N-myc Down-Regulates Activin A

Author： Breit S. Rössler J. Fotsis T. Schweigerer L.

Publisher： Elsevier

ISSN： 0006-291X

Source： Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Vol.274, Iss.2, 2000-08, pp. : 405-409

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Abstract

N-myc oncogene amplification is frequent in human neuroblastoma and predicts poor prognosis, but the molecular consequences have remained obscure. We report here that enhanced N-myc expression correlates with low or undetectable expression of activin A, but not other closely related members of the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily. N-myc interacts with the activin A promoter, eventually inducing down-regulation of activin A mRNA and protein. This study demonstrates for the first time N-myc-induced down-regulation of a gene implicated in signal transduction. Down-regulation of activin A could deprive neuroblastomas from a signal with growth-inhibitory activities toward the tumor and its stroma and thereby permit neuroblastoma progression.