Deregulation of the FOXM1 target gene network and its coregulatory partners in oesophageal adenocarcinoma.

Background: Survival rates for oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC) remain disappointingly poor and current conventional treatment modalities have minimal impact on long-term survival. This is partly due to a lack of understanding of the molecular changes that occur in this disease. Previous studies have indicated that the transcription factor FOXM1 is commonly upregulated in this cancer type but the impact of this overexpression on gene expression in the context of OAC is largely unknown. FOXM1 does not function alone but works alongside the antagonistically-functioning co-regulatory MMB and DREAM complexes.

Methods: To establish how FOXM1 affects gene expression in OAC we have identified the FOXM1 target gene network in OAC-derived cells using ChIP-seq and determined the expression of both its coregulatory partners and members of this target gene network in OAC by digital transcript counting using the Nanostring gene expression assay.

Results: We find co-upregulation of FOXM1 with its target gene network in OAC. Furthermore, we find changes in the expression of its coregulatory partners, including co-upregulation of LIN9 and, surprisingly, reduced expression of LIN54. Mechanistically, we identify LIN9 as the direct binding partner for FOXM1 in the MMB complex. In the context of OAC, both coregulator (eg LIN54) and target gene (eg UHRF1) expression levels are predictive of disease stage.

Conclusions: Together our data demonstrate that there are global changes to the FOXM1 regulatory network in OAC and the expression of components of this network help predict cancer prognosis.