High BRCA1 gene expression increases the risk of early distant metastasis in ER+ breast cancers

Although the function of the BRCA1 gene has been extensively studied, the relationship between BRCA1 gene expression and tumor aggressiveness remains controversial in sporadic breast cancers. Because the BRCA1 protein is known to regulate estrogen signaling, we selected microarray data of ER+ breast cancers from the GEO public repository to resolve previous conflicting findings. The BRCA1 gene expression level in highly proliferative luminal B tumors was shown to be higher than that in luminal A tumors. Survival analysis using a cure model indicated that patients of early ER+ breast cancers with high BRCA1 expression developed rapid distant metastasis. In addition, the proliferation marker genes MKI67 and PCNA, which are characteristic of aggressive tumors, were also highly expressed in patients with high BRCA1 expression. The associations among high BRCA1 expression, high proliferation marker expression, and high risk of distant metastasis emerged in independent datasets, regardless of tamoxifen treatment. Tamoxifen therapy could improve the metastasis-free fraction of high BRCA1 expression patients. Our findings link BRCA1 expression with proliferation and possibly distant metastasis via the ER signaling pathway. We propose a testable hypothesis based on these consistent results and offer an interpretation for our reported associations.

Two redundant ubiquitin-dependent pathways of BRCA1 localization to DNA damage sites

The tumor suppressor BRCA1 accumulates at sites of DNA damage in a ubiquitin-dependent manner. In this work, we revisit the role of the ubiquitin-binding protein RAP80 in BRCA1 recruitment to damaged chromatin. We found that RAP80, or the phosphopeptide-binding residues in the BRCA1 BRCT domains, act redundantly with the BRCA1 RING domain to promote BRCA1 recruitment to DNA double-strand break sites. We show that that RNF8 E3 ubiquitin ligase acts upstream of both the RAP80- and RING-dependent activities whereas RNF168 acts uniquely upstream of the RING domain. The function of the RING domain in BRCA1 recruitment is not solely linked to its role in mediating an interaction with BARD1 since RING mutations that do not impact BARD1 interaction, such as the E2-binding deficient Ile26Ala (I26A) mutation, produce a BRCA1 protein unable to accumulate at DNA damage sites in the absence of RAP80. Cells that combine the BRCA1 I26A mutation and mutations that disable the RAP80-BRCA1 interaction are deficient in RAD51 filament formation and are hypersensitive to poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibition. Our results suggest that in the absence of RAP80, the BRCA1 E3 ligase activity is necessary for the recognition of unmethylated histone H4 Lys20 and histone H2A Lys13/Lys15 ubiquitylation by BARD1 although we cannot rule out the possibility that the RING-E2 complex itself may facilitate ubiquitylated nucleosome recognition in other ways. Finally, given that tumors expressing RING-less BRCA1 isoforms readily acquire resistance to therapy, this work suggests that targeting RAP80, or its interaction with BRCA1, could represent a novel strategy for restoring sensitivity of such tumors to DNA damaging agents.

Low levels of BRCA1 protein expression predict a worse prognosis in stage I–II colon cancer

Background: BRCA1 and BRCA2 have been well studied for their roles in tumorigeneis, plus cancer diagnosis and treatment, but their prognostic value in colon cancer, especially for early-stage cancer, has not been fully illuminated. This study examined the expression levels of BRCA1 and BRCA2 proteins in sporadic colon cancer cases and investigated their value in prognosis. Methods: The expression levels of BRCA1 and BRCA2 in 275 colon cancer patients who underwent radical surgeries were assayed by immunohistochemical staining in dissected tumor samples. Also, its correlation with clinicopathological characteristics, disease-free survival, and overall survival was investigated. Results: Tumors with low expression levels of BRCA1, BRCA2, and both were 19.6%, 17.8%, and 6.5%, respectively. The levels of BRCA1/2 expression were not associated with clinicopathological parameters (gender, age, histological differentiation, and tumor node metastasis stage). Patients with low-levels of BRCA1 protein in their tumors demonstrated a lower chance of 5-year disease-free survival (55.6% vs. 69.7%, P=0.046), which was more obvious in the patients with stage I–II tumors without chemotherapy (52.6% vs. 82.6%, P=0.006). Neither BRCA1 nor BRCA2 affected overall survival in this cohort. Multivariate analysis revealed that pathologic stage and the level of BRCA1 protein were independent factors of long-term disease-free survival. Conclusion: This study highlights BRCA1 as an independent prognosticator of early-stage colon cancer.

