SOX11 and HIG-2 are cross-regulated and affect growth in mantle cell lymphoma

Abstract

The transcriptional factor SOX11 is a disease-defining antigen in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and absent in most non-malignant tissues. To explore the role of SOX11-related cell signaling, and potentially take benefit from these for targeted therapy, associated networks and proteins need to be defined. In this study, we used an inducible SOX11 knock-down system followed by gene expression analysis to identify co-regulated genes and associated signaling pathways. A limited number (n = 27) of significantly co-regulated genes were identified, including SETMAR, HIG-2, and CD24. Further analysis confirmed co-regulation of SOX11 with HIG-2 and CD24 at the protein level. Of major interest, knock-down of HIG-2 reduced SOX11 levels and increased proliferation, the proteins are thus cross-regulated. HIG-2 was localized at the plasma cell membrane in both cell lines and primary MCL cells, and could potentially be of interest for targeted therapy.

Keywords:

• SOX11
• HIG-2
• SETMAR and CD24

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Kristina Lövgren for all her help and support with IHC stainings. The study was supported by the Lund Institute of Technology (LTH), Cancerfonden, Vetenskapsrådet, Crafoord foundation, BioCARE – a strategic program for Cancer Research at Lund and Gothenburg Universities and CREATE Health.

Potential conflict of interest

Disclosure forms provided by the authors are available with the full text of this article at http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/10428194.2015.1121257.