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Loss of the Inactive X Chromosome and Replication of the Active X in BRCA1-Defective and Wild-type Breast Cancer Cells

¹ Genetica Medica, ² Farmacologia, Dipartimento di Medicina, Chirurgia e Odontoiatria, Università di Milano; ³ Dipartimento di Oncologia Sperimentale, Istituto Nazionale Tumori; ⁴ Istituto Fondazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro di Oncologia Molecolare, Milan, Italy; ⁵ Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Sperimentali e Cliniche, Università dell'Insubria, Varese, Italy; and ⁶ Unità di Citogenetica e Biologia Molecolare, Laboratorio TOMA, Busto Arsizio, Italy

Requests for reprints: Silvia M. Sirchia, Genetica Medica, Dipartimento di Medicina, Chirurgia e Odontoiatria, Università di Milano, via A. di Rudinì 8, 20142 Milan, Italy. Phone: 39-2-50323025; Fax: 39-2-50323026; E-mail: silvia.sirchia{at}unimi.it.

In females, X chromosome inactivation (XCI) begins with the expression of the XIST gene from the X chromosome destined to be inactivated (Xi) and the coating of XIST RNA in cis. It has recently been reported that this process is supported by the product of the BRCA1 tumor suppressor gene and that BRCA1^–/– cancers show Xi chromatin structure defects, thus suggesting a role of XCI perturbation in BRCA1-mediated tumorigenesis. Using a combined genetic and epigenetic approach, we verified the occurrence of XCI in BRCA1^–/– and BRCA1^wt breast cancer cell lines. It was ascertained that the Xi was lost in all cancer cell lines, irrespective of the BRCA1 status and that more than one active X (Xa) was present. In addition, no epigenetic silencing of genes normally subjected to XCI was observed. We also evaluated XIST expression and found that XIST may be occasionally transcribed also from Xa. Moreover, in one of the BRCA1^wt cell line the restoring of XIST expression using a histone deacetylase inhibitor, did not lead to XCI. To verify these findings in primary tumors, chromosome X behavior was investigated in a few BRCA1-associated and BRCA1–not associated primary noncultured breast carcinomas and the results mirrored those obtained in cancer cell lines.

Our findings indicate that the lack of XCI may be a frequent phenomenon in breast tumorigenesis, which occurs independently of BRCA1 status and XIST expression and is due to the loss of Xi and replication of Xa and not to the reactivation of the native Xi.

Key Words: breast cancer • X chromosome inactivation • BRCA1 • XIST • epigenetics

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