TY - JOUR
T1 - Tracing anti-cancer and cancer-promoting actions of all-trans retinoic acid in breast cancer to a RARa epigenetic mechanism of mammary epithelial cell fate
AU - Rossetti, Stefano
AU - Ren, Ming Qiang
AU - Visconti, Nicolo
AU - Corlazzoli, Francesca
AU - Gagliostro, Vincenzo
AU - Somenzi, Giulia
AU - Yao, Jin
AU - Sun, Yijun
AU - Sacchi, Nicoletta
PY - 2016
Y1 - 2016
N2 - A hallmark of cancer cells is the ability to evade the growth inhibitory/pro-apoptotic action of physiological all-trans retinoic acid (RA) signal, the bioactive derivative of Vitamin A. However, as we and others reported, RA can also promote cancer cell growth and invasion. Here we show that anticancer and cancer-promoting RA actions in breast cancer have roots in a mechanism of mammary epithelial cell morphogenesis that involves both transcriptional (epigenetic) and non-transcriptional RARa (RARA) functions. We found that the mammary epithelial cell-context specific degree of functionality of the RARA transcriptional (epigenetic) component of this mechanism, by tuning the effects of the non-transcriptional RARA component, determines different cell fate decisions during mammary morphogenesis. Indeed, factors that hamper the RARA epigenetic function make physiological RA drive aberrant morphogenesis via non-transcriptional RARA, thus leading to cell transformation. Remarkably, also the cell context-specific degree of functionality of the RARA epigenetic component retained by breast cancer cells is critical to determine cell fate decisions in response to physiological as well as supraphysiological RA variation. Overall this study supports the proof of principle that the epigenetic functional plasticity of the mammary epithelial cell RARA mechanism, which is essential for normal morphogenetic processes, is necessary to deter breast cancer onset/progression consequent to the insidious action of physiological RA.
AB - A hallmark of cancer cells is the ability to evade the growth inhibitory/pro-apoptotic action of physiological all-trans retinoic acid (RA) signal, the bioactive derivative of Vitamin A. However, as we and others reported, RA can also promote cancer cell growth and invasion. Here we show that anticancer and cancer-promoting RA actions in breast cancer have roots in a mechanism of mammary epithelial cell morphogenesis that involves both transcriptional (epigenetic) and non-transcriptional RARa (RARA) functions. We found that the mammary epithelial cell-context specific degree of functionality of the RARA transcriptional (epigenetic) component of this mechanism, by tuning the effects of the non-transcriptional RARA component, determines different cell fate decisions during mammary morphogenesis. Indeed, factors that hamper the RARA epigenetic function make physiological RA drive aberrant morphogenesis via non-transcriptional RARA, thus leading to cell transformation. Remarkably, also the cell context-specific degree of functionality of the RARA epigenetic component retained by breast cancer cells is critical to determine cell fate decisions in response to physiological as well as supraphysiological RA variation. Overall this study supports the proof of principle that the epigenetic functional plasticity of the mammary epithelial cell RARA mechanism, which is essential for normal morphogenetic processes, is necessary to deter breast cancer onset/progression consequent to the insidious action of physiological RA.
KW - Breast cancer
KW - Epigenetic transcriptional regulation
KW - Mammary epithelial cell fate decisions
KW - RARA
KW - Retinoic acid (RA)
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85007471057&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85007471057&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.18632/oncotarget.13500
DO - 10.18632/oncotarget.13500
M3 - Article
C2 - 27894085
AN - SCOPUS:85007471057
SN - 1949-2553
VL - 7
SP - 87064
EP - 87080
JO - Oncotarget
JF - Oncotarget
IS - 52
ER -