Identification of Novel BRCA1 Germline Deleterious Variant Among a Tunisian Family

Inherited predisposition to breast and ovarian cancer are most frequently due to germline mutations in the main genes BRCA1 (OMIM# 113705) and BRCA2 (OMIM# 600185). These inactivating mutations, essentially frameshift and nonsense variation, occurs mainly across conserved regions. The aim of the present study is to report a novel germline BRCA1 mutation identified in a Tunisian family case with early onset of breast and ovarian cancer and to evaluate the genotype phenotype correlation. The proband had high-grade tumors, invasive unilateral ductal carcinoma developed at the age of 38 and a serous ovarian adenocarcinoma after a gap of twelve years. The molecular analysis revealed a novel heterozygous nonsense BRCA1 mutation NM_007294.4: c.915T>A p.(C305*) in the proband and her daughter. This mutation leads to a truncated protein which pathogenicity was validated by bioinformatics tools. This variant is subject to nonsense-mediated mRNA decay. We also underlined the immunohistochemistry usefulness by lack of expression of BRCA1 protein in paraffin embedded breast tumor contrasting with normal tissue. Clinical and pathological data tend to be homogeneous and led to the conclusion that there is a genotype phenotype correlation in BRCA1, an element that must be taken into account in genetic counselling. Conclusively, we are the first to report this novel BRCA1 germline likely deleterious variant extending the molecular and clinical spectrum of BRCA1 pathogenic point mutations. Further in vitro functional experiments needs to be established. High-risk individuals carrying this BRCA1 mutation benefit from preventive measures to reduce morbidity.

High BRCA1 Gene Expression Increases the Risk of Early Onset Distant Metastasis in ER+ Breast Cancers

BackgroundMore than 30% of ER+ breast cancer patients developed distant metastasis after adjuvant tamoxifen therapy. It has been shown that decreased BRCA1 protein function confers anti-estrogen “resistance.” Since the functional status of BRCA1 protein auto-regulates its own gene expression, BRCA1 transcript level should possibly be used to assess its active protein levels. Thus, it is interesting to explore the potential links between BRCA1 gene expression status and the prognosis of ER+ breast tumors.MethodsEarly-staged ER+ Breast cancer microarray samples were selected from the NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The aggressiveness of these tumors was evaluated based on molecular subtypes or patients’ distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) time found in associated GEO datasets. In survival analysis, the optimal threshold to define high and low transcript levels was assessed by the logistic-accelerated failure time mixture regression model in a pooled data set, which simultaneously envisages the lifetime risk of distant metastasis and the distribution of the DMFS time from the surgery of a patient susceptible to distant metastasis. ResultsOn the basis of molecular subtyping, the relatively aggressive Luminal B tumor cells expressed significantly more BRCA1 transcripts than the less aggressive Luminal A tumor cells. This observation was supported by DMFS time analysis. When the upper 10% of the high BRCA1 expression patients was compared with the rest of the patients, the result was quite drastic. In patients susceptible to distant metastasis, the median onset time of distant metastasis for high BRCA1 expression group (2.2 years) was about one-fifth of the BRCA1 low expression group (10.5 years).ConclusionsHigh BRCA1 transcript level does not increase the incidence of distant metastasis, but increases the risk of early onset distant metastasis in ER+ breast cancers. As new therapeutic drugs have been developed for tumors with BRCA function loss, our findings suggest that BRCA1 gene expression test not only is useful for predicting patients’ outcome but also can be used in treatment decision.

Molecular docking analysis of the BRCA1 protein with compounds from Justica adhatoda L

BRCA1 is a human tumour suppression gene. Therefore, it is of interest to document the Molecular docking analysis data of the BRCA1 protein with compounds from Justica adhatoda L (adhatoda). We report that Amrinone, Hexadecanoic acid, Pyrazinamide & Vasicinone have acceptable binding features with the BRCA1 protein for further consideration.

