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Wulf, Gerburg

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Wulf, Gerburg
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    Testosterone Therapy and Breast Histopathological Features in Transgender Individuals
    (Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2020-09-16) Baker, Gabrielle; Guzman-Arocho, Yaileen D.; Bret-Mounet, Vanessa C.; Torous, Vanda; Schnitt, Stuart; Tobias, Adam; Bartlett, Richard; Fein-Zachary, Valerie J.; Collins, Laura; Wulf, Gerburg; Heng, Yujing J.; Heng, Yujing
    Testosterone therapy (TT) is administered to enhance masculinization in transgender individuals. The long term effect of exogenous testosterone on breast tissues remains unclear. Our study evaluated the modulation of breast morphology by TT in transgender individuals with special attention to duration of TT. We reviewed 447 breast surgical specimens from gender affirming chest-contouring surgery, and compared histopathological findings including degree of lobular atrophy, and atypical and non-atypical proliferations between subjects who did (n=367) and did not (n=79) receive TT. TT for one patient was unknown. TT for >12 months was associated with seven histopathological features. Longer duration of TT was significantly associated with higher degrees of lobular atrophy (p<0.001). This relationship remained significant after accounting for age at surgery, ethnicity, body mass index, and pre-surgical oophorectomy (adjusted p<0.001). Four types of lesions were more likely to be absent in breast tissues exposed to longer durations of TT: cysts (median=16.2 months; p<0.01; adjusted p=0.01), fibroadenoma (median=14.8 months; p=0.02; adjusted p=0.07), pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia (median=17.0 months; p<0.001; adjusted p<0.001), and papillomas (median=14.7 months; p=0.04; adjusted p=0.20). Columnar cell change and mild inflammation were also less likely to occur in subjects receiving TT (p<0.05), but were not linked to the duration of TT. Atypia and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) were detected in 11 subjects (2.5%) all of whom received TT ranging from 10.1 to 64.1 months. The incidental findings of high-risk lesions and carcinoma as well as the risk of cancer in residual breast tissue after chest-contouring surgery warrant the consideration of culturally sensitive routine breast cancer screening protocols for transgender men and masculine-centered gender non-conforming individuals. Long-term follow-up studies and molecular investigations are needed to understand the breast cancer risk of transgender individuals who receive TT.
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    The Rab2A GTPase Promotes Breast Cancer Stem Cells and Tumorigenesis via Erk Signaling Activation
    (2015) Luo, Man-Li; Gong, Chang; Chen, Chun-Hau; Hu, Hai; Huang, Pengyu; Zheng, Min; Yao, Yandan; Wei, Shuo; Wulf, Gerburg; Lieberman, Judy; Zhou, Xiao; Song, Erwei; Lu, Kun Ping
    SUMMARY Proline-directed phosphorylation is regulated by the prolyl isomerase Pin1, which plays a fundamental role in driving breast cancer stem-like cells (BCSCs). Rab2A is a small GTPase critical for vesicle trafficking. Here, we show that Pin1 increases Rab2A transcription to promote BCSC expansion and tumorigenesis in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, Rab2A directly interacts with and prevents dephosphorylation/inactivation of Erk1/2 by the MKP3 phosphatase, resulting in Zeb1 upregulation and β-catenin nuclear translocation. In cancer cells, Rab2A is activated via gene amplification, mutation or Pin1 overexpression. Rab2A overexpression or mutation endows BCSC traits to primary normal human breast epithelial cells, whereas silencing Rab2A potently inhibits the expansion and tumorigenesis of freshly isolated BCSCs. Finally, Rab2A overexpression correlates with poor clinical outcome in breast cancer patients. Thus, Pin1/Rab2A/Erk drives BCSC expansion and tumorigenicity, suggesting potential drug targets.
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    Epstein–Barr Virus Infection of Mammary Epithelial Cells Promotes Malignant Transformation☆
    (Elsevier, 2016) Hu, Hai; Luo, Man-Li; Desmedt, Christine; Nabavi, Sheida; Yadegarynia, Sina; Hong, Alex; Konstantinopoulos, Panagiotis A.; Gabrielson, Edward; Hines-Boykin, Rebecca; Pihan, German; Yuan, Xin; Sotirious, Christos; Dittmer, Dirk P.; Fingeroth, Joyce D.; Wulf, Gerburg
    Whether the human tumor virus, Epstein–Barr Virus (EBV), promotes breast cancer remains controversial and a potential mechanism has remained elusive. Here we show that EBV can infect primary mammary epithelial cells (MECs) that express the receptor CD21. EBV infection leads to the expansion of early MEC progenitor cells with a stem cell phenotype, activates MET signaling and enforces a differentiation block. When MECs were implanted as xenografts, EBV infection cooperated with activated Ras and accelerated the formation of breast cancer. Infection in EBV-related tumors was of a latency type II pattern, similar to nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). A human gene expression signature for MECs infected with EBV, termed EBVness, was associated with high grade, estrogen-receptor-negative status, p53 mutation and poor survival. In 11/33 EBVness-positive tumors, EBV-DNA was detected by fluorescent in situ hybridization for the viral LMP1 and BXLF2 genes. In an analysis of the TCGA breast cancer data EBVness correlated with the presence of the APOBEC mutational signature. We conclude that a contribution of EBV to breast cancer etiology is plausible, through a mechanism in which EBV infection predisposes mammary epithelial cells to malignant transformation, but is no longer required once malignant transformation has occurred.
