Project description:The control of p53 protein stability is critical to its tumor suppressor functions. The CREB Binding Protein (CBP) transcriptional coactivator co-operates with MDM2 to maintain normally low physiologic p53 levels in cells via an exclusively cytoplasmic ‘E4’ polyubiquitination activity. Utilizing mass spectrometry to identify nuclear and cytoplasmic CBP interacting proteins that regulate compartmentalized CBP E4 activity, we identified Deleted in Breast Cancer 1 (DBC1) as a stoichiometric CBP-interacting protein that negatively regulates CBP–dependent p53 polyubiquitination, stabilizes p53, and augments p53-dependent apoptosis. TCGA analysis demonstrated that solid tumors often retain wild type p53 alleles in conjunction with DBC1 loss, supporting the hypothesis that DBC1 is selected for disruption during carcinogenesis as a surrogate for p53 functional loss. As DBC1 maintains p53 stability in the nucleus where p53 exerts its tumor suppressive transcriptional function, replacement of DBC1 functionality in DBC1-deleted tumors might also enhance p53 function and chemosensitivity for therapeutic benefit.
Project description:p53 is a frequent target for mutation in human tumors and previous studies have revealed that these missense mutant proteins can actively contribute to tumorigenesis. To elucidate how mutant p53 might contribute to mammary carcinogenesis we employed a three-dimensional (3D) culture model. In 3D culture non-malignant breast epithelial cells form structures reminiscent of acinar structures found in vivo, whereas breast cancer cells form highly disorganized and in some cases invasive structures. We found that mutant p53 depletion is sufficient to phenotypically revert breast cancer cells to a more acinar-like morphology. Genome-wide expression analysis identified the sterol biosynthesis, or mevalonate, pathway as significantly upregulated by a tumor-derived mutant p53. Using statins and sterol biosynthesis intermediates, we demonstrate that this pathway is both necessary and sufficient for the phenotypic effects of mutant p53 on breast tissue architecture. Mutant p53 associates with the sterol gene promoters at least partly via the SREBP transcription factors. Finally, p53 mutation correlates with higher levels of sterol biosynthesis genes in human breast tumors. This activity of mutant p53 not only contributes insight into breast carcinogenesis, but also implicates the mevalonate pathway as a new therapeutic target for tumors bearing such mutations in p53.
Project description:Mutant p53 proteins, resulting form frequent TP53 tumor suppressor missense mutations, possess gain-of-function activities and are among the most widespread and robust oncoproteins in human tumors. They are potentially important but understudied therapeutic targets. No studies to date have distinguished common, therapeutically relevant mutant p53 gain-of-function effects, from effects specific to different mutant variants and cell backgrounds. Here we identify 26S proteasome machinery as the common downstream effector controlled by mutant p53s in Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC - aggressive carcinomas with TP53 as the most frequently mutated locus) and conserved in other human cancers. We have identified this pathway using a combination of single-model, multi-method vertical analysis (whole cell proteome, RNA sequencing an ChIP sequencing) and multi-cell line, horizontal analysis of transcriptiomes. We found that different missense mutant p53s regardless of the cell background transcriptionaly activate whole 26S proteasome machinery. Proteasome activity is significantly increased in p53 mutant versus wild-type or knockdown/null status - in cellular and mouse models as well as in human breast tumors. Increased proteasome activity leads to inhibition of tumor suppressive pathways. The control of mutant p53 over proteasome transcription and activity results in the increased resistance to proteasome inhibitors. By combining the mutant p53 targeting agents and proteasome inhibitor we were able to overcome the “bounce-back” proteasome inhibitor resistance mechanism in mutant p53 bearing TNBC cells and xenografts in vivo.
