Gene expression profiling: breast cancer formation in WAP-SVT/t transgenic animals

Microarray studies revealed that as a first hit, SV40 T/t-antigen causes deregulation of 462 genes in mammary gland cells (ME-cells) of WAP-SVT/t transgenic animals. The majority of deregulated genes are cell-proliferation specific and Rb-E2F dependent, causing ME-cell proliferation and gland hyperplasia but not breast cancer formation. In the breast tumor cells, a further 207 genes are differentially expressed, most of them belonging to the cell communication category. In tissue culture, breast tumor cells frequently switch off WAP-SVT/t transgene expression and regain the morphology and growth characteristics of normal-ME-cells, although the tumor-revertant cells are aneuploid and only 114 genes regain the expression level of normal-ME-cells. The profile of retransformants shows that only 38 deregulated genes appear to be tumor-relevant and that none of them is considered to be a typical breast cancer gene. Keywords: Tumorigenesis, Breast cancer, SV40 T/t antigen We have analyzed nine mammary gland tissue segments from three normal NMRI, three WAP-SVT/t mice on the first day of lactation and from three WAP-SVT/t breast cancers (583-tumor 1, 585-tumor 2, 597-tumor 3) as well as three distinct breast cancer derived cell lines (ME-A cells, revertant-ME-B cells and ME-B-T/t cells).