The Drosophila Ste20 family kinase dMST functions as a tumor suppressor by restricting cell proliferation and promoting apoptosis (original) (raw)
- Jianhang Jia1,
- Wensheng Zhang1,
- Bing Wang1,
- Richard Trinko2, and
- Jin Jiang1,3
- 1 Center for Developmental Biology and Department of Pharmacology
- 2 DCMB program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390-9133, USA
Abstract
In a genetic screen for mutations that restrict cell growth and organ size, we identified a new tumor suppressor gene, dMST, which encodes the Drosophila homolog of the mammalian Ste20 kinase family members MST1 and MST2. Loss-of-function mutations in dMST result in overgrown tissues containing more cells of normal size. dMST mutant cells exhibit elevated levels of Cyclin E and DIAP1, increased cell growth and proliferation, and impaired apoptosis. dMST forms a complex with Sav and Wts, two tumor suppressors also implicated in regulating both cell proliferation and apoptosis, suggesting that they act in common pathways.
Footnotes
Article and publication are at http://www.genesdev.org/cgi/doi/10.1101/gad.1134003.
↵3 Corresponding author. E-MAIL jin.jiang{at}utsouthwestern.edu; FAX (214) 648-1960.
- Accepted August 25, 2003.
- Received July 16, 2003.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press