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J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 277, Issue 41, 38803-38809, October 11, 2002

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 277/41/38803    most recent M205358200v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Locascio, A. Articles by Nieto, M. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Locascio, A. Articles by Nieto, M. A. Social Bookmarking                      What's this?

Biological Potential of a Functional Human SNAIL Retrogene^*

Annamaria Locascio, Sonia Vega^§, Cristina A. de Frutos, Miguel Manzanares^¶, and M. Angela Nieto

From the Instituto Cajal, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Av. Doctor Arce 37, 28002 Madrid, Spain

Snail genes encode zinc finger transcription factors required for the development of vertebrate and invertebrate embryos. They trigger epithelial to mesenchymal transitions (EMTs), thereby allowing epithelial cells to emigrate from their place of origin and form tissues such as the mesoderm and the neural crest. Snail genes are also involved in the EMTs responsible for the acquisition of invasiveness during tumor progression. This aspect of their activity is associated with their ability to directly repress E-cadherin transcription. Here we describe the existence of an active human Snail retrogene, inserted within an intron of a novel evolutionarily conserved gene and expressed in different human tissues and cell lines. Functional analyses in cell culture show that this retrogene maintains the potential to induce EMTs, conferring migratory and invasive properties to epithelial cells. In light of this data, we have renamed it SNAIL-like, a new player that must be considered in both physiological and pathological studies of SNAIL function in humans.

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