1. Academic Validation
  2. Menin Coordinates C/EBPβ-Mediated TGF-β Signaling for Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Growth Inhibition in Pancreatic Cancer

Menin Coordinates C/EBPβ-Mediated TGF-β Signaling for Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Growth Inhibition in Pancreatic Cancer

  • Mol Ther Nucleic Acids. 2019 Dec 6;18:155-165. doi: 10.1016/j.omtn.2019.08.013.
Peng Cheng 1 Ying Chen 2 Tian-Lin He 3 Chao Wang 4 Shi-Wei Guo 3 Hao Hu 3 Chen-Ming Ni 3 Gang Jin 5 Yi-Jie Zhang 6
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Pancreatic Hepatobiliary Surgery, Changhai Hospital, Shanghai 200433, P.R. China. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 2 Department of Pathology, Changhai Hospital, Shanghai 200433, P.R. China.
  • 3 Department of Pancreatic Hepatobiliary Surgery, Changhai Hospital, Shanghai 200433, P.R. China.
  • 4 The Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, P.R. China.
  • 5 Department of Pancreatic Hepatobiliary Surgery, Changhai Hospital, Shanghai 200433, P.R. China. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 6 Department of Pancreatic Hepatobiliary Surgery, Changhai Hospital, Shanghai 200433, P.R. China. Electronic address: [email protected].
Abstract

Menin displays either tumor suppression or promotion functions in a context-dependent manner. Previously, we proposed that Menin acts as a tumor suppressor by inhibiting cell growth in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), whereas the relationship between the Menin expression and overall survival rate of PDAC patients has not been completely elucidated, indicating the complexity of Menin functions in PDAC progression. Here, we identify Menin as a promoter of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which is largely associated with cell migration or metastasis, with modest activity in cell growth inhibition. Ectopic expression of Menin suppresses the expression of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein beta (CEBPB) and epithelial-specific genes by histone deacetylation and further enhances the TGF-β signaling-related EMT process. We also demonstrate that CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP) beta (C/EBPβ; encoded by CEBPB) acts downstream of Menin and TGF-β signaling for balancing growth inhibition and EMT, and C/EBPβ overexpression could restore the anti-cancer functions of Menin in pancreatic Cancer by cooperatively activating CDKN2A/B genes and antagonizing EMT processes. Taken together, our results suggest that Menin functions as an oncogene for Cancer metastasis upon C/EBPβ depletion or acts as a tumor suppressor by cooperation with C/EBPβ to activate CDKN2A transcription.

Keywords

C/EBPβ; CDKN2A; Menin; epithelial-mesenchymal transition; pancreatic cancer.

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