RESUMO
Although a wide number of breast cancer susceptibility alleles associated with various levels of risk have been identified to date, about 50% of the heritability is still missing. Although the major BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are being extensively screened for truncating and missense variants in breast and/or ovarian cancer families, potential regulatory variants affecting their expression remain largely unexplored. In an attempt to identify such variants, we focused our attention on gene regulation mediated by microRNAs (miRs). We screened two genes, MIR146A and MIR146B, producing miR-146a and miR-146b-5p, respectively, that regulate BRCA1, and the 3'- untranslated regions (3'-UTRs) of BRCA1 and BRCA2 in the GENESIS French national case/control study (BRCA1- and BRCA2-negative breast cancer cases with at least one sister with breast cancer and matched controls). We identified one rare variant in MIR146A, four in MIR146B, five in BRCA1 3'-UTR and one in BRCA2 3'-UTR in 716 index cases and 619 controls. Among these 11 rare variants, 7 were identified each in 1 index case. None of the three relevant MIR146A/MIR146B variants affected the pre-miR sequences. The potential causality of the four relevant BRCA1/BRCA2 3'-UTRs variants was evaluated with luciferase reporter assays and co-segregation studies, as well as with bioinformatics analyses to predict miRs-binding sites, RNA secondary structures and RNA accessibility. This is the first study to report the screening of miR genes and of BRCA2 3'-UTR in a large series of familial breast cancer cases. None of the variant identified in this study gave convincing evidence of potential pathogenicity.
Assuntos
Regiões 3' não Traduzidas , Proteína BRCA1/genética , Proteína BRCA2/genética , Neoplasias da Mama/genética , MicroRNAs/genética , Mutação , Adulto , Idoso , Estudos de Casos e Controles , Feminino , Células HeLa , Humanos , Células MCF-7 , Pessoa de Meia-IdadeRESUMO
The rs2910164:G>C SNP is located in the gene for miR-146a, a microRNA that binds the 3' UTR of the BRCA1 transcript. Preliminary data based on the analysis of a small number of cases suggested that this single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) might be associated with the age of onset of familial breast and ovarian cancer. This effect was not confirmed on a large series of familial breast cancer cases negative for a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation. We show here a lack of association of the rs2910164:G>C SNP with breast cancer risk in a series of 1,166 BRCA1 and 560 BRCA2 mutation carriers. In conclusion, the polymorphism in the miR-146a gene is unlikely to be of substantial significance regarding breast cancer risk.
Assuntos
Proteína BRCA1/genética , Proteína BRCA2/genética , Neoplasias da Mama/genética , Predisposição Genética para Doença , MicroRNAs/genética , Mutação/genética , Polimorfismo de Nucleotídeo Único/genética , Adulto , Estudos de Casos e Controles , Feminino , Estudos de Associação Genética , Heterozigoto , Humanos , Fatores de RiscoRESUMO
Germ-line mutations in the BRCA1 gene strongly predispose women to breast cancer (lifetime risk up to 80%). Furthermore, the BRCA1 protein is absent or present at very low levels in about one third of sporadic breast cancers. However, the mechanisms underlying BRCA1 somatic inactivation appear multiple and are still not fully understood. We report here the involvement of miR-146a and miR-146b-5p that bind to the same site in the 3'UTR of BRCA1 and down-regulate its expression as demonstrated using reporter assays. This was further confirmed with the endogenous BRCA1 gene by transfecting microRNA (miRNA) precursors or inhibitors in mammary cell lines. This down-regulation was accompanied by an increased proliferation and a reduced homologous recombination rate, two processes controlled by BRCA1. Furthermore, we showed that the highest levels of miR-146a and/or miR-146b-5p are found in basal-like mammary tumour epithelial cell lines and in triple negative breast tumours, which are the closest to tumours arising in carriers of BRCA1 mutations. This work provides further evidence for the involvement of miRNAs in sporadic breast cancer through down-regulation of BRCA1.
