Figure 9.
Model for the implication of the U34 tRNA modifications in breast cancer metastasis. The U34 tRNA-modifying enzymes ELP3 and CTU1/2 are induced in models of invasive breast cancer and are critical for the translation of DEK, which in turn regulates the IRES-dependent translation of the oncogenic LEF-1 mRNA to promote breast cancer cells motility and metastasis. This mechanism is essential for the establishment of a LEF-1–dependent prometastatic genes signature in breast tumors.