Modulation of Cellular Stress Response by the RB Tumor Suppressor Protein

McCarthy, Grace; Nicoletti, Jacquelyn

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Modulation of Cellular Stress Response by the RB Tumor Suppressor Protein

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The tumor suppressor protein RB (pRB) is primarily recognized for its regulation of the transition from G1 into the S phase of the cell cycle. RB exerts its function by binding to and inhibiting the E2F family of transcriptional regulators. Loss of RB results in unregulated entry into the cell cycle and aberrant proliferation. However, pRB has also been described to interact with hundreds of other proteins, and the relevance of such interactions remains unclear. Recent analysis of the RB protein interactome has identified over 300 RNA-interacting proteins that associate with RB, and which are also characterized as being involved in stress granule formation and function. Stress granules support cell survival during times of stress by assembling untranslated mRNAs to regulate signaling pathways and stress response. The putative interaction of RB with stress granule components raises the possibility that the RB tumor suppressor may additionally function within the stress response to contribute to or otherwise regulate stress granule formation. To test this possibility, our project has investigated whether RB co-localizes with components of stress granules in arsenite treated RPE-1 cells and the degree to which stress granule formation is sensitive to RB depletion. It is important to further investigate the role of RB in stress granule formation and stress response to fully understand RB’s functions going forward.

This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

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