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    Serial-omics of P53−/−, Brca1−/− Mouse Breast Tumor and Normal Mammary Gland
    (Nature Publishing Group UK, 2017) Breitkopf, Susanne B.; Taveira, Mateus De Oliveira; Yuan, Min; Wulf, Gerburg; Asara, John
    This study demonstrates a liquid-liquid extraction for the sequential tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis of non-polar lipids, polar metabolites, proteins and phosphorylation sites from a single piece of tissue. Extraction of 10 mg BRCA−/−, p53−/− breast tumor tissue or normal mammary gland tissue with methyl-tert-butyl ether (MTBE) results in three phases: an upper non-polar phase containing 1,382 lipids, a lower polar phase with 805 metabolites and a precipitated protein pellet with 4,792 proteins with 1,072 phosphorylation sites. Comparative analysis revealed an activated AKT-mTOR pathway in tumors. Tumors also showed a reduction of phosphorylation sites involved in transcription and RNA splicing and decreased abundance of enzymes in lipid synthesis. Analysis of polar metabolites revealed a reduction in glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway, polyamines and nucleotides, but an increase in TCA and urea cycle intermediates. Analysis of lipids revealed a shift from high triglycerides in mammary gland to high phospholipid levels in tumors. The data were integrated into a model showing breast tumors exhibit features on the proteomic, lipidomic and metabolomic level that are distinct from normal breast tissue. Our integrative technique lends itself to samples such as tumor biopsies, dried blood spots and fluids including urine and CSF to develop biomarkers of disease.
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    The Amplifier Effect: How Pin1 Empowers Mutant p53
    (BioMed Central, 2011) Hu, Hai; Wulf, Gerburg
    Mutation of p53 occurs in 15 to 20% of all breast cancers, and with higher frequency in estrogen-receptor negative and high-grade tumors. Certain p53 mutations contribute to malignant transformation not only through loss of wild-type p53 but also through a gain of function of specific p53 mutations. How these hotspot mutations turn p53 from a tumor suppressor into an oncogene had until now remained incompletely understood. In an elegant paper published in the July 12 issue of Cancer Cell, Girardini and colleagues show how Pin1-mediated prolylisomerization, a regulatory mechanism intended by evolution to support p53's function as a guardian of the genome, can go haywire and accelerate malignant transformation when p53 carries a dominant-negative mutation.
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    Prolyl Isomerase Pin1 is Highly Expressed in Her2-Positive Breast Cancer and Regulates erbB2 Protein Stability
    (BioMed Central, 2008) Lam, Prudence; Burga, Laura N; Wu, Bryan P; Hofstatter, Erin W; Lu, Kun Ping; Wulf, Gerburg
    Overexpression of HER-2/Neu occurs in about 25–30% of breast cancer patients and is indicative of poor prognosis. While Her2/Neu overexpression is primarily a result of erbB2 amplification, it has recently been recognized that erbB2 levels are also regulated on the protein level. However, factors that regulate Her2/Neu protein stability are less well understood. The prolyl isomerase Pin1 catalyzes the isomerization of specific pSer/Thr-Pro motifs that have been phosphorylated in response to mitogenic signaling. We have previously reported that Pin1-catalyzed postphosphorylational modification of signal transduction modulates the oncogenic pathways downstream from c-neu. The goal of this study was to examine the expression of prolyl isomerase Pin1 in human Her2+ breast cancer, and to study if Pin1 affects the expression of Her2/Neu itself. Methods: Immunohistochemistry for Her2 and Pin1 were performed on two hundred twentythree human breast cancers, with 59% of the specimen from primary cancers and 41% from metastatic sites. Pin1 inhibition was achieved using siRNA in Her2+ breast cancer cell lines, and its effects were studied using cell viability assays, immunoblotting and immunofluorescence. Results: Sixty-four samples (28.7%) stained positive for Her2 (IHC 3+), and 54% (122/223) of all breast cancers stained positive for Pin1. Of the Her2-positive cancers 40 (62.5%) were also Pin1-positive, based on strong nuclear or nuclear and cytoplasmic staining. Inhibition of Pin1 via RNAi resulted in significant suppression of Her2-positive tumor cell growth in BT474, SKBR3 and AU565 cells. Pin1 inhibition greatly increased the sensitivity of Her2-positive breast cancer cells to the mTOR inhibitor Rapamycin, while it did not increase their sensitivity to Trastuzumab, suggesting that Pin1 might act on Her2 signaling. We found that Pin1 interacted with the protein complex that contains ubiquitinated erbB2 and that Pin1 inhibition accelerated erbB2 degradation, which could be prevented by treatments with the proteasome inhibitor ALLnL. Conclusion: Pin1 is a novel regulator of erbB2 that modulates the ubiquitin-mediated degradation of erbB2. The overexpression of Pin1 in a majority of Her2-overexpressing breast cancer may contribute to maintain erbB2 levels. Pin1 inhibition alone and in conjunction with mTOR inhibition suppresses the growth of Her2+ breast cancer cells.
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    The Prolyl Isomerase Pin1 in Breast Development and Cancer
    (BioMed Central, 2003) Wulf, Gerburg; Ryo, Akihide; Liou, Yih-Cherng; Lu, Kun Ping
    The prolyl isomerase Pin1 specifically isomerizes certain phosphorylated Ser/Thr-Pro bonds and thereby regulates various cellular processes. Pin1 is a target of several oncogenic pathways and is overexpressed in human breast cancer. Its overexpression can lead to upregulation of cyclin D1 and transformation of breast epithelial cells in collaboration with the oncogenic pathways. In contrast, inhibition of Pin1 can suppress the transformation of breast epithelial cells. In addition, Pin1 knockout in mice prevents massive proliferation of breast epithelial cells during pregnancy. Pin1 plays a pivotal role in breast development and may be a promising new anticancer target.