Abstract S6-05: High levels of APOBEC3B, a DNA deaminase and an enzymatic source of C-to-T transitions, are a validated marker of poor outcome in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer
Authors: Sieuwerts AM , Burns M , Look MP , Meijer-Van Gelder ME , Schlicker A , Heidemann MR , Jacobs H , Wessels L , Willis S , Leyland-Jones B , Gray K , Foekens JA , Harris RS , Martens JW 
Published: August 2014

Two recent observations have connected the innate immune DNA cytosine deaminase APOBEC3B to the genetic evolution of breast cancer. First, APOBEC3B was shown to be up-regulated in the majority of breast cancers, and, in breast cancer cell lines, its activity was causally linked to a doubling of the number of C-to-T transitions over time and to a delay in cell cycle progression (1). Second, sequencing of the complete genome of 21 breast cancers independently suggested that APOBEC deaminase activity could be responsible for 2 of 5 mutational imprints identified, which involved clustered (also called kataegis) and dispersed C-to-T transition mutations in the context of 5’TC dinucleotide motifs (2).

In the current study, we addressed a possible association of APOBEC3B expression with outcome in clinical breast cancer. For this we measured using real-time RT-PCR APOBEC3B mRNA levels in 1,491 primary invasive breast cancers and correlated these levels with disease-free survival (DFS), metastasis-free survival (MFS) and overall survival (OS) using univariate and multivariable Cox regression analysis. In addition, we independently validated our findings in available gene expression datasets with appropriate follow-up.

In univariate analyses including all patients, increasing levels of APOBEC3B mRNA analyzed as a continuous variable were significantly associated with shorter DFS, MFS and OS (Hazard Ratio [HR] = 1.29, 1.31 and 1.36, respectively, all P&lt;0.001). To determine the relation of APOBEC3B mRNA expression with the natural course of the disease without the potential confounding effects of systemic adjuvant therapy, we restricted our next analyses to MFS in 829 patients with lymph node-negative disease who had not received any (neo)adjuvant systemic therapy. This analysis showed that APOBEC3B mRNA expression was, in univariate, and in multivariable analysis, including the traditional prognostic factors (age, menopausal status, tumor size, grade and steroid hormone receptors), a marker of pure prognosis specifically in patients with estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) disease (univariate HR = 1.30; P = 0.003; multivariate HR = 1.22, P = 0.042).

To substantiate and validate our findings, we analysed 4 independent available datasets containing in total 5,760 breast cancer cases in which APOBEC3B mRNA expression was measured by probes on microarrays and found that higher APOBEC3B mRNA expression (dichotomised by mean) was significantly associated with poor outcome in all 4 cohorts ([Metabric, 1,491 ER+ cases, HR = 1.82; P&lt;0.001], [Affymetrix compiled dataset-1, 2,407 cases, HR = 2.22; P = 0.001], and [BIG 1-98; 1,207 cases, HR = 2.13; P&lt;0.001 of late recurrence&gt;5 years], and [Affymetrix dataset-2, 643 ER+ cases, HR = 2.04; P = 0.001]).

Altogether, our analyses show that APOBEC3B mRNA - and as a result likely DNA deamination – is a validated predictor of poor outcome in breast cancer, supporting the notion that APOBEC3B is a potentially interesting clinical target for therapeutic intervention to prevent breast cancer progression and metastasis, particularly in ER+ disease.

1. Burns, M.B. et al. Nature 494, 366-70 (2013); 2. Nik-Zainal, S. et al. Cell 149, 979-93 (2012).

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2013;73(24 Suppl): Abstract nr S6-05.