scholarly journals Targeting Mdmx to treat breast cancers with wild-type p53

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. e1821-e1821 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Haupt ◽  
D Buckley ◽  
J-MB Pang ◽  
J Panimaya ◽  
P J Paul ◽  
...  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lakshmi Reddy Bollu ◽  
Jonathan Shepherd ◽  
Dekuang Zhao ◽  
Yanxia Ma ◽  
William Tahaney ◽  
...  

AbstractTriple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive form of breast cancer, and is associated with a poor prognosis due to frequent distant metastasis and lack of effective targeted therapies. Previously, we identified maternal embryonic leucine zipper kinase (MELK) to be highly expressed in TNBCs as compared with ER-positive breast cancers. Here we determined the molecular mechanism by which MELK is overexpressed in TNBCs. Analysis of publicly available data sets revealed that MELK mRNA is elevated in p53-mutant breast cancers. Consistent with this observation, MELK protein levels are higher in p53-mutant vs. p53 wild-type breast cancer cells. Furthermore, inactivation of wild-type p53, by loss or mutation of the p53 gene, increases MELK expression, whereas overexpression of wild-type p53 in p53-null cells reduces MELK promoter activity and MELK expression. We further analyzed MELK expression in breast cancer data sets and compared that with known wild-type p53 target genes. This analysis revealed that MELK expression strongly correlates with genes known to be suppressed by wild-type p53. Promoter deletion studies identified a p53-responsive region within the MELK promoter that did not map to the p53 consensus response elements, but to a region containing a FOXM1-binding site. Consistent with this result, knockdown of FOXM1 reduced MELK expression in p53-mutant TNBC cells and expression of wild-type p53 reduced FOXM1 expression. ChIP assays demonstrated that expression of wild-type p53 reduces binding of E2F1 (a critical transcription factor controlling FOXM1 expression) to the FOXM1 promoter, thereby, reducing FOXM1 expression. These results show that wild-type p53 suppresses FOXM1 expression, and thus MELK expression, through indirect mechanisms. Overall, these studies demonstrate that wild-type p53 represses MELK expression by inhibiting E2F1A-dependent transcription of FOXM1 and that mutation-driven loss of wild-type p53, which frequently occurs in TNBCs, induces MELK expression by suppressing FOXM1 expression and activity in p53-mutant breast cancers.


2001 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 821-828 ◽  
Author(s):  
Torbjörn Norberg ◽  
Sigrid Klaar ◽  
Lena Lindqvist ◽  
Thomas Lindahl ◽  
Johan Ahlgren ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Rapid, reproducible, and easily run methods with high sensitivity and specificity are required for mutation screening of clinical samples. We evaluated the Enzymatic Mutation Detection (EMDTM) method by analysis of archival cDNA from 203 breast cancer patients and comparison with results of cDNA-based sequencing of the tumor suppressor gene p53. Methods: The EMD technology uses the T4 endonuclease VII, which cleaves double-stranded DNA at sites where a DNA mismatch is present because of mispairing or an insertion/deletion of nucleotides. The EMD analyses were carried out by dividing the p53 gene into two overlapping fragments that were analyzed separately. After PCR amplification, the fragments were hybridized with wild-type p53 and subsequently exposed to the EMD enzyme. Cleavage products were analyzed and scored using an ALFTM automated DNA sequencer and ALFwin Fragment Analyzer software (Ver. 1.02). Results: The EMD technique had sensitivities of 45% and 64% and specificities of 83% and 84% for the two fragments, respectively. Patients with EMD-positive, wild-type p53 tumors had a survival similar to that of patients with EMD-negative, wild-type p53 tumors. Node-positive patients with p53 mutated tumors according to sequencing had a statistically significantly worse overall survival than those with p53 wild-type tumors (P = 0.016), whereas this difference in survival was not detected when p53 status was determined with EMD (P = 0.47). Conclusions: EMD had insufficient sensitivity for consideration in screening for the p53 gene in this archival material. Sequencing must still be considered as the standard procedure.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Frederick Callen

