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Baranovsky A, Ivanov T, Granovskaya M, Papatsenko D, Pervouchine DD. Transcriptome analysis reveals high tumor heterogeneity with respect to re-activation of stemness and proliferation programs. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0268626. [PMID: 35587924 PMCID: PMC9119523 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Significant alterations in signaling pathways and transcriptional regulatory programs together represent major hallmarks of many cancers. These, among all, include the reactivation of stemness, which is registered by the expression of pathways that are active in the embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Here, we assembled gene sets that reflect the stemness and proliferation signatures and used them to analyze a large panel of RNA-seq data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Consortium in order to specifically assess the expression of stemness-related and proliferation-related genes across a collection of different tumor types. We introduced a metric that captures the collective similarity of the expression profile of a tumor to that of ESCs, which showed that stemness and proliferation signatures vary greatly between different tumor types. We also observed a high degree of intertumoral heterogeneity in the expression of stemness- and proliferation-related genes, which was associated with increased hazard ratios in a fraction of tumors and mirrored by high intratumoral heterogeneity and a remarkable stemness capacity in metastatic lesions across cancer cells in single cell RNA-seq datasets. Taken together, these results indicate that the expression of stemness signatures is highly heterogeneous and cannot be used as a universal determinant of cancer. This calls into question the universal validity of diagnostic tests that are based on stem cell markers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Artem Baranovsky
- Center of Life Sciences, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow, Russia
- Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany
| | - Timofei Ivanov
- Center of Life Sciences, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Dmitri Papatsenko
- Center of Life Sciences, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Dmitri D. Pervouchine
- Center of Life Sciences, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow, Russia
- * E-mail:
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Semina SE, Alejo LH, Chopra S, Kansara NS, Kastrati I, Sartorius CA, Frasor J. Identification of a novel ER-NFĸB-driven stem-like cell population associated with relapse of ER+ breast tumors. Breast Cancer Res 2022; 24:88. [PMID: 36482488 PMCID: PMC9733334 DOI: 10.1186/s13058-022-01585-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Up to 40% of patients with estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer experience relapse. This can be attributed to breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs), which are known to be involved in therapy resistance, relapse, and metastasis. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify genes/pathways that drive stem-like cell properties in ER+ breast tumors. METHODS Using single-cell RNA sequencing and various bioinformatics approaches, we identified a unique stem-like population and established its clinical relevance. With follow-up studies, we validated our bioinformatics findings and confirmed the role of ER and NFĸB in the promotion of stem-like properties in breast cancer cell lines and patient-derived models. RESULTS We identified a novel quiescent stem-like cell population that is driven by ER and NFĸB in multiple ER+ breast cancer models. Moreover, we found that a gene signature derived from this stem-like population is expressed in primary ER+ breast tumors, endocrine therapy-resistant and metastatic cell populations and predictive of poor patient outcome. CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate a novel role for ER and NFĸB crosstalk in BCSCs biology and understanding the mechanism by which these pathways promote stem properties can be exploited to improve outcomes for ER+ breast cancer patients at risk of relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svetlana E. Semina
- grid.185648.60000 0001 2175 0319Department of Physiology and Biophysics, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, 909 S Wolcott Avenue (MC 901), 2040 COMRB, Chicago, IL 60612 USA
