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Codini M, Fiorani F, Mandarano M, Cataldi S, Arcuri C, Mirarchi A, Ceccarini MR, Beccari T, Kobayashi T, Tomishige N, Sidoni A, Albi E. Sphingomyelin Metabolism Modifies Luminal A Breast Cancer Cell Line under a High Dose of Vitamin C. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:17263. [PMID: 38139092 PMCID: PMC10743617 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242417263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The role of sphingomyelin metabolism and vitamin C in cancer has been widely described with conflicting results ranging from a total absence of effect to possible preventive and/or protective effects. The aim of this study was to establish the possible involvement of sphingomyelin metabolism in the changes induced by vitamin C in breast cancer cells. The MCF7 cell line reproducing luminal A breast cancer and the MDA-MB-231 cell line reproducing triple-negative breast cancer were used. Cell phenotype was tested by estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 expression, and proliferation index percentage. Sphingomyelin was localized by an EGFP-NT-Lys fluorescent probe. Sphingomyelin metabolism was analyzed by RT-PCR, Western blotting and UFLC-MS/MS. The results showed that a high dose of vitamin C produced reduced cell viability, modulated cell cycle related genes, and changed the cell phenotype with estrogen receptor downregulation in MCF7 cell. In these cells, the catabolism of sphingomyelin was promoted with a large increase in ceramide content. No changes in viability and molecular expression were observed in MB231 cells. In conclusion, a high dose of vitamin C induces changes in the luminal A cell line involving sphingomyelin metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Codini
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, 06126 Perugia, Italy; (F.F.); (S.C.); (M.R.C.); (T.B.)
| | - Federico Fiorani
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, 06126 Perugia, Italy; (F.F.); (S.C.); (M.R.C.); (T.B.)
| | - Martina Mandarano
- Section of Anatomic Pathology and Histology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06126 Perugia, Italy; (M.M.); (A.S.)
| | - Samuela Cataldi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, 06126 Perugia, Italy; (F.F.); (S.C.); (M.R.C.); (T.B.)
| | - Cataldo Arcuri
- Section of Anatomy, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06126 Perugia, Italy; (C.A.); (A.M.)
| | - Alessandra Mirarchi
- Section of Anatomy, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06126 Perugia, Italy; (C.A.); (A.M.)
| | - Maria Rachele Ceccarini
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, 06126 Perugia, Italy; (F.F.); (S.C.); (M.R.C.); (T.B.)
| | - Tommaso Beccari
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, 06126 Perugia, Italy; (F.F.); (S.C.); (M.R.C.); (T.B.)
| | - Toshihide Kobayashi
- UMR 7021 CNRS, Faculté de Pharmacie, Universitè de Strasbourg, 67401 Illkirch, France; (T.K.); (N.T.)
- Cellular Informatics Laboratory, RIKEN, Wako 351-0198, Saitama, Japan
| | - Nario Tomishige
- UMR 7021 CNRS, Faculté de Pharmacie, Universitè de Strasbourg, 67401 Illkirch, France; (T.K.); (N.T.)
- Cellular Informatics Laboratory, RIKEN, Wako 351-0198, Saitama, Japan
| | - Angelo Sidoni
- Section of Anatomic Pathology and Histology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06126 Perugia, Italy; (M.M.); (A.S.)
| | - Elisabetta Albi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, 06126 Perugia, Italy; (F.F.); (S.C.); (M.R.C.); (T.B.)
