Archontoula Stoffel

Amplification of the 3q26.3 Locus Is Associated with Progression to Invasive Cancer and Is a Negative Prognostic Factor in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas

Amplification of the 3q26-q27 has a high prevalence in squamous cell carcinomas of mucosal origin, including those originating in the head and neck region. To elucidate its role as a prognostic tool in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, a yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) contig spanning the entire 3q26-27 region was constructed. The minimal region of amplification was refined within a 1- to 2-Mb genomic segment contained within three overlapping, nonchimeric YAC clones using sequential fluorescent in situ hybridization analysis. These YAC clones containing the apex of amplification were used to develop a two-color fluorescence in situ hybridization assay and applied to the detection of 3q copy numbers in interphase nuclei on archival tumor tissue from 29 cases of normal mucosa, 20 of premalignant mucosa, and 50 of invasive head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. The presence of 3q amplification increased from 3% in normal mucosa to 25% in premalignant mucosa and 56% in invasive cancers (P < 0.01). In invasive tumors, low-level 3q amplification (3 to 4 X copy number) was identified in 18 of 50 primary head and neck cancers and high-level amplification (>4 X copy number) in 10 of 50 cases. With a median follow-up of 82.5 months, an increasing proportion of recurrences (32%, 72%, and 90%; P = 0.003) and cancer-related deaths (14%, 44%, and 70%; P = 0.006) were seen in patients with normal 3q copy number, low-level amplification, and high-level amplification, respectively. The 3-year disease-free (69%, 56%, and 10%; P = 0.001) and cause-specific (94%, 83%, and 40%; P = 0.01) survivals also decreased from normal copy number to low-level and high-level amplification. Only high-level amplification at 3q remained a significant prognostic variable on multivariate analysis including common prognostic predictors for both disease-free (relative risk, 5.1; 95% confidence interval = 1.9 to 13.9) and cause-specific survival (relative risk, 7.6; 95% confidence interval = 1.9 to 29.6). The findings suggest that the 3q copy number status is an important marker for tumor progression and prognostication in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma Related Oncogene/DCUN1D1 Is Highly Conserved and Activated by Amplification in Squamous Cell Carcinomas

Chromosomal amplification at 3q is common to multiple human cancers, but has a specific predilection for squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) of mucosal origin. We identified and characterized a novel oncogene, SCC-related oncogene (SCCRO), which is amplified along the 3q26.3 region in human SCC. Amplification and overexpression of SCCRO in these tumors correlate with poor clinical outcome. The importance of SCCRO amplification in malignant transformation is established by the apoptotic response to short hairpin RNA against SCCRO, exclusively in cancer cell lines carrying SCCRO amplification. The oncogenic potential of SCCRO is underscored by its ability to transform fibroblasts (NIH-3T3 cells) in vitro and in vivo. We show that SCCRO regulates Gli1--a key regulator of the hedgehog (HH) pathway. Collectively, these data suggest that SCCRO is a novel component of the HH signaling pathway involved in the malignant transformation of squamous cell lineage.

Chromosome 18 breakpoint in t(11;18)(q21;q21) translocation associated with MALT lymphoma is proximal to BCL2 and distal to DCC.

The t(11;18)(q21;q21) translocation has recently been identified as a recurring chromosomal abnormality in a subset of extranodal marginal zone B‐cell lymphoma, a low‐grade lymphoma of mucosa‐associated lymphoid tissue (MALT). Neither the 11q21 nor the 18q21 breakpoints have been characterized by molecular genetic analysis. As a prelude to isolation of the gene(s) involved in this translocation, we have mapped the 18q21 breakpoint region by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) of YAC and PAC clones. We mapped 37 YACs assigned to a 29‐cM region within the chromosomal band 18q21. Using nine of these YACs in single‐ and/or dual‐color FISH to analyze three cases of MALT lymphomas with the t(11;18)(q21;q21) translocation, we localized the breakpoints within a 1.6‐Mb nonchimeric YAC (938E1). This YAC is useful for the detection of the translocation in metaphase and in interphase cells. A nonchimeric YAC contig of an 8‐cM region around the breakpoint comprising nine YACs and a PAC contig of YAC 938E1 were constructed, which enabled the refinement of the breakpoint region in the proximal region of the YAC within a <820‐kb segment. This breakpoint is proximal to the BCL2 locus and distal to DCC and DPC4 loci in chromosomal band 18q21. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 24:156–159, 1999.

