The Role of Fibroblast Growth Factor-Binding Protein 1 in Skin Carcinogenesis and Inflammation.

Fibroblast growth factor-binding protein 1 (FGFBP1) is a secreted chaperone that mobilizes paracrine-acting FGFs, stored in the extracellular matrix, and presents them to their cognate receptors. FGFBP1 enhances FGF signaling including angiogenesis during cancer progression and is upregulated in various cancers. Here we evaluated the contribution of endogenous FGFBP1 to a wide range of organ functions as well as to skin pathologies using Fgfbp1-knockout mice. Relative to wild-type littermates, knockout mice showed no gross pathologies. Still, in knockout mice a significant thickening of the epidermis associated with a decreased transepidermal water loss and increased proinflammatory gene expression in the skin was detected. Also, skin carcinogen challenge by 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene/12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate resulted in delayed and reduced papillomatosis in knockout mice. This was paralleled by delayed healing of skin wounds and reduced angiogenic sprouting in subcutaneous matrigel plugs. Heterozygous green fluorescent protein (GFP)-knock-in mice revealed rapid induction of gene expression during papilloma induction and during wound healing. Examination of wild-type skin grafted onto Fgfbp1 GFP-knock-in reporter hosts and bone marrow transplants from the GFP-reporter model into wild-type hosts revealed that circulating Fgfbp1-expressing cells migrate into healing wounds. We conclude that tissue-resident and circulating Fgfbp1-expressing cells modulate skin carcinogenesis and inflammation.

Mechanism of fibroblast growth factor-binding protein 1 repression by TGF-beta.

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) is the prototypical member of a family of growth factors that play important roles in normal development and human diseases. We identified the gene for fibroblast growth factor-binding protein 1 (FGF-BP1) as being significantly repressed following TGF-beta treatment. FGF-BP1 is an extracellular matrix bound protein that enhances fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling. We demonstrate here that TGF-beta signaling significantly represses FGF-BP1 expression in mesenchymal and neural crest cells undergoing in vitro smooth muscle differentiation. Analysis of the downstream signaling pathways shows that Smad2/3 are crucial for efficient FGF-BP1 repression by TGF-beta. Furthermore, we identified a novel element in the region from -785 to -782 bp of the FGF-BP1 promoter, which represents a known binding site for Hypermethylation in Cancer-1 (Hic-1), necessary for repression of FGF-BP1 by TGF-beta. These data define the molecular mechanism of transcriptional repression of an important target of TGF-beta signaling during angiogenesis.

Overexpression of an N-terminally truncated isoform of the nuclear receptor coactivator amplified in breast cancer 1 leads to altered proliferation of mammary epithelial cells in transgenic mice.

Amplified in breast cancer 1 (AIB1, also known as ACTR, SRC-3, RAC-3, TRAM-1, p/CIP) is a member of the p160 nuclear receptor coactivator family involved in transcriptional regulation of genes activated through steroid receptors, such as estrogen receptor alpha (ER(alpha)). The AIB1 gene and a more active N-terminally deleted isoform (AIB1-Delta3) are overexpressed in breast cancer. To determine the role of AIB1-Delta3 in breast cancer pathogenesis, we generated transgenic mice with human cytomegalovirus immediate early gene 1 (hCMVIE1) promoter-driven over-expression of human AIB1/ACTR-Delta3 (CMVAIB1/ACTR-Delta3 mice). AIB1/ACTR-Delta3 transgene mRNA expression was confirmed in CMV-AIB1/ACTR-Delta3 mammary glands by in situ hybridization. These mice demonstrated significantly increased mammary epithelial cell proliferation (P < 0.003), cyclin D1 expression (P = 0.002), IGF-I receptor protein expression (P = 0.026), mammary gland mass (P < 0.05), and altered expression of CCAAT/enhancer binding protein isoforms (P = 0.029). At 13 months of age, mammary ductal ectasia was found in CMV-AIB1/ACTR-Delta3 mice, but secondary and tertiary branching patterns were normal. There were no changes in the expression patterns of either ER(alpha) or Stat5a, a downstream mediator of prolactin signaling. Serum IGF-I levels were not altered in the transgenic mice. These data indicate that overexpression of the AIB1/ACTR-Delta3 isoform resulted in altered mammary epithelial cell growth. The observed changes in cell proliferation and gene expression are consistent with alterations in growth factor signaling that are thought to contribute to either initiation or progression of breast cancer. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the N-terminally deleted isoform of AIB1 can play a role in breast cancer development and/or progression.