An Integrative Omics Approach Reveals Involvement of BRCA1 in Hepatic Metastatic Progression of Colorectal Cancer

(1) Background & Aims: The roles of different cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) are critical to the metastatic process. The phenotypic transformation of the liver cells is one of the most important stages of the hepatic metastasis progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). Our aim was to identify the major molecules (i.e., genes, miRNAs and proteins) involved in this process. (2) Methods: We isolated and performed whole-genome analysis of gene, miRNA, and protein expression in three types of liver cells (Ito cells, Kupffer cells, and liver sinusoidal endothelial cells) from the TME of a murine model of CRC liver metastasis. We selected the statistically significant differentially expressed molecules using the Student’s t-test with Benjamini-Hochberg correction and performed functional statistically-significant enrichment analysis of differentially expressed molecules with hypergeometric distribution using the curated collection of molecular signatures, MSigDB. To build a gene-miRNA-protein network centered in Brca1, we developed a software package (miRDiana) that collects miRNA targets from the union of the TargetScan, MicroCosm, mirTarBase, and miRWalk databases. This was used to search for miRNAs targeting Brca1. We validated the most relevant miRNAs with real-time quantitative PCR. To investigate BRCA1 protein expression, we built tissue microarrays (TMAs) from hepatic metastases of 34 CRC patients. (3) Results: Using integrated omics analyses, we observed that the Brca1 gene is among the twenty transcripts simultaneously up-regulated in all three types of TME liver cells during metastasis. Further analysis revealed that Brca1 is the last BRCA1-associated genome surveillance complex (BASC) gene activated in the TME. We confirmed this finding in human reanalyzing transcriptomics datasets from 184 patients from non-tumor colorectal tissue, primary colorectal tumor and colorectal liver metastasis of the GEO database. We found that the most probable sequence of cell activation during metastasis is Endothelial→Ito→Kupffer. Immunohistochemical analysis of human liver metastases showed the BRCA1 protein was co-localized in Ito, Kupffer, and endothelial cells in 81.8% of early or synchronous metastases. However, in the greater part of the metachronous liver metastases, this protein was not expressed in any of these TME cells. (4) Conclusions: These results suggest a possible role of the co-expression of BRCA1 in Ito, Kupffer, and sinusoidal endothelial cells in the early occurrence of CRC liver metastases, and point to BRCA1 as a potential TME biomarker.

Proteosomal degradation of NSD2 by BRCA1 promotes leukemia cell differentiation

The human myelogenous leukemic cell line, K562 undergoes erythroid differentiation by exposure to hemin. Here, we uncovered NSD2 as an innate erythroid differentiation-related factor through a genome-wide CRISPR library screen and explored the regulatory role of NSD2 during myeloid leukemia cell differentiation. We found that NSD2 stability was disrupted by poly-ubiquitination in differentiated K562 cells. Proteomic analysis revealed an interaction between NSD2 and an E3 ubiquitin ligase, BRCA1, which ubiquitylates NSD on K292. Depletion of BRCA1 stabilized NSD2 protein and suppressed K562 cell differentiation. Furthermore, BRCA1 protein level was decreased in bone marrow tumor, while NSD2 level was elevated. Surprisingly, among BRCA1 mutation(s) discovered in lymphoma patients, BRCA1 K1183R prevented its translocation into the nucleus, failed to reduce NSD2 protein levels in hemin-treated K562 cells and eventually disrupted cell differentiation. Our results indicate the regulation of NSD2 stability by BRCA1-mediated ubiquitination as a potential therapeutic target process in multiple myeloma.

Tumor protein expression of the DNA repair gene BRCA1 and lethal prostate cancer

DNA repair genes are commonly altered in metastatic prostate cancer, but BRCA1 mutations are rare. Preliminary studies suggest that higher tumor expression of the BRCA1 protein may be associated with worse prognosis. We undertook a prospective study among men with prostate cancer in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and evaluated BRCA1 via immunohistochemical staining on tissue microarrays. BRCA1 was expressed in 60 of 589 tumors. Prevalence of BRCA1 positivity was 43% in the 14 men with metastases at diagnosis compared with 9% in non-metastatic tumors [difference, 33 percentage points; 95% confidence interval (CI), 7–59]. BRCA1-positive tumors had 2.16-fold higher Ki-67 proliferative indices (95% CI, 1.18–3.95), higher tumor aneuploidy as predicted from whole-transcriptome profiling, and higher Gleason scores. Among the 575 patients with non-metastatic disease at diagnosis, we evaluated the association between BRCA1 expression and development of lethal disease (metastasis or cancer-specific death, 69 events) during long-term follow-up (median, 18.3 years). A potential weak association of BRCA1 positivity with lethal disease (hazard ratio, 1.61; 95% CI, 0.82–3.15) was attenuated when adjusting for age, Gleason score and clinical stage (hazard ratio, 1.11; 95% CI, 0.54–2.29). In summary, BRCA1 protein expression is a feature of more proliferative and more aneuploid prostate tumors and is more common in metastatic disease. While not well suited as a prognostic biomarker in primary prostate cancer, BRCA1 protein expression may be most relevant in advanced disease.