IMR Press / FBL / Volume 29 / Issue 1 / DOI: 10.31083/j.fbl2901041
Open Access Original Research
Gene Editing and Small Molecule Inhibitors of the RNA Binding Protein IGF2BP2/IMP2 Show its Potential as an Anti-Cancer Drug Target
Show Less
1 Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Biology, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
2 Department of Genetics, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
3 Department of Drug Design and Optimization, Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
4 Halle Research Centre for Drug Therapy (HRCDT), 06120 Halle, Germany
5 Institute of Pharmacy, Experimental Pharmacology for Natural Sciences, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06120 Halle, Germany
6 Center for Gender-Specific Biology and Medicine (CGBM), 66421 Homburg, Germany
*Correspondence: pharm.bio.kiemer@mx.uni-saarland.de (Alexandra K. Kiemer)
Front. Biosci. (Landmark Ed) 2024, 29(1), 41; https://doi.org/10.31083/j.fbl2901041
Submitted: 24 July 2023 | Revised: 13 October 2023 | Accepted: 26 October 2023 | Published: 23 January 2024
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Targets in Anticancer Therapy)
Copyright: © 2024 The Author(s). Published by IMR Press.

This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.

Abstract

Background: The RNA-binding protein IGF2BP2/IMP2/VICKZ2/p62 is an oncofetal protein that is overexpressed in several cancer entities. Employing IMP2 knockout colorectal cancer cells, we could show the important role of IMP2 in several hallmarks of cancer. This study aimed to functionally characterize IMP2 in lung (A549, LLC1) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2, Huh7) cell lines to assess its role as a potential target for these cancer entities. Methods: IMP2 knockouts were generated by CRISPR/Cas9 and its variant approach prime editing; the editing efficiency of two single guide RNAs (sgRNAs) was verified via next-generation sequencing. We studied the effect of IMP2 knockout on cell proliferation, colony formation, and migration and employed small-molecule inhibitors of IMP2. Results: Despite multiple attempts, it was not possible to generate IMP2 biallelic knockouts in A549 and Huh7 cells. Both sgRNAs showed good editing efficiency. However, edited cells lost their ability to proliferate. The attempt to generate an IMP2 biallelic knockout in LLC1 cells using CRISPR/Cas9 was successful. Monoallelic knockout cell lines of IMP2 showed a reduction in 2D cell proliferation and reduced migration. In 3D cultures, a change in morphology from compact spheroids to loose aggregates and a distinct reduction in the colony formation ability of the IMP2 knockouts was observed, an effect that was mimicked by previously identified IMP2 inhibitor compounds that also showed an inhibitory effect on colony formation. Conclusions: Our in vitro target validation supports that IMP2 is essential for tumor cell proliferation, migration, and colony formation in several cancer entities.

Keywords
RNA binding protein
IGF2BP2/IMP2
CRISPR/Cas9
hallmarks of cancer
cell proliferation
colony formation
cell migration
live cell imaging
Funding
DFG, KI702/German Research Foundation
Figures
Fig. 1.
Share
Back to top