Dusp7, short for dual-specificity phosphatase 7, is a key regulator in multiple biological processes. It dephosphorylates important signaling molecules, especially those in the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) superfamily, which is crucial for regulating cell division, growth, and response to stress. It is involved in pathways such as the RAS/ERK pathway, and its function impacts various biological events [2].

In knockout mouse models, Dusp7 knockout in high-fat-diet (HFD)-fed mice led to accelerated insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, liver dysfunction, fibrosis, and hepatic steatosis. Inflammation was exacerbated, and oxidative stress was increased, with elevated activation of the NF-κB and MAPKs signaling pathways. Dusp7 was found to physically interact with TAK1, and its deletion promoted TAK1 activation, contributing to lipid deposition, inflammation, and reactive oxygen species production [1]. In colorectal cancer, loss of SETD2 led to down-regulation of DUSP7, aggravating cancer progression. Overexpression of DUSP7 significantly inhibited the proliferation of SETD2-and SMAD4-deficient SW620 cells, indicating Dusp7's role in inhibiting the RAS/ERK signaling pathway in this context [3].

In conclusion, Dusp7 is an important regulator in biological processes like cell division, meiosis, and in disease-related pathways such as those involved in hepatic steatosis and colorectal cancer. The use of gene knockout mouse models has revealed its significant role in these areas, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target for treating related diseases.

References:

1. Wu, Liping, Liu, Yongcun, Zhao, Yuan, Li, Meng, Guo, Ling. 2020. Targeting DUSP7 signaling alleviates hepatic steatosis, inflammation and oxidative stress in high fat diet (HFD)-fed mice via suppression of TAK1. In Free radical biology & medicine, 153, 140-158. doi:10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2020.04.009. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32311490/

2. Chen, Hsueh-Fen, Chuang, Huai-Chia, Tan, Tse-Hua. 2019. Regulation of Dual-Specificity Phosphatase (DUSP) Ubiquitination and Protein Stability. In International journal of molecular sciences, 20, . doi:10.3390/ijms20112668. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31151270/

3. Ma, Chunxiao, Liu, Min, Feng, Wenxin, Lu, Bing, Li, Li. . Loss of SETD2 aggravates colorectal cancer progression caused by SMAD4 deletion through the RAS/ERK signalling pathway. In Clinical and translational medicine, 13, e1475. doi:10.1002/ctm2.1475. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37962020/