Knudsen Erik S, McClendon A Kathleen, Franco Jorge, Ertel Adam, Fortina Paolo, Witkiewicz Agnieszka K
a Simmons Cancer Center; UT Southwestern ; Dallas , TX USA.
Cell Cycle. 2015;14(1):109-22. doi: 10.4161/15384101.2014.967118.
Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is characterized by multiple genetic events occurring in concert to drive pathogenic features of the disease. Here we interrogated the coordinate impact of p53, RB, and MYC in a genetic model of TNBC, in parallel with the analysis of clinical specimens. Primary mouse mammary epithelial cells (mMEC) with defined genetic features were used to delineate the combined action of RB and/or p53 in the genesis of TNBC. In this context, the deletion of either RB or p53 alone and in combination increased the proliferation of mMEC; however, the cells did not have the capacity to invade in matrigel. Gene expression profiling revealed that loss of each tumor suppressor has effects related to proliferation, but RB loss in particular leads to alterations in gene expression associated with the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. The overexpression of MYC in combination with p53 loss or combined RB/p53 loss drove rapid cell growth. While the effects of MYC overexpression had a dominant impact on gene expression, loss of RB further enhanced the deregulation of a gene expression signature associated with invasion. Specific RB loss lead to enhanced invasion in boyden chambers assays and gave rise to tumors with minimal epithelial characteristics relative to RB-proficient models. Therapeutic screening revealed that RB-deficient cells were particularly resistant to agents targeting PI3K and MEK pathway. Consistent with the aggressive behavior of the preclinical models of MYC overexpression and RB loss, human TNBC tumors that express high levels of MYC and are devoid of RB have a particularly poor outcome. Together these results underscore the potency of tumor suppressor pathways in specifying the biology of breast cancer. Further, they demonstrate that MYC overexpression in concert with RB can promote a particularly aggressive form of TNBC.
三阴性乳腺癌(TNBC)的特征是多个基因事件协同发生,从而驱动该疾病的致病特征。在此,我们在TNBC基因模型中探究了p53、RB和MYC的协同影响,并同时分析了临床标本。具有明确基因特征的原代小鼠乳腺上皮细胞(mMEC)被用于描绘RB和/或p53在TNBC发生过程中的联合作用。在这种情况下,单独或联合缺失RB或p53都会增加mMEC的增殖;然而,这些细胞没有在基质胶中侵袭的能力。基因表达谱分析显示,每个肿瘤抑制因子的缺失都有与增殖相关的影响,但RB缺失尤其会导致与上皮-间质转化相关的基因表达改变。MYC的过表达与p53缺失或RB/p53联合缺失共同驱动细胞快速生长。虽然MYC过表达对基因表达有主导影响,但RB缺失进一步增强了与侵袭相关的基因表达特征的失调。在Boyden小室试验中,特异性RB缺失导致侵袭增强,并产生相对于RB功能正常模型具有最小上皮特征的肿瘤。治疗性筛选显示,RB缺陷细胞对靶向PI3K和MEK途径的药物特别耐药。与MYC过表达和RB缺失的临床前模型的侵袭性行为一致,表达高水平MYC且缺乏RB的人类TNBC肿瘤预后特别差。这些结果共同强调了肿瘤抑制途径在决定乳腺癌生物学特性方面的作用。此外,它们表明MYC过表达与RB协同作用可促进一种特别侵袭性的TNBC形式。