Depdc7, or DEP Domain Containing 7, is highly expressed in normal liver tissue and belongs to the liver-selective cell communication gene class. It binds to CARMA2 and CARMA3 proteins and regulates NF-κB activation, which is involved in various cellular signaling pathways related to inflammation and immune response [4].

In hepatoma cells, knockdown of Depdc7 promotes cell growth, S phase entry, cell mobility, and invasion. Overexpression of Depdc7 in hepatoma cell lines inhibits cell proliferation, cell cycle entry, motility, and invasion, suggesting it may play an important role in hepatoma cells growth and metastasis and could be a therapeutic target [1,2]. Additionally, Depdc7 DNA hypomethylation in peripheral blood may be associated with recent depressive symptomatology [3]. In a patient with cryptorchidism and azoospermia, a microdeletion at 11p13 removed Depdc7 along with other genes [5].

In conclusion, Depdc7 has diverse functions. In the context of hepatoma, it appears to act as a suppressor of cell growth and metastasis. Its association with depression through DNA hypomethylation and its involvement in cryptorchidism and azoospermia due to microdeletion highlight its importance in different biological processes and disease conditions. The study of Depdc7 in these contexts helps understand disease mechanisms and may provide potential therapeutic directions.

References:

1. Liao, Zhijun, Wang, Xinrui, Wang, Xiaojiang, Li, Lisheng, Lin, Dexin. 2017. DEPDC7 inhibits cell proliferation, migration and invasion in hepatoma cells. In Oncology letters, 14, 7332-7338. doi:10.3892/ol.2017.7128. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29344171/

2. Liao, Zhijun, Wang, Xinrui, Lin, Dexin, Zou, Quan. 2016. Construction and Identification of the RNAi Recombinant Lentiviral Vector Targeting Human DEPDC7 Gene. In Interdisciplinary sciences, computational life sciences, 9, 350-356. doi:10.1007/s12539-016-0162-y. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27016254/

3. Córdova-Palomera, A, Fatjó-Vilas, M, Palma-Gudiel, H, Kebir, O, Fañanás, L. 2015. Further evidence of DEPDC7 DNA hypomethylation in depression: A study in adult twins. In European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists, 30, 715-8. doi:10.1016/j.eurpsy.2015.04.001. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25952135/

4. D'Andrea, Egildo Luca, Ferravante, Angela, Scudiero, Ivan, Vito, Pasquale, Stilo, Romania. 2014. The Dishevelled, EGL-10 and pleckstrin (DEP) domain-containing protein DEPDC7 binds to CARMA2 and CARMA3 proteins, and regulates NF-κB activation. In PloS one, 9, e116062. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0116062. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25541973/

5. Seabra, Catarina M, Quental, Sofia, Neto, Ana Paula, Amorim, António, Lopes, Alexandra M. 2014. A novel Alu-mediated microdeletion at 11p13 removes WT1 in a patient with cryptorchidism and azoospermia. In Reproductive biomedicine online, 29, 388-91. doi:10.1016/j.rbmo.2014.04.017. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24912414/