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Wang L, Paudel BB, McKnight RA, Janes KA. Nucleocytoplasmic transport of active HER2 causes fractional escape from the DCIS-like state. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2110. [PMID: 37055441 PMCID: PMC10102026 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37914-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Activation of HER2/ErbB2 coincides with escape from ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) premalignancy and disrupts 3D organization of cultured breast-epithelial spheroids. The 3D phenotype is infrequent, however, and mechanisms for its incomplete penetrance have been elusive. Using inducible HER2/ErbB2-EGFR/ErbB1 heterodimers, we match phenotype penetrance to the frequency of co-occurring transcriptomic changes and uncover a reconfiguration in the karyopherin network regulating ErbB nucleocytoplasmic transport. Induction of the exportin CSE1L inhibits nuclear accumulation of ErbBs, whereas nuclear ErbBs silence the importin KPNA1 by inducing miR-205. When these negative feedbacks are incorporated into a validated systems model of nucleocytoplasmic transport, steady-state localization of ErbB cargo becomes ultrasensitive to initial CSE1L abundance. Erbb2-driven carcinomas with Cse1l deficiency outgrow less irregularly from mammary ducts, and NLS-attenuating mutants or variants of HER2 favor escape in 3D culture. We conclude here that adaptive nucleocytoplasmic relocalization of HER2 creates a systems-level molecular switch at the premalignant-to-malignant transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lixin Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - B Bishal Paudel
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - R Anthony McKnight
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
- Olympus Veran Technologies, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Kevin A Janes
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
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2
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Wu D, Dean J. RNA exosome ribonuclease DIS3 degrades Pou6f1 to promote mouse pre-implantation cell differentiation. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112047. [PMID: 36724075 PMCID: PMC10387129 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Mammalian development is precisely controlled by cell differentiation. Identifying new regulators and investigating their interactions provide insight into genetic networks defining pre-implantation development. We established a knockout mouse model of Dis3, an exosome associated ribonuclease. Homozygous Dis3 null embryos arrest at the morula stage of development. Using single-embryo RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), we observed persistence of Pou6f1 mRNA in homozygous null Dis3 embryos and that the cognate protein represses transcription of Nanog and Cdx2. The resultant defects in cell differentiation disrupt the morula-to-blastocyst transition and are embryonic lethal. Microinjection of Dis3 mRNA into zygotes rescues the phenotype. Point mutations of Dis3 ribonuclease in individual blastomeres prevents their incorporation into embryos. To overcome the paucity of embryos, we derived homozygous Dis3 null mouse embryonic stem cells to identify additional gene targets of POU6F1. Our findings delineate a regulatory pathway of DIS3-POU6F1 in pre-implantation mammalian embryogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di Wu
- Laboratory of Cellular and Developmental Biology, NIDDK, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
| | - Jurrien Dean
- Laboratory of Cellular and Developmental Biology, NIDDK, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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Godfrey JD, Hejazi D, Du X, Wei C, Rao E, Gomez CM. HER2 c-Terminal Fragments Are Expressed via Internal Translation of the HER2 mRNA. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23179549. [PMID: 36076950 PMCID: PMC9455161 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23179549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The HER2/neu signaling pathway is one of the most frequently mutated in human cancer. Although therapeutics targeting this pathway have good efficacy, cancer cells frequently develop resistance. The HER2 gene encodes the full-length HER2 protein, as well as smaller c-terminal fragments (CTFs), which have been shown to be a cause of resistance. Here, we show that HER2 CTFs, exclusive from the full-length HER2 protein, are generated via internal translation of the full-length HER2 mRNA and identify regions which are required for this mechanism to occur. These regions of the HER2 mRNA may present novel sites for therapeutic intervention via small molecules or antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs).
