The FOXN3-NEAT1-SIN3A repressor complex promotes progression of hormonally responsive breast cancer

J Clin Invest. 2017 Sep 1;127(9):3421-3440. doi: 10.1172/JCI94233. Epub 2017 Aug 14.

Abstract

The pathophysiological function of the forkhead transcription factor FOXN3 remains to be explored. Here we report that FOXN3 is a transcriptional repressor that is physically associated with the SIN3A repressor complex in estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) cells. RNA immunoprecipitation-coupled high-throughput sequencing identified that NEAT1, an estrogen-inducible long noncoding RNA, is required for FOXN3 interactions with the SIN3A complex. ChIP-Seq and deep sequencing of RNA genomic targets revealed that the FOXN3-NEAT1-SIN3A complex represses genes including GATA3 that are critically involved in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). We demonstrated that the FOXN3-NEAT1-SIN3A complex promotes EMT and invasion of breast cancer cells in vitro as well as dissemination and metastasis of breast cancer in vivo. Interestingly, the FOXN3-NEAT1-SIN3A complex transrepresses ER itself, forming a negative-feedback loop in transcription regulation. Elevation of both FOXN3 and NEAT1 expression during breast cancer progression corresponded to diminished GATA3 expression, and high levels of FOXN3 and NEAT1 strongly correlated with higher histological grades and poor prognosis. Our experiments uncovered that NEAT1 is a facultative component of the SIN3A complex, shedding light on the mechanistic actions of NEAT1 and the SIN3A complex. Further, our study identified the ERα-NEAT1-FOXN3/NEAT1/SIN3A-GATA3 axis that is implicated in breast cancer metastasis, providing a mechanistic insight into the pathophysiological function of FOXN3.

MeSH terms

  • Breast Neoplasms / genetics
  • Breast Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Carcinoma / metabolism
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / genetics
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / metabolism*
  • Disease Progression
  • Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition*
  • Estrogen Receptor alpha / metabolism
  • Female
  • Forkhead Transcription Factors
  • GATA3 Transcription Factor / genetics
  • GATA3 Transcription Factor / metabolism
  • Hormones / metabolism
  • Humans
  • MCF-7 Cells
  • Neoplasm Metastasis
  • Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis
  • RNA, Long Noncoding / genetics
  • RNA, Long Noncoding / metabolism*
  • Repressor Proteins / genetics
  • Repressor Proteins / metabolism*
  • Sin3 Histone Deacetylase and Corepressor Complex
  • Transcription, Genetic

Substances

  • Cell Cycle Proteins
  • ESR1 protein, human
  • Estrogen Receptor alpha
  • FOXN3 protein, human
  • Forkhead Transcription Factors
  • GATA3 Transcription Factor
  • GATA3 protein, human
  • Hormones
  • NEAT1 long non-coding RNA, human
  • RNA, Long Noncoding
  • Repressor Proteins
  • SIN3A transcription factor
  • Sin3 Histone Deacetylase and Corepressor Complex