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Erwin F, Ceauşu AR, Gaje NP, Suciu SC, Cosoroabă RM, Porumb A, Popovici RA, Raica M, Raica M. The molecular profile of breast cancer: primary tumor versus corresponding lymph node metastases. ROMANIAN JOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY AND EMBRYOLOGY = REVUE ROUMAINE DE MORPHOLOGIE ET EMBRYOLOGIE 2022; 63:421-429. [PMID: 36374147 PMCID: PMC9801673 DOI: 10.47162/rjme.63.2.13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Breast cancer (BrCa) is the most frequent malignancy in female, and lymph node metastases (LNM) is an important prognostic and therapeutic parameter. The molecular classification is nowadays largely applied to characterize the primary tumors, but few studies focused on the comparison between the molecular profiles of the primary with corresponding LNM. In the current work, we investigated the expression of conventional markers used by molecular classification in both primary tumors and axillary LNM. A series of 156 patients with BrCa was investigated, and from these 80 cases showed LNM. After routine pathological investigation, including the histopathological form and grade, we performed additional step sections from the primary and lymph nodes for immunohistochemistry. All procedures for hormone receptors, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), Ki67, cytokeratin 5 (CK5), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), p53, E-cadherin, and B-cell leukemia∕lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) were performed using the standard automated procedures. We found significant differences between the primary tumors and corresponding LNM in luminal A, luminal B, and basal-like carcinoma. No phenotypical interconversions were noticed in HER2 and unclassified BrCa. Our data demonstrate that in almost 20% of the cases the molecular profile of the primary does not overlap with aspects found in the lymph nodes. Our results strongly suggest performing the molecular classification in both primary tumors and in LNM. Current data suggest that the application of this diagnostic procedure will significantly influence the therapeutic strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Floroni Erwin
- Department of Microscopic Morphology/Histology, Angiogenesis Research Center Timişoara, Victor Babeş University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timişoara, Romania
| | - Amalia Raluca Ceauşu
- Department of Microscopic Morphology/Histology, Angiogenesis Research Center Timişoara, Victor Babeş University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timişoara, Romania
| | - Nela Puşa Gaje
- Department of Microscopic Morphology/Histology, Angiogenesis Research Center Timişoara, Victor Babeş University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timişoara, Romania
| | - Silviu Cristian Suciu
- Department of Microscopic Morphology/Histology, Angiogenesis Research Center Timişoara, Victor Babeş University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timişoara, Romania
| | - Raluca Mioara Cosoroabă
- Discipline of Management, Legislation and Communication in Dental Medicine, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Victor Babeş University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timişoara, Romania
| | - Anca Porumb
- Department of Dental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Oradea, Romania
| | - Ramona Amina Popovici
- Discipline of Management, Legislation and Communication in Dental Medicine, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Victor Babeş University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timişoara, Romania
| | - Marius Raica
- Department of Microscopic Morphology/Histology, Angiogenesis Research Center Timişoara, Victor Babeş University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timişoara, Romania
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Nuclear PDCD4 Expression Defines a Subset of Luminal B-Like Breast Cancers with Good Prognosis. Discov Oncol 2020; 11:218-239. [PMID: 32632815 DOI: 10.1007/s12672-020-00392-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 06/19/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The hormone receptor-positive (estrogen and/or progesterone receptor (PR)-positive) and HER2-negative breast cancer (BC) subtype is a biologically heterogeneous entity that includes luminal A-like (LumA-like) and luminal B-like (LumB-like) subtypes. Decreased PR levels is a distinctive biological feature of LumB-like tumors. These tumors also show reduced sensitivity to endocrine therapies and poorer prognosis than LumA-like tumors. Identification of biomarkers to accurately predict disease relapse in these subtypes is crucial in order to select effective therapies. We identified the tumor suppressor PDCD4 (programmed cell death 4), located in the nucleus (NPDCD4), as an independent prognostic factor of good clinical outcome in LumA-like and LumB-like subtypes. NPDCD4-positive LumB-like tumors presented overall and disease-free survival rates comparable to those of NPDCD4-positive LumA-like tumors, indicating that NPDCD4 improves the outcome of LumB-like patients. In contrast, NPDCD4 loss increased the risk of disease recurrence and death in LumB-like compared with LumA-like tumors. This, along with our results showing that LumB-like tumors present lower NPDCD4 positivity than LumA-like tumors, suggests that NPDCD4 loss contributes to endocrine therapy resistance in LumB-like BCs. We also revealed that PR induces PDCD4 transcription in LumB-like BC, providing a mechanistic explanation to the low PDCD4 levels in LumB-like BCs lacking PR. Finally, PDCD4 silencing enhanced BC cell survival in a patient-derived explant model of LumB-like disease. Our discoveries highlight NPDCD4 as a novel biomarker in LumA- and LumB-like subtypes, which could be included in the panel of immunohistochemical markers used in the clinic to accurately predict the prognosis of LumB-like tumors.
