Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a precursor lesion that can give rise to invasive breast cancer (IBC). It has been proposed that both the nature of the lesion and the tumor microenvironment play key roles in progression to IBC. Here, laser capture microdissected tissue samples from epithelium and stroma in normal breast, pure DCIS, and pure IBC were employed to define key gene expression profiles associated with disease progression.
Progression of ductal carcinoma in situ to invasive breast cancer is associated with gene expression programs of EMT and myoepithelia.
Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesBreast cancer is a highly heterogeneous disease that is categorized into distinct tumor subtypes based on specific molecular attributes, which ultimately influence therapeutic options. Unlike ER+ and/or HER2+ cancers that are subject to specific targeted therapies, triple negative breast cancers (TNBCs) do not express these receptors, which leaves patients with limited treatment options. Thus, significant focus has been placed on identifying molecular attributes of basal-like disease that could be used to develop and/or direct novel treatment regimens. Activation of MYC signaling and inactivation of the RB-pathway are frequent events in many types of human cancers. These pathways influence many biological processes, such as cell proliferation, that contribute to the aggressiveness and therapeutic response of tumors. The current study examines the interaction of the MYC and RB pathways in mammary epithelial cell tumorigenesis.
RB loss contributes to aggressive tumor phenotypes in MYC-driven triple negative breast cancer.
Sex, Age, Specimen part
View SamplesGene expression levels of pancreatic cell lines Overall design: RNA was extracted from cell lines and subjected to 50bp paired-end RNA sequencing
Integrated Patient-Derived Models Delineate Individualized Therapeutic Vulnerabilities of Pancreatic Cancer.
Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesThe LXCXE peptide motif facilitates interaction between the RB tumor suppressor and a large number of cellular proteins that are expected to impinge on diverse biological processes. In vitro and in vivo analyses demonstrated that LXCXE-binding function is dispensable for RB promoter association and control of basal gene expression. Dependence on this function of RB is unmasked after DNA damage, wherein LXCXE-binding is essential for exerting control over E2F3 and suppressing cell cycle progression in the presence of genotoxic stress. Gene expression profiling revealed that the transcriptional program coordinated by this specific aspect of RB is associated with progression of human hepatocellular carcinoma and poor disease outcome. Consistent with these findings, biological challenge revealed a requirement for LXCXE-binding in suppression of genotoxin-initiated hepatocellular carcinoma in vivo. Together, these studies establish an essential role of the LXCXE-binding motif for RB-mediated transcriptional control, response to genotoxic insult, and tumor suppression.
RB restricts DNA damage-initiated tumorigenesis through an LXCXE-dependent mechanism of transcriptional control.
Treatment
View SamplesTo assess pathologic complete response (pCR), clinical response, feasibility, safety, and potential predictors of response to preoperative trastuzumab plus vinorelbine in patients with operable, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: 48 patients received preoperative trastuzumab and vinorelbine weekly for 12 weeks. Single and multigene biomarker studies were done in an attempt to identify predictors of response. RESULTS: 8 of 40 (20%) patients achieved pCR (95% confidence interval, 9-36%). Of 9 additional patients recruited for protocol-defined toxicity analysis, 8 were evaluable; 42 of 48 (88%) patients had clinical response (16 patients, clinical complete response; 26 patients, clinical partial response). T(1) tumors more frequently exhibited clinical complete response (P = 0.05) and showed a trend to exhibit pCR (P = 0.07). 5 (13%) patients experienced grade 1 cardiac dysfunction during preoperative treatment. Neither HER2 nor estrogen receptor status changed significantly after exposure to trastuzumab and vinorelbine. RNA profiling identified three top-level clusters by unsupervised analysis. Tumors with extremes of response [pCR (n = 3) versus nonresponse (n = 3)] fell into separate groups by hierarchical clustering. No predictive genes were identified in pCR tumors. Nonresponding tumors were more likely to be T(4) stage (P = 0.02) and express basal markers (P < 0.00001), growth factors, and growth factor receptors. Insulin-like growth factor-I receptor membrane expression was associated with a lower response rate (50% vs 97%; P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative trastuzumab plus vinorelbine is active and well tolerated in patients with HER2-positive, operable, stage II/III breast cancer. HER2-overexpressing tumors with a basal-like phenotype, or with expression of insulin-like growth factor-I receptor and other proteins involved in growth factor pathways, are more likely to be resistant to this regimen.
Predictors of resistance to preoperative trastuzumab and vinorelbine for HER2-positive early breast cancer.
Sex, Specimen part, Disease
View SamplesStat5a and Stat5b proteins are highly homologous with greater than 90% amino acid identity and share binding to the palindromic Stat5 consensus sequence, TTCNNNGAA, but individual roles of each transcription factor in breast cancer have not been thoroughly evaluated. To determine the degree of similarity between transcripts modulated by Stat5a and Stat5b proteins in human breast cancer, we utilized genome-wide transcript profiling to identify genes regulated specifically by Stat5a or Stat5b in response to prolactin.