| | - Luis H. Alejo
- grid.185648.60000 0001 2175 0319Department of Physiology and Biophysics, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, 909 S Wolcott Avenue (MC 901), 2040 COMRB, Chicago, IL 60612 USA
| | - Shivani Chopra
- grid.185648.60000 0001 2175 0319Department of Physiology and Biophysics, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, 909 S Wolcott Avenue (MC 901), 2040 COMRB, Chicago, IL 60612 USA
| | - Nidhi S. Kansara
- grid.185648.60000 0001 2175 0319Department of Physiology and Biophysics, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, 909 S Wolcott Avenue (MC 901), 2040 COMRB, Chicago, IL 60612 USA
| | - Irida Kastrati
- grid.185648.60000 0001 2175 0319Department of Physiology and Biophysics, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, 909 S Wolcott Avenue (MC 901), 2040 COMRB, Chicago, IL 60612 USA ,grid.164971.c0000 0001 1089 6558Present Address: Department of Cancer Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL 60153 USA
| | - Carol A. Sartorius
- grid.430503.10000 0001 0703 675XDepartment of Pathology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045 USA
| | - Jonna Frasor
- grid.185648.60000 0001 2175 0319Department of Physiology and Biophysics, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, 909 S Wolcott Avenue (MC 901), 2040 COMRB, Chicago, IL 60612 USA
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3
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Yang C, Cao M, Liu Y, He Y, Du Y, Zhang G, Gao F. Inducible formation of leader cells driven by CD44 switching gives rise to collective invasion and metastases in luminal breast carcinomas. Oncogene 2019; 38:7113-7132. [PMID: 31417182 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-019-0899-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2018] [Revised: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 05/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Collective invasion into adjacent tissue is a hallmark of luminal breast cancer, and ~20% of these cases eventually undergo metastasis. How less aggressive luminal-like breast cancer transitions to invasive cancer remains unclear. Our study revealed that CD44hi cancer cells are the leading subpopulation in collectively invading luminal cancer cells and efficiently promote the collective invasion of CD44lo/follower cells. The CD44hi/leader subpopulation showed a specific gene signature of various hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal genes and key functional coregulators of collective invasion, which was distinct from that of CD44lo/follower cells. However, the CD44hi/leader cells, which showed a partial epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotype, readily switched to the CD44lo phenotype along with collective migration and vice versa; this phenomenon was spontaneous and sensitive to the tumor microenvironment. The CD44lo-to-CD44hi conversion was accompanied by a shift in CD44s to CD44v but not a conversion of non-cancer stem cells to cancer stem cells (CSCs). Therefore, the CD44hi leader cells, as currently identified, are not a stable subpopulation in breast tumors. This plasticity and ability to generate CD44hi carcinoma cells with enhanced migratory and invasive behavior might be responsible for the transition from in situ to invasive behavior of luminal-type breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cuixia Yang
- Department of Molecular Biology Laboratory, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200233, Shanghai, China.,Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200233, Shanghai, China
| | - Manlin Cao
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200233, Shanghai, China
| | - Yiwen Liu
- Department of Molecular Biology Laboratory, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200233, Shanghai, China
| | - Yiqing He
- Department of Molecular Biology Laboratory, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200233, Shanghai, China
| | - Yan Du
- Department of Molecular Biology Laboratory, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200233, Shanghai, China
| | - Guoliang Zhang
- Department of Molecular Biology Laboratory, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200233, Shanghai, China
| | - Feng Gao
- Department of Molecular Biology Laboratory, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200233, Shanghai, China. .,Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200233, Shanghai, China.
