The Src homology phosphotyrosine phosphatase 2 (SHP2) promotes cell proliferation and survival signals induced by receptor Tyr kinases. More specifically, SHP2 is a requisite for EGFR and HER2 signaling pathways, receptors commonly dysregulated in breast and other cancers. In addition to the Ras-ERK and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways, SHP2 transduces ?-catenin signaling downstream of the EGFR and HER2. Therefore, SHP2 acts as a mediator and integrator of these pathways, which are generally regarded as separate. Moreover, our preliminary studies show that SHP2 is overexpressed in breast tumors, suggesting that its increased expression might enhance tumor growth. However, how SHP2 positively modulates the EGFR/HER2 and the ?-catenin signaling pathways is poorly understood. Thus, this research proposal addresses the under-explored, but important area in cancer. The central hypothesis is that SHP2-mediated synergy between the EGFR/HER2 and ?-catenin signaling pathways underlies the mechanism of SHP2 in promoting epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cell transformation, leading to breast tumor development. This hypothesis is based on the following findings: i) SHP2 is a positive effector of mitogenic and cell survival signals, traits dysregulated in a cancer cell, ii) SHP2 integrates ?-catenin signaling with Ras and PI3K pathways, and iii) it is overexpressed in breast cancer.
The specific aims of this proposal are: 1) to explore the extent of SHP2 overexpression in breast cancer and elucidate the mechanism of action of SHP2 in HER2 signaling and transformation, 2) to study the molecular mechanism for EGFR/HER2-induced and SHP2-mediated ?-catenin activation and 3) to investigate the importance of SHP2 in HER2-induced tumorigenesis in vivo. SHP2 protein overexpression in primary breast tumors will be investigated by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. The mechanism of action of SHP2 in HER2 and ?-catenin signaling will be investigated by site-directed mutagenesis, expression in appropriate cells and determining the effect of these expressions on signaling, cell growth and transformation. Finally, the importance of SHP2 in HER2-induced tumorigenesis will be studied in HER2 transgenic and SHP2 knockout (specifically in the mammary gland) mice.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01CA124940-05
Application #
8074004
Study Section
Molecular Oncogenesis Study Section (MONC)
Program Officer
Salnikow, Konstantin
Project Start
2007-07-16
Project End
2014-05-31
Budget Start
2011-06-01
Budget End
2014-05-31
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
2011
Total Cost
$243,000
Indirect Cost
Name
West Virginia University
Department
Biochemistry
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
191510239
City
Morgantown
State
WV
Country
United States
Zip Code
26506
Zhao, Hua; Martin, Elisha; Matalkah, Fatimah et al. (2018) Conditional knockout of SHP2 in ErbB2 transgenic mice or inhibition in HER2-amplified breast cancer cell lines blocks oncogene expression and tumorigenesis. Oncogene :
Matalkah, Fatimah; Martin, Elisha; Zhao, Hua et al. (2016) SHP2 acts both upstream and downstream of multiple receptor tyrosine kinases to promote basal-like and triple-negative breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res 18:2
Zhao, Hua; Agazie, Yehenew M (2015) Inhibition of SHP2 in basal-like and triple-negative breast cells induces basal-to-luminal transition, hormone dependency, and sensitivity to anti-hormone treatment. BMC Cancer 15:109
Hartman, Zachary R; Schaller, Michael D; Agazie, Yehenew M (2013) The tyrosine phosphatase SHP2 regulates focal adhesion kinase to promote EGF-induced lamellipodia persistence and cell migration. Mol Cancer Res 11:651-64
Hartman, Z; Zhao, H; Agazie, Y M (2013) HER2 stabilizes EGFR and itself by altering autophosphorylation patterns in a manner that overcomes regulatory mechanisms and promotes proliferative and transformation signaling. Oncogene 32:4169-80
Zhou, Xiangdong; Agazie, Yehenew M (2012) The signaling and transformation potency of the overexpressed HER2 protein is dependent on the normally-expressed EGFR. Cell Signal 24:140-50
Zhou, Xiangdong; Agazie, Yehenew M (2009) Molecular mechanism for SHP2 in promoting HER2-induced signaling and transformation. J Biol Chem 284:12226-34
Zhou, X-D; Agazie, Y M (2008) Inhibition of SHP2 leads to mesenchymal to epithelial transition in breast cancer cells. Cell Death Differ 15:988-96
Zhou, X; Coad, J; Ducatman, B et al. (2008) SHP2 is up-regulated in breast cancer cells and in infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the breast, implying its involvement in breast oncogenesis. Histopathology 53:389-402