Effects of FGFR inhibitors TKI258, BGJ398 and AZD4547 on breast cancer cells in 2D, 3D and tissue explant cultures

Efficacy of futibatinib, an irreversible fibroblast growth factor receptor inhibitor, in FGFR-altered breast cancer

Several alterations in fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) genes have been found in breast cancer; however, they have not been well characterized as therapeutic targets. Futibatinib (TAS-120; Taiho) is a novel, selective, pan-FGFR inhibitor that inhibits FGFR1-4 at nanomolar concentrations. We sought to determine futibatinib's efficacy in breast cancer models. Nine breast cancer patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) with various FGFR1-4 alterations and expression levels were treated with futibatinib. Antitumor efficacy was evaluated by change in tumor volume and time to tumor doubling. Alterations indicating sensitization to futibatinib in vivo were further characterized in vitro. FGFR gene expression between patient tumors and matching PDXs was significantly correlated; however, overall PDXs had higher FGFR3-4 expression. Futibatinib inhibited tumor growth in 3 of 9 PDXs, with tumor stabilization in an FGFR2-amplified model and prolonged regression (> 110 days) in an FGFR2 Y375C mutant/amplified model. FGFR2 overexpression and, to a greater extent, FGFR2 Y375C expression in MCF10A cells enhanced cell growth and sensitivity to futibatinib. Per institutional and public databases, FGFR2 mutations and amplifications had a population frequency of 1.1%-2.6% and 1.5%-2.5%, respectively, in breast cancer patients. FGFR2 alterations in breast cancer may represent infrequent but highly promising targets for futibatinib.

FGF1 Protects MCF-7 Cells against Taltobulin through Both the MEKs/ERKs and PI3K/AKT Signaling Pathway

Breast cancer is a widespread and complex disease characterized by abnormal signaling pathways that promote tumor growth and progression. Despite significant medical advances and the development of increasingly effective therapies for breast cancer, drug resistance and reduced sensitivity to prior therapies remain persistent challenges. Dysregulation of growth factors such as FGFs and EGF and their receptors is a contributing factor to reduced response to treatment, promoting cell survival and proliferation, metastasis, EMT or increased expression of ABC transporters. Our study demonstrates a protective role for FGF1 in MCF-7 breast cancer cells against taltobulin-induced cytotoxicity, mediated by activation of its receptors and compares its activity to EGF, another growth factor involved in breast cancer development and progression. The mechanisms of action of these two proteins are different: FGF1 exerts its effects through the activation of both ERKs and AKT, whereas EGF acts only through ERKs. FGF1 action in the presence of the drug promotes cell viability, reduces apoptosis and increases cell migration. Although EGF and its receptors have received more attention in breast cancer research to date, our findings highlight the key role played by FGFs and their receptors in promoting drug resistance to tubulin polymerization inhibitors in FGFR-positive tumors.

Patient-derived models: Promising tools for accelerating the clinical translation of breast cancer research findings

Breast cancer has become the highest incidence of cancer in women. It was extensively and deeply studied by biologists and medical workers worldwide. However, the meaningful results in lab researches cannot be realized in clinical, and a part of new drugs in clinical experiments do not obtain as good results as the preclinical researches. It is urgently that promote a kind of breast cancer research models that can get study results closer to the physiological condition of the human body. Patient-derived models (PDMs) originating from clinical tumor, contain primary elements of tumor and maintain key clinical features of tumor. So they are promising research models to facilitate laboratory researches translate to clinical application, and predict the treatment outcome of patients. In this review, we summarize the establishment of PDMs of breast cancer, reviewed the application of PDMs in clinical translational researches and personalized precision medicine with breast cancer as an example, to improve the understanding of PDMs among researchers and clinician, facilitate them to use PDMs on a large scale of breast cancer researches and promote the clinical translation of laboratory research and new drug development.

