Abstract 4481: Translation initiation factor DAP5 plays an essential role in translational control of breast cancer metastasis

Abstract

Abstract Metastasis is the cause of 90% of cancer-related deaths. Selective mRNA translation has been found to be crucial for breast cancer development, progression and metastasis; however, there is a poor biological and mechanistic understanding of the role of translation in these processes. Our work and others have pioneered an understanding of translational regulation in breast cancer. We have previously shown that overexpression of initiation factor eIF4GI in advanced breast cancer cells selectively increases the translation of mRNAs encoding survival, cell cycle inhibition, and DNA damage and repair proteins, among other DNA damage-protective mRNAs. eIF4G consists of three family members: eIF4GI, eIF4GII, and the poorly studied eIF4G homolog, DAP5, the subject of this study. DAP5 lacks the N-terminal domain for eIF4E and PABP binding. DAP5 is therefore suspected to promote eIF4E-independent or IRES-driven translation of mRNAs involved in cell stress and oncogenesis, but its role in metastasis hasn’t been investigated. We analyzed the NCI human tissue genome cancer atlas (TCGA) and found that higher DAP5 mRNA expression is strongly associated with estrogen receptor negative breast cancer metastasis with lower overall survival. We then engineered a highly metastatic breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231TR to express dox-inducible shRNA to DAP5 or a non-silencing (NS) control. Tumors were developed in clinically relevant orthotopic mouse models, with and without DAP5 silencing by addition of dox to the drinking water. Remarkably, reduction of DAP5 expression by ~70% had no impact on primary tumor growth but fully eliminated metastasis to the lung. Genome-wide transcriptome and translatome analysis of DAP5 and in vivo ultraviolet-crosslinking and high-throughput sequencing (HITS-CLIP) identified specific mRNAs that interact directly with DAP5. A significant fraction of DAP5 mRNA targets are involved in cell death and survival, cell proliferation, cell mobility, DNA repair and translation initiation and do not have IRESs, suggesting a novel role for DAP5 in a non-classical translation initiation process upon cellular stress and metastasis. Our results suggest that the translation initiation factor DAP5 likely plays a critical role in breast cancer metastasis by a unique mechanism for metastasis-specific translation initiation and provides new concepts for therapeutic strategies involving translational regulation. Citation Format: Columba de la Parra, Amandine Alard, Amanda Ernlund, Robert J. Schneider. Translation initiation factor DAP5 plays an essential role in translational control of breast cancer metastasis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4481. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-4481