Merlin deficiency alters the redox management program in breast cancer
Abstract
The expression of Merlin tumor suppressor protein encoded by Neurofibromin 2 (NF2) gene is remarkably decreased in metastatic breast cancer tissues. In order to recapitulate clinical evidence, we generated a unique, conditional Nf2‐knockout (Nf2−/−) mouse mammary tumor model. Merlin‐deficient breast tumor cells and Nf2−/− mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) displayed a robustly invasive phenotype. Moreover, Nf2−/− MEFs presented with notable alterations in redox management networks, implicating a role for Merlin in redox homeostasis. This programmatic alteration resonated with pathways that emerged from breast tumor cells engineered for Merlin deficiency. Further investigations revealed that NF2‐silenced cells supported reduced activity of the Nuclear factor, erythroid 2 like 2 antioxidant transcription factor, concomitant with elevated expression of NADPH oxidase enzymes. Importantly, mammary‐specific Nf2−/− in an Mouse mammary tumor virus Neu + murine breast cancer model demonstrated accelerated mammary carcinogenesis in vivo. Tumor‐derived primary organoids and cell lines were characteristically invasive with evidence of a dysregulated cellular redox management system. As such, Merlin deficiency programmatically influences redox imbalance that orchestrates malignant attributes of mammary/breast cancer.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 2021
- Source ID
- 10.1002/1878-0261.12896
Entities
People
- Brandon J. Metge
- Dominique C. Hinshaw
- Dongquan Chen
- Heba A. Alsheikh
- Lalita A. Shevde
- Mateus Mota
- Rajeev S Samant
Organizations
- Birmingham VA Medical Center
- United States Department of Defense
- University of Alabama at Birmingham