Disruption of Ini1 leads to peri-implantation lethality and tumorigenesis in mice

SNF5/INI1 is a component of the ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling enzyme family SWI/SNF. Germ line mutations of INI1 have been identified in children with brain and renal rhabdoid tumors, indicating that INI1 is a tumor suppressor. Here we report that disruption of Ini1 expression in mice results in early embryonic lethality. Ini1-null embryos die between 3.5 and 5.5 days postcoitum, and Ini1-null blastocysts fail to hatch, form the trophectoderm, or expand the inner cell mass when cultured in vitro. Furthermore, we report that approximately 15% of Ini1-heterozygous mice present with tumors, mostly undifferentiated or poorly differentiated sarcomas. Tumor formation is associated with a loss of heterozygocity at the Ini1 locus, characterizing Ini1 as a tumor suppressor in mice. Thus, Ini1 is essential for embryo viability and for repression of oncogenesis in the adult organism.     

Retention of wild-type p53 in tumors from p53 heterozygous mice: reduction of p53 dosage can promote cancer formation.

Tumor suppressor genes are generally viewed as being recessive at the cellular level, so that mutation or loss of both tumor suppressor alleles is a prerequisite for tumor formation. The tumor suppressor gene, p53, is mutated in approximately 50% of human sporadic cancers and in an inherited cancer predisposition (Li-Fraumeni syndrome). We have analyzed the status of the wild-type p53 allele in tumors taken from p53-deficient heterozygous (p53+/-) mice. These mice inherit a single null p53 allele and develop tumors much earlier than those mice with two functional copies of wild-type p53. We present evidence that a high proportion of the tumors from the p53+/- mice retain an intact, functional, wild-type p53 allele. Unlike p53+/- tumors which lose their wild-type allele, the tumors which retain an intact p53 allele express p53 protein that induces apoptosis following gamma-irradiation, activates p21(WAF1/CIP1) and Mdm2 expression, represses PCNA expression (a negatively regulated target of wild-type p53), shows high levels of binding to oligonucleotides containing a wild-type p53 response element and prevents chromosomal instability as measured by comparative genomic hybridization. These results indicate that loss of both p53 alleles is not a prerequisite for tumor formation and that mere reduction in p53 levels may be sufficient to promote tumorigenesis.     

Fhit Expression Protects Against HER2-Driven Breast tumor Development: Unraveling the Molecular Interconnections

The tumor suppressor gene FHIT is inactivated by genetic and epigenetic changes, i.e., loss of heterozygosity or promoter hypermethylation, in common human cancers. We recently showed that Fhit protein levels can be regulated by Fhit proteasome degradation mediated by EGF-dependent activation of EGFR family members, including HER2, whose overexpression is linked to poor prognosis in breast cancer. Analysis of a series of 384 human primary breast carcinomas revealed low/absent Fhit protein levels more frequently in HER2-overexpressing tumors. To test for a possible complementation of the FHIT and HER2 genes, tumor incidence was assessed in mice carrying one inactivated Fhit allele (Fhit+/-) crossed with FVB/N mice carrying the rat HER2/neu proto-oncogene driven by the mouse mammary tumor virus promoter. All Fhit heterozygous mice developed mammary tumors, whereas when both Fhit alleles (Fhit+/+) were present, tumor incidence was reduced in 27% of the mice, which remained tumor-free at 20 months. These findings suggest a protective role for FHIT in HER2-driven mammary tumors. Together, these data argue for the cooperation between Fhit and HER2 in breast carcinogenesis.     

Chromosome missegregation causes colon cancer by APC loss of heterozygosity

A longstanding hypothesis in the field of cancer biology is that aneuploidy causes cancer by promoting loss of chromosomes that contain tumor suppressor genes. By crossing aneuploidy-prone Bub1 hypomorphic mice onto a heterozygous null background for p53, we provided conclusive evidence for this idea.1 Surprisingly, the tumors that developed in this model had not just lost the chromosome 11 copy harboring wildtype p53, but had also gained an extra copy of chromosome 11 bearing the p53 null allele. Here we report that a similar chromosome-reshuffling blueprint drives colonic tumorigenesis in Bub1 hypomorphic mice that are heterozygous for ApcMin, but now involving chromosome 18. These extended studies highlight that in order for whole chromosome instability to drive tumorigenesis, it needs to establish tumor suppressor gene loss of heterozygosity while retaining two copies of the other genes on the chromosome. Additional restrictions seem to apply to whole chromosome instability as a cancer causing mechanism, which will be discussed in this paper.     

SIRT1, Is It a Tumor Promoter or Tumor Suppressor?

SIRT1 has been considered as a tumor promoter because of its increased expression in some types of cancers and its role in inactivating proteins that are involved in tumor suppression and DNA damage repair. However, recent studies demonstrated that SIRT1 levels are reduced in some other types of cancers, and that SIRT1 deficiency results in genetic instability and tumorigenesis, while overexpression of SIRT1 attenuates cancer formation in mice heterozygous for tumor suppressor p53 or APC. Here, I review these recent findings and discuss the possibility that activation of SIRT1 both extends lifespan and inhibits cancer formation.     

Analysis of the candidate tumor suppressor Ris-1 in primary human breast carcinomas

Frequent chromosome 3 losses have been described in several tumors types, which strongly suggest the presence of one or several tumor suppressor genes. Recently, a novel candidate tumor suppressor gene termed Ris-1 (for Ras-induced senescence 1) has been identified at chromosomal position 3p21.3. Ris-1 has been proposed to participate in anti-tumor responses that resemble cellular senescence and that are elicited by oncogenes such as Ras. To analyze the role of Ris-1 as a putative tumor suppressor gene in human breast cancer, we have performed a real-time quantitative analysis of its mRNA expression in 60 patients. Moreover, we carried out a first approach to evaluate the most common inactivation mechanism that can affect expression levels of tumor suppressor genes (mutation, promoter hypermethylation and allelic losses). Furthermore, a correlation study between expression as well as inactivating mechanisms of Ris-1 and several clinico-pathological parameters of the tumors was designed, with the objective of appraising the prognostic value of Ris-1 status. Decreased expression of Ris-1 was observed in 23% of the cases and overexpressed Ris-1 was detected in 15% of the primary breast tumors. Our data showed high frequency of LOH (30%) at one of the markers used. Nevertheless, a polymorphism related with the expression levels was described. Statistically significant correlations were found between decreased Ris-1 expression and negative progesterone receptors, as well as between overexpressing Ris-1 tumors and high histological grade. Despite all these data, we conclude that the suggested role of Ris-1 as tumor suppressor gene is not evident, at least in breast cancer. Future and larger series studies in different tumor types are necessary to clarify Ris-1 function in human cancer.