Fekadu Alemu
University of Science and Technology, Norway
Title: Expression and regulation of FSTL5 in multiple myeloma cells
Biography
Biography: Fekadu Alemu
Abstract
Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Trondheim, Norway.
Follistatin-like 5 (FSTL5) is an 847-amino acid, suggested secretory glycoprotein. The FSTL5 gene is composed of sixteen exons and the gene’s function is little known. FSTL5 is expressed by some myeloma cells and the gene has been suggested to play a role in multiple myeloma. Thus, the aim of this thesis was to find out more about FSTL5 expression and function in myeloma cells. In order to achieve our objectives, we have used these methods: Western blot, flow cytometry, and real time PCR quantification. Inhibitors of translation and autophagy, inhibitors of pathways positive for myeloma cell growth and survival, and different growth conditions were used to investigate the regulation of FSTL5 protein expression in myeloma cell lines. By Western blotting, we found two different protein bands that likely corresponded to FSTL5 protein. In general, conditions that were negative for the cell’s survival induced higher levels of a short variant of FSTL5 protein expression in myeloma cell lines. The increase in the short variant of FSTL5 during apoptotic conditions was inhibited by a general caspase inhibitor. We were not able to see a clear correlation between mRNA levels of FSTL5 and FSTL5 protein in a panel of myeloma cell lines. In conclusion, these results indicated that levels of a short variant of FSTL5 protein correlated negatively with cell viability and that the presence of this shorter variant was dependent on caspase activity. The actual function of FSTL5 in myeloma cells still remains to be shown.