Jade Reid
Gab Proteins and RON-mediated Signaling
RON, (recepteur d’ origine nantais), is a receptor tyrosine kinase that can cause the increased growth, invasion and metastasis of tumors when over expressed in breast epithelial cells. When phosphorylated by the ligand Macrophage-Stimulating Protein, (MSP), RON signals the Gab adaptor proteins, Gab1 and possibly Gab2. These proteins then heighten cellular signaling, which may contribute to cellular transformation. Gab1 is necessary to carry on cellular processes and when compared to normally functioning breast epithelial cells it is not over expressed in breast cancer carcinomas. However, studies with v-Sea, a RON homolog found in chickens, reveal that Gab 2 influences the transformation of fibroblasts. The current study uses western blotting and immunofluorescence techniques with MCF10A and cos1 cell lines to explore how the Gab adaptor proteins contribute to RON-mediated signaling. I hypothesize that Gab2 is the dominating protein, but Gab1 is also necessary to induce the progression of cancer cells. Insight into how Gab1 and/or Gab 2, work together to cause the transformation, proliferation, and metastasis of normal cells will provide a potential target in the treatment of breast cancer carcinomas.