Oncogene database

2305

FOXM1

forkhead box M1;FOXM1;forkhead box M1

Forkhead, drosophila, homolog-like 16|HNF-3/fork-head homolog 11|M-phase phosphoprotein 2|MPM-2 reactive phosphoprotein 2|forkhead box protein M1|forkhead-related protein FKHL16|hepatocyte nuclear factor 3 forkhead homolog 11|transcription factor Trident|

12p13

protein-coding

The oncogenic transcription factor forkhead box M1 (FoxM1) is overexpressed in a number of different carcinomas, whereas its expression is turned off in terminally differentiated cells. For this reason, FoxM1 is an attractive target for therapeutic intervention in cancer treatment. As a first step toward realizing this goal, in this study, using a high-throughput, cell-based assay system, we screened for and isolated the antibiotic thiazole compound Siomycin A as an inhibitor of FoxM1. Interestingly, we observed that Siomycin A was able to down-regulate the transcriptional activity as well as the protein and mRNA abundance of FoxM1. Consequently, we found that the downstream target genes of FoxM1, such as Cdc25B, Survivin, and CENPB, were repressed. Also, we observed that consistent with earlier reports of FoxM1 inhibition, Siomycin A was able to reduce anchorage-independent growth of cells in soft agar. Furthermore, we found that Siomycin A was able to induce apoptosis selectively in transformed but not normal cells of the same origin. Taken together, our data suggest that FoxM1 inhibitor Siomycin A could represent a useful starting point for the development of anticancer therapeutics.

Activation of v-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog (AKT) and Ras pathways is often implicated in carcinogenesis. However, the oncogenic cooperation between these two cascades in relationship to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development remains undetermined. To investigate this issue, we generated a mouse model characterized by combined overexpression of activated forms of AKT and neuroblastoma Ras viral oncogene homolog (N-Ras) protooncogenes in the liver by way of hydrodynamic gene transfer. The molecular mechanisms underlying crosstalk between AKT and N-Ras were assessed in the mouse model and further evaluated in human and murine HCC cell lines. We found that coexpression of AKT and N-Ras resulted in a dramatic acceleration of liver tumor development when compared with mice overexpressing AKT alone, whereas N-Ras alone did not lead to tumor formation. At the cellular level, concomitant up-regulation of AKT and N-Ras resulted in increased proliferation and microvascularization when compared with AKT-injected mice. Mechanistic studies suggested that accelerated hepatocarcinogenesis driven by AKT and N-Ras resulted from a strong activation of mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1). Furthermore, elevated expression of FOXM1/SKP2 and c-Myc also contributed to rapid tumor growth in AKT/Ras mice, yet by way of mTORC1-independent mechanisms. The biological effects of coactivation of AKT and N-Ras were then recapitulated in vitro using HCC cell lines, which supports the functional significance of mTORC1, FOXM1/SKP2, and c-Myc signaling cascades in mediating AKT and N-Ras-induced liver tumor development. CONCLUSION: Our data demonstrate the in vivo crosstalk between the AKT and Ras pathways in promoting liver tumor development, and the pivotal role of mTORC1-dependent and independent pathways in mediating AKT and Ras induced hepatocarcinogenesis.

Comment on: Halasi M,et al. PLoS ONE 2012; 7:e31761.

Ewing Family tumors (Ewing Sarcoma and peripheral Primitive Neuroectodermal tumor) are common bone and soft tissue malignancies of childhood, adolescence and young adulthood. Chromosomal translocation in these tumors produces fusion oncogenes of the EWS/ETS class, with EWS/FLI1 being by far the most common. EWS/ETS chimera are the only well established driver mutations in these tumors and they function as aberrant transcription factors. Understanding the downstream genes whose expression is modified has been a central approach to the study of these tumors. FOXM1 is a proliferation associated transcription factor which has increasingly been found to play a role in the pathogenesis of a wide range of human cancers. Here we demonstrate that FOXM1 is expressed in Ewing primary tumors and cell lines. Reduction in FOXM1 expression in Ewing cell lines results in diminished potential for anchorage independent growth. FOXM1 expression is enhanced by EWS/FLI1, though, unlike other tumor systems, it is not driven by expression of the EWS/FLI1 target GLI1. Thiostrepton is a compound known to inhibit FOXM1 by direct binding. We show that Thiostrepton diminishes FOXM1 expression in Ewing cell lines and this reduction reduces cell viability through an apoptotic mechanism. FOXM1 is involved in Ewing tumor pathogenesis and may prove to be a useful therapeutic target in Ewing tumors.

