XIAP Regulation by MNK Links MAPK and NF kappa B Signaling to Determine an Aggressive Breast Cancer Phenotype

Hyperactivation of the NF kappa B pathway is a distinct feature of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), a highly proliferative and lethal disease. Gene expression studies in IBC patient tissue have linked EGFR (EGFR/HER2)-mediated MAPK signaling to NF kappa B hyperactivity, but the mechanism(s) by which this occurs remain unclear. Here, we report that the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) plays a central role in linking these two pathways. XIAP overexpression correlated with poor prognoses in breast cancer patients and was frequently observed in untreated IBC patient primary tumors. XIAP drove constitutive NF kappa B transcriptional activity, which mediated ALDH positivity (a marker of stem-like cells), in vivo tumor growth, and an IBC expression signature in patient-derived IBC cells. Using pathway inhibitors and mathematical models, we defined a new role for the MAPK interacting (Ser/Thr)-kinase (MNK) in enhancing XIAP expression and downstream NF kappa B signaling. Furthermore, targeted XIAP knockdown and treatment with a MNK inhibitor decreased tumor cell migration in a dorsal skin fold window chamber murine model that allowed for intravital imaging of local tumor growth and migration. Together, our results indicate a novel role for XIAP in the molecular cross-talk between MAPK and NF kappa B pathways in aggressive tumor growth, which has the potential to be therapeutically exploited. Significance: Signaling by the MNK kinase is essential in inflammatory breast cancer, and it can be targeted to inhibit XIAP-NF kappa B signaling and the aggressive phenotype of this malignancy. (C) 2018 AACR.