The type I transmembrane protein with epidermal growth factor and two follistatin motifs 2 (TMEFF2) is expressed in brain and prostate and overexpressed in prostate cancer, but its role in this disease is unclear. Several studies have suggested that TMEFF2 plays a role in suppressing the growth and invasive potential of human cancer cells, whereas others suggest that the shed portion of TMEFF2, which lacks the cytoplasmic region, has a growth-promoting activity. Here we show that TMEFF2 has a dual mode of action. Ectopic expression of wild-type fulllength TMEFF2 inhibits soft agar colony formation, cellular invasion, and migration and increases cellular sensitivity to apoptosis. However, expression of the ectodomain portion of TMEFF2 increases cell proliferation. Using affinity chromatography and mass spectrometry, we identify sarcosine dehydrogenase (SARDH), the enzyme that converts sarcosine to glycine, as a TMEFF2-interacting protein. Co-immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence analysis confirms the interaction of SARDH with full-length TMEFF2. The ectodomain does not bind to SARDH. Moreover, expression of the full-length TMEFF2 but not the ectodomain results in a decreased level of sarcosine in the cells. These results suggest that the tumor suppressor activity of TMEFF2 requires the cytoplasmic/transmembrane portion of the protein and correlates with its ability to bind to SARDH and to modulate the level of sarcosine.The transmembrane protein with an epidermal growth factor and two follistatin motifs 2 (TMEFF2) 3 is an evolutionarily conserved type I transmembrane protein expressed in the embryo (1, 2) and selectively in the adult brain and prostate (3-5). The extracellular (ecto-) domain can be cleaved from the membrane in an ADAM17/␥-secretase-dependent fashion (6, 7) and consists of an epidermal growth factor-like motif and two follistatin motifs. The cytoplasmic domain contains a potential G-protein activation motif (2). A critical role for this protein in tumorigenesis is suggested by the fact that it is upregulated in a significant fraction of primary and metastatic prostate tumors (3)(4)(5)8). In fact, ectopic expression or the addition of purified recombinant TMEFF2 ectodomain promotes neuronal cell survival (9), cell growth (6), and phosphorylation of erbB4 and ERK1/2 (2, 6). However, it has also been suggested that TMEFF2 functions as a tumor suppressor because ectopic expression of full-length TMEFF2 demonstrates in vitro antiproliferative effects (4, 10) and suppresses tumor growth in vivo in nude mouse xenografts (10). Consistent with a tumor suppressor activity, Tmeff2 has been shown to be hypermethylated in a number of cancer types (Refs. 11-16 and references therein), and the Tmeff2 promoter is repressed by c-Myc (17).Recently, sarcosine, a glycine derivative, was identified as a potential marker of prostate cancer progression (18). Sarcosine levels were highest in metastatic cancer, and in urine, its levels were higher in men with prostate cancer than in controls. Importantly, using cell ...

The type I transmembrane protein with epidermal growth factor and two follistatin motifs 2 (TMEFF2), is expressed mainly in brain and prostate. Expression of TMEFF2 is deregulated in prostate cancer, suggesting a role in this disease, but the molecular mechanism(s) involved in this effect are not clear. Although androgens promote tmeff2 transcription, androgen delivery to castrated animals carrying CWR22 xenografts increases TMEFF2 protein levels in the absence of mRNA changes, suggesting that TMEFF2 may also be post-transcriptionally regulated. Here we show that translation of TMEFF2 is regulated by androgens. Addition of physiological concentrations of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) to prostate cancer cell lines increases translation of endogenous TMEFF2 or transfected TMEFF2-Luciferase fusions, and this effect requires the presence of upstream open reading frames (uORFs) in the 5′-untranslated region (5′-UTR) of TMEFF2. Using chemical and siRNA inhibition of the androgen receptor (AR), we show that the androgen effect on TMEFF2 translation is mediated by the AR. Importantly, DHT also promotes phosphorylation of the α subunit of the translation initiation factor 2 (eIF2α) in an AR-dependent manner, paralleling the effect on TMEFF2 translation. Moreover, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress conditions, which promote eIF2α phosphorylation, also stimulate TMEFF2 translation. These results indicate that androgen signaling promotes eIF2α phosphorylation and subsequent translation of TMEFF2 via a mechanism that requires uORFs in the 5′-UTR of TMEFF2.

