Abstract
The difficulty to dissect a complex phenotype of established malignant cells to several critical transcriptional programs greatly impedes our understanding of the malignant transformation. The genetic elements required to transform some primary human cells to a tumorigenic state were described in several recent studies. We took the advantage of the global genomic profiling approach and tried to go one step further in the dissection of the transformation network. We sought to identify the genetic signatures and key target genes, which underlie the genetic alterations in p53, Ras, INK4A locus, and telomerase, introduced in a stepwise manner into primary human fibroblasts. Here, we show that these are the minimally required genetic alterations for sarcomagenesis in vivo. A genome-wide expression profiling identified distinct genetic signatures corresponding to the genetic alterations listed above. Most importantly, unique transformation hallmarks, such as differentiation block, aberrant mitotic progression, increased angiogenesis, and invasiveness, were identified and coupled with genetic signatures assigned for the genetic alterations in the p53, INK4A locus, and H-Ras, respectively. Furthermore, a transcriptional program that defines the cellular response to p53 inactivation was an excellent predictor of metastasis development and bad prognosis in breast cancer patients. Deciphering these transformation fingerprints, which are affected by the most common oncogenic mutations, provides considerable insight into regulatory circuits controlling malignant transformation and will hopefully open new avenues for rational therapeutic decisions.
Highlights
Human carcinogenesis can be divided into defined clinicopathologic stages
These results strongly suggest that a tumorigenic phenotype in the WI-38 fetal lung fibroblasts requires coexpression of constitutively active HRas with inactivation of wild-type p53 in the INK4A locus silenced cells
Deregulated transcriptional programs resulting from the activation of oncogenes and inactivation of tumor suppressors underlie many important aspects of cancer
Summary
Human carcinogenesis can be divided into defined clinicopathologic stages. Colon cancer progression has been divided into distinct histologic stages directly correlated with genetic alterations in key tumor suppressors and oncogenes [1]. Over the last two decades, the molecular nature of genes frequently. Note: Supplementary data for this article are available at Cancer Research Online (http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/). V. Rotter holds the Norman and Helen Asher Professorial Chair in Cancer Research at the Weizmann Institute. E. Domany is the incumbent of the H.J. Leir Professorial Chair
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