Tyrosine phosphorylation of PP2A is regulated by HER-2 signalling and correlates with breast cancer progression

Int J Oncol. 2009 May;34(5):1291-301.

Abstract

Activation of HER-2/neu leads to multiple signalling cascades and plays a vital role in cell survival and growth. We used a signal transduction antibody array to characterize the tyrosine phosphorylation profiles in heregulin (HRG alpha1)-treated BT474 breast cancer cells, and identified a group of 80 molecules in which tyrosine phosphorylation was highly regulated by HRG-enhanced HER-2/neu signalling. These phosphoproteins included many known HER-2/neu-regulated molecules (e.g., SHC, Akt, Syk and Stat1) and proteins that had not been previously linked to HER-2/neu signalling, such as Fas-associated death domain protein (FADD), apoptosis repressor with CARD domain (ARC), and the tumour suppressor, protein phosphatase type 2A (PP2A). Pharmacological inhibition with HER-2 inhibitor AG825, PI3K inhibitor LY294002, MEK1/2 inhibitor PD98095, and p38MAPK inhibitor SB203580 confirmed that PP2A phosphorylation was modulated by the complicated, HER-2/neu-driven downstream signal network, with the PI3K and MEK1/2 positively, while the p38MAPK negatively regulating its tyrosine phosphorylation. In breast tumour specimens, expression of tyrosine-phosphorylated PP2A (pY307-PP2A) was highly increased in the HER-2/neu positive breast tumours, and significantly correlated to tumour progression, thus enhancing its potential prognostic value. Our data provide meaningful information in the elucidation of the HER-2-driven tyrosine phosphorylation network, and in the development of phosphopeptide-related targets as prognostication indicators.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biomarkers, Tumor / metabolism
  • Breast Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Breast Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Breast Neoplasms / pathology
  • Disease Progression
  • Humans
  • Neoplasm Invasiveness
  • Neoplasm Metastasis
  • Neuregulin-1 / pharmacology
  • Phosphorylation
  • Prognosis
  • Protein Phosphatase 2 / metabolism*
  • Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / metabolism*
  • Receptor, ErbB-2 / physiology*
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects
  • Signal Transduction / physiology
  • Tissue Array Analysis
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured
  • Tyrosine / metabolism

Substances

  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • Neuregulin-1
  • heregulin alpha
  • Tyrosine
  • Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
  • Receptor, ErbB-2
  • Protein Phosphatase 2