FOXM1 (Forkhead box M1) is a typical proliferation-associated transcription factor and is also intimately involved in tumorigenesis. FOXM1 stimulates cell proliferation and cell cycle progression by promoting the entry into S-phase and M-phase. Additionally, FOXM1 is required for proper execution of mitosis. In accordance with its role in stimulation of cell proliferation, FOXM1 exhibits a proliferation-specific expression pattern and its expression is regulated by proliferation and anti-proliferation signals as well as by proto-oncoproteins and tumor suppressors. Since these factors are often mutated, overexpressed, or lost in human cancer, the normal control of the foxm1 expression by them provides the basis for deregulated FOXM1 expression in tumors. Accordingly, FOXM1 is overexpressed in many types of human cancer. FOXM1 is intimately involved in tumorigenesis, because it contributes to oncogenic transformation and participates in tumor initiation, growth, and progression, including positive effects on angiogenesis, migration, invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, metastasis, recruitment of tumor-associated macrophages, tumor-associated lung inflammation, self-renewal capacity of cancer cells, prevention of premature cellular senescence, and chemotherapeutic drug resistance. However, in the context of urethane-induced lung tumorigenesis, FOXM1 has an unexpected tumor suppressor role in endothelial cells because it limits pulmonary inflammation and canonical Wnt signaling in epithelial lung cells, thereby restricting carcinogenesis. Accordingly, FOXM1 plays a role in homologous recombination repair of DNA double-strand breaks and maintenance of genomic stability, that is, prevention of polyploidy and aneuploidy. The implication of FOXM1 in tumorigenesis makes it an attractive target for anticancer therapy, and several antitumor drugs have been reported to decrease FOXM1 expression.

Pancreatic cancer is a devastating disease with an overall 5-year survival rate less than 5%. Multiple signaling pathways are implicated in the pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer, such as Wnt/beta-catenin, Notch, Hedgehog, hypoxia-inducible factor, signal transducer and activator of transcription, specificity proteins/Kruppel-like factors, and Forkhead box (FOX). Recently, increasing evidence has demonstrated that the transcription factor FOXM1 plays important roles in the initiation, progression, and metastasis of a variety of human tumors, including pancreatic cancer. In this review, we focus on the current understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer with a special focus on the function and regulation of FOXM1 and rationale for FOXM1 as a novel molecular target for pancreatic cancer prevention and treatment.

SAM-pointed domain-containing ETS transcription factor (SPDEF) is expressed in normal prostate epithelium. While its expression changes during prostate carcinogenesis (PCa), the role of SPDEF in prostate cancer remains controversial due to the lack of genetic mouse models. In present study, we generated transgenic mice with the loss- or gain-of-function of SPDEF in prostate epithelium to demonstrate that SPDEF functions as tumor suppressor in prostate cancer. Loss of SPDEF increased cancer progression and tumor cell proliferation, whereas over-expression of SPDEF in prostate epithelium inhibited carcinogenesis and reduced tumor cell proliferation in vivo and in vitro. Transgenic over-expression of SPDEF inhibited mRNA and protein levels of Foxm1, a transcription factor critical for tumor cell proliferation, and reduced expression of Foxm1 target genes, including Cdc25b, Cyclin B1, Cyclin A2, Plk-1, AuroraB, CKS1 and Topo2alpha. Deletion of SPDEF in transgenic mice and cultures prostate tumor cells increased expression of Foxm1 and its target genes. Furthermore, an inverse correlation between SPDEF and Foxm1 levels was found in human prostate cancers. The two-gene signature of low SPDEF and high FoxM1 predicted poor survival in prostate cancer patients. Mechanistically, SPDEF bound to, and inhibited transcriptional activity of Foxm1 promoter by interfering with the ability of Foxm1 to activate its own promoter through auto-regulatory site located in the -745/-660 bp Foxm1 promoter region. Re-expression of Foxm1 restored cellular proliferation in the SPDEF-positive cancer cells and rescued progression of SPDEF-positive tumors in mouse prostates. Altogether, SPDEF inhibits prostate carcinogenesis by preventing Foxm1-regulated proliferation of prostate tumor cells. The present study identified novel crosstalk between SPDEF tumor suppressor and Foxm1 oncogene and demonstrated that this crosstalk is required for tumor cell proliferation during progression of prostate cancer in vivo.

