Definition: RASSF1A tumor suppressor functions as a regulator of the ordered proteolytic steps that organize mitosis. By controlling the stability of microtubules and the activity of the anaphase-promoting complex (APC), RASSF1A might provide a crucial link between mechanisms of tumor suppression and mitotic cell division.
BUB1B and RASSF1A genes play specific roles in the mitotic checkpoint, and their defects may cause chromosome instability or aneuploidy in mouse fibroblasts and human cancer cell lines; however, few studies have reported a correlation between defects in these genes and chromosome changes in human tumor samples.
Pathology
Frequent promoter hypermethylation of RASSF1A and CASP8 in neuroblastoma (17064406)
References
Haruta M, Matsumoto Y, Izumi H, Watanabe N, Fukuzawa M, Matsuura S, Kaneko Y. Combined BubR1 protein down-regulation and RASSF1A hypermethylation in Wilms tumors with diverse cytogenetic changes. Mol Carcinog. 2008 Feb 19; PMID: 18286482
Lazcoz P, Munoz J, Nistal M, Pestana A, Encio I, Castresana JS. Frequent promoter hypermethylation of RASSF1A and CASP8 in neuroblastoma. BMC Cancer. 2006 Oct 25;6:254. PMID: 17064406
Cox A, Dunning AM, Garcia-Closas M, Balasubramanian S, Reed MW et al. ; A common coding variant in CASP8 is associated with breast cancer risk. Nat Genet. 2007 Feb 11; PMID: 17293864
Agathanggelou A, Cooper WN, Latif F. Role of the Ras-association domain family 1 tumor suppressor gene in human cancers. Cancer Res. 2005 May 1;65(9):3497-508. PMID: 15867337
Jackson PK. Linking tumor suppression, DNA damage and the anaphase-promoting complex. Trends Cell Biol. 2004 Jul;14(7):331-4. PMID: 15246424
Harada K, Toyooka S, Maitra A, Maruyama R, Toyooka KO, Timmons CF, Tomlinson GE, Mastrangelo D, Hay RJ, Minna JD, Gazdar AF. Aberrant promoter methylation and silencing of the RASSF1A gene in pediatric tumors and cell lines. Oncogene. 2002 Jun 20;21(27):4345-9. PMID: 12082624