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4
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Peiffer DS, Wyatt D, Zlobin A, Piracha A, Ng J, Dingwall AK, Albain KS, Osipo C. DAXX Suppresses Tumor-Initiating Cells in Estrogen Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer Following Endocrine Therapy. Cancer Res 2019; 79:4965-4977. [PMID: 31387918 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-19-1110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Revised: 07/03/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer recurrence is thought to be driven by tumor-initiating cells (TIC). TICs are enriched by endocrine therapy through NOTCH signaling. Side effects have limited clinical trial testing of NOTCH-targeted therapies. Death-associated factor 6 (DAXX) is a newly identified marker whose RNA expression inversely correlates with NOTCH in human ER+ breast tumor samples. In this study, knockdown and overexpression approaches were used to investigate the role of DAXX on stem/pluripotent gene expression, TIC survival in vitro, and TIC frequency in vivo, and the mechanism by which DAXX suppresses TICs in ER+ breast cancer. 17β-Estradiol (E2)-mediated ER activation stabilized the DAXX protein, which was required for repressing stem/pluripotent genes (NOTCH4, SOX2, OCT4, NANOG, and ALDH1A1), and TICs in vitro and in vivo. Conversely, endocrine therapy promoted rapid protein depletion due to increased proteasome activity. DAXX was enriched at promoters of stem/pluripotent genes, which was lost with endocrine therapy. Ectopic expression of DAXX decreased stem/pluripotent gene transcripts to levels similar to E2 treatment. DAXX-mediated repression of stem/pluripotent genes and suppression of TICs was dependent on DNMT1. DAXX or DNMT1 was necessary to inhibit methylation of CpGs within the SOX2 promoter and moderately within the gene body of NOTCH4, NOTCH activation, and TIC survival. E2-mediated stabilization of DAXX was necessary and sufficient to repress stem/pluripotent genes by recruiting DNMT1 to methylate some promoters and suppress TICs. These findings suggest that a combination of endocrine therapy and DAXX-stabilizing agents may inhibit ER+ tumor recurrence. SIGNIFICANCE: Estradiol-mediated stabilization of DAXX is necessary and sufficient to repress genes associated with stemness, suggesting that the combination of endocrine therapy and DAXX-stabilizing agents may inhibit tumor recurrence in ER+ breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel S Peiffer
- MD/PhD and Integrated Cell Biology Programs, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, Illinois
| | - Debra Wyatt
- Department of Cancer Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, Illinois
| | - Andrei Zlobin
- Department of Cancer Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, Illinois
| | - Ali Piracha
- Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Jeffrey Ng
- Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Andrew K Dingwall
- Department of Pathology, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, Illinois
| | - Kathy S Albain
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, Illinois
| | - Clodia Osipo
- Department of Cancer Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, Illinois. .,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, Illinois
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5
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Cancer stem-like properties of hormonal therapy-resistant breast cancer cells. Breast Cancer 2019; 26:459-470. [DOI: 10.1007/s12282-018-00944-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2018] [Accepted: 12/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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6
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Sipos F, Műzes G. Tumor Biological Aspects of a Large-Scale Retrospective Study: The Role of Tumor Cell Heterogeneity, Inflammation and Aging in Survival. J INVEST SURG 2018; 32:358-360. [PMID: 29370551 DOI: 10.1080/08941939.2018.1424273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ferenc Sipos
- a 2nd Department of Intrenal Medicine , Semmelweis University , Budapest , Hungary
| | - Györgyi Műzes
- a 2nd Department of Intrenal Medicine , Semmelweis University , Budapest , Hungary
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7
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Application of pharmacometrics and quantitative systems pharmacology to cancer therapy: The example of luminal a breast cancer. Pharmacol Res 2017; 124:20-33. [PMID: 28735000 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2017.07.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2017] [Revised: 06/09/2017] [Accepted: 07/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in women, and the second most frequent cause of cancer-related deaths in women worldwide. It is a heterogeneous disease composed of multiple subtypes with distinct morphologies and clinical implications. Quantitative systems pharmacology (QSP) is an emerging discipline bridging systems biology with pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) leveraging the systematic understanding of drugs' efficacy and toxicity. Despite numerous challenges in applying computational methodologies for QSP and mechanism-based PK/PD models to biological, physiological, and pharmacological data, bridging these disciplines has the potential to enhance our understanding of complex disease systems such as BC. In QSP/PK/PD models, various sources of data are combined including large, multi-scale experimental data such as -omics (i.e. genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics), biomarkers (circulating and bound), PK, and PD endpoints. This offers a means for a translational application from pre-clinical mathematical models to patients, bridging the bench to bedside paradigm. Not only can these models be applied to inform and advance BC drug development, but they also could aid in optimizing combination therapies and rational dosing regimens for BC patients. Here, we review the current literature pertaining to the application of QSP and pharmacometrics-based pharmacotherapy in BC including bottom-up and top-down modeling approaches. Bottom-up modeling approaches employ mechanistic signal transduction pathways to predict the behavior of a biological system. The ones that are addressed in this review include signal transduction and homeostatic feedback modeling approaches. Alternatively, top-down modeling techniques are bioinformatics reconstruction techniques that infer static connections between molecules that make up a biological network and include (1) Bayesian networks, (2) co-expression networks, and (3) module-based approaches. This review also addresses novel techniques which utilize the principles of systems biology, synthetic lethality and tumor priming, both of which are discussed in relationship to novel drug targets and existing BC therapies. By utilizing QSP approaches, clinicians may develop a platform for improved dose individualization for subpopulation of BC patients, strengthen rationale in treatment designs, and explore mechanism elucidation for improving future treatments in BC medicine.
