A functional and regulatory network associated with PIP expression in human breast cancer

ABSTRACT: Background The PIP (prolactin-inducible protein) gene has been shown to be expressed in breast cancers, with contradictory results concerning its implication. As both the physiological role and the molecular pathways in which PIP is involved are poorly understood, we conducted a combined gene expression profiling and network analysis studies on selected breast cancer cell lines presenting distinct PIP expression levels and hormonal receptor status, to explore the functional and regulatory network of PIP co-modulated genes. Results Microarray analysis allowed identification of genes co-modulated with PIP independently of modulations resulting from hormonal treatment or cell line heterogeneity. Relevant clusters of genes that can discriminate between [PIP+] and [PIP-] cells were identified. Functional and regulatory network analyses based on knowledge database revealed a master network of PIP co-modulated genes, including many interconnecting oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, half of which were detected as differentially expressed through high-precision measurements. The networks identified appear associated with an inhibition of proliferation coupled with an increase of apoptosis and an enhancement of cell adhesion in breast cancer cell lines. Finally, the STAT5 motif was identified in promoters of an important part of genes belonging to the PIP networks. Conclusion Our global exploratory approach was found to be an effective strategy to identify the biological pathways modulated along with the PIP expression, thus supporting good prognostic value of disease-free survival time in breast cancer based on previous reports focusing on PIP’s favorable signature. Moreover, our data allowed us to provide the first insight in its regulatory subnetwork in which STAT5 appears as a potential key regulator.

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE11627 | GEO | 2009/03/06

SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA106141

REPOSITORIES: GEO