GAGE Cancer-Germline Antigens Are Recruited to the Nuclear Envelope by Germ Cell-Less (GCL

Morten F. Gjerstorff, Heike I. Rösner, Christina B. Pedersen, Katrine B.V. Greve, Steffen Schmidt, Katherine L. Wilson, Jan Mollenhauer, Hüseyin Besir, Flemming M. Poulsen, Niels Erik Møllegaard, Henrik J. Ditzel

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Scopus citations

Abstract

GAGE proteins are highly similar, primate-specific molecules with unique primary structure and undefined cellular roles. They are restricted to cells of the germ line in adult healthy individuals, but are broadly expressed in a wide range of cancers. In a yeast two-hybrid screen we identified the metazoan transcriptional regulator, Germ cell-less (GCL), as an interaction partner of GAGE12I. GCL directly binds LEM-domain proteins (LAP2β, emerin, MAN1) at the nuclear envelope, and we found that GAGE proteins were recruited to the nuclear envelope inner membrane by GCL. Based on yeast two-hybrid analysis and pull-down experiments of GCL polypeptides, GCL residues 209-320 (which includes the BACK domain) were deduced sufficient for association with GAGE proteins. GAGE mRNAs and GCL mRNA were demonstrated in human testis and most types of cancers, and at the protein level GAGE members and GCL were co-expressed in cancer cell lines. Structural studies of GAGE proteins revealed no distinct secondary or tertiary structure, suggesting they are intrinsically disordered. Interestingly GAGE proteins formed stable complexes with dsDNA in vitro at physiological concentrations, and GAGE12I bound several different dsDNA fragments, suggesting sequence-nonspecific binding. Dual association of GAGE family members with GCL at the nuclear envelope inner membrane in cells, and with dsDNA in vitro, implicate GAGE proteins in chromatin regulation in germ cells and cancer cells.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numbere45819
JournalPloS one
Volume7
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 20 2012

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'GAGE Cancer-Germline Antigens Are Recruited to the Nuclear Envelope by Germ Cell-Less (GCL'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this