scholarly journals Extradomain-B Fibronectin is a molecular marker of invasive breast cancer cells

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amita M. Vaidya ◽  
Helen Wang ◽  
Victoria Qian ◽  
Zheng-Rong Lu

AbstractBreast tumor heterogeneity is a major impediment to oncotherapy. Tumor cells undergo rapid clonal evolution, thereby acquiring significant growth and invasive advantages. The absence of specific markers of these high-risk tumors precludes efficient therapeutic and diagnostic management of breast cancer. Given the critical function of tumor microenvironment in the oncogenic circuitry, we sought to determine the role of the extracellular matrix oncoprotein, extradomain-B fibronectin (EDB-FN), as a molecular marker of aggressive cancers. High-risk invasive cell lines generated from relatively less invasive MCF7 and MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cells by long-term TGF-β treatment and chemoresistance demonstrated hybrid epithelial-mesenchymal phenotype, enhanced motility, and significantly elevated EDB-FN levels in 2D- and 3D-cultures. To determine if EDB-FN could serve as a therapy-predictive marker, the invasive cell lines were treated with MK2206-HCl, a pan-AKT inhibitor. Phospho-AKT depletion reduced EMT and invasion of the populations, with a concomitant decrease in EDB-FN expression, partly through the phosphoAKT-SRp55 pathway, demonstrating that EDB-FN expression is strongly associated with high-risk breast cancer. EDB-FN is a promising molecular marker for accurate detection, differential diagnosis, and non-invasive therapeutic surveillance of aggressive breast cancer.Summary StatementDynamic changes in invasive properties of breast cancer cells directly influence extradomain-B fibronectin levels, suggesting its potential role as a molecular marker for active surveillance and therapeutic monitoring of breast cancer.

Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 1826
Author(s):  
Amita Vaidya ◽  
Helen Wang ◽  
Victoria Qian ◽  
Hannah Gilmore ◽  
Zheng-Rong Lu

Breast tumor heterogeneity is a major impediment to oncotherapy. Cancer cells undergo rapid clonal evolution, thereby acquiring significant growth and invasive advantages. The absence of specific markers of these high-risk populations precludes efficient therapeutic and diagnostic management of the disease. Given the critical function of tumor microenvironment in the oncogenic circuitry, we sought to determine the expression profile of the extracellular matrix oncoprotein, extradomain-B fibronectin (EDB-FN) in invasive breast cancer. Analyses of TCGA/GTEx databases and immunostaining of clinical samples found a significant overexpression of EDB-FN in breast tumors, which correlated with poor overall survival. Significant upregulation of EDB-FN was observed in invasive cell populations generated from relatively less invasive MCF7 and MDA-MB-468 cells by long-term TGF-β treatment and acquired chemoresistance. Treatment of the invasive cell populations with an AKT inhibitor (MK2206-HCl) reduced their invasive potential, with a concomitant decrease in their EDB-FN expression, partly through the phosphoAKT-SRp55 pathway. EDB-FN downregulation, with direct RNAi of EDB-FN or indirectly through RNAi of SRp55, also resulted in reduced motility of the invasive cell populations, validating the correlation between EDB-FN expression and invasion of breast cancer cells. These data establish EDB-FN as a promising molecular marker for non-invasive therapeutic surveillance of aggressive breast cancer.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 4153
Author(s):  
Kutlwano R. Xulu ◽  
Tanya N. Augustine

Thromboembolic complications are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in cancer patients. Cancer patients often present with an increased risk for thrombosis including hypercoagulation, so the application of antiplatelet strategies to oncology warrants further investigation. This study investigated the effects of anastrozole and antiplatelet therapy (aspirin/clopidogrel cocktail or atopaxar) treatment on the tumour responses of luminal phenotype breast cancer cells and induced hypercoagulation. Ethical clearance was obtained (M150263). Blood was co-cultured with breast cancer cell lines (MCF7 and T47D) pre-treated with anastrozole and/or antiplatelet drugs for 24 h. Hypercoagulation was indicated by thrombin production and platelet activation (morphological and molecular). Gene expression associated with the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) was assessed in breast cancer cells, and secreted cytokines associated with tumour progression were evaluated. Data were analysed with the PAST3 software. Our findings showed that antiplatelet therapies (aspirin/clopidogrel cocktail and atopaxar) combined with anastrozole failed to prevent hypercoagulation and induced evidence of a partial EMT. Differences in tumour responses that modulate tumour aggression were noted between breast cancer cell lines, and this may be an important consideration in the clinical management of subphenotypes of luminal phenotype breast cancer. Further investigation is needed before this treatment modality (combined hormone and antiplatelet therapy) can be considered for managing tumour associated-thromboembolic disorder.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (15) ◽  
pp. 7948
Author(s):  
Elham Jamshidifar ◽  
Faten Eshrati Yeganeh ◽  
Mona Shayan ◽  
Mohammad Tavakkoli Yaraki ◽  
Mahsa Bourbour ◽  
...  