Project description:To model the effect of Pten loss on breast cancer, we deleted Pten using a floxed allele and the deleter lines MMTV-Cre(NLST), which targets stem/bi-potent progenitor cells, and WAP-Cre, which targets CD24-positive, pregnancy-identified stem cells/alveolar progenitors. Mammary tumors were detected in WAP-Cre:Ptenf/f females with a latency of 15.2 months. By 18 months, nearly all mice had succumbed to cancer. MMTV-Cre:Ptenf/f mice developed mammary tumors after a longer latency of 26.4 months and reduced penetrance (70%) compared to WAP-Cre:Ptenf/f mice. Tumors from both models were heterogeneous, consisting primarily of differentiated adenocarcinoma (adenomyoepithelioma; ~70%) and adenosquamous carcinoma (20-25%). In addition, a small fraction of tumors was classified as acinar and poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma (4-7%) and adenosarcoma (3-4%). To test the consequences of combined Pten and p53 gene mutation on breast cancer, we deleted both genes via MMTV-Cre or WAP-Cre. Kaplan-Meier tumor free survival curves revealed that WAP-Cre:Ptenf/f:p53f/f and MMTV-Cre:Ptenf/f:p53f/f females developed tumors with reduced latency of 11.3 and 9.8 months, compared with 15.2, 26.4, and 16.9 months for single-mutant WAP-Cre:Ptenf/f, MMTV-Cre:Ptenf/f or MMTV-Cre:p53f/f mice, respectively. In contrast to the heterogeneity of Pten tumors and small percentage of adenosarcomas in these mice, ~70% of Pten:p53 lesions were histologically classified as adeno-sacrcomatoid-like or mesenchymal-like breast cancer, with the rest exhibiting mixed mesenchymal plus adenocarcinomas and differentiated adenocarcinomas. The adeno-sacrcomatoid-like tumors expressed the mesenchymal markers vimentin, K5, SMA, N-cadherin and desmin but not ER, as well as islands of luminal-like K18 expressing cells surrounded by a layer of K14-positive cells. We used microarrays to detect differentially expressed genes in the Pten:p53 double-knock-out vs Pten or p53 single deletions Total RNA was extracted from tumors developed by double Trizol method and hybridized on Affymetrix microarrays.
Project description:TGFβ ligands act as tumor suppressors in early stage tumors but are paradoxically diverted into potent prometastatic factors in advanced cancers. The molecular nature of this switch remains enigmatic. We now show that TGFβ-dependent cell migration, invasion and metastasis are empowered by mutant-p53. To investigate the specific gene expression program by which mutant-p53 and TGFβ control invasion and metastasis in breast cancer cells, we compared the TGFβ transcriptomic profile of control and mutant-p53 depleted MDA-MB-231 cells. Keywords: expression profiling by array
Project description:p53 is a frequent target for mutation in human tumors and previous studies have revealed that these missense mutant proteins can actively contribute to tumorigenesis. To elucidate how mutant p53 might contribute to mammary carcinogenesis we employed a three-dimensional (3D) culture model. In 3D culture non-malignant breast epithelial cells form structures reminiscent of acinar structures found in vivo, whereas breast cancer cells form highly disorganized and in some cases invasive structures. We found that mutant p53 depletion is sufficient to phenotypically revert breast cancer cells to a more acinar-like morphology. Genome-wide expression analysis identified the sterol biosynthesis, or mevalonate, pathway as significantly upregulated by a tumor-derived mutant p53. Using statins and sterol biosynthesis intermediates, we demonstrate that this pathway is both necessary and sufficient for the phenotypic effects of mutant p53 on breast tissue architecture. Mutant p53 associates with the sterol gene promoters at least partly via the SREBP transcription factors. Finally, p53 mutation correlates with higher levels of sterol biosynthesis genes in human breast tumors. This activity of mutant p53 not only contributes insight into breast carcinogenesis, but also implicates the mevalonate pathway as a new therapeutic target for tumors bearing such mutations in p53. RNA was isolated from three independent experiments of MDA-468.shp53 cells cultured under 3D conditions for 8 days in the presence or absence of DOX, reversed transcribed and hybridized to an Affymetrix GeneChip expression array. Data was processed using the Robust Multichip Average (RMA) algorithm to give expression signals and paired t-test was applied for each probe. Probes with 1% significance were selected for Ingenuity Pathway Analysis.