PURPOSE: Foxhead box M1 (FOXM1) expression has been shown to be linked with human papillomavirus (HPV) 16/18-infected cervical cancer. However, the mechanism underlying the induction of FOXM1 in HPV 16/18-infected cancers remains elusive. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: The mechanistic actions of FOXM1 induced by the E6/NKX2-1 axis in tumor aggressiveness were elucidated in cellular and animal models. The prognostic value of FOXM1 for overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) in HPV-positive oral and lung cancers was assessed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression models. RESULTS: Herein, FOXM1 expression is upregulated by E6-mediated NKX2-1 in HPV-positive cervical, oral, and lung cancer cells. Induction of FOXM1 by E6 through the MZF1/NKX2-1 axis is responsible for HPV-mediated soft agar growth, invasiveness, and stemness through activating Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway. In a nude mice model, metastatic lung tumor nodules in HPV 18 E6-positive GNM or HPV 16 E6-positive TL-1-injected nude mice were markedly decreased in both cell types with E6 knockdown, FOXM1 knockdown, or treatment with FOXM1 inhibitor (thiostrepton). Among the four subgroup patients, the worst FOXM1 prognostic value for OS and RFS was observed in HPV 16/18-positive patients with tumors with high-expressing FOXM1. CONCLUSIONS: Induction of FOXM1 by E6 oncoprotein through the MZF1/NKX2-1 axis may be responsible for HPV 16/18-mediated tumor progression and poor outcomes in HPV-positive patients.

The transcription factor FOXM1 is overexpressed in many human cancers, including liver, stomach, prostate, brain, breast, lung, colon, pancreas, cervix, ovary and nervous system. Recent data have demonstrated that FOXM1 is involved in cell initiation, progression, and metastasis and in responses to anticancer drugs. In this review, the effects of FOXM1 on gastric cancer, especially the function and regulation of FOXM1 in tumorigenesis and clinical chemotherapy, will be summarized and discussed together with recent relevant patents on the role of FOXM1 in tumor therapy.

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), a prototypical ligand for G protein coupled receptors, and Forkhead box protein M1 (FOXM1), a transcription factor that regulates expression of a wide array of genes involved in cancer initiation and progression, are two important oncogenic signaling molecules in human epithelial ovarian cancers (EOC). We conducted in vitro mechanistic studies using pharmacological inhibitors, genetic forms of the signaling molecules, and RNAi-mediated gene knock-down to uncover the molecular mechanisms of how these two molecules interact in EOC cells. Additionally, in vivo mouse studies were performed to confirm the functional involvement of FOXM1 in EOC tumor formation and progression. We show for the first time that LPA up-regulates expression of active FOXM1 splice variants in a time- and dose-dependent manner in the human EOC cell lines OVCA433, CAOV3, and OVCAR5. Gi-PI3K-AKT and G12/13-Rho-YAP signaling pathways were both involved in the LPA receptor (LPA1-3) mediated up-regulation of FOXM1 at the transcriptional level. In addition, down-regulation of FOXM1 in CAOV3 xenografts significantly reduced tumor and ascites formation, metastasis, and expression of FOXM1 target genes involved in cell proliferation, migration, or invasion. Collectively, our data link the oncolipid LPA, the oncogene YAP, and the central regulator of cell proliferation/mutagenesis FOXM1 in EOC cells. Moreover, these results provide further support for the importance of these pathways as potential therapeutic targets in EOC.

The oncogenic transcription factor FOXM1 is overexpressed in the majority of human cancers, and it is a potential target for anticancer therapy. We identified proteasome inhibitors as the first type of drugs that target FOXM1 in cancer cells. Here we found that HSP90 inhibitor PF-4942847 and heat shock also suppress FOXM1. The common effector, which was induced after treatment with proteasome and HSP90 inhibitors or heat shock, was the molecular chaperone HSP70. We show that HSP70 binds to FOXM1 following proteotoxic stress and that HSP70 inhibits FOXM1 DNA-binding ability. Inhibition of FOXM1 transcriptional autoregulation by HSP70 leads to the suppression of FOXM1 protein expression. In addition, HSP70 suppression elevates FOXM1 expression, and simultaneous inhibition of FOXM1 and HSP70 increases the sensitivity of human cancer cells to anticancer drug-induced apoptosis. Overall, we determined the unique and novel mechanism of FOXM1 suppression by proteasome inhibitors.