In the present study, a magnetic niosomal nanocarrier for co-delivery of curcumin and letrozole into breast cancer cells has been designed. The magnetic NiCoFe2O4 core was coated by a thin layer of silica, followed by a niosomal structure, allowing us to load letrozole and curcumin into the silica layer and niosomal layer, respectively, and investigate their synergic effects on breast cancer cells. Furthermore, the nanocarriers demonstrated a pH-dependent release due to the niosomal structure at their outer layer, which is a promising behavior for cancer treatment. Additionally, cellular assays revealed that the nanocarriers had low cellular uptake in the case of non-tumorigenic cells (i.e., MCF-10A) and related high viability but high cellular uptake in cancer cell lines (i.e., MDA-MB-231 and SK-BR-3) and related low viability, which is evidenced in their high cytotoxicity against different breast cancer cell lines. The cytotoxicity of the letrozole/curcumin co-loaded nanocarrier is higher than that of the aqueous solutions of both drugs, indicating their enhanced cellular uptake in their encapsulated states. In particular, NiCoFe2O4@L-Silica-L@C-Niosome showed the highest cytotoxicity effects on MDA-MB-231 and SK-BR-3 breast cancer cells. The observed cytotoxicity was due to regulation of the expression levels of the studied genes in breast cancer cells, where downregulation was observed for the Bcl-2, MMP 2, MMP 9, cyclin D, and cyclin E genes while upregulation of the expression of the Bax, caspase-3, and caspase-9 genes was observed. The flow cytometry results also revealed that NiCoFe2O4@L-Silica-L@C-Niosome enhanced the apoptosis rate in both MDA-MB-231 and SK-BR-3 cells compared to the control samples. The findings of our research show the potential of designing magnetic niosomal formulations for simultaneous targeted delivery of both hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs into cancer cells in order to enhance their synergic chemotherapeutic effects. These results could open new avenues into the future of nanomedicine and the development of theranostic agents.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiantian Tang ◽  
Guiying Wang ◽  
Sihua Liu ◽  
Zhaoxue Zhang ◽  
Chen Liu ◽  
...  

AbstractThe role of organic anion transporting polypeptide 1B3 (SLCO1B3) in breast cancer is still controversial. The clinical immunohistochemical results showed that a greater proportion of patients with negative lymph nodes, AJCC stage I, and histological grade 1 (P < 0.05) was positively correlated with stronger expression of SLCO1B3, and DFS and OS were also increased significantly in these patients (P = 0.041, P = 0.001). Further subgroup analysis showed that DFS and OS were significantly enhanced with the increased expression of SLCO1B3 in the ER positive subgroup. The cellular function assay showed that the ability of cell proliferation, migration and invasion was significantly enhanced after knockdown of SLCO1B3 expression in breast cancer cell lines. In contrast, the ability of cell proliferation, migration and invasion was significantly reduced after overexpress the SLCO1B3 in breast cancer cell lines (P < 0.05). Overexpression or knockdown of SLCO1B3 had no effect on the apoptotic ability of breast cancer cells. High level of SLCO1B3 expression can inhibit the proliferation, invasion and migration of breast cancer cells, leading to better prognosis of patients. The role of SLCO1B3 in breast cancer may be related to estrogen. SLCO1B3 will become a potential biomarker for breast cancer diagnosis and prognosis assessment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Svartdal Normann ◽  
Miriam Ragle Aure ◽  
Suvi-Katri Leivonen ◽  
Mads Haugland Haugen ◽  
Vesa Hongisto ◽  
...  

