Breast Cancer

Endocrine resistance in breast cancer is a major clinical problem with poorly understood mechanisms. Mass spectrometry-based proteomics of a clinically-relevant tamoxifen-resistant cell line model identified increased levels of minichromosome maintenance proteins (MCM), including MCM3, as central in cell cycle and DNA replication protein-protein interaction networks associated with tamoxifen resistance. Lowering MCM3 protein expression in tamoxifen-resistant cells restored tamoxifen sensitivity and altered phosphorylation of several cell cycle regulators, such as p53(Ser315, 33), CHK1(Ser317) and cdc25b(Ser323), suggesting that MCM3 activation of important cell cycle-associated proteins overcomes tamoxifen’s anti-proliferative effects. High MCM3 expression in primary tumor tissue from two independent cohorts of ER+ breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant tamoxifen mono-therapy was an independent prognostic marker significantly associated with a shorter recurrence-free survival.