Ral promotes anchorage-independent growth of a human fibrosarcoma, HT1080.

Ral has been shown to act downstream of Ras oncoprotein. However, the role of Ral in Ras-induced cellular transformation has not been fully understood. To test the involvement of Ral in Ras-induced anchorage-independent growth, we ectopically expressed Ral mutants in HT1080 cells, whose ability to grow in the absence of anchorage depends on the oncogenic mutation of N-ras. Expression of an activated mutant of Ral resulted in enhanced growth of HT1080 cells in soft agar, whereas a dominant-negative mutant of Ral inhibited their anchorage-independent growth. Moreover, the activated Ral mutant decreased the amount of p27(Kip1) in the absence of adhesion, while the dominant-negative mutant increased it. These results suggest that Ral is involved in the Ras-dependent anchorage-independent growth of HT1080 cells by regulating p27(Kip1).