ZEB1 confers chemotherapeutic resistance to breast cancer by activating ATM.

Abstract

Although zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) has been identified as a key factor in the regulation of breast cancer differentiation and metastasis, its potential role in modulating tumor chemoresistance has not been fully understood. Here, through the study of specimens from a large cohort of human breast cancer subjects, we showed that patients with tumors that expressed high levels of ZEB1 responded poorly to chemotherapy. Moreover, ZEB1 expression was positively correlated with expression of B-cell lymphoma-extra large (Bcl-xL) and cyclin D1, which are key components of tumor chemoresistant mechanisms. At the molecular level, ectopic expression of ZEB1 impaired the responsiveness of breast cancer cells to genotoxic drug treatment, such as epirubicin (EPI). During this process, ZEB1 transcriptionally activated the expression of ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM) kinase by forming a ZEB1/p300/PCAF complex on its promoter, leading to increased homologous recombination (HR)-mediated DNA damage repair and the clearance of DNA breaks. Using a nude mouse xenograft model, we further confirmed that ectopic expression of ZEB1 decreased breast cancer responsiveness to EPI treatment in vivo. Collectively, our findings suggest that ZEB1 is a crucial determinant of chemotherapeutic resistance in breast cancer.

• Authors: Xiang Zhang, Zhen Zhang, Qing Zhang, Quansheng Zhang, Peiqing Sun, Rong Xiang, Guosheng Ren, Shuang Yang
• Journal: Cell death & disease (Cell Death Dis) Vol. 9 Issue 2 Pg. 57 (01 19 2018) ISSN: 2041-4889 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 29352223 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Antibiotics, Antineoplastic
• ZEB1 protein, human
• Zinc Finger E-box-Binding Homeobox 1
• Epirubicin
• Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated Proteins
• Atm protein, mouse

Topics

• Animals
• Antibiotics, Antineoplastic (pharmacology)
• Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated Proteins (genetics, metabolism)
• Breast Neoplasms (drug therapy, genetics, metabolism, pathology)
• Cell Line, Tumor
• DNA Breaks
• Drug Resistance, Neoplasm
• Epirubicin (pharmacology)
• Female
• Heterografts
• Humans
• MCF-7 Cells
• Mice
• Mice, Inbred BALB C
• Mice, Nude
• Zinc Finger E-box-Binding Homeobox 1 (genetics, metabolism)