H-REV107-1 , a known member of the class II tumor suppressor gene family , is involved in the regulation of differentiation and survival. We analyzed H-REV107-1 in non-small cell lung carcinomas , in normal lung , and in immortalized and tumor-derived cell lines. Sixty-eight percent of lung tumors revealed positive H-REV107-1-specific staining. Furthermore , survival analysis demonstrated a significant association of cytoplasmic H-REV107-1 with decreased patient survival. This suggested that H-REV107-1 , known as a tumor suppressor , plays a different role in non-small cell lung carcinomas. Knock-down of H-REV107-1 expression in lung carcinoma cells inhibited anchorage-dependent and anchorage-independent growth whereas overexpression of H-REV107-1 induced tumor cell proliferation. Consistent with results of the survival analysis , cytoplasmic localization of the protein was essential for this growth-inducing function. Analysis of signaling pathways potentially involved in this process demonstrated that overexpression of H-REV107-1 stimulated RAS-GTPase activity , ERK1 ,2 phosphorylation, and caveolin-1 expression in the cell lines analyzed. These results indicate that H-REV107-1 is deficient in its function as a tumor suppressor in nonsmall cell lung carcinomas and is required for proliferation and anchorage-independent growth in cells expressing high levels of the protein, thus contributing to tumor progression in a subset of non-small cell lung carcinomas.

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