scholarly journals O80: GREMLIN-1 PROMOTES TUMOURIGENESIS AND METASTASIS IN HER2 POSITIVE BREAST CANCER

2021 ◽  
Vol 108 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
C Zabkiewicz ◽  
L Ye ◽  
R Hargest

Abstract Introduction HER2 over-expression denotes poor prognosis in breast cancers.Bone morphogenetic protein(BMP) signalling is known to interact with EGF signalling, co-regulating breast cancer progression.BMP antagonist Gremlin-1 may influence breast cancer disease progression, but this remains unexplored in HER2 positive breast cancers. Method GREM1 and HER2 expression, and clinical outcomes were examined in clinical cohorts.GREM1 overexpression or pEF control plasmid were transduced into BT474 HER2+breast cancer cells. In vitro function tests using BT474 pEF and BT474GREM1cells include 2D/3D growth, migration, and expression of epithelial to mesenchymal transition(EMT)markers. Signalling cascades were examined in BT474 treated with RhGremlin-1. In vivo, BALB/c nude mice underwent either mammary injection or intra-cardiac injection of BT474pEF or BT474GREM1 cells and disease burden assessed. Result GREM1 expression correlates with HER2 in breast tumours(p=0.03) and is higher in metastatic HER2 positive cancers (p = 0.04). HER2 positive patients with high GREM1 have poor survival(p = 0.0002). BT474GREM1cells have up-regulated markers of EMT compared to control. BT474 RhGremlin-1 treated cells have active AKT pathway signalling, independent of BMP signalling. In vitro,  BT474GREM1cells significantly proliferate and migrate compared to control(p<0.05 and p < 0.001).This is confirmed in vivo,  BT474GREM1 mice grew significantly larger mammary tumours(p<0.05) and had more PETCT metastatic hotspots. Conclusion Gremlin-1 is correlated with poor outcomes in HER2 patients and promotes breast cancer cellular growth, migration and metastasis.Gremlin-1 is a novel area of research with potential as a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for personalised, effective, breast cancer outcomes. Take-home message BMP antagonists are gaining interest for their potential in breast cancer prognosis and therapeutics.This novel area of research shows BMP antagonist Gremlin-1 is of importance in HER2 positive breast cancers. DRAGONS DEN

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lili Jiang ◽  
Liangliang Ren ◽  
Han Chen ◽  
Jinyuan Pan ◽  
Zhuojun Zhang ◽  
...  

AbstractHER2+ breast cancer (BC) is characterized by rapid growth, early recurrence, early metastasis, and chemoresistance. Trastuzumab is the most effective treatment for HER2+ BC and effectively reduces the risk of recurrence and death of patients. Resistance to trastuzumab results in cancer recurrence and metastasis, leading to poor prognosis of HER2+ BC. In the present study, we found that non-structural maintenance of chromosome condensin 1 complex subunit G (NCAPG) expression was highly upregulated in trastuzumab-resistant HER2+ BC. Ectopic NCAPG was positively correlated with tumor relapse and shorter survival in HER2+ BC patients. Moreover, overexpression of NCAPG promoted, while silencing of NCAPG reduced, the proliferative and anti-apoptotic capacity of HER2+ BC cells both in vitro and in vivo, indicating NCAPG reduces the sensitivity of HER2+ BC cells to trastuzumab and may confer trastuzumab resistance. Furthermore, our results suggest that NCAPG triggers a series of biological cascades by phosphorylating SRC and enhancing nuclear localization and activation of STAT3. To summarize, our study explores a crucial role for NCAPG in trastuzumab resistance and its underlying mechanisms in HER2+ BC, and suggests that NCAPG could be both a potential prognostic marker as well as a therapeutic target to effectively overcome trastuzumab resistance.