Actvation of NF-kappaB by the API2/MALT1 Fusions Inhibits p53 Dependant but Not FAS Induced Apoptosis: A Directional Link between NF-?B and p53

Interactions between survival pathways and apoptotic cascades play a determinant role in the maintenance of neoplastic clone proliferation and impaired response to apoptosis. Recently, we established a novel interplay between the NF-kappaB survival- and p53 death- pathways in a tumor model system that represents the most common extranodal lymphoid cell neoplasia, MALT (Mucosa Associated Lymphoid Tissue) lymphoma. MALTs are genetically characterized by the t(11;18)(q21;q21) chromosomal translocation that results in API2/MALT1 fusion products. It was shown that distinct API2/MALT1 chimeric proteins function as oncogenes that bilaterally confer a proliferative advantage to the neoplastic clone by activating the NF-kappaB signaling pathway and also inhibiting p53 mediated cell death. Here, we demonstrate that API2/MALT1 mediated inhibition of apoptosis is p53 specific, as distinct API2/MALT1 fusion proteins fail to protect cells from FAS induced cell death. Furthermore, we demonstrate that API2/MALT1 mediated NF-kappaB activation does not alter p53 protein levels or subcellular localization suggesting a post-translational or indirect mechanism of p53 deregulation.

The API2/MALT1 Fusion Product May Lead to Germinal Center B Cell Lymphomas by Suppression of Apoptosis

Low-grade B cell lymphomas of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) represent a distinct clinicopathological entity that arises in a wide variety of extranodal sites. Genetically, MALT lymphomas are characterized by the t(11;18)(q21;q21). The genes involved in this translocation have been identified to be API2 on chromosome 11, which encodes an apoptotic inhibitor, and MALT1, a novel gene on chromosome 18. We identified the t(11;18)(q21;q21) by Southern blot analysis and reverse transcriptase PCR in 42% of a panel of extranodal MALT lymphomas. We also identified the breakpoints within the API2 and MALT1 genes in 7 patients, which revealed a consistent breakpoint after the third baculoviral inhibitor of apoptosis repeat domain within API2, and variable breakpoints in MALT1. We determined the API2/MALT1 fusion transcript in 2 cases by Northern blot analysis and also showed that MALT1 mRNA is constitutively expressed in a variety of human tissues. To understand the functional consequence of the translocation, we determined the pattern of expression of API2 and MALT1 through B lineage differentiation. API2 was expressed only in cell lines which correspond to mature B cells, whereas MALT1 mRNA was detectable in pre-B cells, mature B cells and plasma cells. These results suggest that fusion of MALT1 to API2 mediated by the t(11;18)(q21;q21) may result in an increased inhibition of germinal center B cell apoptosis and subsequent development of MALT lymphomas.

The p53 Network

Cancer arises through a series of mutations in selected oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, or genes involved in DNA repair or replication. The tumor suppressor gene products frequently monitor the efficiency of cellular duplication by populating checkpoints in the process of cell division. When defective, the tumor suppressor genes can lead to inherited predispositions in the development of cancers. Almost every human cancer contains mutations in the tumor suppressor pathways of p53, retinoblastoma (Rb), or both. Each of these pathways receives a complex set of signals and reports from the extracellular and intracellular environments of a cell and in response regulate “go-no go” decisions in the cell cycle. This chapter will review some of the origins of research into the p53 gene and its protein. This will form a basis for understanding the other chapters of this book and provide a foundation upon which new facts are built. It also points to important future directions for this field.