Twist contributes to hormone resistance in breast cancer by down-regulating estrogen receptor alpha

The role of estrogen receptor alpha (ER) in breast cancer development and as a primary clinical marker for breast cancer prognosis is well documented. In this study, we identified the oncogenic protein TWIST1 (Twist), which is over-expressed in high-grade breast cancers, as a potential negative regulator of ER expression. Functional characterization of ER regulation by Twist was carried out using Twist low (MCF-7, T-47D) and Twist high (Hs 578T, MDA-MB-231, MCF-7/Twist) expressing cell lines. All Twist high cell lines exhibited low ER transcript and protein levels. By chromatin immunoprecipitation and promoter assays, we demonstrated that Twist could directly bind to E-boxes in the ER promoter and significantly down-regulate ER promoter activity in vitro. Functionally, Twist over-expression caused estrogen independent proliferation of breast cells and promoted hormone resistance to the selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) tamoxifen and selective estrogen receptor down-regulator (SERD) fulvestrant. Importantly, this effect was reversible on down-regulating Twist. Additionally, orthotopic tumors generated in mice using MCF-7/Twist cells were resistant to tamoxifen. These tumors had high vascular volume and permeability surface area as determined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Mechanistically, Twist recruited DNA methyltransferase 3B (DNMT3B) to the ER promoter leading to a significantly higher degree of ER promoter methylation compared to parental cells. Furthermore, we demonstrated by co-immunoprecipitation that Twist interacted with histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) at the ER promoter, causing histone deacetylation and chromatin condensation, further reducing ER transcript levels. Functional re-expression of ER was achieved using demethylating agent 5-azacytidine and histone deacetylase inhibitor valproic acid. Finally, an inverse relationship was observed between Twist and ER expression in human breast tumors. In summary, the regulation of ER by Twist could be an underlying mechanism for loss of ER activity observed in breast tumors and may contribute to the generation of hormone resistant ER negative breast cancer.