Metabolomics,Unknown,Transcriptomics,Genomics,Proteomics

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GDNF-RET signaling as a target in aromatase inhibitor resistant breast cancers

ABSTRACT: Understanding the complex molecular mechanisms underlying resistance to endocrine therapy is a major challenge in the treatment of estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancers. We have previously demonstrated that glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) signaling via the receptor tyrosine kinase RET promotes estrogen independent activation of ER. Here we have addressed the relevance of GDNF-RET signaling in response to aromatase inhibitor treatment and explored the efficacy of using RET inhibitors in breast cancer models of aromatase inhibitor response and resistance. A GDNF-response gene set, identified from gene expression profiling, was demonstrated to be an independent prognostic marker of poor patient outcome and, importantly, to be predictive of poor response to aromatase inhibitor treatment and development of resistance. The relevance of these findings was validated first by demonstrating an association of RET protein expression in an independent cohort of aromatase inhibitor resistant patient samples. Second, in in vitro models, GDNF-mediated RET signaling was demonstrated to enhance the survival of aromatase inhibitor resistant cells and to increase resistance in aromatase inhibitor sensitive cells. These effects could be reversed by targeting GDNF/RET signaling with the RET selective inhibitor NVP-BBT594 thus identifying GDNF-RET signaling as a potential therapeutic target, particularly in breast cancers resistant to aromatase inhibitors.
MCF7 cells were E2-deprived by culturing in phenol red-free RPMI 1640 supplemented with 10% DCC for 3 days and then serum-starved overnight in the presence or absence of fulvestrant (ICI182,780) (100 nM). The following day, cells were treated with GDNF (20 ng/ml) for 0, 4, 8, 24 and 48 hours in the presence or absence of fulvestrant (ICI182,780) (100 nM).

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

SUBMITTER: Alan Mackay

PROVIDER: E-MEXP-3662 | biostudies-arrayexpress |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-arrayexpress

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GDNF-RET signaling in ER-positive breast cancers is a key determinant of response and resistance to aromatase inhibitors.

Morandi Andrea A Martin Lesley-Ann LA Gao Qiong Q Pancholi Sunil S Mackay Alan A Robertson David D Zvelebil Marketa M Dowsett Mitch M Plaza-Menacho Ivan I Isacke Clare M CM

Cancer research 20130506 12

Most breast cancers at diagnosis are estrogen receptor-positive (ER(+)) and depend on estrogen for growth and survival. Blocking estrogen biosynthesis by aromatase inhibitors has therefore become a first-line endocrine therapy for postmenopausal women with ER(+) breast cancers. Despite providing substantial improvements in patient outcome, aromatase inhibitor resistance remains a major clinical challenge. The receptor tyrosine kinase, RET, and its coreceptor, GFRα1, are upregulated in a subset o ...[more]

PMID: 23650283

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Project description:Multiple gene expression studies have demonstrated that breast cancer biological diversity is associated with distinct transcriptional programs. Transcription factors, because of their unique ability to coordinate the expression of multiple genes, are speculated to play a role in generating phenotypic plasticity associated with cancer progression including acquired drug resistance. Combinatorial libraries of artificial zinc-finger transcription factors (ZF-TFs) provide a robust means for inducing and understanding various functional components of the cancer phenotype. Herein, we utilized combinatorial ZF-TF library technology to better understand how breast cancer cells acquire resistance to a fulvestrant, a clinically important anti-endocrine therapeutic agent. We isolated six ZF-TF library members capable of inducing stable, long-term anti-endocrine drug-resistance in two independent estrogen receptor positive breast cancer cell lines. Comparative gene expression profile analysis of the ZF-TF-transduced breast cancer cell lines revealed a 72-gene cluster that constituted a common signature for the fulvestrant-resistance phenotype. Pathway enrichment-analysis of gene expression data revealed that the ZF-TF-induced fulvestrant resistance is associated with an estrogen receptor negative-like gene set and four unique myb-regulated gene sets. Furthermore, we identified a set of genes strongly expressed in the ZF-TF-induced fulvestrant-resistant cells that was correlated with a lower probability of distant metastasis-free or death-from-relapse-free survival of breast cancer patients. MCF7-R73 cells, a monoclonal MCF7 subline that is highly sensitive to fulvestrant-induced cytocidal activity, underwent retroviral transduction with the zinc finger transcription factor (ZF-TF) activator library or with a control plasmid encoding only the NF-kB p65 activation domain. Both populations of cells were enriched for transduced cells by selecting for growth in puromycin and for fulvestrant-resistant cells by selecting with 100 nM fulvestrant. After 6 weeks of continuous treatment with fulvestrant, hundreds of drug-resistant colonies emerged from the population of cells infected with the ZF-TF activator library. By contrast, as expected, the control MCF7cell line transduced by NF-kB p65-only underwent massive cell death resulting in the complete absence of resistant colonies. DNA encoding the zinc-finger arrays was rescued by PCR from genomic DNA of pooled fulvestrant-resistant cells. The sequences of the ZF-TFs were determined and 46 unique ZF-TF clones identified. These 46 unique ZF-TFs were re-cloned into the retroviral vector and converted into clonal virus stocks that were used to transduce MCF7-R73 cells. These 46 retrovirally transduced cell populations were then challenged with fulvestrant. As compared with the control MCF-238 cells, MCF7-R73 cells transduced with six unique ZF-TFs demonstrated survival and growth in the presence of 100nM fulvestrant.

Dataset Information

GDNF-RET signaling as a target in aromatase inhibitor resistant breast cancers

Publications

GDNF-RET signaling in ER-positive breast cancers is a key determinant of response and resistance to aromatase inhibitors.

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