The acetyl-transferase Tip60 might influence tumorigenesis in multiple ways. First, Tip60 is a co-regulator of transcription factors that either promote or suppress tumorigenesis, such as Myc and p53. Second, Tip60 modulates DNA-damage response (DDR) signalling, and a DDR triggered by oncogenes can counteract tumour progression. Using E(mu)-myc transgenic mice that are heterozygous for a Tip60 gene (Htatip) knockout allele (hereafter denoted as Tip60+/- mice), we show that Tip60 counteracts Myc-induced lymphomagenesis in a haplo-insufficient manner and in a time window that is restricted to a pre- or early-tumoral stage. Tip60 heterozygosity severely impaired the Myc-induced DDR but caused no general DDR defect in B cells. Myc- and p53-dependent transcription were not affected, and neither were Myc-induced proliferation, activation of the ARF-p53 tumour suppressor pathway or the resulting apoptotic response. We found that the human TIP60 gene (HTATIP) is a frequent target for mono-allelic loss in human lymphomas and head-and-neck and mammary carcinomas, with concomitant reduction in mRNA levels. Immunohistochemical analysis also demonstrated loss of nuclear TIP60 staining in mammary carcinomas. These events correlated with disease grade and frequently concurred with mutation of p53. Thus, in both mouse and human, Tip60 has a haplo-insufficient tumour suppressor activity that is independent from-but not contradictory with-its role within the ARF-p53 pathway. We suggest that this is because critical levels of Tip60 are required for mounting an oncogene-induced DDR in incipient tumour cells, the failure of which might synergize with p53 mutation towards tumour progression.

Background: Quantitative analysis can be used in combination with fluorescence microscopy. Although the human eye is able to obtain good qualitative results, when analyzing the spatial organization of telomeres in interphase nuclei, there is a need for quantitative results based on image analysis. Methods: We developed a tool for analyzing three-dimensional images of telomeres stained by fluorescence in situ hybridization in interphase nuclei with DNA counterstained with 4 0 ,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole. After deconvolution of the image, we segmented individual telomeres. From the location of the telomeres we derived a distribution parameter r T , which indicated whether the telomeres were in a disk (r T ) 1) or not (r T % 1). We sorted mouse lymphocyte nuclei and measured r T . We also performed a bromodeoxyuridine synchronous cell sorting experiment on live cells and measured r T at several instances.

A patient received a diagnosis of adenocarcinoma of the ampulla of Vater at 34 years of age. Two decades later, adenomatous polyps were found, followed by multiple primary invasive adenocarcinomas of both the colon and the stomach. Premature chromatid separation and mosaic variegated aneuploidy, combined with structural chromosomal abnormalities, were detected in his cells. We identified a germline homozygous intronic mutation, c.2386-11A→G, in the spindle-assembly checkpoint gene BUB1B, which creates a de novo splice site that is favored over the authentic (i.e., preferentially used) site. Our findings expand the phenotype associated with BUB1B mutations and the mosaic variegated aneuploidy syndrome to include common adult-onset cancers and provide evidence for the interdependency of the APC protein (encoded by the adenomatous polyposis coli gene) and the BUBR1 protein (encoded by BUB1B) in humans. (Funded by the Turner Family Cancer Research Fund and others.).