8p11-12 Amplicon Research Articles

Genomic amplicons target vesicle recycling in breast cancer.

Aberrant endocytosis, vesicle targeting, and receptor recycling represent emerging hallmarks of cancer. In this issue of the JCI, Zhang and colleagues demonstrate that RAB-coupling protein (RCP; also known as RAB11FIP1) is a "driver" of the 8p11-12 amplicon in human breast cancer and mouse xenograft models of mammary carcinogenesis (see the related article beginning on page 2171). Their finding that RAB GTPase function enables genomic amplification to confer aggressiveness to mammary tumors adds significantly to the body of evidence supporting pivotal roles for receptor trafficking in the proliferation and metastasis of cancer.

Methylation‐associated silencing of SFRP1 with an 8p11‐12 amplification inhibits canonical and non‐canonical WNT pathways in breast cancers

Recently, we analysed the 8p11-12 genomic region for copy number and gene expression changes in a panel of human breast cancer cell lines and primary specimens. We found that SFRP1 (Secreted frizzled related protein 1) is frequently under expressed even in breast tumours with copy number increases in this genomic region. SFRP1 encodes a WNT signalling antagonist, and plays a role in the development of multiple solid tumour types. In this study, we analysed methylation-associated silencing of the SFRP1 gene in breast cancer cells with the 8p11-12 amplicon, and investigated the tumour suppressor properties of SFRP1 in breast cancer cells. SFRP1 expression was markedly reduced in both the breast cancer cell lines and primary tumour specimens relative to normal primary human mammary epithelial cells even when SFRP1 is amplified. Suppression of SFRP1 expression in breast cancer cells with an SFRP1 gene amplification is associated with SFRP1 promoter methylation. Furthermore, restoration of SFRP1 expression suppressed the growth of breast cancer cells in monolayer, and inhibited anchorage independent growth. We also examined the relationship between the silencing of SFRP1 gene and WNT signalling in breast cancer. Ectopic SFRP1 expression in breast cancer cells suppressed both canonical and non-canonical WNT signalling pathways, and SFRP1 expression was negatively associated with the expression of a subset of WNT responsive genes including RET and MSX2. Thus, down-regulation of SFRP1 can be triggered by epigenetic and/or genetic events and may contribute to the tumourigenesis of human breast cancer through both canonical and non-canonical WNT signalling pathways.

Characterization of the Recurrent 8p11-12 Amplicon Identifies PPAPDC1B, a Phosphatase Protein, as a New Therapeutic Target in Breast Cancer

The 8p11-12 chromosome region is one of the regions most frequently amplified in breast carcinoma (10-15% of cases). Several genes within this region have been identified as candidate oncogenes, as they are both amplified and overexpressed. However, very few studies have explored the role of these genes in cell transformation, with the aim of identifying valuable therapeutic targets. An analysis of comparative genomic hybridization array and expression profiling data for a series of 152 ductal breast carcinomas and 21 cell lines identified five genes (LSM1, BAG4, DDHD2, PPAPDC1B, and WHSC1L1) within the amplified region as consistently overexpressed due to an increased gene copy number. The use of small interfering RNA to knock down the expression of each of these genes showed the major role played by two genes, PPAPDC1B and WHSC1L1, in regulating the survival and transformation of two different cell lines harboring the 8p amplicon. The role of these two genes in cell survival and cell transformation was also confirmed by long-term knockdown expression studies using short hairpin RNAs. The potential of PPAPDC1B, which encodes a transmembrane phosphatase, as a therapeutic target was further shown by the strong inhibition of growth of breast tumor xenografts displaying 8p11-12 amplification induced by the silencing of PPAPDC1B. The oncogenic properties of PPAPDC1B were further shown by its ability to transform NIH-3T3 fibroblasts, inducing their anchorage-independent growth. Finally, microarray experiments on PPAPDC1B knockdown indicated that this gene interfered with multiple cell signaling pathways, including the Janus-activated kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription, mitogen-activated protein kinase, and protein kinase C pathways. PPAPDC1B may also potentiate the estrogen receptor pathway by down-regulating DUSP22.

Transforming function of the LSM1 oncogene in human breast cancers with the 8p11–12 amplicon

Amplification of the 8p11-12 region occurs in 15-20% of breast cancers, but the driving oncogene at this locus has yet to be definitively identified. We mapped the 8p11-12 amplicon in breast cancer cell lines and primary human breast cancers and identified the candidate oncogene human Sm-like protein (hLsm1, LSM1) based on increases in copy number and expression level relative to human mammary epithelial cells. To examine the oncogenic role of LSM1, we overexpressed this gene in MCF10A mammary epithelial cells and inhibited its production in the SUM44 breast cancer cell line, which has a natural amplification and overexpression of LSM1. Our data confirmed that LSM1 is an oncogene from the 8p11-12 amplicon by showing that hLsm1 overexpression induced growth factor-independent proliferation and soft agar colony formation in MCF10A cells, and hLsm1 inhibition in SUM44 cells dramatically reduced soft agar growth. Little is known about hLsm1 function other than its involvement in mRNA degradation; therefore, we used expression microarray analysis to investigate how hLsm1 affects cell transformation in MCF10A and SUM44 cells. We identified numerous genes altered following hLsm1 overexpression common to SUM44 breast cancer cells that play important roles in cell cycle regulation, cell proliferation and other cancer-promoting processes. Future work will continue to characterize these important changes to achieve a more complete understanding of the mechanism of hLsm1's effect on cancer progression.

Comprehensive Profiling of 8p11-12 Amplification in Breast Cancer

In human carcinomas, especially breast cancer, chromosome arm 8p is frequently involved in complex chromosomal rearrangements that combine amplification at 8p11-12, break in the 8p12-21 region, and loss of 8p21-ter. Several studies have identified putative oncogenes in the 8p11-12 amplicon. However, discrepancies and the lack of knowledge on the structure of this amplification lead us to think that the actual identity of the oncogenes is not definitively established. We present here a comprehensive study combining genomic, expression, and chromosome break analyses of the 8p11-12 region in breast cell lines and primary breast tumors. We show the existence of four amplicons at 8p11-12 using array comparative genomic hybridization. Gene expression analysis of 123 samples using DNA microarrays identified 14 genes significantly overexpressed in relation to amplification. Using fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis on tissue microarrays, we show the existence of a cluster of breakpoints spanning a region just telomeric to and associated with the amplification. Finally, we show that 8p11-12 amplification has a pejorative effect on survival in breast cancer.