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LEM4 confers tamoxifen resistance to breast cancer cells by activating cyclin D-CDK4/6-Rb and ERα pathway

2018; Nature Portfolio; Volume: 9; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1038/s41467-018-06309-8

2041-1723

Ang Gao, Tonghua Sun, Gui Ma, Jiangran Cao, Qingxia Hu, Ling Chen, Yan-xin Wang, Qianying Wang, Jiafu Sun, Rui Wu, Qiao Wu, Jiaxi Zhou, Lin Liu, Junjie Hu, Jin‐Tang Dong, Zhengmao Zhu,

Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics

The elucidation of molecular events that confer tamoxifen resistance to estrogen receptor α (ER) positive breast cancer is of major scientific and therapeutic importance. Here, we report that LEM4 overexpression renders ER+ breast cancer cells resistant to tamoxifen by activating the cyclin D-CDK4/6 axis and the ERα signaling. We show that LEM4 overexpression accelerates tumor growth. Interaction with LEM4 stabilizes CDK4 and Rb, promotes Rb phosphorylation and the G1/S phase transition. LEM4 depletion or combined tamoxifen and PD0332991 treatment significantly reverses tamoxifen resistance. Furthermore, LEM4 interacts with and stabilizes both Aurora-A and ERα, promotes Aurora-A mediated phosphorylation of ERα-Ser167, leading to increase in ERα DNA-binding and transactivation activity. Elevated levels of LEM4 correlates with poorer relapse-free survival in patients with ER+ breast cancer undergoing endocrine therapy. Thus, LEM4 represents a prognostic marker and an attractive target for breast cancer therapeutics. Functional antagonism of LEM4 could overcome tamoxifen resistance.