Overexpression of the nuclear receptor coactivator AIB1 (SRC-3) during progression of pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

PURPOSE: The nuclear receptor coactivator amplified in breast cancer 1 (AIB1) was found to be amplified and overexpressed in breast and some other epithelial tumors. We have reported that expression of AIB1 is rate limiting for growth factor, as well as hormone signaling. Here, we assess the involvement of AIB1 in the development of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We investigated expression levels of AIB1 protein and mRNA in pancreatic cancer cell lines and in a series of archival pancreatic adenocarcinoma (n=78), pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (n=93), pancreatitis (n=28), and normal pancreas tissues (n=52). We also determined AIB1 gene copy numbers by fluorescence in situ hybridization in a subset of cases. RESULTS: In normal pancreas ducts, we rarely found detectable levels of AIB1 mRNA or protein (<6% of the samples). In pancreatitis and low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia, we found an increased frequency of AIB1 expression (>14 and >23%, respectively) relative to normal tissues (P < 0.01). Adenocarcinoma, as well as high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia, showed increased levels as well as the highest frequency of AIB1 expression with >65% of samples positive for mRNA and protein (P < 0.0001 relative to the other groups). An increased copy number of the AIB1 gene, observed in 37% of cancers, may account for a portion of the increase in expression. CONCLUSIONS: AIB1 overexpression is frequent in pancreatic adenocarcinoma and its precursor lesions. On the basis of its rate-limiting role for the modulation of growth factor signals, we propose a major role of AIB1 in the multistage progression of pancreatic cancer.

Impact of the nuclear receptor coactivator AIB1 isoform AIB1-Delta3 on estrogenic ligands with different intrinsic activity.

The nuclear receptor coactivator amplified in breast cancer 1 (AIB1) and its more active isoform AIB1-Delta3 are overexpressed in breast cancer and preneoplastic breast tissue. However, the impact of these proteins on the transcriptional activity of natural estrogens or selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) has not been determined. Here we show that AIB1-Delta3 causes a significant increase in the efficacy of 17beta-estradiol at both estrogen receptor-alpha (ER-alpha) and ER-beta in ovarian, breast and endometrial cancer cell lines. AIB1-Delta3 also significantly increased the efficacy of the natural estrogen genistein at both ER-alpha and ER-beta, whereas AIB1 had no effect on either the potency or efficacy of genistein at either receptor. The estrogenic efficacy of the partial agonist tamoxifen was significantly increased in all cell lines at ER-alpha by overexpression of AIB1-Delta3 both on transfected and endogenous estrogen responsive genes. In contrast, overexpression of AIB1 or AIB1-Delta3 had no effect on the potency or efficacy of the SERM raloxifene. We conclude that overexpression of the AIB1-Delta3 isoform will increase the estrogenicity of a variety of natural and pharmacologic compounds in tissues that develop hormone-dependent neoplasias and overexpression of these cofactors may be a contributing factor to the hormone-driven development of neoplasia and to antiestrogen resistance of breast cancers.

Complex regulation of the fibroblast growth factor-binding protein in MDA- MB-468 breast cancer cells by CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein beta.

The fibroblast growth factor-binding protein (FGF-BP) binds and activates fibroblast growth factors in the extracellular matrix, and can have a rate-limiting role in tumor angiogenesis. Here we demonstrate high levels of FGF-BP expression in invasive human breast cancer, relative to normal breast and in situ carcinoma, and in MDA-MB-468 human breast cancer cells. In these cells, FGF-BP was up-regulated by treatment with epidermal growth factor (EGF), dependent on protein kinase C and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling. Mutational analysis revealed that the activator protein 1 and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP) sites on the FGF-BP gene promoter were required for the EGF effect, whereas deletion of the C/EBP site resulted in a significant increase in promoter basal activity indicating a basal repressive control mechanism. These data suggest that the C/EBP site is a central regulatory element for the regulation of FGF-BP promoter activity in MDA-MB-468 cells. We found that MDA-MB-468 cells express high endogenous levels of both the activating (LAP) and repressive (LIP) isoforms of C/EBPbeta. Overexpression of C/EBPbeta-LAP in MDA-MB-468 cells resulted in a large 80-fold increase in FGF-BP promoter basal activity, which was reversed by coexpression of LIP. Gel-shift analysis revealed that four LIP- and LAP-containing complexes (a-d) bind to the C/EBP site. DNA binding of the LIP and LAP-containing c complex and the b complex in the presence of EGF was modulated by inhibition of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, suggesting a role for these complexes in the EGF induction of the FGF-BP promoter. This study suggests that along with its well-defined role in mammary gland development, C/EBPbeta may well play a role in the pathology of breast cancer, in particular in the control of angiogenesis in the invasive phenotype.