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Yang L, Vander Steen T, Espinoza I, Cuyàs E, Verdura S, Menendez JA, Lupu R. Nuclear moonlighting of the secreted growth factor heregulin drives endocrine-resistant breast cancer independently of HER2/HER3 signaling. Am J Cancer Res 2022; 12:2173-2188. [PMID: 35693067 PMCID: PMC9185626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The HER3/4 ligand heregulin-β2 (HRG) is a secreted growth factor that transactivates the ligand-less receptor HER2 to promote aggressive phenotypes in breast cancer. HRG can also localize to the nucleus of breast cancer cells, but both the nuclear translocation mechanism and the physiological role of nuclear HRG remain elusive. Here we show that nucleolin-driven nuclear moonlighting of HRG uncouples its role as a driver of endocrine resistance from its canonical HER network-activating role in breast cancer. Tandem affinity purification coupled to mass spectrometry identified the intracellular transporter nucleolin as a major HRG-binding protein. HRG interacts with nucleolin via a nuclear localization signal motif located at the N-terminal extracellular domain of HRG. Nucleolin interacts with HRG via aspartate/glutamate-rich acidic stretches located at the N-terminal domain of nucleolin. Depletion of nucleolin abolishes HRG nuclear translocation and decreases HRG mRNA and protein expression. Isolated deficiency of nuclear HRG abolishes the HRG-driven endocrine resistance phenotype in vitro and in mouse xenograft models, while preserving its capacity to activate the HRG/HER/MAPK autocrine signaling axis. Conversely, isolated deficiency of secreted HRG to bind HER2/3 receptors does not impair endocrine resistance. The discovery that the functions of dual compartment-resident HRG do not depend on the same effector (i.e., activation of HER2/3 receptors) establishes a new paradigm for the functional and therapeutic relevance of nuclear HRG in breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Yang
- Precision Cancer Therapeutics Program, Center for Individualized Medicine, Mayo ClinicRochester, MN, USA
| | - Travis Vander Steen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Division of Experimental Pathology, Mayo ClinicRochester, MN, USA
| | - Ingrid Espinoza
- Department of Preventive Medicine, John D. Bower School of Population Health, University of Mississippi Medical CenterJackson, MS, USA
- Cancer Institute, School of Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical CenterJackson, MS, USA
| | - Elisabet Cuyàs
- Program Against Cancer Therapeutic Resistance (ProCURE), Metabolism and Cancer Group, Catalan Institute of OncologyGirona, Spain
- Girona Biomedical Research InstituteSalt, Girona, Spain
| | - Sara Verdura
- Program Against Cancer Therapeutic Resistance (ProCURE), Metabolism and Cancer Group, Catalan Institute of OncologyGirona, Spain
- Girona Biomedical Research InstituteSalt, Girona, Spain
| | - Javier A Menendez
- Program Against Cancer Therapeutic Resistance (ProCURE), Metabolism and Cancer Group, Catalan Institute of OncologyGirona, Spain
- Girona Biomedical Research InstituteSalt, Girona, Spain
| | - Ruth Lupu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Division of Experimental Pathology, Mayo ClinicRochester, MN, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Mayo Clinic MinnesotaRochester, MN, USA
- Mayo Clinic Cancer CenterRochester, MN, USA
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Zhong S, Jia Z, Zhang H, Gong Z, Feng J, Xu H. Identification and validation of tumor microenvironment-related prognostic biomarkers in breast cancer. Transl Cancer Res 2021; 10:4355-4364. [PMID: 35116294 PMCID: PMC8798301 DOI: 10.21037/tcr-21-1248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Background Stromal cells and immune cells in tumor microenvironment (TME) have been reported to have significant value in the diagnosis and prognosis of cancers. We aimed to identify key biomarkers predicting survival in the TME of breast cancer. Methods Cell type enrichment analysis was performed to estimate cell scores using the xCell method with gene expression data from public database. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was used to identify key signature from the cell scores. Results Totally, 50 cells in TME had different scores between 1,078 breast cancer tissues and 112 adjacent normal tissues. We identified a 4-cell signature predicting breast cancer survival, including myocytes, natural killer T cell (NKT), conventional dendritic cell (cDC) and sebocytes, which was validated in the test set. Further analysis showed that cDC score was a key signature predicting prognosis of breast cancer. cDC score was significantly associated with molecular classification and stage of breast cancer, as well as expression level of Ki67. Spearman’s correlation analysis found that cDC score was inversely correlated with the expression level of HER2. High cDC score may predicate better pathological complete response rate. Mechanism analysis indicated high cDC score was associated with elevated immune activity; IL-2 was a key gene associated with high cDC score; and Breast cancer patients with high IL-2 expression had a longer survival time. Conclusions In conclusion, cDC score was a key signature predicting prognosis for breast cancer. cDCs may exert antitumor effects by upregulating IL-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanliang Zhong
- Center of Clinical Laboratory Science, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University & Jiangsu Cancer Hospital & Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhangjun Jia
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University & Jiangsu Cancer Hospital & Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, Nanjing, China
| | - Heda Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhen Gong
