Insulin-like Growth Factor I Receptor Protein Expression Research Articles

Retraction: Corrigendum: Insulin-like growth factor-I receptor is suppressed through transcriptional repression and mRNA destabilization by a novel energy restriction-mimetic agent.

Insulin-like growth factor-I receptor (IGF-IR) represents one of the major targets by which dietary or chemically induced energy restriction mediates chemopreventive effects in animal tumor models. However, the mechanism underlying this cellular response remains unclear. In the course of investigating the suppressive effect of the energy restriction-mimetic agent CG-5 on IGF-IR expression in prostate cancer cells, we identified a novel posttranscriptional mechanism by which the RNA-binding protein human antigen R (HuR) regulates IGF-IR expression through messenger RNA (mRNA) stabilization. Previously, we demonstrated that Sp1 and HuR proteins were concomitantly targeted for ubiquitin-dependent degradation by β-transducin repeat-containing protein in response to CG-5. Although this loss of Sp1 expression contributed to CG-5-mediated IGF-IR downregulation, enforced specific protein 1 (Sp1) expression could only partially protect cells from the drug effect. The small interfering RNA-mediated silencing of HuR suppressed IGF-IR expression by reducing mRNA stability, whereas ectopic HuR expression increased IGF-IR mRNA stability and protein expression and, when coexpressed with Sp1, blocked CG-5-mediated IGF-IR ablation. RNA pull-down and immunoprecipitation analyses indicated that HuR selectively bound to the distal region of the IGF-IR 3′ untranslated region (UTR), whereas no interaction with the 5′UTR was noted. Evaluation of a series of truncated HuR mutants revealed that the RNA recognition motifs (RRM2 and RRM3) were involved in IGF-IR 3′UTR binding and the consequent increase in IGF-IR mRNA stability. Although these data contrast with a previous report that HuR acted as a translation repressor of IGF-IR mRNA through 5′UTR binding, our finding is consistent with the reported oncogenic role of HuR in conferring stability to target mRNAs encoding tumor-promoting proteins.

Correlations of insulin-like growth factor I and insulin-like growth factor I receptor with the clinicopathological features and prognosis of patients with colon cancer.

This study is designed to evaluate the correlations of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and insulin-like growth factor I receptor (IGF-IR) expressions with the clinicopathological features and prognosis of patients with colon cancer. From January 2010 to January 2009, tissue samples were collected from 121 colon cancer patients, 147 with colon adenoma and 63 patients with chronic diarrhea. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to analyze the mRNA expressions of IGF-I and IGF-IR. Immunohistochemistry was utilized to detect the protein expressions of IGF-I and IGF-IR. The IGF-I and IGF-IR mRNA expressions in colon cancer tissues were higher than those in colon adenoma tissues and normal tissues. The positive protein expressions of IGF-I and IGF-IR in colon cancer tissues were also higher than those in colon adenoma tissues and normal tissues. The mRNA expressions of IGF-I and IGF-IR were associated with the degree of differentiation, tumor node metastasis stage and lymphatic metastasis of colon cancer. Tumor node metastasis stage, lymphatic metastasis, postoperative chemotherapy and IGF-IR protein expression were independent factors for the prognosis of colon cancer. This study has demonstrated that overexpression of IGF-I and IGF-IR contributes to the development and progression of colon cancer.

Abstract 5283: Vav2 oncoprotein up regulation may predict the aggressive subtype of ductal carcinoma in situ

