scholarly journals Modulating cancer stemness provides luminal a breast cancer cells with HER2 positive-like features

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1162-1169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Mei ◽  
Dongyan Cai ◽  
Xiaofeng Dai
Cancers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 3760
Author(s):  
Nataša Anastasov ◽  
Elisabeth Hirmer ◽  
Marbod Klenner ◽  
Jessica Ott ◽  
Natalie Falkenberg ◽  
...  

The miR-221 expression is dependent on the oncogenic RAS-RAF-MEK pathway activation and influences epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database analysis showed high gene significance for ZEB1 with EMT module analysis and miR-221 overexpression within the triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and HER2+ subgroups when compared to luminal A/B subgroups. EMT marker expression analysis after MEK1 (TAK-733) inhibitor treatment and irradiation was combined with miR-221 and ZEB1 expression analysis. The interaction of miR-221 overexpression with irradiation and its influence on migration, proliferation, colony formation and subsequent EMT target activation were investigated. The results revealed that MEK1 inhibitor treatment combined with irradiation could decrease the migratory potential of breast cancer cells including reduction of miR-221 and corresponding downstream ZEB1 (EMT) marker expression. The clonogenic survival assays revealed that miR-221 overexpressing SKBR3 cells were more radioresistant when compared to the control. Remarkably, the effect of miR-221 overexpression on migration in highly proliferative and highly HER2-positive SKBR3 cells remained constant even upon 8 Gy irradiation. Further, in naturally miR-221-overexpressing MDA-MB-231 cells, the proliferation and migration significantly decrease after miR-221 knockdown. This leads to the assumption that radiation alone is not reducing migration capacity of miR-221-overexpressing cells and that additional factors play an important role in this context. The miR-221/ZEB1 activity is efficiently targeted upon MEK1 inhibitor (TAK-733) treatment and when combined with irradiation treatment, significant reduction in migration of breast cancer cells was shown.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1132
Author(s):  
Javier A. Menendez ◽  
Adriana Papadimitropoulou ◽  
Travis Vander Steen ◽  
Elisabet Cuyàs ◽  
Bharvi P. Oza-Gajera ◽  
...  

The identification of clinically important molecular mechanisms driving endocrine resistance is a priority in estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer. Although both genomic and non-genomic cross-talk between the ER and growth factor receptors such as human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) has frequently been associated with both experimental and clinical endocrine therapy resistance, combined targeting of ER and HER2 has failed to improve overall survival in endocrine non-responsive disease. Herein, we questioned the role of fatty acid synthase (FASN), a lipogenic enzyme linked to HER2-driven breast cancer aggressiveness, in the development and maintenance of hormone-independent growth and resistance to anti-estrogens in ER/HER2-positive (ER+/HER2+) breast cancer. The stimulatory effects of estradiol on FASN gene promoter activity and protein expression were blunted by anti-estrogens in endocrine-responsive breast cancer cells. Conversely, an AKT/MAPK-related constitutive hyperactivation of FASN gene promoter activity was unaltered in response to estradiol in non-endocrine responsive ER+/HER2+ breast cancer cells, and could be further enhanced by tamoxifen. Pharmacological blockade with structurally and mechanistically unrelated FASN inhibitors fully impeded the strong stimulatory activity of tamoxifen on the soft-agar colony forming capacity—an in vitro metric of tumorigenicity—of ER+/HER2+ breast cancer cells. In vivo treatment with a FASN inhibitor completely prevented the agonistic tumor-promoting activity of tamoxifen and fully restored its estrogen antagonist properties against ER/HER2-positive xenograft tumors in mice. Functional cancer proteomic data from The Cancer Proteome Atlas (TCPA) revealed that the ER+/HER2+ subtype was the highest FASN protein expressor compared to basal-like, HER2-enriched, and ER+/HER2-negative breast cancer groups. FASN is a biological determinant of HER2-driven endocrine resistance in ER+ breast cancer. Next-generation, clinical-grade FASN inhibitors may be therapeutically relevant to countering resistance to tamoxifen in FASN-overexpressing ER+/HER2+ breast carcinomas.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 3043
Author(s):  
Ahmed Elwakeel ◽  
Anissa Nofita Sari ◽  
Jaspreet Kaur Dhanjal ◽  
Hazna Noor Meidinna ◽  
Durai Sundar ◽  
...  

