Imprinted gene identification in animals has been limited to eutherian mammals, suggesting a significant role for intrauterine fetal development in the evolution of imprinting. We report herein that M6P/IGF2R is not imprinted in monotremes and does not encode for a receptor that binds IGF2. In contrast, M6P/IGF2R is imprinted in a didelphid marsupial, the opossum, but it strikingly lacks the differentially methylated CpG island in intron 2 postulated to be involved in imprint control. Thus, invasive placentation and gestational fetal growth are not required for imprinted genes to evolve. Unless there was convergent evolution of M6P/ IGF2R imprinting and receptor IGF2 binding in marsupials and eutherians, our results also demonstrate that these two functions evolved in a mammalian clade exclusive of monotremes.

Amino acid sequences deduced from rat complementary DNA clones encoding the insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) receptor closely resemble those of the bovine cation-independent mannose-6-phosphate receptor (Man-6-P receptorCI), suggesting they are identical structures. It is also shown that IGF-II receptors are adsorbed by immobilized pentamannosyl-6-phosphate and are specifically eluted with Man-6-P. Furthermore, Man-6-P specifically increases by about two times the apparent affinity of the purified rat placental receptor for 125I-labeled IGF-II. These results indicate that the type II IGF receptor contains cooperative, high-affinity binding sites for both IGF-II and Man-6-P-containing proteins.

Human prostatic acid phosphatase (PAcP) was used as a valuable surrogate marker for monitoring prostate cancer prior to the availability of prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Even though the level of PAcP is increased in the circulation of prostate cancer patients, its intracellular level and activity are greatly diminished in prostate cancer cells. Recent advances in understanding the function of the cellular form of PAcP (cPAcP) have shed some light on its role in prostate carcinogenesis, which may have potential applications for prostate cancer therapy. It is now evident that cPAcP functions as a neutral protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) in prostate cancer cells and dephosphorylates HER-2/ErbB-2/Neu (HER-2: human epidermal growth factor receptor-2) at the phosphotyrosine (p-Tyr) residues. Dephosphorylation of HER-2 at its p-Tyr residues results in the down-regulation of its specific activity, which leads to decreases in growth and tumorigenicity of those cancer cells. Conversely, decreased cPAcP expression correlates with hyperphosphorylation of HER-2 at tyrosine residues and activation of downstream extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling, which results in prostate cancer progression as well as androgenindependent growth of prostate cancer cells. These in vitro results on the effect of cPAcP on androgen-independent growth of prostate cancer cells corroborate the clinical findings that cPAcP level is greatly decreased in advanced prostate cancer and provide insights into one of the molecular mechanisms involved in prostate cancer progression. Results from experiments using xenograft animal models further indicate a novel role of cPAcP as a tumor suppressor. Future studies are warranted to clarify the use of cPAcP as a therapeutic agent in human prostate cancer patients.

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The insulin-like growth factor-II/mannose-6-phosphate (IGF-II/M6P) receptor is a single-pass transmembrane glycoprotein that plays an important role in the intracellular trafficking of lysosomal enzymes and endocytosis-mediated degradation of IGF-II. However, its role in signal transduction after IGF-II binding remains unclear. In the present study, we report that IGF-II/M6P receptor in the rat brain is coupled to a G-protein and that its activation by Leu

The insulin-like growth factor II/mannose 6-phosphate receptor (IGF2R) interacts with lysosomal enzymes through two binding domains in its extracytoplasmic domain. We report in the accompanying article (Byrd, J. C., and MacDonald, R. G. (2000) J. Biol. Chem. 275, 18638 -18646) that only one of the two extracytoplasmic mannose 6-phosphate (Man-6-P) binding domains is necessary for high affinity Man-6-P ligand binding, suggesting that, like the cation-dependent Man-6-P receptor, oligomerization of the IGF2R contributes to high affinity interaction with lysosomal enzymes. In the present study, we have directly characterized both naturally occurring and engineered forms of the IGF2R for their ability to form oligomeric structures. Whereas gel filtration chromatography suggested that purified bovine IGF2R species exist in a monomeric form, native gel electrophoresis allowed for the separation of dimeric and monomeric forms of the receptors with distinct phosphomannosyl ligand binding characteristics. The ability of the IGF2R to form oligomeric complexes was confirmed and localized to the extracytoplasmic domain through the use of epitope-tagged soluble IGF2R constructs bearing deletions of the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains. Finally, chimeric receptors were engineered containing the extracytoplasmic and transmembrane domains of the IGF2R fused to the cytoplasmic domain of the epidermal growth factor receptor with which dimerization of the chimeras could be monitored by measuring autophosphorylation. Collectively, these results show that the IGF2R is capable of forming oligomeric complexes, most likely dimers, in the absence of Man-6-P ligands.

