In SERCA2 heterozygote (SERCA2(+/-)) mice keratinocytes, mechanisms involved in partial depletion of SERCA2 gene and its related tumor induction have not been studied.
We identified in-frame fusions of MAP3K8-DIPC2, MAP3K8-PCDH7, MAP3K8-UBL3, MAP3K8-SVIL (n=6), and ATP2A2-MAP3K3 (n=1) as well as a p.I103_K104 in-frame deletion of MAP2K1 (n=1), in the absence of well-recognized drivers of melanocytic neoplasia.
Remodeling of Ca<sup>2+</sup> signaling is an important step in cancer progression, and altered expression of members of the Ca<sup>2+</sup> signaling toolkit including the plasma membrane Ca<sup>2+</sup> ATPases (PMCA proteins encoded by ATP2B genes) is common in tumors.
However, recent reports of age- and stress-dependent tumor formation in the mouse model for SERCA2 haploinsufficiency (ATP2A2 heterozygous mouse) support the proposal that deficiency in SERCA-gated ER Ca2+ replenishment may be linked to mutation accumulation.