RESUMEN
D-glucuronyl C5-epimerase (GLCE) is a potential tumor-suppressor gene involved in heparan sulfate biosynthesis. GLCE expression is significantly decreased in breast tumors; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. This study examined the possible epigenetic mechanisms for GLCE inactivation in breast cancer. Very little methylation of the GLCE promoter region was detected in breast tumors in vivo and in breast cancer cells (MCF7 and T47D) in vitro and GLCE expression in breast cancer cells was not altered by 5-deoxyazacytidine (5-aza-dC) treatment, suggesting that promoter methylation is not involved in regulating GLCE expression. Chromatin activation by Trichostatin A (TSA) or 5-aza-dC/TSA treatment increased GLCE expression by two to 3-fold due to an increased interaction between the GLCE promoter and the TCF4/ß-catenin transactivation complex, or H3K9ac and H3K4Me3 histone modifications. However, ectopic expression of TCF4/ß-catenin was not sufficient to activate GLCE expression in MCF7 cells, suggesting that chromatin structure plays a key role in GLCE regulation. Although TSA treatment significantly repressed canonical WNT signaling in MCF7 cells, it did not influence endogenous TCF4/ß-catenin mRNA levels and activated TCF4/ß-catenin-driven transcription from the GLCE promoter, indicating GLCE as a novel target for TCF4/ß-catenin complex in breast cancer cells. A correlation was observed between GLCE, TCF4 and ß-catenin expression in breast cancer cells and primary tumors, suggesting an important role for TCF4/ß-catenin in regulating GLCE expression both in vitro and in vivo. Taken together, the results indicate that GLCE expression in breast cancer is regulated by a combination of chromatin structure and TCF4/ß-catenin complex activity.
Asunto(s)
Factores de Transcripción Básicos con Cremalleras de Leucinas y Motivos Hélice-Asa-Hélice/metabolismo , Neoplasias de la Mama/genética , Carbohidrato Epimerasas/genética , Cromatina/metabolismo , Regulación Neoplásica de la Expresión Génica , Factores de Transcripción/metabolismo , beta Catenina/metabolismo , Antimetabolitos Antineoplásicos/farmacología , Azacitidina/análogos & derivados , Azacitidina/farmacología , Neoplasias de la Mama/enzimología , Neoplasias de la Mama/metabolismo , Carbohidrato Epimerasas/metabolismo , Cromatina/química , Metilación de ADN , Decitabina , Epigénesis Genética/efectos de los fármacos , Epigénesis Genética/genética , Femenino , Inhibidores de Histona Desacetilasas/farmacología , Histonas/metabolismo , Humanos , Ácidos Hidroxámicos/farmacología , Células MCF-7 , Regiones Promotoras Genéticas , Procesamiento Proteico-Postraduccional , Factor de Transcripción 4 , Transcripción Genética , Vía de Señalización WntRESUMEN
Integrin alpha9 (ITGA9) is one of the less studied integrin subunits that facilitates accelerated cell migration and regulates diverse biological functions such as angiogenesis, lymphangiogenesis, cancer cell proliferation and migration. In this work, integrin alpha9 expression and its epigenetic regulation in normal human breast tissue, primary breast tumors and breast cancer cell line MCF7 were studied. It was shown that integrin alpha9 is expressed in normal human breast tissue. In breast cancer, ITGA9 expression was downregulated or lost in 44% of tumors while another 45% of tumors showed normal or increased ITGA9 expression level (possible aberrations in the ITGA9 mRNA structure were supposed in 11% of tumors). Methylation of ITGA9 CpG-island located in the first intron of the gene was shown in 90% of the breast tumors with the decreased ITGA9 expression while no methylation at 5'-untranslated region of ITGA9 was observed. 5-aza-dC treatment restored integrin alpha9 expression in ITGA9-negative MCF7 breast carcinoma cells, Trichostatin A treatment did not influenced it but a combined treatment of the cells with 5-aza-dC/Trichostatin A doubled the ITGA9 activation. The obtained results suggest CpG methylation as a major mechanism of integrin alpha9 inactivation in breast cancer with a possible involvement of other yet unidentified molecular pathways.