In some cellular systems, particularly neurons, amyloid precursor-like-protein 2 (APLP2), and its highly homologous family member amyloid precursor protein (APP), have been linked to cellular growth. APLP2 and APP undergo regulated intramembrane proteolysis to produce C-terminal fragments. In this study, we found comprehensive expression of APLP2 C-terminal fragments in a panel of pancreatic cancer cell lines; however, APP C-terminal fragments were notably limited to the BxPC3 cell line. Extensive glycosaminoglycan modification on APLP2 was also found in the majority of pancreatic cancer cell lines. Glycosaminoglycan-modified and -unmodified APLP2, and particularly APLP2 C-terminal fragments, also demonstrated increased expression in oncogene-transformed pancreatic ductal cells. Additionally, elevated APLP2 levels were confirmed in human pancreatic cancer tissue. Furthermore, down-regulation of APLP2 and APP expression, alone or in combination, caused a decrease in the growth of a pancreatic cancer cell line with representatively low APP C-terminal fragment expression, the S2-013 cell line. Furthermore, we found that treatment with β-secretase inhibitors to block formation of APLP2 C-terminal fragments decreased the growth and viability of S2-013 cells, without affecting the survival of a non-transformed pancreatic ductal cell line. In conclusion, our studies demonstrate that abundant APLP2, but not APP, C-terminal fragment expression is conserved in pancreatic cancer cell lines; however, APP and APLP2 equally regulated the growth of S2-013 pancreatic cancer cells. Chiefly, our discoveries establish a role for APLP2 in the growth of pancreatic cancer cells, and show that inhibitors preventing APLP2 cleavage reduce the viability of pancreatic cancer cells.

The components of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) axis and their roles in regulating proliferation and differentiation of the human colon adenocarcinoma cell line, Caco-2, have been investigated. Caco-2 cells proliferated in serum-free medium at 75% the rate observed in medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum. IGF-I (10 nM) increased Caco-2 cell growth in serum-free medium, but not to the rate seen with serum. Multiple IGF-II mRNA species were produced by Caco-2 cells, but IGF-I mRNA was undetectable. Secretion of radioimmunoassayable IGF-II corresponded with steady-state levels of IGF-II mRNA, neither of which was observed to change markedly over the course of 16 days of Caco-2 cell differentiation. Levels of sucrase-isomaltase mRNA, a marker for enterocytic differentiation, increased 12-fold between days 5 and 16 of culture. Northern blotting of total RNA and ligand blot and immunoblot analyses of serum-free conditioned medium revealed that Caco-2 cells produce several IGF binding proteins (IGFBPs), including IGFBP-2, -3, and -4, as well as a 31,000 M(r) species that was not identified. The pattern of IGFBP secretion changed dramatically during Caco-2 cell differentiation: IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-2 increased 8.5-fold and 5-fold, respectively, whereas IGFBP-4 and the 31,000 M(r) species decreased 43% and 90%. Caco-2 cell clones stably transfected with a human IGFBP-4 cDNA construct exhibited a 60% increase in steady-state level of IGFBP-4 mRNA, and secreted twice as much IGFBP-4 protein as controls. Moreover, IGFBP-4-overexpressing cells proliferated at only 25% the rate of control cells in serum-free medium, in conjunction with a 70% increase in expression of sucrase-isomaltase. In summary, these studies indicate that a complex IGF axis is involved in autocrine regulation of Caco-2 cell proliferation and differentiation.