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Chang YC, Cheung CHA, Kuo YL. Tamoxifen Rechallenge Decreases Metastatic Potential but Increases Cell Viability and Clonogenicity in a Tamoxifen-Mediated Cytotoxicity-Resistant Subline of Human Breast MCF7 Cancer Cells. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:485. [PMID: 32695778 PMCID: PMC7338790 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.00485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Drug resistance is frequently found in estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer patients during and after prolonged tamoxifen treatment. Although tamoxifen rechallenge has been proposed for treating recurrent breast tumors, the clinical benefit of this treatment is still controversial. The aims of this study are to identify the possible tamoxifen cytotoxicity-resistant subpopulation of MCF7 cells and to determine the effects of tamoxifen rechallenge on these cells. Methods Western blot analysis was used to determine the expression levels of various epithelial-mesenchymal transition- and cell survival/proliferation-related proteins in MCF7 and MCF7-derived, tamoxifen-mediated cytotoxicity-resistant MCF7-TAM12.5 breast cancer cells. Wound healing, Transwell migration, and invasion assays were used to examine the metastatic potential of cells. Clonogenic assays, trypan blue exclusion assays, and bromodeoxyuridine assays were used to examine clonogenicity and to determine the proliferation rate of cells. Results We found that MCF7-TAM12.5 cells exhibited higher tolerance to tamoxifen-mediated cytotoxicity, higher metastatic potential, higher expression levels of XIAP, and lower expression levels of ERα/ERβ/HER2/Smac than MCF7 cells. In addition, MCF7 cells endogenously expressed Bcl-2α, whereas MCF7-TAM12.5 cells only expressed Bcl-2β. Interestingly, tamoxifen rechallenge decreased the metastatic potential but increased the proliferation and clonogenicity of MCF7-TAM12.5 cells. At the molecular level, tamoxifen rechallenge upregulated the expression of phosphorylated Aurora A and Aurora B kinase in MCF7-TAM12.5 cells. Conclusion Our findings further support the existence of highly heterogenetic cancer cell populations in ER+ breast tumors. It will be of clinical importance to determine the protein expression and the genetic profiles of tamoxifen-resistant/recurrent ER+ breast tumors to predict the potential effects of tamoxifen readministration in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yung-Chieh Chang
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Chun Hei Antonio Cheung
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.,Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Yao-Lung Kuo
- Department of Surgery, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan and Douliu, Taiwan
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5
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Liu HC, Chiang CC, Lin CH, Chen CS, Wei CW, Lin SY, Yiang GT, Yu YL. Anti-cancer therapeutic benefit of red guava extracts as a potential therapy in combination with doxorubicin or targeted therapy for triple-negative breast cancer cells. Int J Med Sci 2020; 17:1015-1022. [PMID: 32410830 PMCID: PMC7211147 DOI: 10.7150/ijms.40131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2019] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Guava extracts purified from leaf and bark have many bio-active molecules with anti-cancer activities. In addition, lycopene-rich extracts obtained from red guava fruit can induce apoptosis in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) lacks estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and, therefore, hormone therapy and targeted therapy are not used in the clinic. The purpose of this study was to determine whether red guava fruit extracts can affect the proliferation of TNBC cells. In this study, cell viability was determined by using the MTT assay. Apoptosis and necrosis were analyzed using flow cytometry. Cleaved caspase-3 and PARP were analyzed by western blotting. We found that red guava extracts can, through caspase-3 activation and PARP cleavage signaling, induce apoptotic and necrotic death in TNBC cells. Our results thus show the therapeutic benefit of red guava extracts as a potential cancer treatment for TNBC in combination with doxorubicin or targeted therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsiao-Chun Liu
- Department of Nursing, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei 231, Taiwan.,Department of Nutrition, Master Program of Biomedical Nutrition, Hungkuang University, Taichung 433, Taiwan
| | - Chien-Chuan Chiang
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung 404, Taiwan.,enter for Molecular Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 404, Taiwan
| | - Ching-Hsiang Lin
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei 231, Taiwan.,Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 970, Taiwan
| | - Chien-Sheng Chen
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei 231, Taiwan.,Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 970, Taiwan
| | - Chyou-Wei Wei
- Department of Nutrition, Master Program of Biomedical Nutrition, Hungkuang University, Taichung 433, Taiwan
| | - Shu-Yu Lin
- Department of Nutrition, Master Program of Biomedical Nutrition, Hungkuang University, Taichung 433, Taiwan
| | - Giou-Teng Yiang
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei 231, Taiwan.,Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 970, Taiwan
| | - Yung-Luen Yu