We previously performed a drug screening to identify a potential inhibitor of mortalin–p53 interaction. In four rounds of screenings based on the shift in mortalin immunostaining pattern from perinuclear to pan-cytoplasmic and nuclear enrichment of p53, we had identified MortaparibPlus (4-[(1E)-2-(2-phenylindol-3-yl)-1-azavinyl]-1,2,4-triazole) as a novel synthetic small molecule. In order to validate its activity and mechanism of action, we recruited Luminal-A breast cancer cells, MCF-7 (p53wild type) and T47D (p53L194F) and performed extensive biochemical and immunocytochemical analyses. Molecular analyses revealed that MortaparibPlus is capable of abrogating mortalin–p53 interaction in both MCF-7 and T47D cells. Intriguingly, upregulation of transcriptional activation function of p53 (as marked by upregulation of the p53 effector gene—p21WAF1—responsible for cell cycle arrest and apoptosis) was recorded only in MortaparibPlus-treated MCF-7 cells. On the other hand, MortaparibPlus-treated T47D cells exhibited hyperactivation of PARP1 (accumulation of PAR polymer and decrease in ATP levels) as a possible non-p53 tumor suppression program. However, these cells did not show full signs of either apoptosis or PAR-Thanatos. Molecular analyses attributed such a response to the inability of MortaparibPlus to disrupt the AIF–mortalin complexes; hence, AIF did not translocate to the nucleus to induce chromatinolysis and DNA degradation. These data suggested that the cancer cells possessing enriched levels of such complexes may not respond to MortaparibPlus. Taken together, we report the multimodal anticancer potential of MortaparibPlus that warrants further attention in laboratory and clinical studies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 744-753
Author(s):  
Zahra Rahimzadeh ◽  
Seyed Morteza Naghib ◽  
Esfandyar Askari ◽  
Fatemeh Molaabasi ◽  
Ali Sadr ◽  
...  

Abstract In this paper, we use a simple and cheap approach for the synthesis of herceptin-conjugated graphene biosensor to detect the HER2-positive breast cancer cells. The bifunctional graphene-herceptin nanosheets are prepared from graphite by a simple ultrasonic-mediated technique. The prepared protein-mediated graphene is fully characterized. The results show the exfoliation of graphene layers in herceptin solution. Moreover, herceptin is effectively conjugated into the surface of graphene nanosheets. The synthesized herceptin-conjugated graphene is applied for breast cancer detection. The linear range of this biosensor is 1–80 cells, which is significant. The biosensor shows an excellent selectivity performance for detection of HER2-positive cancer cells. Likewise, the stability and functionality of the biosensor is about 40 days. Based on the results, this device is a promising candidate for rapid and selective detection of cancer cells.


Author(s):  
Jun Hua ◽  
Zhe Zhang ◽  
Lili Zhang ◽  
Yan Sun ◽  
Yuan Yuan

Abstract Purpose This study aimed to investigate the possibility of UCP-2 inhibitor in reducing acquired resistance of trastuzumab to improve the outcome of patients receiving trastuzumab therapy by exploring the relationship between UCP-2 expression and HER2 signaling pathway and examining whether UCP-2 expression was modulated by trastuzumab treatment. Methods 32 women diagnosed with primary HER2-positive breast cancer were recruited in this study. Needle biopsy was obtained from patients before they received at least four cycles neoadjuvant therapy containing trastuzumab in combination with chemotherapy. Surgical tumor biopsy was obtained during surgical procedure after the neoadjuvant therapy. Levels of HER2 phosphorylation and UCP-2 expression were detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and compared between tumor needle biopsy tissue and surgical tumor samples of these patients, as well as in BT474 breast cancer cells before and after trastuzumab treatment. HER2-selective phosphorylation/kinase activity inhibitor ONT-380 was used to identify the correlation between HER2 phosphorylation level and UCP-2 expression. UCP-2 inhibitor Genipin was then used to evaluate the apoptosis index in BT474 cells treated with trastuzumab. Results UCP-2 expression was significantly elevated in surgical tumor samples from breast cancer patients receiving trastuzumab in a neoadjuvant setting. We further confirmed our findings in HER2-positive BT474 cell line and found that trastuzumab treatment induced phosphorylation of HER2 and the overexpression of UCP-2, and the latter can be reversed by HER2 selective kinase inhibitor ONT-380. Moreover, UCP-2 inhibitor Genipin significantly enhanced the proliferation suppression effects of trastuzumab and markedly promoted apoptosis. Conclusion Taken together, our study identified UCP-2 as a novel therapeutic target for HER2 positive breast cancer and UCP-2 inhibitor may have great potential to enhance the response rate and efficacy of trastuzumab therapy.


