Project description:Multifocal (MF)/multicentric (MC) breast cancer is generally considered to be where two or more breast tumours are present within the same breast, and is seen in ~10% of breast cancer cases. This study investigates the prevalence of multifocality/multicentricity in a cohort of BRCA1/2 mutation carriers with breast cancer from Northern Ireland via cross-sectional analysis. Data from 211 women with BRCA1/2 mutations (BRCA1-91, BRCA2-120) and breast cancer were collected including age, tumour focality, size, type, grade and receptor profile. The prevalence of multifocality/multicentricity within this group was 25% but, within subgroups, prevalence amongst BRCA2 carriers was more than double that of BRCA1 carriers (p =?0.001). Women affected by MF/MC tumours had proportionately higher oestrogen receptor positivity (p =?0.001) and lower triple negativity (p =?0.004). These observations are likely to be driven by the higher BRCA2 mutation prevalence observed within this cohort. The odds of a BRCA2 carrier developing MF/MC cancer were almost four-fold higher than a BRCA1 carrier (odds ratio: 3.71, CI: 1.77-7.78, p =?0.001). These findings were subsequently validated in a second, large independent cohort of patients with BRCA-associated breast cancers from a UK-wide multicentre study. This confirmed a significantly higher prevalence of MF/MC tumours amongst BRCA2 mutation carriers compared with BRCA1 mutation carriers. This has important implications for clinicians involved in the treatment of BRCA2-associated breast cancer, both in the diagnostic process, in ensuring that tumour focality is adequately assessed to facilitate treatment decision-making, and for breast surgeons, particularly if breast conserving surgery is being considered as a treatment option for these patients.
Project description:Children (n = 747; 6.5 years) were assessed on domain-general processes and mathematics and reading-related competencies (start of first grade), addition retrieval (end of second grade), and calculations and word reading (end of third grade). Attentive behavior, reasoning, visuospatial memory, and rapid automatized naming (RAN) indirectly contributed to both outcomes, via retrieval. However, there was no overlap in domain-general direct effects on calculations (attentive behavior, reasoning, working memory) versus word reading (language, phonological memory, RAN). Results suggest ease of forming associative relations and abilities engaged during the formation of these long-term memories are common to both outcomes and can be indexed by addition-fact retrieval, but further growth in calculations and word reading is driven by different constellations of domain-general abilities.
Project description:BackgroundBRCA2 mutation has a more substantial impact on the homologous recombination and superior therapeutic response to platinum-based chemotherapy than BRCA1 mutation. Whether BRCA2-mutated patients could benefit more from PARPi than BRCA1-mutated patients remains unclear. We performed a meta-analysis to assess the efficacy difference of PARPi between BRCA1 mutation carriers and BRCA2 mutation carriers.MethodsPubmed, Embase, and Cochrane Library were comprehensively searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of PARPi that had available hazard ratios (HRs) of progression-free survival (PFS) in both BRCA1-mutated population and BRCA2-mutated population. We calculated the pooled PFS HRs and 95%CI using randomized-effect models, and the difference between the two estimates was compared by interaction test.ResultsA total of 11 eligible RCTs of high quality were identified through search. Overall, 1544 BRCA1 mutation carriers and 1191 BRCA2 mutation carriers were included in the final analysis. The pooled PFS HR was 0.42 (95% CI: 0.35-0.50) in BRCA1-mutated patients who were treated with PARPi compared with patients in the control group. In BRCA2-mutated patients treated with PARPi, the pooled PFS HR compared with the control groups was 0.35 (95% CI: 0.24-0.51). The difference in efficacy of PARPi was not significant between the two subgroups (P heterogeneity = 0.40, for interaction).ConclusionBRCA1-mutated patients and BRCA2-mutated patients could benefit from PARPi, and the efficacy is comparable. Currently, there is no evidence that BRCA2-mutated patients would benefit more from PARPi than BRCA1-mutated patients.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier CRD42020214582.
