A TFAP2C Gene Signature is Predictive of Outcome in HER2 Breast Cancer (ChIP-Seq)

A subset of HER2 breast cancers with amplification of the TFAP2C gene locus becomes addicted to AP-2g. We sought to define AP-2g-regulated genes that control growth and invasiveness by comparing HER2 cell lines with differential response to TFAP2C knockdown. A set of 68 differentially expressed genes was identified, which included CDH5 and CDKN1A. Pathway analysis implicated the MAPK13/p38d and retinoic acid regulatory nodes, which were confirmed to display divergent responses. The AP-2g gene signature was highly predictive of outcome in HER2-positive breast cancer patients. We conclude that AP-2g regulates a set of genes in HER2 breast cancer that drive cancer growth and invasiveness and that the AP-2g gene signature can predict outcome of patients with HER2 breast cancer. Overall design: 2 ChIP-Seq data for TFAP2C in human breast carcinoma cell lines SKBR-3 and HCC1954.