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TWIST1 is an ERK1/2 effector that promotes invasion and regulates MMP-1 expression in human melanoma cells.

ABSTRACT: Tumor cells often use developmental processes to progress toward advanced disease. The E-box transcription factor TWIST1 is essential to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cell migration in the developing neural crest. In melanoma, which derives from the neural crest cell lineage, enhanced TWIST1 expression has been linked to worse clinical prognosis. However, mechanisms underlying TWIST1 expression and whether aberrant TWIST1 levels promote steps in melanoma progression remain unknown. Here, we report that elevated TWIST1 mRNA/protein expression is dependent on extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 signaling, which is hyperactive in the majority of melanomas. We show that TWIST1 protein levels are especially high in melanoma cell lines generated from invasive, premetastatic stage tumors. Furthermore, TWIST1 expression is required and sufficient to promote invasion through Matrigel and spheroid outgrowth in three-dimensional dermal-mimetic conditions. Alterations to spheroid outgrowth were not as a result of altered cell death, cell-cycle profile, or paradigm EMT protein changes. Importantly, we identify matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) as a novel downstream target of TWIST1. We have determined that TWIST1 acts, in a dose-dependent manner, as a mediator between hyperactive ERK1/2 signaling and regulation of MMP-1 transcription. Together, these studies mechanistically show a previously unrecognized interplay between ERK1/2, TWIST1, and MMP-1 that is likely significant in the progression of melanoma toward metastasis.

SUBMITTER: Weiss MB

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3531871 | biostudies-other | 2012 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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TWIST1 is an ERK1/2 effector that promotes invasion and regulates MMP-1 expression in human melanoma cells.

Weiss Michele B MB Abel Ethan V EV Mayberry Melanie M MM Basile Kevin J KJ Berger Adam C AC Aplin Andrew E AE

Cancer research 20121207 24

Tumor cells often use developmental processes to progress toward advanced disease. The E-box transcription factor TWIST1 is essential to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cell migration in the developing neural crest. In melanoma, which derives from the neural crest cell lineage, enhanced TWIST1 expression has been linked to worse clinical prognosis. However, mechanisms underlying TWIST1 expression and whether aberrant TWIST1 levels promote steps in melanoma progression remain unknown. ...[more]

PMID: 23222305

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Project description:The heterogeneous breast cancers can be classified into different subtypes according to their histopathological characteristics and molecular signatures. Foxa1 expression is linked with luminal breast cancer (LBC) with good prognosis, whereas Twist1 expression is associated with basal-like breast cancer (BLBC) with poor prognosis owing to its role in promoting epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasiveness and metastasis. However, the regulatory and functional relationships between Twist1 and Foxa1 in breast cancer progression are unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that in the estrogen receptor (ERα)-positive LBC cells Twist1 silences Foxa1 expression, which has an essential role in relieving Foxa1-arrested migration, invasion and metastasis of breast cancer cells. Mechanistically, Twist1 binds to Foxa1 proximal promoter and recruits the NuRD transcriptional repressor complex to de-acetylate H3K9 and repress RNA polymerase II recruitment. Twist1 also silences Foxa1 promoter by inhibiting AP-1 recruitment. Twist1 expression in MCF7 cells silenced Foxa1 expression, which was concurrent with the induction of EMT, migration, invasion and metastasis of these cells. Importantly, restored Foxa1 expression in these cells largely inhibited Twist1-promoted migration, invasion and metastasis. Restored Foxa1 expression did not change the Twist1-induced mesenchymal cellular morphology and the expression of Twist1-regulated E-cadherin, β-catenin, vimentin and Slug, but it partially rescued Twist1-silenced ERα and cytokeratin 8 expression and reduced Twist1-induced integrin α5, integrin β1 and MMP9 expression. In a xenografted mouse model, restored Foxa1 also increased Twist1-repressed LBC markers and decreased Twist1-induced BLBC markers. Furthermore, Twist1 expression is negatively correlated with Foxa1 in the human breast tumors. The tumors with high Twist1 and low Foxa1 expressions are associated with poor distant metastasis-free survival. These results demonstrate that Twist1's silencing effect on Foxa1 expression is largely responsible for Twist1-induced migration, invasion and metastasis, but less responsible for Twist1-induced mesenchymal morphogenesis and expression of certain EMT markers.