Cancers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 1918
Author(s):  
Yanyuan Wu ◽  
Marianna Sarkissyan ◽  
Ochanya Ogah ◽  
Juri Kim ◽  
Jaydutt V. Vadgama

Background: Metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) is associated with cancer progression. Our study examined the role of MALAT1 in breast cancer and the mechanisms involved in the regulation of MALAT1. Methods: In vitro cell and in vivo animal models were used to examine the role of MALAT1 in breast cancer. The interaction of FOXO1 (Forkhead Box O1) at the promoter region of MALAT1 was investigated by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay. Results: The data shows an elevated expression of MALAT1 in breast cancer tissues and cells compared to non-cancer tissues and cells. The highest level of MALAT1 was observed in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer and trastuzumab-resistant HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) overexpressing (HER2+) cells. Knockdown of MALAT1 in trastuzumab-resistant HER2+ cells reversed epithelial to mesenchymal transition-like phenotype and cell invasiveness. It improved the sensitivity of the cell’s response to trastuzumab. Furthermore, activation of Akt by phosphorylation was associated with the upregulation of MALAT1. The transcription factor FOXO1 regulates the expression of MALAT1 via the PI3/Akt pathway. Conclusions: We show that MALAT1 contributes to HER2+ cell resistance to trastuzumab. Targeting the PI3/Akt pathway and stabilizing FOXO1 translocation could inhibit the upregulation of MALAT1.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Bao ◽  
Gokce Oguz ◽  
Wee Chyan Lee ◽  
Puay Leng Lee ◽  
Kakaly Ghosh ◽  
...  

AbstractHER2-targeted therapy has yielded a significant clinical benefit in patients with HER2+ breast cancer, yet disease relapse due to intrinsic or acquired resistance remains a significant challenge in the clinic. Here, we show that the protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) regulatory subunit PPP2R2B is a crucial determinant of anti-HER2 response. PPP2R2B is downregulated in a substantial subset of HER2+ breast cancers, which correlates with poor clinical outcome and resistance to HER2-targeted therapies. EZH2-mediated histone modification accounts for the PPP2R2B downregulation, resulting in sustained phosphorylation of PP2A targets p70S6K and 4EBP1 which leads to resistance to inhibition by anti-HER2 treatments. Genetic depletion or inhibition of EZH2 by a clinically-available EZH2 inhibitor restores PPP2R2B expression, abolishes the residual phosphorylation of p70S6K and 4EBP1, and resensitizes HER2+ breast cancer cells to anti-HER2 treatments both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, the same epigenetic mechanism also contributes to the development of acquired resistance through clonal selection. These findings identify EZH2-dependent PPP2R2B suppression as an epigenetic control of anti-HER2 resistance, potentially providing an opportunity to mitigate anti-HER2 resistance with EZH2 inhibitors.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qi Liu ◽  
Nicholas Borcherding ◽  
Peng Shao ◽  
Peterson Kariuki Maina ◽  
Weizhou Zhang ◽  
...  

AbstractHER2 plays a critical role in tumorigenesis and is associated with poor prognosis of HER2-positive breast cancers. Although, anti-HER2 drugs show benefits in breast cancer therapy,de novoor acquired resistance often develop. Epigenetic factors have been increasingly targeted for therapeutic purposes, however, such mechanisms interacting with HER2 signaling are poorly understood. This study reports the synergistic interplay between histone demethylase PHF8 and HER2 signaling, i.e. PHF8 is elevated in HER2-positive breast cancers and is upregulated by HER2; PHF8 plays coactivator roles in regulatingHER2expression and HER2-driven epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers and cytokines. The HER2-PHF8-IL-6 regulatory axis was proved both in cell lines and in the newly establishedMMTV-Her2/MMTV-Cre/Phf8flox/floxmodels, with which the oncogenic function of Phf8 in breast cancerin vivowas revealed for the first time. Furthermore, PHF8-IL-6 axis contributes to the resistance of Trastuzumabin vitroand may play a critical role in the infiltration of T-cells in HER2-driven breast cancers. This study reveals novel epigenetic mechanisms underlying HER2-driven cancer development and anti-HER2 drug resistance.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mai Sakamoto ◽  
Jun Nakayama ◽  
Atsuka Matsui ◽  
Jiro Fujimoto ◽  
Naoki Goshima ◽  
...  

The homeobox family genes are often dysregulated in various cancer types. In particular, HOXB7 overexpression contributes to cancer progression by promoting epithelial to mesenchymal transition, anti-cancer drug resistance, and metastasis of breast, hepatocellular and gastric cancer. Although the relationship between HOXB7 and cancer progression has been described, the role of HOXB7 in cancer initiation is unclear. In this study, we showed that HOXB7 overexpression induced oncogenic transformation in vitro and in vivo through the activation of JAK-STAT signaling and enhanced the expression of ERBB2 in NMuMG cells. In public data sets, HER2-positive breast cancer highly expressed HOXB7, the expression of which was correlated with poor prognosis in breast cancer cohorts. Furthermore, the amplification of HOXB7 on 17q23.32 was found to be a potential clinical diagnostic marker.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. i7-i7
Author(s):  
Jiaojiao Deng ◽  
Sophia Chernikova ◽  
Wolf-Nicolas Fischer ◽  
Kerry Koller ◽  
Bernd Jandeleit ◽  
...  

