be transferred from these cancer-resistant transgenic mice to cancer-susceptible mice by bone marrow transplantation. Moreover, intravenous injection of recombinant Par-4 or SAC protein inhibits metastasis of cancer cells. Collectively, our findings indicate that extracellular Par-4/SAC is systemically functional in inhibition of tumor growth and metastasis progression, and may merit investigation as a therapy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • 3T3 Cells
  • Animals
  • Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins / administration & dosage
  • Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins / genetics
  • Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins / metabolism*
  • Apoptosis*
  • Bone Marrow Transplantation
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone BiP
  • Genes, Tumor Suppressor
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C3H
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Recombinant Proteins / administration & dosage
  • Transplantation, Heterologous
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins / genetics
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins / metabolism*

Substances

  • Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins
  • Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone BiP
  • Hspa5 protein, mouse
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins
  • prostate apoptosis response-4 protein