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung 404, Taiwan.,enter for Molecular Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 404, Taiwan.,Drug Development Center, China Medical University, Taichung 404, Taiwan.,Department of Biotechnology, Asia University, Taichung 413, Taiwan
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6
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Saha A, Harowicz MR, Cain EH, Hall AH, Hwang ESS, Marks JR, Marcom PK, Mazurowski MA. Intra-tumor molecular heterogeneity in breast cancer: definitions of measures and association with distant recurrence-free survival. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2018; 172:123-132. [PMID: 29992418 PMCID: PMC6588400 DOI: 10.1007/s10549-018-4879-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2017] [Accepted: 07/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The purpose of the study was to define quantitative measures of intra-tumor heterogeneity in breast cancer based on histopathology data gathered from multiple samples on individual patients and determine their association with distant recurrence-free survival (DRFS). METHODS We collected data from 971 invasive breast cancers, from 1st January 2000 to 23rd March 2014, that underwent repeat tumor sampling at our institution. We defined and calculated 31 measures of intra-tumor heterogeneity including ER, PR, and HER2 immunohistochemistry (IHC), proliferation, EGFR IHC, grade, and histology. For each heterogeneity measure, Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine whether patients with heterogeneous disease had different distant recurrence-free survival (DRFS) than those with homogeneous disease. RESULTS The presence of heterogeneity in ER percentage staining was prognostic of reduced DRFS with a hazard ratio of 4.26 (95% CI 2.22-8.18, p < 0.00002). It remained significant after controlling for the ER status itself (p < 0.00062) and for patients that had chemotherapy (p < 0.00032). Most of the heterogeneity measures did not show any association with DRFS despite the considerable sample size. CONCLUSIONS Intra-tumor heterogeneity of ER receptor status may be a predictor of patient DRFS. Histopathologic data from multiple tissue samples may offer a view of tumor heterogeneity and assess recurrence risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashirbani Saha
- Department of Radiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27705, USA.
- Department of Radiology, Duke University School of Medicine, 2424 Erwin Road, Suite 302, Durham, NC, 27705, USA.
| | - Michael R Harowicz
- Department of Radiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27705, USA
| | - Elizabeth Hope Cain
- Department of Radiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27705, USA
| | - Allison H Hall
- Department of Pathology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Eun-Sil Shelley Hwang
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Jeffrey R Marks
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Paul Kelly Marcom
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Maciej A Mazurowski
- Department of Radiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27705, USA
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27705, USA
- Duke University Medical Physics Program, Durham, NC, 27705, USA
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7
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Fettig LM, McGinn O, Finlay-Schultz J, LaBarbera DV, Nordeen SK, Sartorius CA. Cross talk between progesterone receptors and retinoic acid receptors in regulation of cytokeratin 5-positive breast cancer cells. Oncogene 2017; 36:6074-6084. [PMID: 28692043 PMCID: PMC5668194 DOI: 10.1038/onc.2017.204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2016] [Revised: 05/03/2017] [Accepted: 05/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Half of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers contain a subpopulation of cytokeratin 5 (CK5)-expressing cells that are therapy resistant and exhibit increased cancer stem cell (CSC) properties. We and others have demonstrated that progesterone (P4) increases CK5+ breast cancer cells. We previously discovered that retinoids block P4 induction of CK5+ cells. Here we investigated the mechanisms by which progesterone receptors (PR) and retinoic acid receptors (RAR) regulate CK5 expression and breast CSC activity. After P4 treatment, sorted CK5+ compared to CK5- cells were more tumorigenic in vivo. In vitro, P4-treated breast cancer cells formed larger mammospheres and silencing of CK5 using small hairpin RNA abolished this P4-dependent increase in mammosphere size. Retinoic acid (RA) treatment blocked the P4 increase in CK5+ cells and prevented the P4 increase in mammosphere size. Dual small interfering RNA (siRNA) silencing of RARα and RARγ reversed RA blockade of P4-induced CK5. Using promoter deletion analysis, we identified a region 1.1 kb upstream of the CK5 transcriptional start site that is necessary for P4 activation and contains a putative progesterone response element (PRE). We confirmed by chromatin immunoprecipitation that P4 recruits PR to the CK5 promoter near the -1.1 kb essential PRE, and also to a proximal region near -130 bp that contains PRE half-sites and a RA response element (RARE). RA induced loss of PR binding only at the proximal site. Interestingly, RARα was recruited to the -1.1 kb PRE and the -130 bp PRE/RARE regions with P4, but not RA alone or RA plus P4. Treatment of breast cancer xenografts in vivo with the retinoid fenretinide reduced the accumulation of CK5+ cells during estrogen depletion. This reduction, together with the inhibition of CK5+ cell expansion through RAR/PR cross talk, may explain the efficacy of retinoids in prevention of some breast cancer recurrences.
