Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0035412 (rhabdomyosarcoma)
 6,156 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A subtractive cloning procedure was used to characterize the molecular changes involved in transformation of normal myoblasts to rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) cells. Here we describe the cloning of DRAL, a novel LIM-domain protein expressed in primary myoblasts but down-regulated in the RMS cell line RD. DRAL is a LIM-only protein with five LIM domains whereby one LIM domain consists only of the second half of the consensus motif. Interestingly, down-regulation of DRAL was not confined to the RD RMS cells, but was a phenomenon extended to other RMS cell lines of both embryonal and alveolar subtype, and to some breast cancer cell lines. Analysis of the expression pattern in normal human tissues revealed that DRAL is expressed at high levels in the heart, suggesting an important function in the specification of the terminally differentiated phenotype of heart muscle cells. Immunofluorescence studies using an antibody directed against recombinant DRAL localized the protein predominantly in the nucleus of cultured cells. On the basis of these results, we conclude that down-regulation of DRAL correlates with the tumor phenotype of RMS cells.
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PMID:Subtractive cloning and characterization of DRAL, a novel LIM-domain protein down-regulated in rhabdomyosarcoma. 915 Apr 30

The sequence and developmental expression have been determined for amphioxus AmphiDRAL, which encodes a homolog of vertebrate DRAL (down-regulated in rhabdomyosarcoma LIM-protein). This is the first clear example of a DRAL homolog in an invertebrate. Detectable developmental expression begins at the gastrula stage in the epidermis, but not in the neuroectoderm; thus the early stages of AmphiDRAL expression indicate the neural/non-neural boundary. During subsequent embryonic stages, expression continues in the epidermis (but not in the developing central nervous system) until it fades during the later larval stages. Copyright 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All Rights Reserved
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PMID:Amphioxus AmphiDRAL encoding a LIM-domain protein: expression in the epidermis but not in the presumptive neuroectoderm 976 67

DRAL is a four and a half LIM domain protein identified because of its differential expression between normal human myoblasts and the malignant counterparts, rhabdomyosarcoma cells. In the current study, we demonstrate that transcription of the DRAL gene can be stimulated by p53, since transient expression of functional p53 in rhabdomyosarcoma cells as well as stimulation of endogenous p53 by ionizing radiation in wild-type cells enhances DRAL mRNA levels. In support of these observations, five potential p53 target sites could be identified in the promoter region of the human DRAL gene. To obtain insight into the possible functions of DRAL, ectopic expression experiments were performed. Interestingly, DRAL expression efficiently triggered apoptosis in three cell lines of different origin to the extent that no cells could be generated that stably overexpressed this protein. However, transient transfection experiments as well as immunofluorescence staining of the endogenous protein allowed for the localization of DRAL in different cellular compartments, namely cytoplasm, nucleus, focal contacts, as well as Z-discs and to a lesser extent the M-bands in cardiac myofibrils. These data suggest that downregulation of DRAL might be involved in tumor development. Furthermore, DRAL expression might be important for heart function.
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PMID:DRAL is a p53-responsive gene whose four and a half LIM domain protein product induces apoptosis. 1106 52

Members of the four-and-a-half-LIM domain (FHL) protein family, which are expressed in a tissue- and stage-specific manner, have been reported previously to function as transcriptional coactivators. One of these is the p53-inducible protein DRAL/FHL2 (where DRAL is down-regulated in rhabdomyosarcoma LIM domain protein). In this work, we identified potential binding partners for DRAL/FHL2 using an inducible yeast two-hybrid system. We present evidence of a functional interaction between the promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger protein (PLZF) and DRAL/FHL2. PLZF is a sequence-specific transcriptional repressor whose function relies on recruitment of corepressors that form part of the histone deacetylase complex involved in chromatin remodeling. DRAL/FHL2 interacts specifically with PLZF in vitro and in vivo and augments transcriptional repression mediated by PLZF. This is the first reported incidence of a bona fide FHL protein-mediated corepression and supports the notion of these proteins having a role as coregulators of tissue-specific gene expression.
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PMID:The LIM-only protein DRAL/FHL2 interacts with and is a corepressor for the promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger protein. 1214 80

The E1A-targeted transcription factor E4F1 is a key player in the control of mammalian embryonic and somatic cell proliferation and survival. Mouse embryos lacking E4F die at an early developmental stage, whereas enforced expression of E4F1 in various cell lines inhibits cell cycle progression. E4F1-antiproliferative effects have been shown to depend on its capacity to repress transcription and to interact with pRb and p53. Here we show that full-length E4F1 protein (p120(E4F1)) but not its E1A-activated and truncated form (p50(E4F1)), interacts directly in vitro and in vivo with the LIM-only protein FHL2, the product of the p53-responsive gene FHL2/DRAL (downregulated in rhabdomyosarcoma Lim protein). This E4F1-FHL2 association occurs in the nuclear compartment and inhibits the capacity of E4F1 to block cell proliferation. Consistent with this effect, ectopic expression of FHL2 inhibits E4F1 repressive effects on transcription and correlates with a reduction of nuclear E4F1-p53 complexes. Overall, these results suggest that FHL2/DRAL is an inhibitor of E4F1 activity. Finally, we show that endogenous E4F1-FHL2 complexes form in U2OS cells upon UV-light-induced nuclear accumulation of FHL2.
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PMID:The LIM-only protein FHL2 is a negative regulator of E4F1. 1665 57

Sonic hedgehog (Shh) and its main receptor, Patched (Ptc), are implicated in both neural development and tumorigenesis. Besides its classic morphogenic activity, Shh is also a survival factor. Along this line, Ptc has been shown to function as a dependence receptor; it induces apoptosis in the absence of Shh, whereas its pro-apoptotic activity is blocked in the presence of Shh. Here we show that, in the absence of its ligand, Ptc interacts with the adaptor protein DRAL (downregulated in rhabdomyosarcoma LIM-domain protein; also known as FHL2). DRAL is required for the pro-apoptotic activity of Ptc both in immortalized cells and during neural tube development in chick embryos. We demonstrate that, in the absence of Shh, Ptc recruits a protein complex that includes DRAL, one of the caspase recruitment (CARD)-domain containing proteins TUCAN (family member, 8) or NALP1 (NLR family, pyrin domain containing 1) and apical caspase-9. Ptc triggers caspase-9 activation and enhances cell death through a caspase-9-dependent mechanism. Thus, we propose that in the absence of its ligand Shh the dependence receptor Ptc serves as the anchor for a caspase-activating complex that includes DRAL, and caspase-9.
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PMID:The Patched dependence receptor triggers apoptosis through a DRAL-caspase-9 complex. 1946 23