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Breast cancer is a heterogeneous tumor type characterized by a complex spectrum of molecular aberrations, resulting in a diverse array of malignant features and clinical outcomes. Deciphering the molecular mechanisms that fuel breast cancer development and act as determinants of aggressiveness is a primary need to improve patient management. Among other alterations, aberrant expression of microRNAs has been found in breast cancer and other human tumors, where they act as either oncogenes or tumor suppressors by virtue of their ability to finely modulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. In this study, we describe a new role for miR-181a/b as negative regulators of the DNA damage response in breast cancer, impacting on the expression and activity of the stress-sensor kinase ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM). We report that miR-181a and miR-181b were overexpressed in more aggressive breast cancers, and their expression correlates inversely with ATM levels. Moreover we demonstrate that deregulated expression of miR-181a/b determines the sensitivity of triple-negative breast cancer cells to the poly-ADP-ribose-polymerase1 (PARP1) inhibition. These evidences suggest that monitoring the expression of miR-181a/b could be helpful in tailoring more effective treatments based on inhibition of PARP1 in breast and other tumor types.

Oncogene-induced senescence (OIS) is a cellular defense mechanism against excessive mitogenic signaling and tumorigenesis. One of the major pathways required for OIS is the p53 tumor suppressor pathway. Consequently, many human tumors harbor p53 mutations while others show a dysfunctional p53 pathway, frequently by unknown mechanisms. We recently identified BRD7 as a potential tumor suppressor gene acting as a transcriptional cofactor for p53, affecting histone acetylation, p53 acetylation, and promoter activity on a subset of p53 target genes. We further found low BRD7 expression specifically in a subgroup of human breast tumors harboring wild-type, but not mutant, p53 and showed that one of the responsible mechanisms is deletion of the BRD7 gene locus. Here we further discuss the role of BRD7 as a cofactor in transcriptional regulation and highlight its role as a tumor suppressor via association with p53 and other tumor suppressor proteins.

The tumor suppressor p53 and the prolyl isomerase Pin1 are both highly connected proteins, lying at the crossroads between many signaling pathways that control cell proliferation and transformation. By catalyzing conformational changes in a large number of phosphorylated proteins, Pin1 has been implicated in the regulation of major cellular events, such as cell cycle progression, transcription, proliferation and differentiation. Recently, a role for Pin1 has emerged also in the DNA damage response, through modulation of p53 functions upon genotoxic stress. A further level of control has now been unveiled by showing that also the p53 sibling p73 requires Pin1 for its apoptotic activity.