Three-Dimensional in Vitro Models: A Promising Tool To Scale-Up Breast Cancer Research

Common models used in breast cancer studies, including two-dimensional (2D) cultures and animal models, do not precisely model all aspects of breast tumors. These models do not well simulate the cell-cell and cell-stromal interactions required for normal tumor growth in the body and lake tumor like microenvironment. Three-dimensional (3D) cell culture models are novel approaches to studying breast cancer. They do not have the restrictions of these conventional models and are able to recapitulate the structural architecture, complexity, and specific function of breast tumors and provide similar in vivo responses to therapeutic regimens. These models can be a link between former traditional 2D culture and in vivo models and are necessary for further studies in cancer. This review attempts to summarize the most common 3D in vitro models used in breast cancer studies, including scaffold-free (spheroid and organoid), scaffold-based, and chip-based models, particularly focused on the basic and translational application of these 3D models in drug screening and the tumor microenvironment in breast cancer.

Patient-Derived Explant Cultures of Normal and Tumor Human Breast Tissue

Tissue culture has evolved considerably over the last few years, including cell culture in three dimensions, organoids, cocultures of different cell types and the use of diverse types of matrices in an attempt to mimic conditions that more closely resemble those found in the original tissue or organ. In this chapter, we describe how patient-derived breast tissue can be cultured on sponges for several days, maintaining their original architecture and with the capacity to respond to treatments. This protocol facilitates the study of the tissue responses without the need for extensive tissue manipulation, cell digestion or use of a biomaterial as scaffold, while maintaining the stroma and extracellular matrix organization. This method has the potential to improve preclinical testing by contributing to provide more accurate data reflecting cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions, tumor microenvironment, drug effects or stem cell function in normal- and pathophysiology of the breast.

Highlights on selected growth factors and their receptors as promising anticancer drug targets

Growth factor receptors (GFRs) and receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK) are groups of proteins mediating a plethora of physiological processes, including cell growth, proliferation, survival, differentiation and migration. Under certain circumstances, expression of GFRs and subsequently their downstream kinase signaling are deregulated by genetic, epigenetic, and somatic changes leading to uncontrolled cell division in many human diseases, most notably cancer. Cancer cells rely on growth factors to sustain the increasing need to cell division and metabolic reprogramming through cancer-associated activating mutations of their receptors (i.e., GFRs). In this review, we highlight the recent advances of selected GFRs and their ligands (growth factors) in cancer with emphasis on structural and functional differences. We also interrogate how overexpression and/or hyperactivation of GFRs contribute to cancer initiation, development, progression, and resistance to conventional chemo- and radiotherapies. Novel approaches are being developed as anticancer agents to target growth factor receptors and their signaling pathways in different cancers. Here, we illustrate how the current knowledge of GFRs biology, and their ligands lead to development of targeted therapies to inhibit and/or block the activity of growth factors, GFRs and downstream kinases to treat diseases such as cancer.

Complement factor I upregulates expression of matrix metalloproteinase-13 and -2 and promotes invasion of cutaneous squamous carcinoma cells

The incidence of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is increasing globally. Here, we have studied the functional role of complement factor I (CFI) in the progression of cSCC. CFI was knocked down in cSCC cells, and RNA-seq analysis was performed. Significant downregulation of genes in IPA biofunction categories Proliferation of cells and Growth of malignant tumor, in Gene Ontology (GO) terms Metallopeptidase activity and Extracellular matrix component, as well as Reactome Degradation of extracellular matrix was detected after CFI knockdown. Further analysis of the latter three networks, revealed downregulation of several genes coding for invasion-associated matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) after CFI knockdown. The downregulation of MMP-13 and MMP-2 was confirmed at mRNA, protein and tissue levels by qRT-qPCR, Western blot and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Knockdown of CFI decreased the invasion of cSCC cells through type I collagen. Overexpression of CFI in cSCC cells resulted in enhanced production of MMP-13 and MMP-2 and increased invasion through type I collagen and Matrigel, and in increased ERK1/2 activation and cell proliferation. Altogether, these findings identify a novel mechanism of action of CFI in upregulation of MMP-13 and MMP-2 expression and cSCC invasion. These results identify CFI as a prospective molecular marker for invasion and metastasis of cSCC.