- Department of Gynecology, The Affiliated Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Nanjing Medical University & Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Nanjing, China
| | - Jifeng Feng
- Department of Medical Oncology, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University & Jiangsu Cancer Hospital & Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, Nanjing, China
| | - Hanzi Xu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University & Jiangsu Cancer Hospital & Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, Nanjing, China
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Servetto A, Kollipara R, Formisano L, Lin CC, Lee KM, Sudhan DR, Gonzalez-Ericsson PI, Chatterjee S, Guerrero-Zotano A, Mendiratta S, Akamatsu H, James N, Bianco R, Hanker AB, Kittler R, Arteaga CL. Nuclear FGFR1 Regulates Gene Transcription and Promotes Antiestrogen Resistance in ER + Breast Cancer. Clin Cancer Res 2021; 27:4379-4396. [PMID: 34011560 PMCID: PMC8338892 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-20-3905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Revised: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE FGFR1 overexpression has been associated with endocrine resistance in ER+ breast cancer. We found FGFR1 localized in the nucleus of breast cancer cells in primary tumors resistant to estrogen suppression. We investigated a role of nuclear FGFR1 on gene transcription and antiestrogen resistance. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Tumors from patients treated with letrozole were subjected to Ki67 and FGFR1 IHC. MCF7 cells were transduced with FGFR1(SP-)(NLS) to promote nuclear FGFR1 overexpression. FGFR1 genomic activity in ER+/FGFR1-amplified breast cancer cells ± FOXA1 siRNA or ± the FGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) erdafitinib was examined by chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). The nuclear and chromatin-bound FGFR1 interactome was investigated by mass spectrometry (MS). RESULTS High nuclear FGFR1 expression in ER+ primary tumors positively correlated with post-letrozole Ki67 values. Nuclear FGFR1 overexpression influenced gene transcription and promoted resistance to estrogen suppression and to fulvestrant in vivo. A gene expression signature induced by nuclear FGFR1 correlated with shorter survival in the METABRIC cohort of patients treated with antiestrogens. ChIP-Seq revealed FGFR1 occupancy at transcription start sites, overlapping with active transcription histone marks. MS analysis of the nuclear FGFR1 interactome identified phosphorylated RNA-Polymerase II and FOXA1, with FOXA1 RNAi impairing FGFR1 recruitment to chromatin. Treatment with erdafitinib did not impair nuclear FGFR1 translocation and genomic activity. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest nuclear FGFR1 contributes to endocrine resistance by modulating gene transcription in ER+ breast cancer. Nuclear FGFR1 activity was unaffected by FGFR TKIs, thus supporting the development of treatment strategies to inhibit nuclear FGFR1 in ER+/FGFR1 overexpressing breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Servetto
- Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas Texas
| | - Rahul Kollipara
- Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas Texas
| | - Luigi Formisano
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Chang-Ching Lin
- Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas Texas
| | - Kyung-Min Lee
- Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas Texas
| | - Dhivya R. Sudhan
- Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas Texas
| | | | - Sumanta Chatterjee
- Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas Texas
| | | | - Saurabh Mendiratta
- Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas Texas
| | - Hiroaki Akamatsu
- Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas Texas
| | - Nicholas James
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Manoa, Hawaii
| | - Roberto Bianco
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Ariella B. Hanker
- Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas Texas
| | - Ralf Kittler
- Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas Texas
| | - Carlos L. Arteaga
- Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas Texas.,Corresponding Author: Carlos L. Arteaga, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390–8590. E-mail:
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New insights into affinity proteins for HER2-targeted therapy: Beyond trastuzumab. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2020; 1874:188448. [PMID: 33039514 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2020.188448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Revised: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is known as a potential target for both cancer treatment and diagnosis. One of the most interesting HER2-targeted therapeutics is an affinity protein which selectively recognizes and binds to a defined target. Trastuzumab is a monoclonal antibody which has been approved as the first affinity proteins for treatment of some HER2-positive cancers including breast cancer. Despite initial response to trastuzumab, the majority of patients with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer still show resistance to the therapy. Recently, various anti-HER2 affinity proteins, including antibodies, antibody fragments (e.g., Fab and scFv) and other protein scaffolds (e.g., affibody and DARPin), alone or fused/conjugated with therapeutic agents (e.g., proteins, drugs and radioisotopes) have been developed to overcome the trastuzumab resistance. Here, we review these engineered affinity proteins which are either clinically approved or under evaluation. Modern technologies and future prospects for their clinical applications in cancer treatment are also discussed.
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