USP15 stabilizes TGF-beta receptor I and promotes oncogenesis through the activation of TGF-beta signaling in glioblastoma.

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Citation

Eichhorn PJ, Rodon L, Gonzalez-Junca A, Dirac A, Gili M, Martinez-Saez E, Aura C, Barba I, Peg V, Prat A, Cuartas I, Jimenez J, Garcia-Dorado D, Sahuquillo J, Bernards R, Baselga J, Seoane J

USP15 stabilizes TGF-beta receptor I and promotes oncogenesis through the activation of TGF-beta signaling in glioblastoma.

Nat Med. 2012 Feb 19;18(3):429-35. doi: 10.1038/nm.2619.

PubMed ID
22344298 [ View in PubMed
]
Abstract

In advanced cancer, including glioblastoma, the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) pathway acts as an oncogenic factor and is considered to be a therapeutic target. Using a functional RNAi screen, we identified the deubiquitinating enzyme ubiquitin-specific peptidase 15 (USP15) as a key component of the TGF-beta signaling pathway. USP15 binds to the SMAD7-SMAD specific E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 2 (SMURF2) complex and deubiquitinates and stabilizes type I TGF-beta receptor (TbetaR-I), leading to an enhanced TGF-beta signal. High expression of USP15 correlates with high TGF-beta activity, and the USP15 gene is found amplified in glioblastoma, breast and ovarian cancer. USP15 amplification confers poor prognosis in individuals with glioblastoma. Downregulation or inhibition of USP15 in a patient-derived orthotopic mouse model of glioblastoma decreases TGF-beta activity. Moreover, depletion of USP15 decreases the oncogenic capacity of patient-derived glioma-initiating cells due to the repression of TGF-beta signaling. Our results show that USP15 regulates the TGF-beta pathway and is a key factor in glioblastoma pathogenesis.

DrugBank Data that Cites this Article

Polypeptides
NameUniProt ID
TGF-beta receptor type-1P36897Details