1. Simultaneous screening of overexpressed genes in breast cancer for oncogenic drivers and tumor dependencies.
- Author
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Mofunanya A, Cameron ER, Braun CJ, Celeste F, Zhao X, Hemann MT, Scott KL, Li J, and Powers S
- Subjects
- Humans, Female, Cell Line, Tumor, Signal Transduction, Oncogenes, beta Catenin metabolism, beta Catenin genetics, Tamoxifen pharmacology, Animals, Cell Adhesion Molecules genetics, Cell Adhesion Molecules metabolism, TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases metabolism, TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases genetics, Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 4 genetics, Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 4 metabolism, Cell Transformation, Neoplastic genetics, Breast Neoplasms genetics, Breast Neoplasms pathology, Breast Neoplasms metabolism, Cell Proliferation genetics, Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
- Abstract
There are hundreds of genes typically overexpressed in breast cancer cells and it's often assumed that their overexpression contributes to cancer progression. However, the precise proportion of these overexpressed genes contributing to tumorigenicity remains unclear. To address this gap, we undertook a comprehensive screening of a diverse set of seventy-two genes overexpressed in breast cancer. This systematic screening evaluated their potential for inducing malignant transformation and, concurrently, assessed their impact on breast cancer cell proliferation and viability. Select genes including ALDH3B1, CEACAM5, IL8, PYGO2, and WWTR1, exhibited pronounced activity in promoting tumor formation and establishing gene dependencies critical for tumorigenicity. Subsequent investigations revealed that CEACAM5 overexpression triggered the activation of signaling pathways involving β-catenin, Cdk4, and mTOR. Additionally, it conferred a growth advantage independent of exogenous insulin in defined medium and facilitated spheroid expansion by inducing multiple layers of epithelial cells while preserving a hollow lumen. Furthermore, the silencing of CEACAM5 expression synergized with tamoxifen-induced growth inhibition in breast cancer cells. These findings underscore the potential of screening overexpressed genes for both oncogenic drivers and tumor dependencies to expand the repertoire of therapeutic targets for breast cancer treatment., (© 2024. The Author(s).)
- Published
- 2024
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