Glucocorticoid Receptor Signaling Activates TEAD4 to Promote Breast
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Published OnlineFirst July 9, 2019; DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-19-0012 Cancer Molecular Cell Biology Research Glucocorticoid Receptor Signaling Activates TEAD4 to Promote Breast Cancer Progression Lingli He1,2, Liang Yuan3,Yang Sun1,2, Pingyang Wang1,2, Hailin Zhang4, Xue Feng1,2, Zuoyun Wang1,2, Wenxiang Zhang1,2, Chuanyu Yang4,Yi Arial Zeng1,2,Yun Zhao1,2,3, Ceshi Chen4,5,6, and Lei Zhang1,2,3 Abstract The Hippo pathway plays a critical role in cell growth and to the TEAD4 promoter to boost its own expression. Func- tumorigenesis. The activity of TEA domain transcription factor tionally, the activation of TEAD4 by GC promoted breast 4 (TEAD4) determines the output of Hippo signaling; how- cancer stem cells maintenance, cell survival, metastasis, and ever, the regulation and function of TEAD4 has not been chemoresistance both in vitro and in vivo. Pharmacologic explored extensively. Here, we identified glucocorticoids (GC) inhibition of TEAD4 inhibited GC-induced breast cancer as novel activators of TEAD4. GC treatment facilitated gluco- chemoresistance. In conclusion, our study reveals a novel corticoid receptor (GR)-dependent nuclear accumulation and regulation and functional role of TEAD4 in breast cancer and transcriptional activation of TEAD4. TEAD4 positively corre- proposes a potential new strategy for breast cancer therapy. lated with GR expression in human breast cancer, and high expression of TEAD4 predicted poor survival of patients with Significance: This study provides new insight into the role breast cancer. Mechanistically, GC activation promoted GR of glucocorticoid signaling in breast cancer, with potential for interaction with TEAD4, forming a complex that was recruited clinical translation. Introduction MST-LATS kinase cascade phosphorylates YAP/TAZ and restricts theirlocalizationinthecytoplasm, whereas unphosphorylated The Hippo signaling pathway, originally discovered in YAP/TAZ translocate into nucleus and binds with TEADs to Drosophila melanogaster and highly conserved in mammals, activate TEADs transcriptional activity (4, 5). Activated TEADs plays key roles in cell proliferation, cell fate determination, stimulates the expression of genes involved in cell proliferation organ size control, and tumor suppression (1–3). The Hippo and metastasis (CYR61, CTGF, BIRC5, ANKRD1, vimentin, and pathway mainly contains upstream kinase complex, transcrip- N-cadherin) and then promote tumorigenesis and progres- tional cofactor Yes associated-protein (YAP) and its paralog sion (2, 6). Regulators, such as energy/osmotic stress (7, 8), WW domain containing transcription regulator 1 (TAZ), and cell contact/mechanical force (9, 10) and hormones (11) trigger TEA domain transcription factors (TEAD1-4). Upstream core Hippo pathway by controlling YAP/TAZ activity, whereas YAP/TAZ require TEADs binding to regulate target genes (12). Thus,itisofimportancetounderstand the regulation and 1State Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular function of TEADs. Cell Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, People's TEADs have been reported to be phosphorylated by protein 2 Republic of China. Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese kinase A and protein kinase C, which impairs TEADs DNA binding Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, ability (13, 14). TEAD4 is also palmitoylated to enhance its People's Republic of China. 3School of Life Science and Technology, Shanghai Tech University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China. 4Key Laboratory of association with YAP/TAZ and transcriptional activity (15). Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of Chinese Academy of RBM4-facilitated alternative splicing of TEAD4 generates a Sciences and Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy TEAD4-shorter form to suppress cancer cell proliferation and of Sciences, Kunming, People's Republic of China. 5Institute of Stem Cell and migration (16). In addition, It has been studied that p38 regulates Reproductive Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic TEADs nuclear–cytoplasmic shuttling in response to osmotic 6 of China. KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in stress (8). Moreover, TEAD4 nuclear localization is critical Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, fi Kunming, People's Republic of China. for establishing the trophectoderm-speci c transcriptional program and segregating trophectoderm from the inner cell mass Note: Supplementary data for this article are available at Cancer Research (17). More importantly, TEAD4 nuclear localization positively Online (http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/). autoregulates its own transcription and increases its protein