Yaf9 protein is a S. cerevisiae protein involved in remodeling of chromatin structure but also in controlling stability of the yeast genome. Human ortholog of Yaf9 is called GAS41 and contain a structural domain called YEATS. This domain has been identified in several other human proteins, which comprised YEATS protein family: MLLT1/ENL, MLLT3/AF9 and BRDT. YEATS protein family members are involved in regulation of gene expression, yet their exact functions are not clear at the moment. However, their similarity to yeast Yaf9 suggested involvement in controlling genomic stability and possible importance for cancer development. Here we aimed to address this possibility and analyzed the levels of YEATS protein family transcripts in human cancer tissues and corresponding non-malignant tissues.

Data regarding levels of YEATS protein family transcripts have been extracted from global gene expression profiles obtained by mean of expression microarrays. We have examined datasets from Affymetrix microarrays analyzed in Institute of Oncology in Gliwice or present in publicly available databases. Analyses were performed on material from breast cancer, papillary thyroid cancer, bladder cancer, lung cancer, mesothelioma and melanoma, matched with corresponding non-malignant tissues. We have observed that expression of MLLT3/AF9 gene was two-fold lower in thyroid cancer as compared to non-cancerous thyroid. The change has a high statistical significance (p<0.000001). Some other cancer/control differences were also detected, however they didn’t have a high statistical significance. Additionally, we have analyzed levels of YEATS protein family transcripts in a dataset from ovary cancer samples. Higher levels of MLLT1/ENL and BRDT gene transcripts correlated with better responses to chemotherapy, yet statistical significance of the difference was only moderate (p=0.015 and p=0.029, respectively). Obtained data suggest that members of YEATS protein family might be involved in processes related to cancer, which needs to be further verified in more specific experiments.

This work was supported by the Ministry of Science, Grant PBZ-MIN-015/PO5/2004.

• Legal notice:
  

  Copyright (c) Pielaszek Research, all rights reserved.
  The above materials, including auxiliary resources, are subject to Publisher's copyright and the Author(s) intellectual rights. Without limiting Author(s) rights under respective Copyright Transfer Agreement, no part of the above documents may be reproduced without the express written permission of Pielaszek Research, the Publisher. Express permission from the Author(s) is required to use the above materials for academic purposes, such as lectures or scientific presentations.
  In every case, proper references including Author(s) name(s) and URL of this webpage: https://science24.com/paper/10858 must be provided.

1. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry analysis of blood serum proteins for the preparation for breast cancer biomarker discovery
2. Polymorphism of DNA repair genes as a cancer risk factor; comparison between head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and colon cancer
3. High Mobility Group proteins stimulate DNA cleavage by apoptotic endonuclease DFF40/CAD due to HMG-box interactions with DNA
4. Using yeast two-hybrid system to identify novel proteins putatively interacting with the apoptotic nuclease DFF40/CAD