Role of Rab family small G proteins in determining the prognosis of neuroblastoma patients

2011 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21591361
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Pediatrics
• Research Institution: Kobe University
• Principal Investigator: LEE Myeongjin 神戸大学, 大学院・医学研究科, 非常勤講師 (20273766)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): NISHIMURA Noriyuki 神戸大学, 大学院・医学研究科, 准教授 (00322719)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): NISHIO Hisahide 神戸大学, 大学院・医学研究科, 教授 (80189258)
• Project Period (FY): 2009 – 2011
• Keywords: 神経芽腫 / 予後決定因子 / Rab15 / 選択的スプライシング / レチノイン酸 / がん幹細胞

Research Abstract

Neuroblastoma is an aggressive solid tumor that accounts for approximately 15% of all cancer-related deaths in children. More than half of high-risk neuroblastoma patients are estimated to experience relapses and their overall survival rates remain less than 40%. Identification of a new prognostic factor is essential to improve the prognosis of neuroblastoma patients. Aberrant alternative splicing is intimately associated with an increasing number of cancers, and its use as a new diagnostic and/or prognostic biomarker has attracted considerable attention. In the present study, we identified four alternatively spliced isoforms of Rab15, originally isolated as a brain-specific Rab protein. Rab15 isoform balance correlated with differentiation of neuroblastoma tumor-initiating cells(TICs) and Rab15 alternative splicing may serve as a biomarker to discriminate TICs from non-TICs in neuroblastoma.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Rab15 alternative splicing is altered in spheres of neuroblastoma cells (2012)
  • Author(s): Pham TVH, Hartomo TB, Lee MJ, Hasegawa D, Ishida T, Kawasaki K, Kosaka Y, Yamamoto T, Morikawa S, Yamamoto N, Kubokawa I, Mori T, Yanai T, Hayakawa A, Takeshima Y, Iijima K, Matsuo M, Nishio H and Nishimura N
  • Journal Title: Oncol. Rep Volume: 27 Pages: 2045-2049
• [Journal Article] Epigallocatechin gallate inhibits sphere formation of neuroblastoma BE(2)-C cells (2012)
  • Author(s): Nishimura N, Hartomo TB, Pham TVH, Lee MJ, Yamamoto T, Morikawa S, Hasegawa D, Takeda H, Kawasaki K, Kosaka Y, Yamamoto N, Kubokawa I, Mori T, Yanai T, Hayakawa A, Takeshima Y, Iijima K, Matsuo M, Nishio H
  • Journal Title: Environ. Health Prev. Med Volume: 17 Pages: 246-251
• [Journal Article] Rab15 expression correlates with retinoic acid-induced differentiation of neuroblastoma cells (2011)
  • Author(s): Nishimura N, Pham TVH, Hartomo TB, Lee MJ, Hasegawa D, Takeda H, Kawasaki K, Kosaka Y, Yamamoto T, Morikawa S, Yamamoto N, Kubokawa I, Mori T, Yanai T, Hayakawa A, Takeshima Y, Nishio H and Matsuo M
  • Journal Title: Oncol. Rep Volume: 26 Pages: 145-151