MAP1D, a novel methionine aminopeptidase family member is overexpressed in colon cancer

N-terminal methionine removal is an important cellular process required for proper biological activity, subcellular localization, and eventual degradation of many proteins. The enzymes that catalyze this reaction are called Methionine Aminopeptidases (MAPs). To date, only two MAP family members, MAP1A and MAP2, have been well characterized and studied in mammals. In our studies, we have cloned a full length MAP1D gene. Expression and purification of full length recombinant protein shows that the sequence encodes an enzyme with MAP activity. MAP1D is overexpressed in colon cancer cell lines and in colon tumors as compared to matched normal tissue samples. Downregulation of MAP1D expression by shRNA in HCT-116 colon carcinoma cells reduces anchorage-independant growth in soft agar. These data suggest that MAP1D is a potentially oncogenic, novel member of the MAP gene family that may play an important role in colon tumorigenesis.