Truncated ASPP2 drives initiation and progression of invasive lobular carcinoma via distinct mechanisms

Abstract

Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) accounts for 8%–14% of all breast cancer cases. The main hallmark of ILCs is the functional loss of the cell–cell adhesion protein E-cadherin. Nonetheless, loss of E-cadherin alone does not predispose mice to mammary tumor development, indicating that additional perturbations are required for ILC formation. Previously, we identified an N-terminal truncation variant of ASPP2 (t-ASPP2) as a driver of ILC in mice with mammary-specific loss of E-cadherin. Here we showed that expression of t-ASPP2 induced actomyosin relaxation, enabling adhesion and survival of E-cadherin–deficient murine mammary epithelial cells on stiff matrices like fibrillar collagen. The induction of actomyosin relaxation by t-ASPP2 was dependent on its interaction with protein phosphatase 1, but not on t-ASPP2–induced YAP activation. Truncated ASPP2 collaborated with both E-cadherin loss and PI3K pathway activation via PTEN loss in ILC development. t-ASPP2–induced actomyosin relaxation was required for ILC initiation, but not progression. Conversely, YAP activation induced by t-ASPP2 contributed to tumor growth and progression while being dispensable for tumor initiation. Together, these findings highlight two distinct mechanisms through which t-ASPP2 promotes ILC initiation and progression.