Abstract Leptomeningeal metastasis (LM), a spread of cancer to the cerebrospinal fluid and meninges, is universally and rapidly fatal due to poor detection and no effective treatment. Breast cancers account for a majority of LMs from solid tumors, with triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) having the highest propensity to metastasize to LM. The treatment of LM is challenged by poor drug penetration into CNS and high neurotoxicity. Therefore, there is an urgent need for new modalities and targeted therapies able to overcome the limitations of current treatment options. Quadriga has discovered a novel, brain-permeant chemotherapeutic agent that is currently in development as a potential treatment for glioblastoma (GBM). The compound is active in suppressing the growth of GBM tumor cell lines implanted into the brain. Radiolabel distribution studies have shown significant tumor accumulation in intracranial brain tumors while sparing the adjacent normal brain tissue. Recently, we have demonstrated dose-dependent in vitro and in vivo anti-tumor activity with various breast cancer cell lines including the human TNBC cell line MDA-MB-231. To evaluate the in vivo antitumor activity of the compound on LM, we used the mouse model of LM based on the internal carotid injection of luciferase-expressing MDA-MB-231-BR3 cells. Once the bioluminescence signal intensity from the metastatic spread reached (0.2 - 0.5) x 106 photons/sec, mice were dosed i.p. twice a week with either 4 or 8 mg/kg for nine weeks. Tumor growth was monitored by bioluminescence. The compound was well tolerated and caused a significant delay in metastatic growth resulting in significant extension of survival. Tumors regressed completely in ~ 28 % of treated animals. Given that current treatments for LM are palliative with only few studies reporting a survival benefit, Quadriga’s new agent could be effective as a therapeutic for both primary and metastatic brain tumors such as LM. REF: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/pro6.43


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nataliia Petruk ◽  
Sanni Tuominen ◽  
Malin Åkerfelt ◽  
Jesse Mattsson ◽  
Jouko Sandholm ◽  
...  

AbstractCD73 is a cell surface ecto-5′-nucleotidase, which converts extracellular adenosine monophosphate to adenosine. High tumor CD73 expression is associated with poor outcome among triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients. Here we investigated the mechanisms by which CD73 might contribute to TNBC progression. This was done by inhibiting CD73 with adenosine 5′-(α, β-methylene) diphosphate (APCP) in MDA-MB-231 or 4T1 TNBC cells or through shRNA-silencing (sh-CD73). Effects of such inhibition on cell behavior was then studied in normoxia and hypoxia in vitro and in an orthotopic mouse model in vivo. CD73 inhibition, through shRNA or APCP significantly decreased cellular viability and migration in normoxia. Inhibition of CD73 also resulted in suppression of hypoxia-induced increase in viability and prevented cell protrusion elongation in both normoxia and hypoxia in cancer cells. Sh-CD73 4T1 cells formed significantly smaller and less invasive 3D organoids in vitro, and significantly smaller orthotopic tumors and less lung metastases than control shRNA cells in vivo. CD73 suppression increased E-cadherin and decreased vimentin expression in vitro and in vivo, proposing maintenance of a more epithelial phenotype. In conclusion, our results suggest that CD73 may promote early steps of tumor progression, possibly through facilitating epithelial–mesenchymal transition.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ya Fan ◽  
Jia Wang ◽  
Wen Jin ◽  
Yifei Sun ◽  
Yuemei Xu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background E3 ubiquitin ligase HRD1 (HMG-CoA reductase degradation protein 1, alias synoviolin with SYVN1 as the official gene symbol) was found downregulated and acting as a tumor suppressor in breast cancer, while the exact expression profile of HRD1 in different breast cancer subtypes remains unknown. Recent studies characterized circular RNAs (circRNAs) playing an regulatory role as miRNA sponge in tumor progression, presenting a new viewpoint for the post-transcriptional regulation of cancer-related genes. Methods Examination of the expression of HRD1 protein and mRNA was implemented using public microarray/RNA-sequencing datasets and breast cancer tissues/cell lines. Based on public RNA-sequencing results, online databases and enrichment/clustering analyses were used to predict the specific combinations of circRNA/miRNA that potentially govern HRD1 expression. Gain-of-function and rescue experiments in vitro and in vivo were executed to evaluate the suppressive effects of circNR3C2 on breast cancer progression through HRD1-mediated proteasomal degradation of Vimentin, which was identified using immunoblotting, immunoprecipitation, and in vitro ubiquitination assays. Results HRD1 is significantly underexpressed in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) against other subtypes and has an inverse correlation with Vimentin, inhibiting the proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT (epithelial-mesenchymal transition) process of breast cancer cells via inducing polyubiquitination-mediated proteasomal degradation of Vimentin. CircNR3C2 (hsa_circ_0071127) is also remarkably downregulated in TNBC, negatively correlated with the distant metastasis and lethality of invasive breast carcinoma. Overexpressing circNR3C2 in vitro and in vivo leads to a crucial enhancement of the tumor-suppressive effects of HRD1 through sponging miR-513a-3p. Conclusions Collectively, we elucidated a bona fide circNR3C2/miR-513a-3p/HRD1/Vimentin axis that negatively regulates the metastasis of TNBC, suggesting that circNR3C2 and HRD1 can act as potential prognostic biomarkers. Our study may facilitate the development of therapeutic agents targeting circNR3C2 and HRD1 for patients with aggressive breast cancer.


