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Li CMC, Cordes A, Oliphant MUJ, Quinn SA, Thomas M, Selfors LM, Silvestri F, Girnius N, Rinaldi G, Zoeller JJ, Shapiro H, Tsiobikas C, Gupta KP, Pathania S, Regev A, Kadoch C, Muthuswamy SK, Brugge JS. Brca1 haploinsufficiency promotes early tumor onset and epigenetic alterations in a mouse model of hereditary breast cancer. Nat Genet 2024; 56:2763-2775. [PMID: 39528827 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-024-01958-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/23/2024] [Indexed: 11/16/2024]
Abstract
Germline BRCA1 mutation carriers face a high breast cancer risk; however, the underlying mechanisms for this risk are not completely understood. Using a new genetically engineered mouse model of germline Brca1 heterozygosity, we demonstrate that early tumor onset in a Brca1 heterozygous background cannot be fully explained by the conventional 'two-hit' hypothesis, suggesting the existence of inherent tumor-promoting alterations in the Brca1 heterozygous state. Single-cell RNA sequencing and assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with sequencing analyses uncover a unique set of differentially accessible chromatin regions in ostensibly normal Brca1 heterozygous mammary epithelial cells, distinct from wild-type cells and partially mimicking the chromatin and RNA-level changes in tumor cells. Transcription factor analyses identify loss of ELF5 and gain of AP-1 sites in these epigenetically primed regions; in vivo experiments further implicate AP-1 and Wnt10a as strong promoters of Brca1-related breast cancer. These findings reveal a previously unappreciated epigenetic effect of Brca1 haploinsufficiency in accelerating tumorigenesis, advancing our mechanistic understanding and informing potential therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alyssa Cordes
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - S Aidan Quinn
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Mayura Thomas
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Laura M Selfors
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Nomeda Girnius
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Jason J Zoeller
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hana Shapiro
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Kushali P Gupta
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Shailja Pathania
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Aviv Regev
- Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Cigall Kadoch
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Senthil K Muthuswamy
- Cancer Research Institute, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Joan S Brugge
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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Miyano M, LaBarge MA. ELF5: A Molecular Clock for Breast Aging and Cancer Susceptibility. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:431. [PMID: 38275872 PMCID: PMC10813895 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16020431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is predominantly an age-related disease, with aging serving as the most significant risk factor, compounded by germline mutations in high-risk genes like BRCA1/2. Aging induces architectural changes in breast tissue, particularly affecting luminal epithelial cells by diminishing lineage-specific molecular profiles and adopting myoepithelial-like characteristics. ELF5 is an important transcription factor for both normal breast and breast cancer development. This review focuses on the role of ELF5 in normal breast development, its altered expression throughout aging, and its implications in cancer. It discusses the lineage-specific expression of ELF5, its regulatory mechanisms, and its potential as a biomarker for breast-specific biological age and cancer risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaru Miyano
- Department of Population Sciences, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
- Center for Cancer and Aging, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Mark A. LaBarge
- Department of Population Sciences, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
- Center for Cancer and Aging, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
- Center for Cancer Biomarkers Research, University of Bergen, 5007 Bergen, Norway
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