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Ishiguro T, Ohata H, Sato A, Yamawaki K, Enomoto T, Okamoto K. Tumor-derived spheroids: Relevance to cancer stem cells and clinical applications. Cancer Sci 2017; 108:283-289. [PMID: 28064442 PMCID: PMC5378268 DOI: 10.1111/cas.13155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 325] [Impact Index Per Article: 46.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2016] [Revised: 12/13/2016] [Accepted: 12/28/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Recently, many types of in vitro 3‐D culture systems have been developed to recapitulate the in vivo growth conditions of cancer. The cancer 3‐D culture methods aim to preserve the biological characteristics of original tumors better than conventional 2‐D monolayer cultures, and include tumor‐derived organoids, tumor‐derived spheroids, organotypic multicellular spheroids, and multicellular tumor spheroids. The 3‐D culture methods differ in terms of cancer cell sources, protocols for cell handling, and the required time intervals. Tumor‐derived spheroids are unique because they are purposed for the enrichment of cancer stem cells (CSCs) or cells with stem cell‐related characteristics. These spheroids are grown as floating spheres and have been used as surrogate systems to evaluate the CSC‐related characteristics of solid tumors in vitro. Because eradication of CSCs is likely to be of clinical importance due to their association with the malignant nature of cancer cells, such as tumorigenicity or chemoresistance, the investigation of tumor‐derived spheroids may provide invaluable clues to fight against cancer. Spheroid cultures have been established from cancers including glioma, breast, colon, ovary, and prostate cancers, and their biological and biochemical characteristics have been investigated by many research groups. In addition to the investigation of CSCs, tumor‐derived spheroids may prove to be instrumental for a high‐throughput screening platform or for the cultivation of CSC‐related tumor cells found in the circulation or body fluids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsuya Ishiguro
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Niigata University Medical School, Niigata, Japan
| | - Hirokazu Ohata
- Division of Cancer Differentiation, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ai Sato
- Division of Cancer Differentiation, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kaoru Yamawaki
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Niigata University Medical School, Niigata, Japan.,Division of Cancer Differentiation, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takayuki Enomoto
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Niigata University Medical School, Niigata, Japan
| | - Koji Okamoto
- Division of Cancer Differentiation, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan
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9
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Zhong B, Lin Y, Lai Y, Zheng F, Zheng X, Huang R, Yang W, Chen Z. Relationship of Oct-4 to malignant stage: a meta-analysis based on 502 positive/high Oct-4 cases and 522 negative/low case-free controls. Oncotarget 2016; 7:2143-52. [PMID: 26575328 PMCID: PMC4811523 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.5737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2015] [Accepted: 10/28/2015] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Octamer 4 (Oct-4), an important member of the POU domain transcription factor family, has been suggested to function as a master switch during differentiation of human somatic cells and more recently has come to be linked with neoplastic properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between Oct-4 and cancer stage using a meta-analysis approach. Materials and Methods Relevant articles published as of May 2015 were retrieved from the following databases: PubMed, ISI Web of Knowledge, Embase, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). The strengths of relationship for outcomes of interest were estimated based on odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results A total of 11 articles on Oct-4 and cancer staging that collectively included 502 positive/high Oct-4 cases and 522 negative/low case-free controls were chosen. Positive/high Oct-4 was significantly associated with cancer stage in several kinds of cancer. Specifically, positive/high Oct-4 was associated with cancer stage III/IV (fixed effects: OR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.12–2.10), primary tumor (T3–4) (random effects: OR = 1.93, 95% CI = 0.99–3.77), and cancer grade of differentiation (intermediate-poor) (random effects: OR = 3.45, 95% CI = 1.5–7.61). Conclusion These findings suggest that positive/high Oct-4 is more strongly linked to stage III/IV cancer and cancer grade of differentiation, and is correlated with malignant characteristics that lead to poor prognosis in different types of cancer, especially in Asian. Given variability related to ethnicity and differences in cancer types, additional studies are warranted to establish the generalizability of our findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beilong Zhong
