Carcinogenesis

About: Carcinogenesis is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 60368 publications have been published within this topic receiving 3192599 citations. The topic is also known as: oncogenesis & tumorigenesis.

NF-κB is essential for epithelial-mesenchymal transition and metastasis in a model of breast cancer progression

Abstract: The transcription factor NF-κB is activated in a range of human cancers and is thought to promote tumorigenesis, mainly due to its ability to protect transformed cells from apoptosis. To investigate the role of NF-κB in epithelial plasticity and metastasis, we utilized a well-characterized in vitro/in vivo model of mammary carcinogenesis that depends on the collaboration of the Ha-Ras oncoprotein and TGF-β. We show here that the IKK-2/IκBα/NF-κB pathway is required for the induction and maintenance of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Inhibition of NF-κB signaling prevented EMT in Ras-transformed epithelial cells, while activation of this pathway promoted the transition to a mesenchymal phenotype even in the absence of TGF-β. Furthermore, inhibition of NF-κB activity in mesenchymal cells caused a reversal of EMT, suggesting that NF-κB is essential for both the induction and maintenance of EMT. In line with the importance of EMT for invasion, blocking of NF-κB activity abrogated the metastatic potential of mammary epithelial cells in a mouse model system. Collectively, these data provide evidence of an essential role for NF-κB during distinct steps of breast cancer progression and suggest that the cooperation of Ras- and TGF-β–dependent signaling pathways in late-stage tumorigenesis depends critically on NF-κB activity.

The age of cancer

Abstract: A striking link exists between advanced age and increased incidence of cancer. Here I review how several of the age-related molecular and physiological changes might act in concert to promote cancer, and in particular epithelial carcinogenesis. Experimental data indicate that the aged, cancer-prone phenotype might represent the combined pathogenetic effects of mutation load, epigenetic regulation, telomere dysfunction and altered stromal milieu. Further verification of the role of these effects should in turn lead to the design of effective therapeutics for the treatment and prevention of cancer in the aged.

Suppression of non-small cell lung tumor development by the let-7 microRNA family

Abstract: Many microRNAs (miRNAs) target mRNAs involved in processes aberrant in tumorigenesis, such as proliferation, survival, and differentiation. In particular, the let-7 miRNA family has been proposed to function in tumor suppression, because reduced expression of let-7 family members is common in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Here, we show that let-7 functionally inhibits non-small cell tumor development. Ectopic expression of let-7g in K-RasG12D-expressing murine lung cancer cells induced both cell cycle arrest and cell death. In tumor xenografts, we observed significant growth reduction of both murine and human non-small cell lung tumors when overexpression of let-7g was induced from lentiviral vectors. In let-7g expressing tumors, reductions in Ras family and HMGA2 protein levels were detected. Importantly, let-7g-mediated tumor suppression was more potent in lung cancer cell lines harboring oncogenic K-Ras mutations than in lines with other mutations. Ectopic expression of K-RasG12D largely rescued let-7g mediated tumor suppression, whereas ectopic expression of HMGA2 was less effective. Finally, in an autochthonous model of NSCLC in the mouse, let-7g expression substantially reduced lung tumor burden.