2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao-Fei Liu ◽  
Jing-Wei Li ◽  
Hong-Zhi Chen ◽  
Zi-Yuan Sun ◽  
Guang-Xi Shi ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Yanghe Huayan Decoction (YHD), a traditional Chinese medicine, is one of the most common complementary medicine currently used in the treatment of breast cancer (BC). It has been recently linked to suppress precancerous lesion and tumor development. The current study sought to explore the role of YHD on trans-endothelium and angiogenesis of BC. Methods: HER2+ BC cells were treated with YHD, Trastuzumab, or the combination in vitro and in vivo to compare the effects of them on trans-endothelium and angiogenesis features. The present study also investigated the potential molecular mechanism of YHD in inhibiting angiogenesis of BC. Results: YHD significantly suppressed the invasion and angiogenesis of BC cells via elevated pAkt signaling. Administration of YHD in vivo also strikingly repressed angiogenesis in tumor grafts. Conclusion: YHD could partially inhibit and reverse tumorigenesis of BC. It also could inhibit Akt activation and angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Its effect was superior to trastuzumab. Thus it was suitable for prevention and treatment of BC.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariska Miranda ◽  
Jodi M. Saunus ◽  
Seçkin Akgül ◽  
Mahdi Moradi Marjaneh ◽  
Jamie R. Kutasovic ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundThe nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of ERK5 has gained recent attention as a regulator of its diverse roles in cancer progression but the exact mechanisms for this shuttling are still under investigation.MethodsUsing in vitro, in vivo and in silico studies, we investigated the roles of shorter ERK5 isoforms in regulating the nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of active phosphorylated-ERK5 (pERK5). Retrospective cohorts of primary and metastatic breast cancer cases were used to evaluate the association of the subcellular localization of pERK5 with clinicopathological features.ResultsExtranuclear localization of pERK5 was observed during cell migration in vitro and at the invasive fronts of metastatic tumors in vivo. The nuclear and extranuclear cell fractions contained different isoforms of pERK5, which are encoded by splice variants expressed in breast and other cancers in the TCGA data. One isoform, isoform-3, lacks the C-terminal transcriptional domain and the nuclear localization signal. The co-expression of isoform-3 and full-length ERK5 associated with high epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and poor patient survival. Experimentally, expressing isoform-3 with full-length ERK5 in breast cancer cells increased cell migration, drove EMT and led to tamoxifen resistance. In breast cancer patient samples, pERK5 showed variable subcellular localizations where its extranuclear localization associated with aggressive clinicopathological features, metastasis, and poor survival.ConclusionOur studies support a model of ERK5 nucleocytoplasmic shuttling driven by splice variants in an interplay between mesenchymal and epithelial states during metastasis. Using ERK5 as a biomarker and a therapeutic target should account for its splicing and context-dependent biological functions.Graphical AbstractERK5 isoform-3 expression deploys active ERK5 (pERK5) outside the nucleus to facilitate EMT and cell migration. In cells dominantly expressing isoform-1, pERK5 shuttles to the nucleus to drive cell expansion.


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