Project description:PurposeAlterations in DNA damage repair (DDR) pathway genes occur in 20%-25% of men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Although PARP inhibitors (PARPis) have been shown to benefit men with mCRPC harboring DDR defects due to mutations in BRCA1/2 and ATM, additional treatments are necessary because the effects are not durable.Experimental designWe performed transcriptomic analysis of publicly available mCRPC cases, comparing BRCA2 null with BRCA2 wild-type. We generated BRCA2-null prostate cancer cells using CRISPR/Cas9 and treated these cells with PARPis and SRC inhibitors. We also assessed the antiproliferative effects of combination treatment in 3D prostate cancer organoids.ResultsWe observed significant enrichment of the SRC signaling pathway in BRCA2-altered mCRPC. BRCA2-null prostate cancer cell lines had increased SRC phosphorylation and higher sensitivity to SRC inhibitors (e.g., dasatinib, bosutinib, and saracatinib) relative to wild-type cells. Combination treatment with PARPis and SRC inhibitors was antiproliferative and had a synergistic effect in BRCA2-null prostate cancer cells, mCRPC organoids, and Trp53/Rb1-null prostate cancer cells. Inhibition of SRC signaling by dasatinib augmented DNA damage in BRCA2-null prostate cancer cells. Moreover, SRC knockdown increased PARPi sensitivity in BRCA2-null prostate cancer cells.ConclusionsThis work suggests that SRC activation may be a potential mechanism of PARPi resistance and that treatment with SRC inhibitors may overcome this resistance. Our preclinical study demonstrates that combining PARPis and SRC inhibitors may be a promising therapeutic strategy for patients with BRCA2-null mCRPC.
Project description:The breast cancer 1 and 2, early onset (BRCA1 and BRCA2) genes are important for double-strand break repair by homologous recombination. Cells with inactivating mutations of the BRCA1 or BRCA2 tumor suppressor genes show increased sensitivity to Poly-ADP ribose polymerase (PARP)-inhibitors in vitro. Sporadic breast tumors with BRCA1 promoter hypermethylation show a similar phenotype to familial BRCA1 patient tumors termed "BRCAness." Sporadic ovarian tumors with functional inactivation of BRCA1 by hypermethylation will also have the BRCA-deficiency phenocopy. The loss of BRCA1 expression associated with promoter hypermethylation will disrupt BRCA-associated DNA repair and may sensitize tumors to BRCA-directed therapies. Thus, the determination of methylation status of BRCA1 may be an important predictive classifier of response to PARP-inhibitor therapy. The methylation, and thereby functional, status of other genes implicated in the wider BRCA/homologous recombination (HR) pathway may also be relevant to the prediction of response to PARP-inhibitor therapy. Here, we describe the four optimal technologies for assaying the promoter methylation status of BRCA1 and/or other genes.
Project description:Polyadenosine-diphosphate-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors cause deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage that can be lethal to cells with deficient repair mechanisms. A number of PARP inhibitors are being tested as treatments for men with prostate cancer, both as monotherapies and in combinations that are based on purported synergies in treatment effect. While the initial single-agent development focused on men with identified deficiencies in DNA-repair pathways, broader patient populations are being considered for combination approaches. This review summarizes the current clinical development of PARP inhibitors and explores the rationale for novel combination strategies.
Project description:BACKGROUND:The poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor olaparib has been approved for treating prostate cancer (PCa) with BRCA mutations, and veliparib, another PARP inhibitor, is being tested in clinical trials. However, veliparib only showed a moderate anticancer effect, and combination therapy is required for PCa patients. Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors have been tested to improve the anticancer efficacy of PARP inhibitors for PCa cells, but the exact mechanisms are still elusive. METHODS:Several types of PCa cells and prostate epithelial cell line RWPE-1 were treated with veliparib or SAHA alone or in combination. Cell viability or clonogenicity was tested with violet crystal assay; cell apoptosis was detected with Annexin V-FITC/PI staining and flow cytometry, and the cleaved PARP was tested with western blot; DNA damage was evaluated by staining the cells with ?H2AX antibody, and the DNA damage foci were observed with a fluorescent microscopy, and the level of ?H2AX was tested with western blot; the protein levels of UHRF1 and BRCA1 were measured with western blot or cell immunofluorescent staining, and the interaction of UHRF1 and BRCA1 proteins was detected with co-immunoprecipitation when cells were treated with drugs. The antitumor effect of combinational therapy was validated in DU145 xenograft models. RESULTS:PCa cells showed different sensitivity to veliparib or SAHA. Co-administration of both drugs synergistically decreased cell viability and clonogenicity, and synergistically induced cell apoptosis and DNA damage, while had no detectable toxicity to normal prostate epithelial cells. Mechanistically, veliparib or SAHA alone reduced BRCA1 or UHRF1 protein levels, co-treatment with veliparib and SAHA synergistically reduced BRCA1 protein levels by targeting the UHRF1/BRCA1 protein complex, the depletion of UHRF1 resulted in the degradation of BRCA1 protein, while the elevation of UHRF1 impaired co-treatment-reduced BRCA1 protein levels. Co-administration of both drugs synergistically decreased the growth of xenografts. CONCLUSIONS:Our studies revealed that the synergistic lethality of HDAC and PARP inhibitors resulted from promoting DNA damage and inhibiting HR DNA damage repair pathways, in particular targeting the UHRF1/BRCA1 protein complex. The synergistic lethality of veliparib and SAHA shows great potential for future PCa clinical trials.
