Enhanced metastasis in RNF13 knockout mice is mediated by a reduction in GM-CSF levels

RING finger protein 13 (RNF13) is a novel E3 ubiquitin ligase whose expression is associated with cancer development. However, its specific role in cancer progression and metastasis remains unclear. Here, a B16F10/LLC experimental pulmonary metastatic model was developed to examine the formation of metastatic foci in the lung. A greater number of tumor colonies were observed in the lungs of RNF13-knockout (KO) mice than in their wild-type (WT) littermates, whereas no significant differences in tumor size were observed between the two groups. In short-term experiments, the number of fluorescently-labeled B16F10 cells increased remarkably in RNF13-KO lungs at early time points, whereas clearance of tumor cells from the blood was not affected. These results indicated that RNF13 may inhibit the colonization of B16F10 cells in the lung. Assessment of the concentration of various cytokines in tumor bearing lungs and blood did not detect significant differences between the blood of RNF13-KO and WT mice; however the levels of GM-CSF were significantly reduced in RNF13-KO tumor bearing lungs, which may have guided more B16F10 cells to migrate to the lungs. This was confirmed by lower GM-CSF concentrations in conditioned media from the culture of RNF13-KO lung slices. Collectively, our results suggest that host RNF13 affects the concentration of GM-CSF in tumor-bearing lungs, leading to a reduction in the colonization of metastatic tumor cells in the lung. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13238-015-0188-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.