RGS expression in cancer: oncomining the cancer microarray data

AbstractHeterotrimeric G proteins mediate myriads of cell functions including control of cancer cell proliferation and migration. The family of the Regulators of G protein Signaling (RGS) proteins, in turn, controls the activity of G proteins through the acceleration of GTPase activity of the alpha subunits of G proteins. Increasing evidence suggest that the expression of certain RGS proteins is changed dramatically in various cancers, and in some instances, the control of cancer cell proliferation or migration by RGS proteins has been demonstrated. We assessed if common trends might exist in the expression of various RGS proteins in several types of cancer by examining microarray data using the Oncomine database. We focused on the largest R4 sub-family of RGS proteins, containing RGS1, RGS2, RGS3, RGS4, RGS5, RGS8, RGS13, RGS16 and RGS18. This analysis suggests that a number (up to 6) of RGS transcripts are exclusively downregulated in certain cancers, while being exclusively upregulated in other cancer ...