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Affiliation(s)
- LM Fettig
- Department of Pathology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - O McGinn
- Department of Pathology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - J Finlay-Schultz
- Department of Pathology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - DV LaBarbera
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - SK Nordeen
- Department of Pathology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - CA Sartorius
- Department of Pathology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
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8
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Tang P, Tse GM. Immunohistochemical Surrogates for Molecular Classification of Breast Carcinoma: A 2015 Update. Arch Pathol Lab Med 2017; 140:806-14. [PMID: 27472239 DOI: 10.5858/arpa.2015-0133-ra] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT -The pioneering works on molecular classification (MC) by Perou and Sorlie et al in the early 2000s using global gene expression profiling identified 5 intrinsic subtypes of invasive breast cancers (IBCs): luminal A, luminal B, normal breast-like, HER2-enriched, and basal-like subtypes, each unique in incidence, survival, and response to therapy. Because the application of gene expression profiling in daily practice is not economical or practical at the present time, many investigators have studied the use of immunohistochemical (IHC) surrogates as a substitute for determining the MC of IBC. OBJECTIVE -To discuss the continuing efforts that have been made to develop clinically significant and readily available IHC surrogates for the MC of IBC. DATA SOURCES -Data were obtained from pertinent peer-reviewed English-language literature. CONCLUSIONS -The most commonly used IHC surrogates are estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2), dividing IBC into luminal, HER2, and triple-negative subtypes. The addition of Ki-67, cytokeratin 5, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) separates luminal B from luminal A subtypes, and basal-like subtype from triple-negative breast cancer. More recently, biomarkers such as androgen receptor and p53 have been shown to further stratify these molecular subtypes. Although many studies of IHC-based MC have shown clinical significance similar to gene expression profiling-defined MC, its critical limitations are: (1) a lack of standardization in terminology, (2) a lack of standardization in biomarkers used for each subtype, and (3) the lack of a uniform cutoff for each biomarker. A panel of IHC surrogates for each subtype of IBC is proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gary M Tse
- From the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York; and the Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong
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9
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Tishchenko I, Milioli HH, Riveros C, Moscato P. Extensive Transcriptomic and Genomic Analysis Provides New Insights about Luminal Breast Cancers. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0158259. [PMID: 27341628 PMCID: PMC4920434 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0158259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2016] [Accepted: 06/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite constituting approximately two thirds of all breast cancers, the luminal A and B tumours are poorly classified at both clinical and molecular levels. There are contradictory reports on the nature of these subtypes: some define them as intrinsic entities, others as a continuum. With the aim of addressing these uncertainties and identifying molecular signatures of patients at risk, we conducted a comprehensive transcriptomic and genomic analysis of 2,425 luminal breast cancer samples. Our results indicate that the separation between the molecular luminal A and B subtypes—per definition—is not associated with intrinsic characteristics evident in the differentiation between other subtypes. Moreover, t-SNE and MST-kNN clustering approaches based on 10,000 probes, associated with luminal tumour initiation and/or development, revealed the close connections between luminal A and B tumours, with no evidence of a clear boundary between them. Thus, we considered all luminal tumours as a single heterogeneous group for analysis purposes. We first stratified luminal tumours into two distinct groups by their HER2 gene cluster co-expression: HER2-amplified luminal and ordinary-luminal. The former group is associated with distinct transcriptomic and genomic profiles, and poor prognosis; it comprises approximately 8% of all luminal cases. For the remaining ordinary-luminal tumours we further identified the molecular signature correlated with disease outcomes, exhibiting an approximately continuous gene expression range from low to high risk. Thus, we employed four virtual quantiles to segregate the groups of patients. The clinico-pathological characteristics and ratios of genomic aberrations are concordant with the variations in gene expression profiles, hinting at a progressive staging. The comparison with the current separation into luminal A and B subtypes revealed a substantially improved survival stratification. Concluding, we suggest a review of the definition of luminal A and B subtypes. A proposition for a revisited delineation is provided in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inna Tishchenko
- Information-based Medicine Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
- School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
| | - Heloisa Helena Milioli
- Information-based Medicine Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
- School of Environmental and Life Science, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
| | - Carlos Riveros
