The BMP4-BMPR1A axis represses BRCA1, inducing BRCAness in mammary stem cells and contributing to tumor initiation in basal-like breast cancer
Basal-like breast cancer (BLBC) is an aggressive subtype frequently characterized by homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) and BRCAness, even in the absence of BRCA1 mutations. Here, we identify the BMP4-BMPR1A signaling axis as a novel regulator of BRCA1 expression and a driver of BRCAness in non-transformed immature mammary cells. We observed that high BMPR1A expression is correlated with low BRCA1 levels and poor BLBC prognosis in patients. We show that exposure to BMP4 induces BRCA1 transcriptional repression via BMPR1A, promoting a basal differentiation and impairing homologous recombination. This results in increased sensitivity to PARP inhibitors (PARPi) and accumulation of genetically-unstable, immature cells. In addition, long-term BMP4 stimulation or BMPR1A overexpression induced transformation. Our findings uncover a mechanism by which the tumor microenvironment may contribute to BLBC initiation through BMP4-induced suppression of BRCA1, and highlight BMP signaling and the resulting BRCAness as a therapeutic vulnerability in wild-type BRCA1 BLBCs.