Abstract Background: A subset of patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) will develop invasive breast cancer (IBC). To date, there are no effective predictive biomarkers for identifying this subset with worse prognosis whose lesions are essentially indistinguishable histologically from those with favorable outcomes. We hypothesized that measurable parameters that discriminate DCIS from DCIS with concurrent invasion may serve as diagnostic biomarkers (BM) of progressive cancer in situ (CIS). Methods: Using a novel imaging-based method of tissue testing, we measured the relative expression levels of three candidate BM proteins specifically implicated in IBC progression - the insulin-like growth factor I receptor (IGF-IR), Ras-related protein 1 (Rap1), and Vav2 oncoprotein. Protein profiles were compared in 42 histologically normal mammary epithelial samples, 71 CIS (35 without/36 with invasion either on diagnostic biopsy or final surgical excision), and 98 IBC of known estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status. Groups were compared using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by pair-wise t-tests with Tukey's correction for multiple testing. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to evaluate how well each BM can predict tumor type. Results: The levels of the IGF-IR and Rap1 protein expression were significantly elevated in ER-positive (ER+/PR+/-/HER2 -) DCIS relative to normal epithelium (P<0.0001). The IGF-IR protein expression was also significantly up regulated in HER2-positive (ER+/-/PR+/-/HER2+) DCIS relative to normal epithelium (P = 0.0002). IGF-IR and Rap1 protein expression levels were similar among DCIS patients without or with concurrent invasion. Vav2 up regulation in DCIS relative to normal group was not associated with steroid hormone receptor and HER2 status, but was associated with the presence of concurrent invasion, including microinvasion (invasive foci of less than 1 mm). DCIS with high Vav2 were more than twice as likely to progress to invasive cancers as DCIS with low Vav2 (odds ratio, 2.42; 95% CI, 1.26-4-65; P = 0.008). Furthermore, a ROC curve analysis revealed moderate ability of Vav2 protein expression measurements in DCIS to predict the existence of invasion concurrent with DCIS (area under the curve, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.59- 0.84). Conclusions: This study describes the use of a novel imaging method for archival tissue testing, which may inform the status of protein BM in archived tissue and may help to stratify a women's individual risk for tumor invasiveness to avoid potential over- or under-treatment. Despite the apparent limitation of our study DCIS cohort size, our novel findings hold promise for utilizing Vav2 as a predictive BM of progressive DCIS and a target for cancer therapy. Citation Format: Marina A. Guvakova, Yun Qing Jiang, Indira Prabakaran, Fei Wan, Nandita Mitra, Paul J. Zhang, Douglas L. Fraker. Vav2 oncoprotein up regulation may predict the aggressive subtype of ductal carcinoma in situ. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 5283. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-5283

Novel cross talk between IGF-IR and DDR1 regulates IGF-IR trafficking, signaling and biological responses.

The insulin-like growth factor-I receptor (IGF-IR), plays a key role in regulating mammalian development and growth, and is frequently deregulated in cancer contributing to tumor initiation and progression. Discoidin domain receptor 1 (DDR1), a collagen receptor tyrosine-kinase, is as well frequently overexpressed in cancer and implicated in cancer progression. Thus, we investigated whether a functional cross-talk between the IGF-IR and DDR1 exists and plays any role in cancer progression.Using human breast cancer cells we found that DDR1 constitutively associated with the IGF-IR. However, this interaction was enhanced by IGF-I stimulation, which promoted rapid DDR1 tyrosine-phosphorylation and co-internalization with the IGF-IR. Significantly, DDR1 was critical for IGF-IR endocytosis and trafficking into early endosomes, IGF-IR protein expression and IGF-I intracellular signaling and biological effects, including cell proliferation, migration and colony formation. These biological responses were inhibited by DDR1 silencing and enhanced by DDR1 overexpression.Experiments in mouse fibroblasts co-transfected with the human IGF-IR and DDR1 gave similar results and indicated that, in the absence of IGF-IR, collagen-dependent phosphorylation of DDR1 is impaired.These results demonstrate a critical role of DDR1 in the regulation of IGF-IR action, and identify DDR1 as a novel important target for breast cancers that overexpress IGF-IR.

Vav2 protein overexpression marks and may predict the aggressive subtype of ductal carcinoma in situ.

