Project description:Gene-expression patterns of primary breast cancers aid clinicians in predicting the risk of metastatic disease. Some prognostic signatures have recently been prospectively validated, highlighting their clinical value. Such classifiers conceivably comprise biomarker genes that, in fact, functionally contribute to the oncogenic and metastatic properties of the tumors, but this has not been investigated systematically. We previously reported that the transcription factor Fra-1 not only has an essential role in breast cancer, but also drives the expression of a highly prognostic gene set. Here, we systematically perturbed the function of 31 individual Fra-1-dependent poor-prognosis genes and examined their impact on breast cancer growth in vivo. Because of the considerable number of genes in this gene set, we anticipated that the contribution of single genes to breast cancer progression would be limited. In contrast, we find that stable shRNA depletion of each of nine individual signature genes strongly inhibits breast cancer growth and aggressiveness. Several factors within this nine-gene set regulate each other's expression, suggesting that together they form a network. The nine-gene set is regulated by estrogen, ERBB2 and EGF signaling, all established breast cancer factors. We also uncover three transcription factors, MYC, E2F1 and TP53, which act alongside Fra-1 at the core of this network. ChIP-Seq analysis reveals that a substantial number of genes are bound, and regulated, by all four transcription factors. The nine-gene set retains significant prognostic power and includes several potential therapeutic targets, including the bifunctional enzyme PAICS, which catalyzes purine biosynthesis. Depletion of PAICS largely cancelled breast cancer expansion, exemplifying a prognostic gene with breast cancer activity. Our data uncover a core genetic and prognostic network driving human breast cancer. We propose that pharmacological inhibition of components within this network, such as PAICS, may be used in conjunction with the Fra-1 prognostic classifier towards personalized management of poor prognosis breast cancer.

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Systematic Functional Perturbations Uncover a Prognostic Genetic Network Driving Human Breast Cancer

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