Corresponding Authors: Lei Zhang, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai level in the trophectoderm lineage, and the high TEAD4 con- 200031, China. Phone/Fax: 86-021-4592-1336; E-mail: [email protected]; centration facilitates its nuclear localization as a positive feed- and Ceshi Chen, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China. E-mail: [email protected] back response (17). Recently, it has been reported that the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) binds to the promoter of Cancer Res 2019;79:4399–411 TEAD4 to regulate TEAD4 transcription during adipogen- doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-19-0012 esis (18). The activity of TEADs is also regulated by its cofactors. Ó2019 American Association for Cancer Research. Besides the most well-known coactivators YAP/TAZ, some other www.aacrjournals.org 4399 Downloaded from cancerres.aacrjournals.org on September 24, 2021. © 2019 American Association for Cancer Research. Published OnlineFirst July 9, 2019; DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-19-0012 He et al. Hippo-independent cofactors have been also identified as TEAD1/2/3/4, TEAD4-N, TEAD4-C and YAP were cloned to TEADs-binding partners, such as the vestigial-like protein fam- vectorpcDNA3.1.GR,GR-DBD,GR-DDBD and GR-2C2A were ily (19), C-terminal binding protein 2 (20), transcription factor cloned to vector pGEX-4T1-GST, and TEAD4 was cloned to 4(21),Kruppel-like€ factor 5 (KLF5; ref. 22) and activator pET28a-His-Sumo for protein purification in E. coli.Allcon- protein-1 (23). Together with their cofactors, TEADs bind to structs for short hairpin RNA (shRNA) were constructed in a the conserved MCAT motif to regulate transcriptional activity modified pLKO.1 vector. The shRNA target sequences as involved in cancer initiation and progression (24, 25). followings. Glucocorticoids (GC), as a kind of steroid hormones, func- YAP-1: GACATCTTCTGGTCAGAGA; tion through GR and play important roles in various biological TEAD4-1: GAGACAGAGTATGCTCGCTAT; processes, such as cell growth, metabolism, immune and TEAD4-2: CCTTTCTCTCAGCAAACCTAT; inflammatory reactions (26, 27). Because of its antiproliferative GR-1: TGGATAAGACCATGAGTATTG; and proapoptotic roles, GCs have been used in various diseases GR-2: CACAGGCTTCAGGTATCTTAT. therapies, such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia and multiple Scramble DNA duplex was also designed as a control: myeloma (27). Nevertheless, GCs treatment has side effect TTCTCCGAACGTGTCACGT. for the emergence of GC-induced apoptosis resistance (28). It has been shown that GCs promote cancer cells survival and Cell culture protect cells from chemotherapy-induced apoptosis (29, 30). HEK293T cells, MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-453, and BT-549 For example, dexamethasone treatment inhibits paclitaxel- were cultured in DMEM (Invitrogen) supplemented with 10% induced apoptosis especially in breast cancer (11, 31, 32). FBS and antibiotics at 37 Cwith5%CO2 in a humidified Consistently, high expression of GC-related GR correlates with incubator (Thermo Fisher Scientific), NIH/3T3 cells were cul- poor survival and poor prognosis in patients with breast tured in DMEM with 10% NCS and antibiotics. MCF10A cells cancer (11, 33). However, the molecular mechanism and the were maintained in DMEM/F12 medium (Sigma D6421) con- key mediators that respond to GC-GR signaling and induce cell taining 5% horse serum (Sigma H1270), 10 mg/mL insulin growth, remain unclear. (Sigma I6634), 20 ng/mL hEGF (Sigma E4269), 100 ng/mL Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women. In cholera toxin (Sigma C8052), 0.5 mg/mL hydrocortisone (Sig- clinical diagnosis, breast cancers are divided into four subtypes ma H4001), and antibiotics. Cells were obtained from Shang- based on the expression of the markers: estrogen receptor (ER), hai Life Academy of Sciences cell library (Shanghai, China) in progesterone receptor (PR), and HER2. Among the different June 2016, then the short tandem repeat analysis was per- subtypes, patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), formed to authenticate the cell lines. Multiple aliquots were characterized by ER/HER2/PR negative, have the highest frequen- frozen within 10 days when the cells were purchased and cy of lymph node metastasis and poorest prognosis (34). TNBC thawed. For experimental use, aliquots were resuscitated and has a relatively good response to chemotherapy, however, che- cultured for about 20 passages (every 2 days for 6 weeks) before moresistance is an alarming issue following treatment (34). The being discarded. All cell lines were ensured to be negative for Hippo signaling pathway has been linked to breast cancer pro- Mycoplasma contamination. gression. The high expression of YAP and TAZ contribute to breast cancer cell survival and metastasis dependent on TEAD4 interac-