Page 14 - ebook

[B. Cell Biology/Stem Cell] B-7

Novel ER integral membrane protein SURF4 promotes

oncogenic transformation via ERK activation

Munju Kwon¹, Suyeon Woo¹, Jayoung Kim¹, Hee-Sun Choi¹, Dongjun Lee¹*

¹Department of Convergence Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50612, Korea

SURF4 encodes for conserved ER integral membrane protein containing multiple putative transmembrane regions.
SURF4 is a cargo receptor that promotes protein secretion, transport, and ER export. Previous studies reported that

SURF4 has been involved in maintaining the normal structure of the endoplasmic reticulum - Golgi compartment
(ERGIC) and Golgi, and regulates store-operated Ca²⁺ entry (SOCE). It has also been reported to be involved in the

replication of viruses. In one of the previous studies, the SURF4 protein was discovered through in silico analysis of
Kaplan-Meier survival curves in pan-cancer patients. We found that by modulating the SURF4 levels, normal cells

were transformed into tumor cells and it affected cell migration in vitro. SURF4 also promotes oncogenic
transformation in vivo. Here, we further investigated the function and role of SURF4 with oncogenic potential in

human cancer cell lines and reported that SURF4 overexpression regulates MEK or ERK activation in various solid
cancer cell lines, including breast cancer, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, and colorectal cancer. These studies

revealed a novel molecular basis for positive regulators of MEK-ERK activation signals in solid cancer cells.