Frequent met oncogene amplification in a Brca1/Trp53 mouse model of mammary tumorigenesis.

In a screen for gene copy number alterations in mouse mammary tumors initiated by loss of the Brca1 and Trp53 genes, we observed that the majority (11 of 15; 73%) had high-level amplification of wild-type Met, encoding a growth factor receptor implicated in tumor progression. Met amplification was localized to unstable double minute chromosomes and was uniquely found in mouse breast tumors driven by loss of Brca1 and Trp53. Whereas analogous MET amplification was not found in human breast cancers, the identification of a dominant somatic genetic lesion in the Brca1/Trp53 mouse model suggests that recurrent secondary hits may also exist in BRCA1-initiated human breast cancer.