Breast cancer is a major killer of women in whom the etiology of tumor induction is poorly understood. The Wnt pathway has emerged as a major oncogenic pathway with a complex interplay of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. A key feature is the stability of f3-catenin, which functions as a transcriptional co-activator with the LEF and TCF family of transcription factors. The oncogenic phenotypes are ultimately established by the regulation of promoters for key growth regulatory genes. For example, Cyclin D1 is activated by, the Wnt-betacatenin pathway. Cyclin D1 mRNA is increased in many breast cancers, and its role in breast cell proliferation is well established. While the components and the activation of the pathway have been an area of intense study, the molecular mechanisms that inactivate the Wnt pathway in normal tissues are not well understood. These suppressive mechanisms are excellent candidates for the identification of new tumor suppressor genes. The working hypothesis of this proposal is that HBP1 is a suppressor of Wnt-beta-catenin signaling through the transcriptional repression of oncogenes and other gene targets. We had previously identified HBP1 as a transcriptional repressor and cell cycle inhibitor. Like LEF and TCF, HBP1 is an HMG box transcription factor. However, HBP1 remains one of few examples of repressors within this important transcription factor family. Recent work indicates that HBP1 is a transcriptional repressor of the Cyclin Dl promoter, which is activated by Wnt-B-catenin signaling. Experiments are specifically designed to test the role of HBP1 and transcriptional repression in breast tumorigenesis. The possible role of HBP1 as a tumor suppressor gene in human breast cancer will be tested directly. HBP1 is located in human Chromosome 7q31--a region that is frequently deleted in breast and other cancers. Deletion in cancer is a hallmark of tumor suppressor genes. The long-term goals are the mechanisms that may govern normal breast cell proliferation and that may become aberrant in tumorigenesis. This is critical to understanding tumor suppression and to how mis-regulation may lead to oncogenesis. Together with other work, the proposed studies may provide insights into new diagnostic and/or therapeutic strategies for breast cancer.
