Multimerin-1 and cancer: a review

Abstract

Multimerin-1 (MMRN1) is a platelet protein with a role in haemostasis and coagulation. It is also present in endothelial cells and the extracellular matrix, where it may be involved in cell adhesion, but its molecular functions and protein-protein interactions in these cellular locations have not been studied in detail yet. In recent years, MMRN1 has been identified as a differentially expressed gene in various cancers and it has been proposed as a possible cancer biomarker. Some evidence suggests that MMRN1 expression is regulated by methylation, protein interactions, and non-coding RNAs in different cancers. This raises the questions if a functional role of MMRN1 is being targeted during cancer development, and if MMRN1’s differential expression pattern correlates with cancer progression. As a result, it is timely to review the current state of what is known about MMRN1 to help inform future research into MMRN1’s molecular mechanisms in cancer.

Acute stress modulates the outcome of traumatic brain injury‐associated gene expression and behavioral responses

“…Treatment of animals with TBI alone resulted in a different protein set being significantly upregulated or downregulated (Figure 5C,D). The downregulated proteins included serine/threonine‐protein kinase ATR (Atr, ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3‐related) and Multimerin 1 (Mmrn1), a protein localized in the extracellular matrix 51 . TBI upregulated the abundance of nucleoside diphosphate kinase A (GM20390, NME1), angiotensin I converting enzyme (Ace), inter‐alpha‐trypsin inhibitor heavy chain H4 (Itih4), collagen type 1 alpha 2 (Col1a2), ADP‐ribosylation factor 1 (Arf1), and proteoglycan 4 (Prg4; Figure 5C,D).…”

Parkinson’s disease risk enhancers in microglia

“…MMRN1 is mostly known to function in platelets to aid in coagulation, but there is limited understanding of its physiological functions. 35 Although the gene has been mostly studied in the context of cancer metastasis, a transcriptome-wide association analysis recently identified MMRN1 as a gene whose expression associates with PD risk. 36 MMRN1 genetic abnormalities have also been found in autosomal dominant PD.…”

A three‐gene leukaemic stem cell signature score is robustly prognostic in chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia

“…Multimerin-1 (MMRN1) belongs to the EMILIN/multimerin family and is a component of secretory granules in endothelial cells and platelets, which might mediate cellular adhesion. 13 Potential correlation between cellular adhesion and chemoresistance has been implicated in haematologic malignancies, 14 but its role in leukaemogenesis has not been directly studied. MMRN1 expression is modulated by methylation status, and defective DNA methylation (due to frequent TET2 mutations) is a hallmark of CMML pathobiology.…”

“…None of these three genes have been previously implicated in CMML, but each has previously been reported to have links to myeloid leukaemogenesis. Multimerin‐1 ( MMRN1 ) belongs to the EMILIN/multimerin family and is a component of secretory granules in endothelial cells and platelets, which might mediate cellular adhesion 13 . Potential correlation between cellular adhesion and chemoresistance has been implicated in haematologic malignancies, 14 but its role in leukaemogenesis has not been directly studied.…”