Journal Article

The ZEB1/miR-200 feedback loop controls Notch signalling in cancer cells

Faller, Gerhard, Meidhof, Simone, Niedermann, Gabriele, Wellner, Ulrich, Burk, Ulrike, Brabletz, Simone, Bajdak, Karolina, Firat, Elke, Dimmler, Arno, Brabletz, Thomas, Schubert, Jörg

2011

Overview

Notch signalling is important for development and tissue homeostasis and activated in many human cancers. Nevertheless, mutations in Notch pathway components are rare in solid tumours. ZEB1 is an activator of an epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and has crucial roles in tumour progression towards metastasis. ZEB1 and miR‐200 family members repress expression of each other in a reciprocal feedback loop. Since miR‐200 members target stem cell factors, ZEB1 indirectly induces stemness maintenance and associated drug resistance. Here, we link ZEB1 and its cancer promoting properties to Notch activation. We show that miR‐200 members target Notch pathway components, such as Jagged1 (Jag1) and the mastermind‐like coactivators Maml2 and Maml3, thereby mediating enhanced Notch activation by ZEB1. We further detected a coordinated upregulation of Jag1 and ZEB1, associated with reduced miR‐200 expression in two aggressive types of human cancer, pancreatic adenocarcinoma and basal type of breast cancer. These findings explain increased Notch signalling in some types of cancers, where mutations in Notch pathway genes are rare. Moreover, they indicate an additional way how ZEB1 exerts its tumour progressing functions. The ZEB1 transcription factor and miRNA‐200 repress each others’ expression, with important consequences for tumour metastasis. Here, Notch pathway components are found as miR‐200 targets, identifying a pathway whereby ZEB1 promotes Notch signalling in cancer cells. See also Vallejo et al in this issue.

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd,Nature Publishing Group UK,Springer Nature B.V,Nature Publishing Group
• Subject: Base Sequence / Calcium-Binding Proteins - genetics / Calcium-Binding Proteins - metabolism / Calcium-Binding Proteins - physiology / Cancer / Cells, Cultured / Cellular biology / DNA-Binding Proteins - antagonists & inhibitors / DNA-Binding Proteins - genetics / DNA-Binding Proteins - metabolism / Drug resistance / EMT / Feedback, Physiological - physiology / Gene expression / Gene Knockdown Techniques / Homeodomain Proteins - antagonists & inhibitors / Homeodomain Proteins - genetics / Homeodomain Proteins - physiology / Humans / Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins - genetics / Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins - metabolism / Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins - physiology / Jagged-1 Protein / Membrane Proteins - genetics / Membrane Proteins - metabolism / Membrane Proteins - physiology / MicroRNAs - genetics / MicroRNAs - physiology / miR-200 / Models, Biological / Molecular biology / Mutation / Neoplasms - genetics / Notch / Nuclear Proteins - antagonists & inhibitors / Nuclear Proteins - genetics / Nuclear Proteins - metabolism / Proteins / Receptors, Notch - genetics / Receptors, Notch - metabolism / Serrate-Jagged Proteins / Signal transduction / Signal Transduction - genetics / Signal Transduction - physiology / Stem cells / stemness / Transcription Factors - antagonists & inhibitors / Transcription Factors - genetics / Transcription Factors - metabolism / Transcription Factors - physiology / Tumors / ZEB1 / Zinc Finger E-box-Binding Homeobox 1