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Changes in ribosome composition occur during EMT, a key player in the onset of metastasis
Publié le 06/12/2024
Changes in ribosome composition occur during EMT, a key player in the onset of metastasis
In a study published on December 5 in the PNAS1 journal , Virginie Marcel, Inserm Researcher in the “Ribosome, translation and cancer” team, and her collaborator Olivier Namy, CNRS Researcher at I2BC, have shown that the composition of the ribosome, an essential player in the translation of messenger RNAs into proteins, is altered during the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a phase of cell morphological transition that plays a detrimental role in tumor progression, giving cancer cells the ability to disseminate and metastasize.
EMT is a biological process by which a cell loses its usual characteristics and acquires properties that enable it to move. Involved in embryo formation and tissue repair in adults, EMT can also contribute to the formation of fibrosis or, in the case of tumor cells, metastasis. In cancer, this change is comparable to a cellular metamorphosis that enables cancer cells to become more aggressive and resistant to treatment. The EMT is therefore a key player in tumor progression. While the functioning of the EMT has already been extensively studied at the cellular and molecular levels, Virginie Marcel and her colleagues have now turned their attention to the translational changes that overtake it.
The results of this study show that ribosome plasticity is an essential factor in the development of EMT. In fact, the results show that ribosome composition is modified during this phase, with a particular increase in a ribosomal protein called RPL36A. Overexpression of this protein alone proved sufficient to induce EMT in cultured epithelial cells.
This study therefore demonstrates the crucial role of ribosome reprogramming in translation processes, and potentially opens up new therapeutic avenues targeting the onset of metastasis.
1 Intricate ribosome composition and translational reprogramming in epithelial–mesenchymal transition, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 121 (50) e2408114121, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2408114121 (2024).