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MET signaling in keratinocytes activates EGFR and initiates squamous carcinogenesis.

ABSTRACT: The receptor tyrosine kinase MET is abundant in many human squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), but its functional significance in tumorigenesis is not clear. We found that the incidence of carcinogen-induced skin squamous tumors was substantially increased in transgenic MT-HGF (mouse metallothionein-hepatocyte growth factor) mice, which have increased abundance of the MET ligand HGF. Squamous tumors also erupted spontaneously on the skin of MT-HGF mice that were promoted by wounding or the application of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate, an activator of protein kinase C. Carcinogen-initiated tumors had Ras mutations, but spontaneous tumors did not. Cultured keratinocytes from MT-HGF mice and oncogenic RAS-transduced keratinocytes shared phenotypic and biochemical features of initiation that were dependent on autocrine activation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) through increased synthesis and release of EGFR ligands, which was mediated by the kinase SRC, the pseudoproteases iRhom1 and iRhom2, and the metallopeptidase ADAM17. Pharmacological inhibition of EGFR caused the regression of MT-HGF squamous tumors that developed spontaneously in orthografts of MT-HGF keratinocytes combined with dermal fibroblasts and implanted onto syngeneic mice. The global gene expression profile in MET-transformed keratinocytes was highly concordant with that in RAS-transformed keratinocytes, and a core RAS/MET coexpression network was activated in precancerous and cancerous human skin lesions. Tissue arrays revealed that many human skin SCCs have abundant HGF at both the transcript and protein levels. Thus, through the activation of EGFR, MET activation parallels a RAS pathway to contribute to human and mouse cutaneous cancers.

SUBMITTER: Cataisson C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6322206 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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MET signaling in keratinocytes activates EGFR and initiates squamous carcinogenesis.

Cataisson Christophe C Michalowski Aleksandra M AM Shibuya Kelly K Ryscavage Andrew A Klosterman Mary M Wright Lisa L Dubois Wendy W Liu Fan F Zhuang Anne A Rodrigues Kameron B KB Hoover Shelley S Dwyer Jennifer J Simpson Mark R MR Merlino Glenn G Yuspa Stuart H SH

Science signaling 20160621 433

The receptor tyrosine kinase MET is abundant in many human squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), but its functional significance in tumorigenesis is not clear. We found that the incidence of carcinogen-induced skin squamous tumors was substantially increased in transgenic MT-HGF (mouse metallothionein-hepatocyte growth factor) mice, which have increased abundance of the MET ligand HGF. Squamous tumors also erupted spontaneously on the skin of MT-HGF mice that were promoted by wounding or the applicat ...[more]

PMID: 27330189

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Project description:MET expression is elevated in a majority of human skin cancers but its contributions to pathogenesis have not been evaluated. In a mouse model of constitutive overexpression of HGF (MT-HGF), the incidence of squamous cell skin tumors induced by initiation with 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) followed by exposure to 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) is increased fivefold over control groups. Half of these tumors carry Hras1 or Kras mutations. Without DMBA initiation, tumors also erupt on MT-HGF mouse skin but only when TPA promotion is enhanced by crossing these mice with mice overexpressing cutaneous PKCα. None of these tumors have Ras mutations. In culture, MT-HGF keratinocytes share identical MET mediated phenotypic and biochemical features with wildtype keratinocytes transformed by oncogenic RAS. In both cell types, these common features of initiated keratinocytes arise from autocrine activation of EGFR through elevated expression and release of EGFR ligands. Inhibition of EGFR ablates the initiated signature of MT-HGF keratinocytes in vitro and causes regression of MT-HGF induced tumors in vivo. Global gene expression data indicate that MT-HGF and RAS transformed keratinocytes share largely an identical profile of over 5000 mRNAs. Gene ontology analysis reveals the most affected concordant signature is enriched for functions relevant to tissue development and response to wounding, accompanied by cytokine and growth factor activity, and peptidase and endopeptidase activity previously not linked to initiated keratinocytes. Furthermore, gene co-expression analysis in skin cancer patients revealed a core RAS/MET co-expression network considerably activated in pre cancerous and cancerous lesions. Thus MET activation though EGFR contributes to human cutaneous cancers, and inhibitors could be efficacious in advanced lesions such as those seen in transplant recipient patients. In this dataset with provide gene expression data from primary mouse keratinocytes in culture.

Dataset Information

MET signaling in keratinocytes activates EGFR and initiates squamous carcinogenesis.

Publications

MET signaling in keratinocytes activates EGFR and initiates squamous carcinogenesis.

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