11109 Background: Gene silencing is universally observed in cancer and involves promoter DNA methylation. We found that a cohesin-related stem cell regulator, APRIN (Pds5B) was silenced in breast cancer clinical samples. Surprisingly, in 40% of these samples DNA methylation was not involved. Furthermore, in some breast cancer cell lines the APRIN protein was silenced without transcript downregulation or promoter methylation. This “translational disequilibrium” has been frequently reported with other proteins, but without mechanistic explanations. Recent results with RNA interference indicate that gene repression through microRNAs (typically mismatched) is mostly translational without transcript degradation. We propose, therefore, that the puzzling translational disequilibrium phenomenon is a new form of epigenetic silencing by miRNA mechanisms. We aim (i) to verify miRNA epigenetics of APRIN silencing in breast cancer cell lines; (ii) to study clinical breast cancer samples for methylation vs. miRNAs mechanisms in APRIN translational disequilibrium; and (iii) to investigate if miRNA silencing of APRIN affects a fetal embryonic stem cell pool in breast cancer (microchimerism). Methods: (i) We used miRNA mimics and miRNA inhibitors in breast cancer cell lines to verify specific miRNA involvement in APRIN silencing. (ii) We used immunohistochemistry with bisulfite converted DNA for methylation and microdissected RNA for microRNA interference studies from 56 clinical breast cancer samples. (iii) We used Y-chromosome markers on microdissected DNA for fetal microchimerism studies. Results: (i) We found that in breast cancer cell lines with APRIN translational disequilibrium a set of microRNAs correlate with APRIN silencing. (ii) We found miRNA related mechanisms in about 35 percent of breast cancer samples where APRIN was silenced and (iii) APRIN may specifically affect stem cells of fetal origin in the mother's mammary gland and contribute to cancer. Conclusions: The novel miRNA-based mechanism maybe a new epigenetic factor of gene silencing in cancer. We experimentally confirmed a set of APRIN specific miRNAs and established preliminary correlations with fetal microchimerism in breast cancer. No significant financial relationships to disclose.
Neuregulin-1 induces cancer stem cell characteristics in breast cancer cell lines
