Browsing by Author "Huang, Tim H.-M."

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    Amplification of Distant Estrogen Response Elements Deregulates Target Genes Associated with Tamoxifen Resistance in Breast Cancer
    (Elsevier, 2013) Hsu, Pei-Yin; Hsu, Hang-Kai; Lan, Xun; Juan, Liran; Yan, Pearlly S.; Labanowska, Jadwiga; Heerema, Nyla; Hsiao, Tzu-Hung; Chiu, Yu-Chiao; Chen, Yidong; Liu, Yunlong; Li, Lang; Li, Rong; Thompson, Ian M.; Nephew, Kenneth P.; Sharp, Zelton D.; Kirma, Nameer B.; Jin, Victor X.; Huang, Tim H.-M.; Medical and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine
    A causal role of gene amplification in tumorigenesis is well known, whereas amplification of DNA regulatory elements as an oncogenic driver remains unclear. In this study, we integrated next-generation sequencing approaches to map distant estrogen response elements (DEREs) that remotely control the transcription of target genes through chromatin proximity. Two densely mapped DERE regions located on chromosomes 17q23 and 20q13 were frequently amplified in estrogen receptor-α-positive luminal breast cancer. These aberrantly amplified DEREs deregulated target gene expression potentially linked to cancer development and tamoxifen resistance. Progressive accumulation of DERE copies was observed in normal breast progenitor cells chronically exposed to estrogenic chemicals. These findings may extend to other DNA regulatory elements, the amplification of which can profoundly alter target transcriptome during tumorigenesis.
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    Three-tiered role of the pioneer factor GATA2 in promoting androgen-dependent gene expression in prostate cancer
    (Oxford University Press, 2014) Wu, Dayong; Sunkel, Benjamin; Chen, Zhong; Liu, Xiangtao; Ye, Zhenqing; Li, Qianjin; Grenade, Cassandra; Ke, Jingdong; Zhang, Chunpeng; Chen, Hongyan; Nephew, Kenneth P.; Huang, Tim H.-M.; Liu, Zhihua; Jin, Victor X.; Wang, Qianben; Cellular and Integrative Physiology, School of Medicine
    In prostate cancer, androgen receptor (AR) binding and androgen-responsive gene expression are defined by hormone-independent binding patterns of the pioneer factors FoxA1 and GATA2. Insufficient evidence of the mechanisms by which GATA2 contributes to this process precludes complete understanding of a key determinant of tissue-specific AR activity. Our observations suggest that GATA2 facilitates androgen-responsive gene expression by three distinct modes of action. By occupying novel binding sites within the AR gene locus, GATA2 positively regulates AR expression before and after androgen stimulation. Additionally, GATA2 engages AR target gene enhancers prior to hormone stimulation, producing an active and accessible chromatin environment via recruitment of the histone acetyltransferase p300. Finally, GATA2 functions in establishing and/or sustaining basal locus looping by recruiting the Mediator subunit MED1 in the absence of androgen. These mechanisms may contribute to the generally positive role of GATA2 in defining AR genome-wide binding patterns that determine androgen-responsive gene expression profiles. We also find that GATA2 and FoxA1 exhibit both independent and codependent co-occupancy of AR target gene enhancers. Identifying these determinants of AR transcriptional activity may provide a foundation for the development of future prostate cancer therapeutics that target pioneer factor function.