Low levels of Stat5a protein in breast cancer are associated with tumor progression and unfavorable clinical outcomes.
Cell line
View SamplesHere, we show that functional loss of a single gene is sufficient to confer constitutive milk protein production and protection against mammary tumor formation. Caveolin-3 (Cav-3), a muscle-specific caveolin-related gene, is highly expressed in striated and smooth muscle cells. We demonstrate that Cav-3 is also expressed in myoepithelial cells within the mammary gland. To determine if genetic ablation of Cav-3 expression affects adult mammary gland development, we next studied the phenotype(s) of Cav-3 (-/-) null mice. Interestingly, detailed analysis of Cav-3 (-/-) virgin mammary glands shows dramatic increases in ductal thickness, side-branching, and the development of extensive lobulo-alveolar hyperplasia, akin to the changes normally observed during pregnancy and lactation. Analysis by genome-wide expression profiling reveals the upregulation of gene transcripts associated with pregnancy/lactation, mammary stem cells, and human breast cancers, consistent with a constitutive lactogenic phenotype. The expression levels of three key transcriptional regulators of lactation, namely Elf5, Stat5a, and c-Myc are also significantly elevated. Experiments with pregnant mice directly show that Cav-3 (-/-) mice undergo precocious lactation. Finally, using orthotopic implantation of a transformed mammary cell line (known as Met-1), we demonstrate that virgin Cav-3 (-/-) mice are dramatically protected against mammary tumor formation. Interestingly, Cav-3 (+/-) mice also show similar protection, indicating that even reductions in Cav-3 levels are sufficient to render these mice resistant to tumorigenesis. Thus, Cav-3 (-/-) mice are a novel preclinical model to study the protective effects of a constitutive lactogenic microenviroment on mammary tumor onset and progression. Our current studies have broad implications for using the lactogenic micro-environment as a paradigm to discover new therapies for the prevention and/or treatment of human breast cancers. Most importantly, a lactation-based therapeutic strategy would provide a more natural and nontoxic approach to the development of novel anti-cancer therapies.
Loss of caveolin-3 induces a lactogenic microenvironment that is protective against mammary tumor formation.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesAberrant expression of homeobox transcription factor HOXA9 is a central component of the leukemogenic program driven by diverse oncogenes. Here we show that HOXA9 overexpression in myeloid progenitor cells and pro-B cells leads to significant rearrangement of the epigenetic landscape with prominent emergence of cancer specific de novo enhancers. HOXA9 acts as a pioneer factor at the de novo enhancers and is required for recruitment of transcription factor CEBP/a and the histone H3K4 methyltransferase MLL3/MLL4 complex. HOXA9 function at the de novo enhancer is distinct from its physiological role at distal enhancers during normal hematopoietic development. Genetic deletion of MLL3/4 specifically affects the active enhancer signatures at de novo enhancers and inhibits HOXA9/MEIS1-mediated leukemogenesis. Our study reveals a previously uncharacterized role of HOXA9 and the MLL3/4 complex in leukemogenesis and provide mechanistic insights in epigenetic deregulation during malignant transformation. Overall design: RNA-seq for untransformed myeloid progenitors (MP)
HOXA9 Reprograms the Enhancer Landscape to Promote Leukemogenesis.
Specimen part, Cell line, Subject
View SamplesAn increasing amount of evidence suggests that the small intestine may play an important role in the development of metabolic diseases, such as obesity and insulin resistance. The small intestine provides the first barrier between diet and the body. As a result, dysregulation of biological processes and secretion of signal molecules from the small intestine may be of importance in the regulation and dysregulation of whole body metabolic homeostasis. Changes in gene expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism, cell cycle and immune response may contribute to the aetiology of diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance. In the current study we present a detailed investigation on the effects a chow diet, low fat diet and high fat diet on gene expression along the proximal-to-distal axis of the murine small intestine. The reported results provide a knowledge base for upcoming studies on the role of the small intestine in the aetiology of diet-induced diseases.
Cross-species comparison of genes related to nutrient sensing mechanisms expressed along the intestine.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesAnorexia can occur as a serious complication of chronic disease. Increasing evidence suggests that inflammation plays a major role, along with a hypothalamic dysregulation characterized by locally elevated serotonin levels. The present study was undertaken to further explore the connections between peripheral inflammation, anorexia and hypothalamic serotonin metabolism and signaling pathways. We studied transcriptomic changes and serotonergic activity in the hypothalamus of mice after an intraperitoneal injection with TNF, IL-6 or a combination of TNF and IL-6.
Increased hypothalamic serotonin turnover in inflammation-induced anorexia.
Sex, Specimen part, Treatment
View Samples