Rcinoma in the Merge 550 tumor database is correlated with poor survival (P ?0.00399) in high expressing tumors. (c) EN1 mRNA levels by qRT CR inside a panel of breast cancer cell lines. Information have been normalized to SUM149PT cell line and PI3Kδ Compound represents the typical and typical deviation (s.d.) of 3 independent experiments. (d) EN1 immunofluorescence detection in representative high (SUM149PT, SUM159PT) and low (MDA-MB-231) EN1-expressing cell lines. EN1 (red) was labeled with Alexa 594 and nucleus (blue) with 40 ,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI). A representative image is shown. A quantification in the percentage of EN1-positive cells for each cell line is indicated inside the histogram. (e) EN1 immunofluorescence detection in representative clinical specimens: two triple-negative ductal invasive carcinomas and also a normal-like breast preparation generated from a mammoplasty reduction.markers like tyrosine hydroxylase, vesicular monoamine transporter two, dopamine transporter, neuron-specific class III b-tubulin (Tuj1) and aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 household member A1 was assessed by immunofluorescence. The HUMEC-EN1 cells displayed strong EN1 nuclear and faint cytoplasmic staining, the later overlapping with Tuj1 expression (Figure 2g, leading suitable panel). Interestingly, these cells also displayed sturdy dopamine transporter and vesicular monoamine transporter expression (Figure 2g, reduced proper panel) at the same time as tyrosine hydroxylase and aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 family members member A1 (Figure 2g, reduce left panel). In spite of the boost in dopaminergic markers, the HUMEC-EN1 cells failed to show common neuronal excitability as assessed by whole-cell electrophysiological recording (information non shown), suggesting that much more than a single TF is important for full2014 Macmillan Publishers Limitedconversion to functional dopaminergic neurons. Alternatively, transduction of EN1 could give rise to dopaminergic neurons at an incredibly low frequency. All round, these results suggest that expression of EN1 in breast cells could activate developmental pathways equivalent to these of dopaminergic neurons, offering cells a indicates to sustain survival against apoptotic stimuli. Targeting EN1 with iPeps To inhibit the function of EN1 as a TF in basal-like breast cells, we engineered synthetic iPeps comprising the EN1-specific hexamotif and flanking protein sequences from the N terminus in the HD. Synthetic peptides comprising either the murine EN2 or HOXA9 hexamotifs have already been previously shown to compete in vitro withOncogene (2014) 4767 ?Targeting EN1 in basal-like breast cancer AS Beltran et alSUM149PT EN1 qRT-PCR OD450 (nm) Caspase-3 ControlEN1 shRNAPARP -Tubulin PARP/Control survival survival 90 60 30IC50= 1.078 MControl ENIC50= 19.61 M120 90 60 30IC50= 7.24 MControl ENIC50= 47.8 M-6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2-5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2HUMEC-PControlENENTujEN1 Tuj1 DAPITH DAPIADLH1a1 DAPIDAT DAPIVMAT-2 PKCε MedChemExpress DAPIFigure 2. EN1 confers survival attributes to breast epithelial cells. (a) Representative light microscopy picture of SU149PT cells just after shRNAmediated knockdown of EN1 at ?40 magnification. Cells have been transduced with a nonspecific shRNA (upper panel) or EN1-specific shRNAs (shRNA nos. 6 and 7, decrease panel). (b) EN1 mRNA levels assessed by qRT CR in shRNA-transduced cells. (c) Caspase-3 activity right after shRNAmediated knockdown of EN1. (d) Upper panel: representative western blot of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) cleavage levels in cells right after shRNA-mediated knockdown of EN1. Tubulin was.