2017 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 2221-2228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina S.J. Mcdermott ◽  
Alexandra Canonici ◽  
Laura Ivers ◽  
Brigid C. Browne ◽  
Stephen F. Madden ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng Liu ◽  
Hailin Tang ◽  
Jiali Wu ◽  
Xingsheng Qiu ◽  
Yanan Kong ◽  
...  

Background: Long non-coding RNAs play crucial roles in various biological activities and diseases. The role of long intergenic non-coding RNA01638 (linc01638) in breast cancer, especially in HER2-positive breast cancer, remains largely unknown. Objective: To investigate the effect of linc01638 on tumorigenesis in HER2-positive breast cancer. </P><P> Methods: We first used qRT-PCR to detect linc01638 expression in HER2-positive breast cancer cells and tissues. Then we analyzed the effects of linc01638 expression in HER2-positive breast cancer cells through cell apoptosis assay, cell proliferation assay, colony formation assay, and cell invasion assay. We conducted mouse xenograft model to further confirm the role of linc01638 in HER2-positive breast cancer. Moreover, we used Western blot and IHC analysis to access the effect of linc01638 on DNMTs, BRCA1 and PTEN expressions in transplanted tumors. Results: Linc01638 was found to be remarkably overexpressed in HER2-positive breast cancer cells and tissues. Suppression of linc01638 enhanced cell apoptosis, as well as inhibited the growth and invasiveness of HER2-positive breast cancer cells in vitro and tumor progression and metastasis in vivo. Furthermore, inhibition of linc01638 by shRNA attenuated expression of DNMT1, DNMT3a, and DNMT3b, and promoted expression of BRCA1 and PTEN in HER2-positive breast cancer cells and mouse xenograft models. Linc01638 might be a promising biomarker and therapeutic target for treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (20) ◽  
pp. 11273
Author(s):  
Natalia Magdalena Lisiak ◽  
Izabela Lewicka ◽  
Mariusz Kaczmarek ◽  
Jacek Kujawski ◽  
Barbara Bednarczyk-Cwynar ◽  
...  

Approximately 20–30% of the diagnosed breast cancers overexpress the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). This type of cancer is associated with a more aggressive phenotype; thus, there is a need for the discovery of new compounds that would improve the survival in HER2-positive breast cancer patients. It seems that one of the most promising therapeutic cancer strategies could be based on the biological activity of pentacyclic triterpenes’ derivatives and the best-known representative of this group, oleanolic acid (OA). The biological activity of oleanolic acid and its two semisynthetic derivatives, methyl 3-hydroxyimino-11-oxoolean-12-en-28-oate (HIMOXOL) and 12α-bromo-3-hydroxyimonoolean-28→13-olide (Br-HIMOLID), was assessed in SK-BR-3 breast cancer cells (HER2-positive). Viability tests, cell cycle assessment, evaluation of apoptosis, autophagy, and adhesion/migration processes were performed using MTT, clonogenic, cytofluorometry, Western blot, and qPCR. Both derivatives revealed higher cytotoxicity in studied breast cancer cells than the maternal compound, OA. They also decreased cell viability, induced autophagy, and (when applied in sub-cytotoxic concentrations) decreased the migration of SK-BR-3 cells.This study is the first to report the cytostatic, proautophagic (mTOR/LC3/SQSTM/BECN1 pathway), and anti-migratory (integrin β1/FAK/paxillin pathway) activities of HIMOXOL and Br-HIMOLID in HER2-positive breast cancer cells.


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