Project description:The mammary gland undergoes hormonally stimulated cycles of proliferation, lactation, and involution. We hypothesized that these factors increase the mutational burden in glandular tissue and may explain high cancer incidence rate in the general population, and recurrent disease. Hence, we investigated the DNA sequence variants in the normal mammary gland, tumor, and peripheral blood from 52 reportedly sporadic breast cancer patients. Targeted resequencing of 542 cancer-associated genes revealed subclonal somatic pathogenic variants of: PIK3CA, TP53, AKT1, MAP3K1, CDH1, RB1, NCOR1, MED12, CBFB, TBX3, and TSHR in the normal mammary gland at considerable allelic frequencies (9 × 10-2- 5.2 × 10-1), indicating clonal expansion. Further evaluation of the frequently damaged PIK3CA and TP53 genes by ultra-sensitive duplex sequencing demonstrated a diversified picture of multiple low-level subclonal (in 10-2-10-4 alleles) hotspot pathogenic variants. Our results raise a question about the oncogenic potential in non-tumorous mammary gland tissue of breast-conserving surgery patients.
Project description:The mammary gland undergoes hormonally stimulated cycles of proliferation, lactation and involution. We hypothesized that these factors increase the mutational burden in glandular tissue and may explain high cancer incidence rate in the general population and recurrent disease. Hence, we investigated the DNA sequence variants in the normal mammary gland, tumor and peripheral blood from 52 reportedly sporadic breast cancer patients, including breast-conserving surgery cases. Targeted resequencing of 542 cancer associated genes revealed mosaic somatic pathogenic variants of: PIK3CA, TP53, AKT1, MAP3K1, CDH1, RB1, NCOR1, MED12, CBFB, TBX3 and TSHR in the normal mammary gland, at considerable allelic frequencies (9x10-2 to 5.2x10-1) indicating clonal expansion. Further evaluation of the frequently damaged PIK3CA and TP53 genes by ultra-sensitive duplex sequencing demonstrated a diversified picture of multiple low level-mosaic (in 10-2 to 10-4 alleles) hotspot pathogenic variants. Our results raise a question about the oncogenic potential in non-tumor mammary gland tissue of breast-conserving surgery patients.
Project description:Background: Breast cancer, the most prevalent malignancy in women worldwide, presents diverse onset patterns and genetic backgrounds. This study aims to examine the genetic landscape and clinical implications of rare mutations in Chinese breast cancer patients. Methods: Clinical data from 253 patients, including sporadic and familial cases, were analyzed. Comprehensive genomic profiling was performed, categorizing identified rare variants according to the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) guidelines. In silico protein modeling was used to analyze potentially pathogenic variants' impact on protein structure and function. Results: We detected 421 rare variants across patients. The most frequently mutated genes were ALK (22.2%), BARD1 (15.6%), and BRCA2 (15.0%). ACMG classification identified 7% of patients harboring Pathogenic/Likely Pathogenic (P/LP) variants, with one case displaying a pathogenic BRCA1 mutation linked to triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Also identified were two pathogenic MUTYH variants, previously associated with colon cancer but increasingly implicated in breast cancer. Variants of uncertain significance (VUS) were identified in 112 patients, with PTEN c.C804A showing the highest frequency. The role of these variants in sporadic breast cancer oncogenesis was suggested. In-depth exploration of previously unreported variants led to the identification of three potential pathogenic variants: ATM c.C8573T, MSH3 c.A2723T, and CDKN1C c.C221T. Their predicted impact on protein structure and stability suggests a functional role in cancer development. Conclusion: This study reveals a comprehensive overview of the genetic variants landscape in Chinese breast cancer patients, highlighting the prevalence and potential implications of rare variants. We emphasize the value of comprehensive genomic profiling in breast cancer management and the necessity of continuous research into understanding the functional impacts of these variants.