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519000, China
| | - Yan Lin
- Department of Breast Disease, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China
| | - Yingrong Lai
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China
| | - Fangfang Zheng
- Department of Pediatrics, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519000, China
| | - Xiaobin Zheng
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519000, China
| | - Rijiao Huang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519000, China
| | - Weilin Yang
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery of East Division, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China
| | - Zhenguang Chen
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery of East Division, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China.,Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China.,Lung Cancer Research Center of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China
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10
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Tachi K, Shiraishi A, Bando H, Yamashita T, Tsuboi I, Kato T, Hara H, Ohneda O. FOXA1 expression affects the proliferation activity of luminal breast cancer stem cell populations. Cancer Sci 2016; 107:281-9. [PMID: 26708273 PMCID: PMC4814260 DOI: 10.1111/cas.12870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2015] [Revised: 12/16/2015] [Accepted: 12/21/2015] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The expression of estrogen receptor is the key in most breast cancers (BC) and binding of estrogen receptor to the genome correlates to Forkhead protein (FOXA1) expression. We herein assessed the correlation between the cancer stem cell (CSC) population and FOXA1 expression in luminal BC. We established luminal BC cells derived from metastatic pleural effusion and analyzed the potency of CSC and related factors with established luminal BC cell lines. We also confirmed that mammosphere cultures have an increased aldehyde dehydrogenase‐positive population, which is one of the CSC markers, compared with adherent culture cells. Using a quantitative PCR analysis, we found that mammosphere forming cells showed a higher expression of FOXA1 and stemness‐related genes compared with adherent culture cells. Furthermore, the growth activity and colony‐forming activity of 4‐hydroxytamoxifen‐treated BC cells were inhibited in a mammosphere assay. Interestingly, 4‐hydroxytamoxifen‐resistant cells had significantly increased FOXA1 gene expression levels. Finally, we established short hairpin RNA of FOXA1 (shFOXA1) MCF‐7 cells and investigated the relationship between self‐renewal potential and FOXA1 expression. As a result, we found no significant difference in the number of mammospheres but decreased colony formation in shFOXA1 MCF‐7 cells compared with control. These results suggest that the expression of FOXA1 appears to be involved in the proliferation of immature BC cells rather than the induction of stemness‐related genes and self‐renewal potency of CSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kana Tachi
- Department of Breast-Thyroid-Endocrine Surgery, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.,Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Biology, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Akira Shiraishi
- Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Biology, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Hiroko Bando
- Department of Breast-Thyroid-Endocrine Surgery, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Toshiharu Yamashita
- Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Biology, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Ikki Tsuboi
- Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Biology, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Toshiki Kato
- Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Biology, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.,Ph.D. Program in Human Biology, School of Integrative and Grobal Majors, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Hisato Hara
- Department of Breast-Thyroid-Endocrine Surgery, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Osamu Ohneda
- Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Biology, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
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