BACKGROUND Previous results from our lab indicate a tumor suppressor role for the transmembrane protein with epidermal growth factor and two follistatin motifs 2 (TMEFF2) in prostate cancer (PCa). Here, we further characterize this role and uncover new functions for TMEFF2 in cancer and adult prostate regeneration. METHODS The role of TMEFF2 was examined in PCa cells using Matrigel™ cultures and allograft models of PCa cells. In addition, we developed a transgenic mouse model that expresses TMEFF2 from a prostate specific promoter. Anatomical, histological and metabolic characterizations of the transgenic mouse prostate were conducted. The effect of TMEFF2 in prostate regeneration was studied by analyzing branching morphogenesis in the TMEFF2-expressing mouse lobes and alterations in branching morphogenesis were correlated with the metabolomic profiles of the mouse lobes. The role of TMEFF2 in prostate tumorigenesis in whole animals was investigated by crossing the TMEFF2 transgenic mice with the TRAMP mouse model of PCa and analyzing the histopathological changes in the progeny. RESULTS Ectopic expression of TMEFF2 impairs growth of PCa cells in Matrigel or allograft models. Surprisingly, while TMEFF2 expression in the TRAMP mouse did not have a significant effect on the glandular prostate epithelial lesions, the double TRAMP/TMEFF2 transgenic mice displayed an increased incidence of neuroendocrine type tumors. In addition, TMEFF2 promoted increased branching specifically in the dorsal lobe of the prostate suggesting a potential role in developmental processes. These results correlated with data indicating an alteration in the metabolic profile of the dorsal lobe of the transgenic TMEFF2 mice. CONCLUSIONS Collectively, our results confirm the tumor suppressor role of TMEFF2 and suggest that ectopic expression of TMEFF2 in mouse prostate leads to additional lobe-specific effects in prostate regeneration and tumorigenesis. This points to a complex and multifunctional role for TMEFF2 during PCa progression.

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Tmeff2 is a gene with an expression profile limited to the brain and the prostate but shown to be frequently upregulated in prostate cancer. It encodes a type I transmembrane protein with a short cytoplasmic tail containing a potential G-protein activation domain and an extracellular domain containing two follistatin (FS) modules and an epidermal growth factor-like (EGF) domain. Although these features are suggestive of a function in signal transduction, the role of the Tmeff2 in prostate cancer, or the mechanism(s) that lead to its overexpression during the disease are unclear. In the present study, we evaluated the functional role of Tmeff2 in prostate tumorigenesis. To investigate the function of the gene, Tmeff2 was overexpressed in TRAMP C1 murine prostate cancer cells and HEK293T cells, and the effects of overexpression on cellular growth and tumorigenicity were assessed. Tmeff2 overexpression in HEK293T cells almost completely abolished the ability of these cells to form colonies in soft agar and resulted in a 20-30% reduction in proliferation rates in these and TRAMP C1 cells, indicating that the gene may function as a tumor suppressor in prostate cancer cells. Moreover, although TMEFF2 overexpression alone did not induce apoptosis, it sensitized these cell lines to staurosporine or rapamycin-induced apoptosis, causing nearly a three-fold increase in the percentage of apoptotic cells. In order to assess the molecular mechanism(s) by which Tmeff2 may suppress cellular growth and tumorigenicity, we screened Tmeff2 affinity complexes by mass spectrometry to search for candidate functional partner(s) of Tmeff2. Our results showed an interaction with Sarcosine Dehydrogenase (SARDH) an enzyme involved in the metabolism of sarcosine. This interaction was further confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation analysis. Importantly, sarcosine has recently been described as a biomarker for prostate cancer as it was shown to be highly increased in prostate and metastatic prostate cancer. In addition, it may also play a role in the biology of the cancer since it promotes cell invasion when added to benign prostate epithelial cells. In summary, the results presented here suggest that Tmeff2 functions as a tumor suppressor for prostate cancer. Its interaction with SARDH may represent a mechanism by which Tmeff2 modulates tumorigenicity by altering the levels of sarcosine. Further analyses are necessary to determine the value of Tmeff2 as a prognostic marker. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3059.