BACKGROUND: Mutations in TP53 not only affect its tumour suppressor activity but also exerts oncogenic gain-of-function activity. While the genome-wide mutant p53 binding sites have been identified in cancer cell lines, the chromatin accessibility landscape driven by mutant p53 in primary tumours is unknown. Here, we leveraged the chromatin accessibility data of primary tumours from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to identify differentially accessible regions in mutant p53 tumours compared to wild-type p53 tumours, especially in breast and colon cancers.

RESULTS: We identified 1587 lost and 984 gained accessible chromatin regions in breast, and 1143 lost and 640 gained regions in colon cancers. However, only less than half of those regions in both cancer types contain sequence motifs for wild-type or mutant p53 binding. Whereas, the remaining showed enrichment for master transcriptional regulators, such as FOX-Family TFs and NF-kB in lost and SMAD and KLF TFs in gained regions of breast. In colon, ATF3 and FOS/JUN TFs were enriched in lost, and CDX family TFs and HNF4A in gained regions. By integrating the gene expression data, we identified known and novel target genes regulated by the mutant p53.

CONCLUSION: This study reveals the direct and indirect mechanisms by which gain-of-function mutant p53 targets the chromatin and subsequent gene expression patterns in a tumour-type specific manner. This furthers our understanding of the impact of mutant p53 in cancer development.