Epigenetic plasticity and the hallmarks of cancer

Abstract: BACKGROUND Chromatin is the essential medium through which transcription factors, signaling pathways, and other cues alter gene activity and cellular phenotypes. It assumes distinct conformations that reinforce regulatory activity or repression at a given locus, and reorganizes in response to appropriate intrinsic and extrinsic signals. The biologist Conrad Waddington famously conceptualized developmental specification as an epigenetic landscape in which differentiating cells proceed downhill along branching canals separated by walls that restrict cell identity. By restricting lineage-specific gene expression and phenotypes, chromatin affects the height of the walls between the canals in this epigenetic landscape. Genetic, metabolic, and environmental stimuli that disrupt chromatin alter cellular states and responses, thereby predisposing individuals to a range of common diseases. Although cancer is typically considered a genetic disease, chromatin and epigenetic aberrations play important roles in tumor potentiation, initiation, and progression. ADVANCES We discuss how the stability of chromatin, or its “resistance” to change, is precisely titrated during normal development, and we propose that deviation from this norm is a major factor in tumorigenesis. We review genetic, environmental, and metabolic stimuli that disrupt the homeostatic balance of chromatin, causing it to become aberrantly restrictive or permissive. Stimuli that increase chromatin resistance may result in a restrictive state that blocks differentiation programs. Stimuli that decrease chromatin resistance may result in a permissive state, which we refer to as epigenetic plasticity. We propose that plasticity allows premalignant or malignant cells to stochastically activate alternate gene regulatory programs and/or undergo nonphysiologic cell fate transitions. Some stochastic changes will be inconsequential “passengers”; others will confer fitness and be selected as “drivers.” As cancer cells divide, acquired epigenetic states may be maintained through cell division by DNA methylation, repressive chromatin, or gene regulatory circuits, giving rise to adaptive epiclones that fuel malignant progression. We highlight specific chromatin aberrations that confer epigenetic restriction or plasticity, and ultimately drive tumor progression via oncogene activation, tumor suppressor silencing, or adaptive cell fate transitions. Aberrations initiated by defined genetic stimuli, such as chromatin regulator gene mutations, are particularly informative regarding mechanism. Examples include gain-of-function mutations of the Polycomb repressor EZH2 that promote chromatin restriction and hinder differentiation, and metabolic enzyme mutations that disrupt the balance of DNA methylation. Changes in DNA methylation resulting from the latter have been tied to tumor suppressor silencing but may also result in stochastic insulator disruption and oncogene activation. We also carefully consider metabolic and environmental stimuli that disrupt chromatin homeostasis in the absence of genetic changes. Examples include links between folate metabolism and methylase activity, environmental factors that promote DNA hypermethylation in gastrointestinal tissues, and potential effects of microenvironmental stress on chromatin regulator expression. Purely epigenetic mechanisms may explain tumors that arise with few or no recurrent mutations, as well as heterogeneous functional phenotypes within tumors that lack genetic explanation. We conclude that chromatin and epigenetic aberrations can confer wide-ranging oncogenic properties and may fulfill all of cancer’s hallmarks. OUTLOOK Initial successes with epigenetic therapies suggest the potential of cancer epigenetics for major clinical impact. Yet realizing this promise will require a clearer understanding of epigenetic mechanisms of tumorigenesis. The identification of increasing numbers of oncogenic epigenetic lesions provides an opportunity to develop and test conceptual and mechanistic models of their functions. Progress will require new technologies for probing chromatin and epigenetic alterations with single-cell precision, as well as experimental models that faithfully recapitulate epigenetic states in tumors. We are optimistic that an improved understanding of epigenetic plasticity and restriction could advance diagnostic strategies for evaluating tumor stage and heterogeneity, and yield new therapeutic strategies for correcting epigenetic lesions or exploiting vulnerabilities of epigenetically altered cells.

The human DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) 1, 3a and 3b: coordinate mRNA expression in normal tissues and overexpression in tumors.

Abstract: DNA methylation in mammals is required for embryonic development, X chromosome inactivation and imprinting. Previous studies have shown that methylation patterns become abnormal in malignant cells and may contribute to tumorigenesis by improper de novo methylation and silencing of the promoters for growth-regulatory genes. RNA and protein levels of the DNA methyltransferase DNMT1 have been shown to be elevated in tumors, however murine stem cells lacking Dnmt1 are still able to de novo methylate viral DNA. The recent cloning of a new family of DNA methyltransferases (Dnmt3a and Dnmt3b) in mouse which methylate hemimethylated and unmethylated templates with equal efficiencies make them candidates for the long sought de novo methyltransferases. We have investigated the expression of human DNMT1, 3a and 3b and found widespread, coordinate expression of all three transcripts in most normal tissues. Chromosomal mapping placed DNMT3a on chromosome 2p23 and DNMT3b on chromosome 20q11.2. Significant overexpression of DNMT3b was seen in tumors while DNMT1 and DNMT3a were only modestly over-expressed and with lower frequency. Lastly, several novel alternatively spliced forms of DNMT3b, which may have altered enzymatic activity, were found to be expressed in a tissue-specific manner.