Project description:The receptor tyrosine kinase AXL is associated with epithelial plasticity in several solid tumors including breast cancer and AXL-targeting agents are currently in clinical trials. We hypothesized that AXL is a driver of stemness traits in cancer by co-option of a regulatory function normally reserved for stem cells. AXL-expressing cells in human mammary epithelial ducts co-expressed markers associated with multipotency, and AXL inhibition abolished colony formation and self-maintenance activities while promoting terminal differentiation in vitro. Axl-null mice did not exhibit a strong developmental phenotype, but enrichment of Axl + cells was required for mouse mammary gland reconstitution upon transplantation, and Axl-null mice had reduced incidence of Wnt1-driven mammary tumors. An AXL-dependent gene signature is a feature of transcriptomes in basal breast cancers and reduced patient survival irrespective of subtype. Our interpretation is that AXL regulates access to epithelial plasticity programs in MaSCs and, when co-opted, maintains acquired stemness in breast cancer cells.
Project description:Women in North America have a one in eight lifetime risk of developing breast cancer (BC), and a significant proportion of these individuals will develop recurrent BC and will eventually succumb to the disease. Metastatic, therapy-resistant BC cells are refractory to cell death induced by multiple stresses. Here, we document that the vitamin D receptor (VDR) acts as a master transcriptional regulator of autophagy. Activation of the VDR by vitamin D induces autophagy and an autophagic transcriptional signature in BC cells that correlates with increased survival in patients; strikingly, this signature is present in the normal mammary gland and is progressively lost in patients with metastatic BC. A number of epidemiological studies have shown that sufficient vitamin D serum levels might be protective against BC. We observed that dietary vitamin D supplementation in mice increases basal levels of autophagy in the normal mammary gland, highlighting the potential of vitamin D as a cancer-preventive agent. These findings point to a role of vitamin D and the VDR in modulating autophagy and cell death in both the normal mammary gland and BC cells.
Project description:This study demonstrates a liquid-liquid extraction for the sequential tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis of non-polar lipids, polar metabolites, proteins and phosphorylation sites from a single piece of tissue. Extraction of 10 mg BRCA-/-, p53-/- breast tumor tissue or normal mammary gland tissue with methyl-tert-butyl ether (MTBE) results in three phases: an upper non-polar phase containing 1,382 lipids, a lower polar phase with 805 metabolites and a precipitated protein pellet with 4,792 proteins with 1,072 phosphorylation sites. Comparative analysis revealed an activated AKT-mTOR pathway in tumors. Tumors also showed a reduction of phosphorylation sites involved in transcription and RNA splicing and decreased abundance of enzymes in lipid synthesis. Analysis of polar metabolites revealed a reduction in glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway, polyamines and nucleotides, but an increase in TCA and urea cycle intermediates. Analysis of lipids revealed a shift from high triglycerides in mammary gland to high phospholipid levels in tumors. The data were integrated into a model showing breast tumors exhibit features on the proteomic, lipidomic and metabolomic level that are distinct from normal breast tissue. Our integrative technique lends itself to samples such as tumor biopsies, dried blood spots and fluids including urine and CSF to develop biomarkers of disease.
Project description:The mammary gland is an organ comprising two primary lineages, specifically the inner luminal and the outer myoepithelial cell layers. Mammary gland stem cells (MaSCs) are highly dynamic and self-renewing, and can give rise to these mammary gland lineages. The lineages are responsible for gland generation during puberty as well as expansion during pregnancy. In recent years, researchers have focused on understanding how MaSCs are regulated during mammary gland development and transformation of breast cancer. Here, we summarize the identification of MaSCs, and how they are regulated by the signaling transduction pathways, mammary gland microenvironment, and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). Moreover, we debate the evidence for their serving as the origin of breast cancer, and discuss the therapeutic perspectives of targeting breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs). In conclusion, a better understanding of the key regulators of MaSCs is crucial for the clinical treatment of breast cancer.
Project description:cJun NH(2)-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling has been implicated in the developmental morphogenesis of epithelial organs. In this study, we employed a compound deletion of the murine Jnk1 and Jnk2 genes in the mammary gland to evaluate the requirement for these ubiquitously expressed genes in breast development and tumorigenesis. JNK1/2 was not required for breast epithelial cell proliferation or motility. However, JNK1/2 deficiency caused increased branching morphogenesis and defects in the clearance of lumenal epithelial cells. In the setting of breast cancer development, JNK1/2 deficiency significantly increased tumor formation. Together, these findings established that JNK signaling is required for normal mammary gland development and that it has a suppressive role in mammary tumorigenesis.