Abstract
The transcription factor FOXP3 has been identified as a tumour suppressor in the breast and prostate epithelia, but little is known about its specific mechanism of action. We have identified a feed-forward regulatory loop in which FOXP3 suppresses the expression of the oncogene SATB1. In particular, we demonstrate that SATB1 is not only a direct target of FOXP3 repression, but that FOXP3 also induces two miRs, miR-7 and miR-155, which specifically target the 3′-UTR of SATB1 to further regulate its expression. We conclude that FOXP3-regulated miRs form part of the mechanism by which FOXP3 prevents the transformation of the healthy breast epithelium to a cancerous phenotype. Approaches aimed at restoring FOXP3 function and the miRs it regulates could help provide new approaches to target breast cancer.
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Acknowledgements
We acknowledge the contributions to this research made by the following co-workers: Danika Hill, Silvia Nobbs, Elizabeth Melville, Suzanne Bresatz, Nicola Eastaff-Leung, Bridget Wilkinson and Marlena Sekutowski. This work was funded by NHMRC Grant 565314 (SCB).
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McInnes, N., Sadlon, T., Brown, C. et al. FOXP3 and FOXP3-regulated microRNAs suppress SATB1 in breast cancer cells. Oncogene 31, 1045–1054 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/onc.2011.293
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/onc.2011.293
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