- CReDITSS Unit, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
| | - Pablo Moscato
- Information-based Medicine Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
- School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
- * E-mail:
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10
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Berstein LM. Cancer endocrinology: noticeable developments in the last decade. Future Oncol 2015; 11:2617-2620. [DOI: 10.2217/fon.15.167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Lev M Berstein
- Lab. Oncoendocrinology, NN Petrov Research Institute of Oncology, Pesochny-2, St Petersburg 197758, Russia
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11
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Goodman CR, Sato T, Peck AR, Girondo MA, Yang N, Liu C, Yanac AF, Kovatich AJ, Hooke JA, Shriver CD, Mitchell EP, Hyslop T, Rui H. Steroid induction of therapy-resistant cytokeratin-5-positive cells in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer through a BCL6-dependent mechanism. Oncogene 2015; 35:1373-85. [PMID: 26096934 PMCID: PMC4800289 DOI: 10.1038/onc.2015.193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2015] [Revised: 04/08/2015] [Accepted: 05/04/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Therapy resistance remains a major problem in estrogen receptor-α (ERα)-positive breast cancer. A subgroup of ERα-positive breast cancer is characterized by mosaic presence of a minor population of ERα-negative cancer cells expressing the basal cytokeratin-5 (CK5). These CK5-positive cells are therapy resistant and have increased tumor-initiating potential. Although a series of reports document induction of the CK5-positive cells by progestins, it is unknown if other 3-ketosteroids share this ability. We now report that glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids effectively expand the CK5-positive cell population. CK5-positive cells induced by 3-ketosteroids lacked ERα and progesterone receptors, expressed stem cell marker, CD44, and displayed increased clonogenicity in soft agar and broad drug-resistance in vitro and in vivo. Upregulation of CK5-positive cells by 3-ketosteroids required induction of the transcriptional repressor BCL6 based on suppression of BCL6 by two independent BCL6 small hairpin RNAs or by prolactin. Prolactin also suppressed 3-ketosteroid induction of CK5+ cells in T47D xenografts in vivo. Survival analysis with recursive partitioning in node-negative ERα-positive breast cancer using quantitative CK5 and BCL6 mRNA or protein expression data identified patients at high or low risk for tumor recurrence in two independent patient cohorts. The data provide a mechanism by which common pathophysiological or pharmacologic elevations in glucocorticoids or other 3-ketosteroids may adversely affect patients with mixed ERα+/CK5+ breast cancer. The observations further suggest a cooperative diagnostic utility of CK5 and BCL6 expression levels and justify exploring efficacy of inhibitors of BCL6 and 3-ketosteroid receptors for a subset of ERα-positive breast cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- C R Goodman
- Department of Cancer Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - T Sato
- Department of Cancer Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - A R Peck
- Department of Cancer Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - M A Girondo
- Department of Cancer Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - N Yang
- Department of Cancer Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - C Liu
- Department of Cancer Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - A F Yanac
- Department of Cancer Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - A J Kovatich
- John P. Murtha Cancer Center, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - J A Hooke
- John P. Murtha Cancer Center, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - C D Shriver
- John P. Murtha Cancer Center, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - E P Mitchell
- Department of Medical Oncology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - T Hyslop
- Department of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - H Rui
- Department of Cancer Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Department of Medical Oncology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Department of Pathology, Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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12
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Pribluda A, de la Cruz CC, Jackson EL. Intratumoral Heterogeneity: From Diversity Comes Resistance. Clin Cancer Res 2015; 21:2916-23. [PMID: 25838394 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-14-1213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2014] [Accepted: 03/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Tumors consist of a heterogeneous mixture of functionally distinct cancer cells. These functional differences can be caused by varying levels of receptor activity, differentiation, and distinct metabolic and epigenetic states. Intratumoral heterogeneity can lead to interdependence among different subpopulations of cells for sustained tumor growth. In addition, subpopulations can vary widely in their responses to therapeutic agents. As such, it is believed that intratumoral heterogeneity may underlie incomplete treatment responses, acquired and innate resistance, and disease relapse observed in the clinic in response to conventional chemotherapy and targeted agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariel Pribluda
- Discovery Oncology, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, California
| | | | - Erica L Jackson
- Discovery Oncology, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, California.
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