CREB-binding protein regulates apoptosis and growth of HMECs grown in reconstituted ECM via laminin-5.

Interactions between normal mammary epithelial cells and extracellular matrix (ECM) are important for mammary gland homeostasis. Loss of interactions between ECM and normal mammary epithelial cells are thought to be an early event in mammary carcinogenesis. CREB-binding protein (CBP) is an important regulator of proliferation and apoptosis but the role of CBP in ECM signaling is poorly characterized. CBP was suppressed in basal-cytokeratin-positive HMECs (CK5/6+, CK14+, CK8-, CK18-, CK19-). Suppression of CBP resulted in loss of reconstituted ECM-mediated growth control and apoptosis and loss of laminin-5 alpha3-chain expression. Suppression of CBP in normal human mammary epithelial cells (HMECs) resulted in loss of CBP occupancy of the LAMA3A promoter and decreased LAMA3A promoter activity and laminin-5 alpha-3 chain expression. Exogenous expression of CBP in CBP-negative HMECs that have lost reconstituted ECM-mediated growth regulation and apoptosis resulted in (1) CBP occupancy of the LAMA3A promoter, (2) increased LAMA3A activity and laminin-5 alpha3-chain expression, and (3) enhancement of reconstituted ECM-mediated growth regulation and apoptosis. Similarly, suppression of laminin-5 alpha3-chain expression in HMECs resulted in loss of reconstituted ECM-mediated growth control and apoptosis. These observations suggest that loss of CBP in basal-cytokeratin-positive HMECs results in loss of reconstituted ECM-mediated growth control and apoptosis through loss of LAMA3A activity and laminin-5 alpha3-chain expression. Results in these studies may provide insight into early events in basal-type mammary carcinogenesis.

Array comparative genomic hybridization analysis of genomic alterations in breast cancer subtypes.

In this study, we performed high-resolution array comparative genomic hybridization with an array of 4153 bacterial artificial chromosome clones to assess copy number changes in 44 archival breast cancers. The tumors were flow sorted to exclude non-tumor DNA and increase our ability to detect gene copy number changes. In these tumors, losses were more frequent than gains, and gains in 1q and loss in 16q were the most frequent alterations. We compared gene copy number changes in the tumors based on histologic subtype and estrogen receptor (ER) status, i.e., ER-negative infiltrating ductal carcinoma, ER-positive infiltrating ductal carcinoma, and ER-positive infiltrating lobular carcinoma. We observed a consistent association between loss in regions of 5q and ER-negative infiltrating ductal carcinoma, as well as more frequent loss in 4p16, 8p23, 8p21, 10q25, and 17p11.2 in ER-negative infiltrating ductal carcinoma compared with ER-positive infiltrating ductal carcinoma (adjusted P values < or = 0.05). We also observed high-level amplifications in ER-negative infiltrating ductal carcinoma in regions of 8q24 and 17q12 encompassing the c-myc and c-erbB-2 genes and apparent homozygous deletions in 3p21, 5q33, 8p23, 8p21, 9q34, 16q24, and 19q13. ER-positive infiltrating ductal carcinoma showed a higher frequency of gain in 16p13 and loss in 16q21 than ER-negative infiltrating ductal carcinoma. Correlation analysis highlighted regions of change commonly seen together in ER-negative infiltrating ductal carcinoma. ER-positive infiltrating lobular carcinoma differed from ER-positive infiltrating ductal carcinoma in the frequency of gain in 1q and loss in 11q and showed high-level amplifications in 1q32, 8p23, 11q13, and 11q14. These results indicate that array comparative genomic hybridization can identify significant differences in the genomic alterations between subtypes of breast cancer.

A signaling mucin at the head of the Cdc42- and MAPK-dependent filamentous growth pathway in yeast.

Signaling molecules such as Cdc42 and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) can function in multiple pathways in the same cell. Here, we propose one mechanism by which such factors may be directed to function in a particular pathway such that a specific response is elicited. Using genomic approaches, we identify a new component of the Cdc42- and MAPK-dependent signaling pathway that regulates filamentous growth (FG) in yeast. This factor, called Msb2, is a FG-pathway-specific factor that promotes differential activation of the MAPK for the FG pathway, Kss1. Msb2 is localized to polarized sites on the cell surface and interacts with Cdc42 and with the osmosensor for the high osmolarity glycerol response (HOG) pathway, Sho1. Msb2 is glycosylated and is a member of the mucin family, proteins that in mammalian cells promote disease resistance and contribute to metastasis in cancer cells. Remarkably, loss of the mucin domain of Msb2 causes hyperactivity of the FG pathway, demonstrating an inhibitory role for mucin domains in MAPK pathway activation. Taken together, our data suggest that Msb2 is a signaling mucin that interacts with general components, such as Cdc42 and Sho1, to promote their function in the FG pathway.

Aneuploidy and copy number breakpoints in the genome of lager yeasts mapped by microarray hybridisation.

Competitive comparative genome hybridisation (CCGH) to Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA microarrays and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assays are used to examine the copy number of S. cerevisiae-like genes, at single gene resolution, of two bottom-fermenting lager yeast strains, CMBS-33 and 6701. Using the S. cerevisiae gene order for each chromosome, we observe that the copy number for contiguous groups of S. cerevisiae-like genes is similar in both strains. However, discrete changes in copy number occur at distinct loci, indicating the aneuploid nature of the lager yeast genomes. The majority of loci where copy number changes occur are conserved in both strains. We also identify a large segment of S. cerevisiae DNA on chromosome XVI that fails to hybridise to genomic DNA from both lager strains, suggesting that this region may have diverged significantly or is absent in the lager yeast strains. Furthermore, very low levels of mRNA transcripts are detected from this region of the genome. Interestingly, the increased gene copy number observed elsewhere (e.g. chromosome III) does not correlate specifically with increased gene expression under fermentation conditions, suggesting that dosage compensation may play a role in controlling gene expression in these strains.