IMPA2 promotes basal-like breast cancer aggressiveness by a MYC-mediated positive feedback loop

• Published in: Cancer letters 2024-02, Vol.582, p.216527-216527, Article 216527
• Main Authors: Lei, Xingyu, Liao, Ruocen, Chen, Xingyu, Wang, Zhenzhen, Cao, Qianhua, Bai, Longchang, Ma, Chenglong, Deng, Xinyue, Ma, Yihua, Wu, Xuebiao, Li, Jun, Dai, Zhijun, Dong, Chenfang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Basal-like breast cancer (BLBC); IMPA2; Inositol triphosphate (IP3); MYC; Myo-inositol (MI); NFAT1
• ISSN: 0304-3835; 1872-7980
• DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2023.216527

Basal-like breast cancer (BLBC) is the most aggressive subtype with poor prognosis; however, the mechanisms underlying aggressiveness in BLBC remain poorly understood. In this study, we showed that in contrast to other subtypes, inositol monophosphatase 2 (IMPA2) was dramatically increased in BLBC. Mechanistically, IMPA2 expression was upregulated due to copy number amplification, hypomethylation of IMPA2 promoter and MYC-mediated transcriptional activation. IMPA2 promoted MI-PI cycle and IP3 production, and IP3 then elevated intracellular Ca2+ concentration, leading to efficient activation of NFAT1. In turn, NFAT1 up-regulated MYC expression, thereby fulfilling a positive feedback loop that enhanced aggressiveness of BLBC cells. Knockdown of IMPA2 expression caused the inhibition of tumorigenicity and metastasis of BLBC cells in vitro and in vivo. Clinically, high IMPA2 expression was strongly correlated with large tumor size, high grade, metastasis and poor survival, indicating poor prognosis in breast cancer patients. These findings suggest that IMPA2-mediated MI-PI cycle allows crosstalk between metabolic and oncogenic pathways to promote BLBC progression. •IMPA2 positively correlates with BLBC and poor prognosis.•Copy number amplification, hypomethylation of IMPA2 promoter and MYC-mediated transcriptional contribute to IMPA2 overexpression in BLBC.•IMPA2 enhances BLBC aggressiveness by a MYC-mediated positive feedback loop.•IMPA2 enhances breast cancer cell tumorigenicity and metastasis in vivo and in vitro.