This proposal seeks competitive renewal of the grant GM052872, which has been supporting our basic research on SR protein-specific kinases in the past two decades. In light of our recent discoveries that SRPKs are largely responsible for transducing growth factor signaling to regulate alternative splicing in mammalian cells, and SRPK1 is able to act either as an oncogene or tumor suppressor by regulating the recruitment of a critical Akt-specific phosphatase PHLPP1, we are in a unique position to attack novel tumorigenic mechanisms associated with altered SRPK1 function. As SRPK1 is the major kinase for SR proteins in most tissues (SRPK2 is restricted to the nerve system), we propose to focus in specific aim 1 on investigating its role in the transition from initial cell senescence to transformation. The proposed studies will determine its regulatory function on a recently elucidated ternary complex consisting of SRSF1 (an SR protein), MDM2 (an E3 ligase for p53), and RPL5 (a 60S ribosomal protein) to test the hypothesis that SRPK1 regulates the formation of the ternary complex to control the release of MDM2 from the complex to induce p53 destabilization. Given the synergy of the splicing kinase with other oncogenic signals observed on cellular models, we propose to determine such synergy in vivo by developing animal models in specific aim 2. We also propose to explore the biological significance of SRPK1 mutations on Akt-induced phosphorylation sites identified by the TCGA project. In the third specific aim, we propose to pursue a new chemical strategy to block SRPK1 because of new evidence that SRPK1 may be a key cancer target and characterization of a new SRPK1 inhibitor has generated a larger set of exciting results to suggest a great potential in developing the inhibitor as an effective anti-cancer agent. The proposed experiments in this aim will use the chemical tool to probe the mechanism of cancer signaling on the cell and animal models developed in the first two aims.

Public Health Relevance

This grant will focus on SR protein-specific kinases (SRPKs) in transducing cellular signaling to the nucleus to regulate alternative pre-mRNA splicing. Given our recent discoveries that SRPKs are responsible for growth signal-regulated splicing and aberrant SRPK expression is linked to diverse cancers in humans, we propose to attack a series of fundamental questions in cancer etiology and progression, which is highly relevant to the general mission of NIH.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01GM052872-19
Application #
9474127
Study Section
Molecular Genetics A Study Section (MGA)
Program Officer
Bender, Michael T
Project Start
1996-05-01
Project End
2020-04-30
Budget Start
2018-05-01
Budget End
2019-04-30
Support Year
19
Fiscal Year
2018
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of California, San Diego
Department
Other Basic Sciences
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
804355790
City
La Jolla
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
92093
Zhang, Kai; Zhang, Xiaorong; Cai, Zhiqiang et al. (2018) A novel class of microRNA-recognition elements that function only within open reading frames. Nat Struct Mol Biol 25:1019-1027
Chen, Liang; Chen, Jia-Yu; Huang, Yi-Jou et al. (2018) The Augmented R-Loop Is a Unifying Mechanism for Myelodysplastic Syndromes Induced by High-Risk Splicing Factor Mutations. Mol Cell 69:412-425.e6
Zhou, Zhihong; Qiu, Jinsong; Liu, Wen et al. (2018) The Akt-SRPK-SR Axis Constitutes a Major Pathway in Transducing EGF Signaling to Regulate Alternative Splicing in the Nucleus. Mol Cell 71:872
Hatcher, John M; Wu, Guowei; Zeng, Chuyue et al. (2018) SRPKIN-1: A Covalent SRPK1/2 Inhibitor that Potently Converts VEGF from Pro-angiogenic to Anti-angiogenic Isoform. Cell Chem Biol 25:460-470.e6
Fu, Xiang-Dong (2017) Both sides of the same coin: Rac1 splicing regulating by EGF signaling. Cell Res 27:455-456
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Jiang, Li; Shao, Changwei; Wu, Qi-Jia et al. (2017) NEAT1 scaffolds RNA-binding proteins and the Microprocessor to globally enhance pri-miRNA processing. Nat Struct Mol Biol 24:816-824
Gou, Lan-Tao; Kang, Jun-Yan; Dai, Peng et al. (2017) Ubiquitination-Deficient Mutations in Human Piwi Cause Male Infertility by Impairing Histone-to-Protamine Exchange during Spermiogenesis. Cell 169:1090-1104.e13
Fu, Xiang-Dong (2017) Exploiting the Hidden Treasure of Detained Introns. Cancer Cell 32:393-395
Aubol, Brandon E; Wu, Guowei; Keshwani, Malik M et al. (2016) Release of SR Proteins from CLK1 by SRPK1: A Symbiotic Kinase System for Phosphorylation Control of Pre-mRNA Splicing. Mol Cell 63:218-228

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