AbstractHER2-positive (HER2 +) breast cancer patients that do not respond to targeted treatment have a poor prognosis. The effects of targeted treatment on endogenous microRNA (miRNA) expression levels are unclear. We report that responsive HER2 + breast cancer cell lines had a higher number of miRNAs with altered expression after treatment with trastuzumab and lapatinib compared to poorly responsive cell lines. To evaluate whether miRNAs can sensitize HER2 + cells to treatment, we performed a high-throughput screen of 1626 miRNA mimics and inhibitors in combination with trastuzumab and lapatinib in HER2 + breast cancer cells. We identified eight miRNA mimics sensitizing cells to targeted treatment, miR-101-5p, mir-518a-5p, miR-19b-2-5p, miR-1237-3p, miR-29a-3p, miR-29c-3p, miR-106a-5p, and miR-744-3p. A higher expression of miR-101-5p predicted better prognosis in patients with HER2 + breast cancer (OS: p = 0.039; BCSS: p = 0.012), supporting the tumor-suppressing role of this miRNA. In conclusion, we have identified miRNAs that sensitize HER2 + breast cancer cells to targeted therapy. This indicates the potential of combining targeted drugs with miRNAs to improve current treatments for HER2 + breast cancers.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Meng Li ◽  
Wenmin Zhang ◽  
Xiaodan Yang ◽  
Guo An ◽  
Wei Zhao

BACKGROUND: The voltage-gated calcium channel subunit alpha 2 delta 1 (α2δ1) is a functional tumor initial cells (TICs) marker for some solid cancer cells. This study aimed to investigate whether α2δ1 can be used as a potential TIC marker for breast cancer cells. METHODS: α2δ1+ and α2δ1- cells were identified and sorted from the breast cancer cell lines MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-435s and ZR-75-1 by Immunofluorescence (IF) and Fluorescent-activated cell sorting (FACS) analyses. Spheroid formation in vitro and tumorigenesis in NOD/SCID mice were assessed to determine the self-renewal and serial transplantation abilities of these cells. Using a lentivirus infection system for α2δ1 in breast cancer cell lines, we determined the mRNA levels of stemnessassociated genes by quality real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Boyden chamber and wounding assays were further performed to detect the migration of α2δ1 overexpression cells. Bioinformatics explored the relationship of molecular classification of breast cancer and drug resistance. RESULTS: α2δ1 presents on the cytomembrane of breast cancer cells, with a positive rate of 1.5–3%. The α2δ1+ cells in breast cancer cell lines have a stronger self-renewal ability and tumor initiating properties in vitro and in vivo. Overexpressing α2δ1 successfully enhanced the sphere-forming efficiency, and upregulated the expression of stemness-associated genes, and increased cell migration. However, seldom significant was available between estrogen receptor +/- (ER+/-), progesterone receptor (PR+/-), and Her2+/-. CONCLUSIONS: Breast cancer cells positive for the α2δ1 charactered tumor initiation, and α2δ1 is a potential TIC marker for breast cancer that further promotes the migration.


Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 743
Author(s):  
Oluwaseun Akinyele ◽  
Heather M. Wallace

Breast cancer is a complex heterogeneous disease with multiple underlying causes. The polyamines putrescine, spermidine, and spermine are polycationic molecules essential for cell proliferation. Their biosynthesis is upregulated in breast cancer and they contribute to disease progression. While elevated polyamines are linked to breast cancer cell proliferation, there is little evidence to suggest breast cancer cells of different hormone receptor status are equally dependent on polyamines. In this study, we characterized the responses of two breast cancer cells, ER+ (oestrogen receptor positive) MCF-7 and ER- MDA-MB-231 cell lines, to polyamine modulation and determined the requirement of each polyamine for cancer cell growth. The cells were exposed to DFMO (a polyamine pathway inhibitor) at various concentrations under different conditions, after which several growth parameters were determined. Exposure of both cell lines to DFMO induced differential growth responses, MCF-7 cells showed greater sensitivity to polyamine pathway inhibition at various DFMO concentrations than the MDA-MB-231 cells. Analysis of intracellular DFMO after withdrawal from growth medium showed residual DFMO in the cells with concomitant decreases in polyamine content, ODC protein level, and cell growth. Addition of exogenous polyamines reversed the cell growth inhibition, and this growth recovery appears to be partly dependent on the spermidine content of the cell. Similarly, DFMO exposure inhibits the global translation state of the cells, with spermidine addition reversing the inhibition of translation in the breast cancer cells. Taken together, these data suggest that breast cancer cells are differentially sensitive to the antitumour effects of polyamine depletion, thus, targeting polyamine metabolism might be therapeutically beneficial in breast cancer management based on their subtype.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (17) ◽  
pp. 4350
Author(s):  
Jessica Castro ◽  
Giusy Tornillo ◽  
Gerardo Ceada ◽  
Beatriz Ramos-Neble ◽  
Marlon Bravo ◽  
...  