In breast cancer loss of the long-arm of chromosome 16 is frequently observed, suggesting this is the location of tumour suppressor gene or genes. Previous studies localised two or three minimal regions for the LOH genes in the vicinity of 16q22.1 and 16q24.3, however the identification of the relevant tumour suppressor genes has proved elusive. The current availability of large datasets from breast cancers, that include both gene expression and gene dosage of the majority of genes on the long-arm of chromosome 16 (16q), provides the opportunity to revisit the identification of the critical tumour suppressor genes in this region. Utilising such data it was found 37% of breast cancers are single copy for all genes on 16q and this was more frequent in the luminal A and B subtypes. Since luminal breast cancers are associated with a superior prognosis this is consistent with previous data associating loss of 16q with breast cancers of better survival. Previous chromosomal studies found a karyotype with a der t(1;16) to be the basis for a proportion of breast cancers with loss of 16q. Use of data indicating the dosage of genes 21.9% of breast cancers were consistent with a der t(1;16) as the basis for loss of 16q. In such cases there is both loss of one dose of 16q and three doses of 1q suggesting a tumour suppressor function associated with long-arm of chromosome 16 and an oncogene function for 1q. Previous studies have approached the identification of tumour suppressor genes on 16q by utilising breast cancers with partial loss of 16q with the assumption regions demonstrating the highest frequency of loss of heterozygosity pinpoint the location of tumour suppressor genes. Sixty one of 816 breast cancers in this study showed partial loss of 16q defined by dosage of 357 genes. There was no compelling evidence for hot-spots of localised LOH which would pinpoint major tumour suppressor genes. Comparison of gene expression data between various groups of breast cancers based on 16q dosage was used to identify possible tumour suppressor genes. Combining these comparisons, together with known gene functional data, allowed the identification of eleven potential tumour suppressor genes spread along 16q. It is proposed that breast cancers with a single copy of 16q results in the simultaneous reduction of expression of several tumour suppressor genes. The existence of multiple tumour suppressor genes on 16q would severely limit any attempt to pinpoint tumour suppressor genes locations based on localised hot-spots of loss of heterozygosity. Interestingly, the majority of the identified tumour suppressor genes are involved in the modulation of wild-type p53 function. This role is supported by the finding that 80.5% of breast cancers with 16q loss have wild-type p53. TP53 is the most common mutated gene in cancer. In cancers with wild-type p53 would require other strategies to circumvent the key tumour suppressor role of p53. In breast cancers with complete loss of one dose of 16q it is suggested this provides a mechanism that contributes to the amelioration of p53 function.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thao Thi Thanh Nguyen ◽  
Masato Shingyoji ◽  
Michiko Hanazono ◽  
Boya Zhong ◽  
Takao Morinaga ◽  
...  

AbstractA majority of mesothelioma specimens were defective of p14 and p16 expression due to deletion of the INK4A/ARF region, and the p53 pathway was consequently inactivated by elevated MDM2 functions which facilitated p53 degradaton. We investigated a role of p53 elevation by MDM2 inhibitors, nutlin-3a and RG7112, in cytotoxicity of replication-competent adenoviruses (Ad) lacking the p53-binding E1B55kDa gene (Ad-delE1B). We found that a growth inhibition by p53-activating Ad-delE1B was irrelevant to p53 expression in the infected cells, but combination of Ad-delE1B and the MDM2 inhibitor produced synergistic inhibitory effects on mesothelioma with the wild-type but not mutated p53 genotype. The combination augmented p53 phosphorylation, activated apoptotic but not autophagic pathway, and enhanced DNA damage signals through ATM-Chk2 phosphorylation. The MDM2 inhibitors facilitated production of the Ad progenies through augmented expression of nuclear factor I (NFI), one of the transcriptional factors involved in Ad replications. Knocking down of p53 with siRNA did not increase the progeny production or the NFI expression. We also demonstrated anti-tumor effects by the combination of Ad-delE1B and the MDM2 inhibitors in an orthotopic animal model. These data collectively indicated that upregulation of wild-type p53 expression contributed to cytotoxicity by E1B55kDa-defective replicative Ad through NFI induction and suggested that replication-competent Ad together with augmented p53 levels was a therapeutic strategy for p53 wild-type mesothelioma.


HemaSphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (S1) ◽  
pp. 443-444
Author(s):  
N. Ferrari ◽  
L. Bevan ◽  
J. Castro ◽  
G. Chessari ◽  
L. Fazal ◽  
...  

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