BackgroundA subset of patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) will develop invasive breast cancer (IBC). To date, there are no effective predictive biomarkers for identifying this subset with worse prognosis whose lesions are essentially indistinguishable histologically from those with favorable outcomes. We hypothesized that measurable parameters that discriminate DCIS from DCIS with concurrent invasion may serve as diagnostic biomarkers (BM) of progressive cancer in situ (CIS).ResultsUsing a novel imaging-based method of tissue testing, we measured the relative expression levels of three candidate BM proteins specifically implicated in IBC progression - the insulin-like growth factor I receptor (IGF-IR), Ras-related protein 1 (Rap1), and Vav2 oncoprotein. Protein profiles were compared in 42 histologically normal mammary epithelial samples, 71 CIS (35 without/36 with invasion either on diagnostic biopsy or final surgical excision), and 98 IBC of known estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status. The levels of the IGF-IR and Rap1 protein expression were significantly elevated in ER-positive (ER+/PR+/-/HER2 –) DCIS relative to normal epithelium (P <0.0001). The IGF-IR protein expression was also significantly up regulated in HER2-positive (ER+/-/PR+/-/HER2+) DCIS relative to normal epithelium (P = 0.0002). IGF-IR and Rap1 protein expression levels were similar among DCIS patients without or with concurrent invasion. Vav2 upregulation in DCIS relative to normal group was not associated with steroid hormone receptor and HER2 status, but was associated with the presence of concurrent invasion, including microinvasion (invasive foci of less than 1 mm). DCIS with high Vav2 were more than twice as likely to progress to invasive cancers as DCIS with low Vav2 (odds ratio, 2.42; 95% CI, 1.26-4-65; P =0.008). Furthermore, a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed moderate ability of Vav2 protein expression measurements in DCIS to predict the existence of invasion concurrent with DCIS (area under the curve, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.59- 0.84).ConclusionsOur novel findings hold promise for utilizing Vav2 protein as a predictive BM for differentiating progressive from non-progressive DCIS.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/2050-7771-2-22) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

RETRACTED: Insulin-like growth factor-I receptor is suppressed through transcriptional repression and mRNA destabilization by a novel energy restriction-mimetic agent

Insulin-like growth factor-I receptor (IGF-IR) represents one of the major targets by which dietary or chemically induced energy restriction mediates chemopreventive effects in animal tumor models. However, the mechanism underlying this cellular response remains unclear. In the course of investigating the suppressive effect of the energy restriction-mimetic agent CG-5 on IGF-IR expression in prostate cancer cells, we identified a novel posttranscriptional mechanism by which the RNA-binding protein human antigen R (HuR) regulates IGF-IR expression through messenger RNA (mRNA) stabilization. Previously, we demonstrated that Sp1 and HuR proteins were concomitantly targeted for ubiquitin-dependent degradation by β-transducin repeat-containing protein in response to CG-5. Although this loss of Sp1 expression contributed to CG-5-mediated IGF-IR downregulation, enforced specific protein 1 (Sp1) expression could only partially protect cells from the drug effect. The small interfering RNA-mediated silencing of HuR suppressed IGF-IR expression by reducing mRNA stability, whereas ectopic HuR expression increased IGF-IR mRNA stability and protein expression and, when coexpressed with Sp1, blocked CG-5-mediated IGF-IR ablation. RNA pull-down and immunoprecipitation analyses indicated that HuR selectively bound to the distal region of the IGF-IR 3' untranslated region (UTR), whereas no interaction with the 5'UTR was noted. Evaluation of a series of truncated HuR mutants revealed that the RNA recognition motifs (RRM2 and RRM3) were involved in IGF-IR 3'UTR binding and the consequent increase in IGF-IR mRNA stability. Although these data contrast with a previous report that HuR acted as a translation repressor of IGF-IR mRNA through 5'UTR binding, our finding is consistent with the reported oncogenic role of HuR in conferring stability to target mRNAs encoding tumor-promoting proteins.

Molecular differences between normal breast epithelia, pure DCIS, and DCIS adjacent to invasion.

