Focadhesin (FOCAD)

Physical interaction between KIAA1797 and vinculin was demonstrated via co-immunoprecipitation. Functional in vitro assays demonstrated a significant decrease in colony formation, migration and invasion capacity of LN18 and U87MG glioma cells carrying a homozygous KIAA1797 deletion ectopically expressing KIAA1797 compared with mock-transduced cells. In an in vivo orthotopic xenograft mouse model, U87MG tumour lesions expressing KIAA1797 had a significantly reduced volume compared to tumours not expressing KIAA1797. In summary, the frequently deleted KIAA1797 gene encodes a novel focal adhesion complex protein with tumour suppressor function in gliomas, which we name 'focadhesin'. Since KIAA1797 genetic variation has been implicated in Alzheimer's disease.