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Pattanayak B, Lameirinhas A, Torres-Ruiz S, Burgués O, Rovira A, Martínez MT, Tapia M, Zazo S, Albanell J, Rojo F, Bermejo B, Eroles P. Role of SALL4 in HER2+ Breast Cancer Progression: Regulating PI3K/AKT Pathway. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:13292. [PMID: 36362083 PMCID: PMC9655635 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232113292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Revised: 10/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 08/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Treatment for the HER2+ breast cancer subtype is still unsatisfactory, despite breakthroughs in research. The discovery of various new molecular mechanisms of transcription factors may help to make treatment regimens more effective. The transcription factor SALL4 has been related to aggressiveness and resistance therapy in cancer. Its molecular mechanisms and involvement in various signaling pathways are unknown in the HER2+ breast cancer subtype. In this study, we have evaluated the implication of SALL4 in the HER2+ subtype through its expression in patients' samples and gain and loss of function in HER2+ cell lines. We found higher SALL4 expression in breast cancer tissues compared to healthy tissue. Interestingly, high SALL4 expression was associated with disease relapse and poor patient survival. In HER2+ cell lines, transient overexpression of SALL4 modulates PI3K/AKT signaling through regulating PTEN expression and BCL2, which increases cell survival and proliferation while reducing the efficacy of trastuzumab. SALL4 has also been observed to regulate the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and stemness features. SALL4 overexpression significantly reduced the epithelial markers E-cadherin, while it increased the mesenchymal markers β-catenin, vimentin and fibronectin. Furthermore, it has been also observed an increased expression of MYC, an essential transcription factor for regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition and/or cancer stem cells. Our study demonstrates, for the first time, the importance of SALL4 in the HER2+ subtype and partial regulation of trastuzumab sensitivity. It provides a viable molecular mechanism-driven therapeutic strategy for an important subset of HER2-overexpressing patients whose malignancies are mediated by SALL4 expression.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ana Lameirinhas
- Biomedical Research Institute INCLIVA, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | | | - Octavio Burgués
- Department of Pathology, Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
- Center for Biomedical Network Research on Cancer (CIBERONC), 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana Rovira
- Center for Biomedical Network Research on Cancer (CIBERONC), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Cancer Research Program, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - María Teresa Martínez
- Biomedical Research Institute INCLIVA, 46010 Valencia, Spain
- Center for Biomedical Network Research on Cancer (CIBERONC), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Marta Tapia
- Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Sandra Zazo
- Center for Biomedical Network Research on Cancer (CIBERONC), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Department of Pathology, Fundación Jiménez Díaz, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Joan Albanell
- Center for Biomedical Network Research on Cancer (CIBERONC), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Cancer Research Program, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital del Mar, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Federico Rojo
- Center for Biomedical Network Research on Cancer (CIBERONC), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Department of Pathology, Fundación Jiménez Díaz, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Begoña Bermejo
- Biomedical Research Institute INCLIVA, 46010 Valencia, Spain
- Center for Biomedical Network Research on Cancer (CIBERONC), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Pilar Eroles
- Biomedical Research Institute INCLIVA, 46010 Valencia, Spain
- Center for Biomedical Network Research on Cancer (CIBERONC), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Department of Physiology, Universidad de Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
- Department of Biotechnology, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain
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