50 Background: With the use of screening mammography, the diagnosis of breast ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is increasing worldwide. Currently there are no applied molecular markers to aid in predicting risk of DCIS progression to invasive breast cancer (IBC). Studies predicted that the transition from DCIS to invasive disease was associated with quantitative rather than qualitative differences in gene and protein expression. Methods: We developed monochrome imaging-based method to measure protein expression as a continuous variable in fixed tissue (Furstenau et al. BREA 2010). The insulin-like growth factor I receptor (IGF-IR), Ras oncogene –like protein 1 (Rap1), and a Rho GTPase guanine nucleotide exchange factor Vav2 implicated in the regulation of invasion in preclinical models have been chosen for protein analysis in tissue. In pilot study, we performed quantitative protein profiling on 90 samples of the breast: 17 histologically normal tissues, 16 benign lesions; 15 CIS, and 42 IBC. In addition, we analyzed 24 DCIS: 12 pure and 12 associated with IBC. Results: The expression of the IGF-IR and Rap1 was increased in pure CIS; significantly (P ≤ 0.001) increased in CIS adjacent to IBC as well as in IBC compared with non-cancerous tissue. In the majority of pure DCIS the levels of Vav2 were similar to that in normal epithelia; however, the Vav2 levels were significantly (P&lt;0.01) higher in DCIS adjacent to invasion and in IBC. Moreover, IGF-IR, Rap1 and Vav2 significantly discriminated invasive from non-invasive tissues, with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area under curve, AUC=0.8. Interestingly, younger women (&lt; 50 years of age) were more likely to develop IBC with increased expression of the Vav2 protein (OR= 2.05; 95% CI 1.08-3.86). No significant correlation was found between IGF-IR, Rap1 expression levels and patient’s age. Conclusions: We conclude that our assessment of protein expression in breast tissue revealed previously unidentified quantitative differences in the IGF-IR, Rap1, and Vav2 protein expression in breast cancer progression series. These findings open door for studies on molecular-based prediction of individualized risk for developing invasion in early diagnosed DCIS.

BRCA1 is Expressed in Uterine Serous Carcinoma (USC) and Controls Insulin-Like Growth Factor I Receptor (IGF-IR) Gene Expression in USC Cell Lines

The insulin-like growth factor I receptor (IGF-IR) and BRCA1 affect cell growth and apoptosis. Little information is available about BRCA1 activity on the IGF signaling pathway. This study evaluated the effect of BRCA1 on IGF-IR expression. BRCA1 and IGF-IR immunohistochemistry on archival tissues (35 uterine serous carcinomas [USCs] and 17 metastases) were performed. USPC1 and USPC2 cell lines were transiently cotransfected with an IGF-IR promoter construct driving a luciferase reporter gene and a BRCA1 expression plasmid. Endogenous IGF-IR levels were evaluated by Western immunoblotting. We found high BRCA1 and IGF-IR protein expression in primary and metastatic USC tumors. All samples were immunostained for BRCA1-71% strongly stained; and 33/35 (94%) were stained positive for IGF-IR-2 (6%) strongly stained. No difference in BRCA1 and IGF-IR staining intensity was noted between BRCA1/2 mutation carriers and noncarriers. Metastatic tumors stained more intensely for BRCA1 than did the primary tumor site (P = 0.041) and with borderline significance for IGF-IR (P = 0.069). BRCA1 and IGF-IR staining did not correlate to survival. BRCA1 expression led to 35% and 54% reduction in IGF-IR promoter activity in the USPC1 and USCP2 cell lines, respectively. Western immunoblotting showed a decline in phosphorylated IGF-IR and phosphorylated AKT in both transiently and stably transfected cells. BRCA1 and IGF-IR are highly expressed in USC tumors. BRCA1 suppresses IGF-IR gene expression and activity. These findings suggest a possible biological link between the BRCA1 and the IGF-I signaling pathways in USC. The clinical implications of this association need to be explored.

