title: Loss of expression of the candidate tumor suppressor gene ZAC in breast cancer cell lines and primary tumors.
abstract: Loss of chromosome 6q21-qter is the second most frequent loss of chromosomal material in sporadic breast neoplasms suggesting the presence of at least one tumor suppressor gene on 6q. We recently isolated a cDNA encoding a new zinc finger protein which we named ZAC according to its functional properties, namely induction of apoptosis and control of cell cycle progression. ZAC is expressed in normal mammary gland and maps to 6q24-q25, a recognized breast cancer hot spot on 6q. In the present report, we investigated the possible inactivation of ZAC in breast cancer cell lines and primary tumors. We detected no mutation in ZAC coding region in a panel of 45 breast tumors with allelic imbalance of 6q24-q25. However, a survey of eight breast cancer cell lines showed a deeply reduced (three cell lines) or complete loss of (five cell lines) ZAC expression. Treatment of three of these cell lines with the methylation-interfering agent 5-azacytidine induced ZAC re-expression. In addition, Northern blot and RNase protection assay analysis of ZAC expression in 23 unselected primary breast tumors showed a reduced expression in several samples. Together with its functional properties and chromosomal localization, these findings substantiate ZAC as a good candidate for the tumor suppressor gene on 6q24-q25.
authors.affiliation: UPR 9023 CNRS, Mécanismes Moléculaires des Communications Cellulaires, CCIPE, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bilanges
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Varrault
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Basyuk
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mazumdar
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pantaloni
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bockaert
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Theillet
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Spengler
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Journot
mesh_terms: D001940:Breast / Q000378:metabolism; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D019175:DNA Methylation; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000235:genetics; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D017353:Gene Deletion; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D016147:Genes, Tumor Suppressor; D006801:Humans; D019656:Loss of Heterozygosity; D009154:Mutation; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D016335:Zinc Fingers / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; C106464:PLAGL1 protein, human; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins