Research Projects

KISS1, a gene that suppresses metastasis, is secreted by disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) and is crucial for its anti-metastatic function. KISS1 is processed into Kisspeptins (KP), which bind to the KISS1 receptor (KISS1R) and suppress metastasis. The processing occurs only after secretion, in the extracellular milieu. The differential processing may be due to processing blocking factors within the cell or the expression of processing inducing factors in the extracellular microenvironment. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) such as O-glycosylation and phosphorylation play a critical role in regulating KISS1 processing to KP. Preliminary data suggests that KISS1 protein is modified via phosphorylation and O-glycosylation. The findings could shift the KISS1 paradigm in both physiological and cancer contexts, advancing our understanding of KISS1 biology and implicating the selective generation of KP in permissible microenvironments as critical to its antimetastatic activity.