Antisense treatment of IGF-IR induces apoptosis and enhances chemosensitivity in central nervous system atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumours cells

Central nervous system (CNS) atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumours (AT/RT) are among the paediatric malignant tumours with the worst prognosis and fatal outcome. Insulin-like growth factor I receptor (IGF-IR) protects cancer cells from apoptosis induced by a variety of anticancer drugs and radiation. In the present study, IGF-IR was expressed in 8/8 primary AT/RT as detected by immunohistochemistry. Moreover, we found IGF-I and IGF-II mRNA in BT-16 CNS AT/RT cells and IGF-II mRNA in BT-12 CNS AT/RT cells, and autophosphorylated IGF-IR in both cell lines, indicating the potential presence of an autocrine/paracrine IGF-I/II/IGF-IR loop in CNS AT/RT. IGF-IR antisense oligonucleotide treatment of human CNS AT/RT cells resulted in significant down-regulation of IGF-IR mRNA and protein expression, induction of apoptosis, and chemosensitisation to doxorubicin and cisplatin. These studies provide evidence for the influence of IGF-IR on cellular responses to chemotherapy and raise the possibility that curability of selected CNS AT/RT may be improved by pharmaceutical strategies directed towards the IGF-IR.

Blastemal Expression of Type I Insulin-Like Growth Factor Receptor in Wilms' Tumors Is Driven by Increased Copy Number and Correlates with Relapse

Most Wilms' tumors are of low stage, favorable histology, and have a high likelihood of cure with current multimodal therapy. Despite this, there remains a group of patients whose tumors recur for whom intensive salvage regimens result in survival of only 50%. Fitting a Cox proportional hazards model to microarray-based comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) data on 68 Wilms' tumor samples, we identified a significant correlation between increased copy number at chromosome 15q26.3 insulin-like growth factor I receptor (IGFIR) and tumor relapse (adjusted P = 0.014). Wilms' tumors (13%) exhibited a low-level gain corresponding to three to four copies of the gene by aCGH analysis, 9 of 10 of which exhibited high IGFIR mRNA levels. Although IGFIR protein expression was restricted to the epithelial cells of fetal kidney and Wilms' tumors in most cases, 12% of tumors were also found to express IGFIR in the blastemal compartment. Blastemal IGFIR protein expression was associated with an increased copy number and a shorter relapse-free survival time (P = 0.027, log-rank test). In addition to the membrane localization, IGFIR was localized to the perinuclear region of the blastemal cells in 6% of Wilms' tumors. These data provide evidence that an increase in IGFIR gene copy number results in aberrant expression in the blastemal compartment of some Wilms' tumors and is associated with an adverse outcome in these patients. These findings suggest the possibility of use of targeted agents in the therapy of these children.

The expression of insulin-like growth factor-I receptor correlates with Fuhrman grading of renal cell carcinomas

Recent reports have shown significant correlation between Fuhrman nuclear grade of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and patient survival. However, no one specific gene alteration has yet been described to account for this correlation. This study investigated the expression of the insulin-like growth factor-I receptor (IGF-IR) in RCC and correlated the results to the tumor Fuhrman nuclear grade. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections from 68 cases of RCC were stained using the immunohistochemical avidin-biotin-peroxidase method. An anti-human IGF-IR rabbit polyclonal antibody was used. The stains were semiquantitatively evaluated using the Allred score system, assessing intensity of stain and percentage of positive tumor cells. Statistical analysis was performed using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Strong and diffuse cytoplasmic IGF-IR stain (Allred score 7 to 8) was identified in 25 of 25 (100%) of grade 3 and 4 RCCs. Grade 2 RCCs had a median IGF-IR Allred score of 4. Ten of 10 (100%) grade 1 RCCs were negative. Even in the positive high-nuclear-grade tumors, areas of low nuclear grade, when present, were IGF-IR negative. Statistical analysis using the Kruskal-Wallis test demonstrated significant correlation between increasing Fuhrman nuclear grade and increasing IGF-IR Allred score ( P <0.0001). Thus we report the novel finding of significant statistical correlation between IGF-IR protein expression and Fuhrman nuclear grade of RCC, and consequentially with patient survival.