The Role of MIZ-1 in MYC-Dependent Tumorigenesis

A hallmark of MYC-transformed cells is their aberrant response to antimitogenic signals. Key examples include the inability of MYC-transformed cells to arrest proliferation in response to antimitogenic signals such as TGF-beta or DNA damage and their inability to differentiate into adipocytes in response to hormonal stimuli. Given the plethora of antimitogenic signals to which a tumor cell is exposed, it is likely that the ability to confer resistance to these signals is central to the transforming properties of MYC in vivo. At the same time, the inability of MYC-transformed cells to halt cell-cycle progression on stress may establish a dependence on mutations that impair or disable apoptosis. We propose that the interaction of MYC with the zinc finger protein MIZ-1 mediates resistance to antimitogenic signals. In contrast to other interactions of MYC, there is currently little evidence that MIZ-1 associates with MYC in normal, unperturbed cells. The functional interaction of both proteins becomes apparent at oncogenic expression levels of MYC and association with MIZ-1 mediates both oncogenic functions of MYC as well as tumor-suppressive responses to oncogenic levels of MYC.