Project description:PARP inhibitors were recently approved for treatment of molecularly-defined subsets of metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients. Although the PARP inhibitor olaparib was approved for use in patients with a mutation in one of fourteen genes, the mutation frequency of the genes varies widely in mCRPC and the impact of the less commonly altered genes on PARP inhibitor sensitivity is uncertain. We used functional approaches to directly test the impact of PALB2 and BARD1 loss on homologous recombination (HR) function and PARP inhibitor sensitivity in prostate cancer cell lines. PALB2 or BARD1 loss led to decreased HR function as measured by loss of radiation-induced Rad51 foci formation as well as decreased HR capacity in a cell-based reporter assay. PALB2 or BARD1 loss also significantly increased sensitivity to the PARP inhibitors olaparib and rucaparib across a panel of prostate cancer cell lines. These data support PALB2 and BARD1 loss as markers of clinically relevant PARP inhibitor sensitivity and highlight the potential to use functional approaches to complement and extend findings from clinical trials of targeted agents.
Project description:Patients with cancers that harbor breast cancer 1 (BRCA1) mutations initially respond well to platinum and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor (PARPi) therapy; however, resistance invariably arises in these patients and is a major clinical problem. The BRCA1185delAG allele is a common inherited mutation located close to the protein translation start site that is thought to produce a shortened, nonfunctional peptide. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms that lead to PARPi and platinum resistance in the SUM1315MO2 breast cancer cell line, which harbors a hemizygous BRCA1185delAG mutation. SUM1315MO2 cells were initially sensitive to PARPi and cisplatin but readily acquired resistance. PARPi- and cisplatin-resistant clones did not harbor secondary reversion mutations; rather, PARPi and platinum resistance required increased expression of a really interesting gene (RING) domain-deficient BRCA1 protein (Rdd-BRCA1). Initiation of translation occurred downstream of the frameshift mutation, probably at the BRCA1-Met-297 codon. In contrast to full-length BRCA1, Rdd-BRCA1 did not require BRCA1-associated RING domain 1 (BARD1) interaction for stability. Functionally, Rdd-BRCA1 formed irradiation-induced foci and supported RAD51 foci formation. Ectopic overexpression of Rdd-BRCA1 promoted partial PARPi and cisplatin resistance. Furthermore, Rdd-BRCA1 protein expression was detected in recurrent carcinomas from patients who carried germline BRCA1185delAG mutations. Taken together, these results indicate that RING-deficient BRCA1 proteins are hypomorphic and capable of contributing to PARPi and platinum resistance when expressed at high levels.
Project description:Selective elimination of BRCA1-deficient cells by inhibitors of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) is a prime example of the concept of synthetic lethality in cancer therapy. This interaction is counteracted by the restoration of BRCA1-independent homologous recombination through loss of factors such as 53BP1, RIF1, and REV7/MAD2L2, which inhibit end resection of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). To identify additional factors involved in this process, we performed CRISPR/SpCas9-based loss-of-function screens and selected for factors that confer PARP inhibitor (PARPi) resistance in BRCA1-deficient cells. Loss of members of the CTC1-STN1-TEN1 (CST) complex were found to cause PARPi resistance in BRCA1-deficient cells in vitro and in vivo. We show that CTC1 depletion results in the restoration of end resection and that the CST complex may act downstream of 53BP1/RIF1. These data suggest that, in addition to its role in protecting telomeres, the CST complex also contributes to protecting DSBs from end resection.