Project description:BackgroundTumor cell invasion into adjacent normal brain is a mesenchymal feature of GBM and a major factor contributing to their dismal outcomes. Therefore, better understandings of mechanisms that promote mesenchymal change in GBM are of great clinical importance to address invasion. We previously showed that the bHLH transcription factor TWIST1 which orchestrates carcinoma metastasis through an epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) is upregulated in GBM and promotes invasion of the SF767 GBM cell line in vitro.ResultsTo further define TWIST1 functions in GBM we tested the impact of TWIST1 over-expression on invasion in vivo and its impact on gene expression. We found that TWIST1 significantly increased SNB19 and T98G cell line invasion in orthotopic xenotransplants and increased expression of genes in functional categories associated with adhesion, extracellular matrix proteins, cell motility and locomotion, cell migration and actin cytoskeleton organization. Consistent with this TWIST1 reduced cell aggregation, promoted actin cytoskeletal re-organization and enhanced migration and adhesion to fibronectin substrates. Individual genes upregulated by TWIST1 known to promote EMT and/or GBM invasion included SNAI2, MMP2, HGF, FAP and FN1. Distinct from carcinoma EMT, TWIST1 did not generate an E- to N-cadherin "switch" in GBM cell lines. The clinical relevance of putative TWIST target genes SNAI2 and fibroblast activation protein alpha (FAP) identified in vitro was confirmed by their highly correlated expression with TWIST1 in 39 human tumors. The potential therapeutic importance of inhibiting TWIST1 was also shown through a decrease in cell invasion in vitro and growth of GBM stem cells.ConclusionsTogether these studies demonstrated that TWIST1 enhances GBM invasion in concert with mesenchymal change not involving the canonical cadherin switch of carcinoma EMT. Given the recent recognition that mesenchymal change in GBMs is associated with increased malignancy, these findings support the potential therapeutic importance of strategies to subvert TWIST1-mediated mesenchymal change.

Project description:Twist1, a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor is implicated as a key mediator of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastatic dissemination in p53-deficient cancer cells. On the other hand, checkpoint kinase 2 (Chk2), a major cell cycle regulatory protein provides a barrier to tumorigenesis due to DNA damage response by preserving genomic stability of the cells. Here we demonstrate that Chk2 induction proficiently abrogates invasion, cell scattering and invadopodia formation ability of p53-mutated invasive cells by suppressing Twist1, indicating Chk2 confers vital role in metastasis prevention. In addition, ectopic Chk2, as well as its (Chk2) induction by natural podophyllotoxin analog, 4'-demethyl-deoxypodophyllotoxin glucoside (4DPG), strongly restrain Twist1 activity along with other mesenchymal markers, for example, ZEB-1, vimentin and Snail1, whereas the epithelial markers such as E-cadherin and TIMP-1 expression augmented robustly. However, downregulation of endogenous Chk2 by siRNA as well as Chk2 selective inhibitor PV1019 implies that 4DPG-mediated inhibition of Twist1 is Chk2-dependent. Further, mechanistic studies unveil that Chk2 negatively regulates Twist1 promoter activity and it (Chk2) interacts steadily with Snail1 protein to curb EMT. Strikingly, Chk2 overexpression triggers premature senescence in these cells with distinctive increase in senescence-associated ?-galactosidase (SA-?-gal) activity, G2/M cell cycle arrest and induction of senescence-specific marker p21waf1/Cip1. Importantly, stable knockdown of Twist1 by shRNA markedly augments p21 expression, its nuclear accumulation, senescence-associated heterochromatin foci (SAHF) and amplifies the number of SA-?-gal-positive cells. Moreover, our in vivo studies also validate that 4DPG treatment significantly abrogates tumor growth as well as metastatic lung nodules formation by elevating the level of phospho-Chk2, Chk2 and suppressing Twist1 activity in mouse mammary carcinoma model. In a nutshell, this report conceives a novel strategy of Twist1 suppression through Chk2 induction, which prevents metastatic dissemination and promotes premature senescence in p53-defective invasive cancer cells.

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TWIST1 is an ERK1/2 effector that promotes invasion and regulates MMP-1 expression in human melanoma cells.

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TWIST1 is an ERK1/2 effector that promotes invasion and regulates MMP-1 expression in human melanoma cells.

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