| First Author | Jung YS | Year | 2018 |
| Journal | Nat Cell Biol | Volume | 20 |
| Issue | 12 | Pages | 1421-1433 |
| PubMed ID | 30374053 | Mgi Jnum | J:268691 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6271361 | Doi | 10.1038/s41556-018-0219-8 |
| Citation | Jung YS, et al. (2018) TMEM9 promotes intestinal tumorigenesis through vacuolar-ATPase-activated Wnt/beta-catenin signalling. Nat Cell Biol 20(12):1421-1433 |
| abstractText | Vesicular acidification and trafficking are associated with various cellular processes. However, their pathologic relevance to cancer remains elusive. We identified transmembrane protein 9 (TMEM9) as a vesicular acidification regulator. TMEM9 is highly upregulated in colorectal cancer. Proteomic and biochemical analyses show that TMEM9 binds to and facilitates assembly of vacuolar-ATPase (v-ATPase), a vacuolar proton pump, resulting in enhanced vesicular acidification and trafficking. TMEM9-v-ATPase hyperactivates Wnt/beta-catenin signalling via lysosomal degradation of adenomatous polyposis coli (APC). Moreover, TMEM9 transactivated by beta-catenin functions as a positive feedback regulator of Wnt signalling in colorectal cancer. Genetic ablation of TMEM9 inhibits colorectal cancer cell proliferation in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo mouse models. Moreover, administration of v-ATPase inhibitors suppresses intestinal tumorigenesis of APC mouse models and human patient-derived xenografts. Our results reveal the unexpected roles of TMEM9-controlled vesicular acidification in hyperactivating Wnt/beta-catenin signalling through APC degradation, and propose the blockade of TMEM9-v-ATPase as a viable option for colorectal cancer treatment. |