Despite the significant advances in cancer research made in recent years, this disease remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. In part, this is due to the fact that after therapy, a subpopulation of self-renewing tumor cells can survive and promote cancer relapse, resistance to therapies and metastasis. Targeting these cancer stem cells (CSCs) is therefore essential to improve the clinical outcome of cancer patients. In this sense, multi-targeted drugs may be promising agents targeting CSC-associated multifocal effects. We have previously constructed different human pancreatic ribonuclease (RNase) variants that are cytotoxic for tumor cells due to a non-classical nuclear localization signal introduced in their sequence. These cytotoxic RNases affect the expression of multiple genes involved in deregulated metabolic and signaling pathways in cancer cells and are highly cytotoxic for multidrug-resistant tumor cell lines. Here, we show that these cytotoxic nuclear-directed RNases are highly selective for tumor cell lines grown in 3D, inhibit CSCs’ development and diminish the self-renewal capacity of the CSCs population. Moreover, these human RNase variants reduce the migration and invasiveness of highly invasive breast cancer cells and downregulate N-cadherin expression.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0257298
Author(s):  
Joohyun Woo ◽  
Jong Bin Kim ◽  
Taeeun Cho ◽  
Eun Hye Yoo ◽  
Byung-In Moon ◽  
...  

The response rate to treatment with trastuzumab (Tz), a recombinant humanized anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody, is only 12–34% despite demonstrated effectiveness on improving the survival of patients with HER2-positive breast cancers. Selenium has an antitumor effect against cancer cells and can play a cytoprotective role on normal cells. This study investigated the effect of selenium on HER2-positive breast cancer cells and the mechanism in relation to the response of the cells to Tz. HER2-positive breast cancer cell lines, SK-BR-3 as trastuzumab-sensitive cells, and JIMT-1 as Tz-resistant cells were treated with Tz and sodium selenite (selenite). Cell survival rates and expression of Her2, Akt, and autophagy-related proteins, including LC3B and beclin 1, in both cell lines 72 h after treatment were evaluated. Significant cell death was induced at different concentrations of selenite in both cell lines. A combined effect of selenite and Tz at 72 h was similar to or significantly greater than each drug alone. The expression of phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt) was decreased in JIMT-1 after combination treatment compared to that after only Tz treatment, while p-Akt expression was increased in SK-BR-3. The expression of beclin1 increased particularly in JIMT-1 after only Tz treatment and was downregulated by combination treatment. These results showed that combination of Tz and selenite had an antitumor effect in Tz-resistant breast cancer cells through downregulation of phosphorylated Akt and beclin1-related autophagy. Selenite might be a potent drug to treat Tz-resistant breast cancer by several mechanisms.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eliza E. Bitter ◽  
Michelle H. Townsend ◽  
Kary Y.F. Tsai ◽  
Carolyn I. Allen ◽  
Rachel I. Erickson ◽  
...  

Abstract 1. Background: The salvage pathway enzyme thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) is elevated in the serum of several different cancer types and higher expression is associated with more aggressive tumor grade. As a result, it has potential as a biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis. Recent studies indicate that TK1 may be involved in cancer pathogenesis; however, its direct involvement has not been identified. We propose to evaluate the effects of TK1 on cancer progression in vitro through measuring cellular invasion and survival of breast cancer cells.2.Methods: Breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231, HCC 1806, and MCF7 were cultured according to standard techniques. We employed the use of TK1 target siRNA and a CRISPR-Cas9 TK1 knockout plasmid to compare transfected cell lines to wild type cell lines. Protein factors in survival and invasive pathways were also tested for correlations to TK1 in BRCA RNA-seq patient data (n=1095) using the TIMER program. Cellular invasion was quantified in cell index (factor of impedance) over a 24-hour period. Cell survival was measured by apoptosis under metabolic and DNA stress using flow cytometry. All results were statistically assessed using an ANOVA or t-test in GraphPad PRISM®.3.Results: Cellular invasion assays assessing wild type and TK1 knockdown/knockout (TK1-/-) cell types showed TK1-/- cell lines had increased invasion potential (p= 0.0001). Bioinformatically, we saw a strong overall negative correlation between apoptotic factors and TK1 (p ≤ 0.05). When testing TK1 effects on cell survival we saw a protective affect under DNA stress (p ≤ 0.05), but not under metabolic stress (p= 0.0001).4.Conclusion From cell cycle analysis, we observed a shift towards S phase in TK1-/- cells. This shift to S phase would promote growth and account for the increased cellular invasion and decrease in metabolic induced stress in TK1-/- cells. We propose that cancer cells still may elicit a cancer progressive phenotype based on effects of TK1, but that a system which isolates TK1 is not effective to understand the effects. Instead, identifying protein networks inclusive of TK1 will help to elucidate its effects on cancer progression.


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