1
|
Li M, Zhou S, Lv H, Cai M, Wan X, Lu H, Shui R, Yang W. FOXC1 and SOX10 in Estrogen Receptor-Low Positive/HER2-Negative Breast Cancer: Potential Biomarkers for the Basal-like Phenotype Prediction. Arch Pathol Lab Med 2024; 148:461-470. [PMID: 37406289 DOI: 10.5858/arpa.2022-0370-oa] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
CONTEXT.— Breast cancer with low (1%-10%) estrogen receptor (ER) expression (ER-low positive) constitutes a small portion of invasive breast cancers, and the treatment strategy for these tumors remains debatable. OBJECTIVE.— To characterize the features and outcomes of ER-low positive patients, and clarify the clinical significance of FOXC1 and SOX10 expression in ER-low positive/HER2-negative tumors. DESIGN.— Among 9082 patients diagnosed with primary invasive breast cancer, the clinicopathologic features of those with ER-low positive breast cancer were characterized. FOXC1 and SOX10 mRNA levels were analyzed in ER-low positive/HER2-negative cases from public data sets. The expression of FOXC1 and SOX10 in ER-low positive/HER2-negative tumors was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS.— The clinicopathologic study of ER-low positive tumors indicated more aggressive characteristics compared with those tumors with ER >10%, while they had more overlapping features with ER-negative tumors irrespective of the HER2 status. The intrinsic molecular subtype of ER-low positive cases with high FOXC1 and SOX10 mRNA expression was more likely to be nonluminal. Among the ER-low positive/HER2-negative tumors, 56.67% (51 of 90) and 36.67% (33 of 90) were positive for FOXC1 and SOX10, respectively, which was significantly positively correlated with CK5/6 expression. In addition, the survival analysis demonstrated no significant difference between patients who received and who did not receive endocrine therapy. CONCLUSIONS.— ER-low positive breast cancers biologically overlap more with ER-negative tumors. ER-low positive/HER2-negative cases demonstrate a high rate of FOXC1 or SOX10 expression, and these cases might be better categorized as a basal-like phenotype/subtype. FOXC1 and SOX10 testing may be used for the intrinsic phenotype prediction for ER-low positive/HER2-negative patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ming Li
- From the Department of Pathology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China (Li, Zhou, Lv, Cai, Wan, Lu, Shui, Yang)
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China (Li, Zhou, Lv, Cai, Wan, Lu, Shui, Yang)
- the Institute of Pathology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China (Li, Zhou, Lv, Cai, Wan, Lu, Shui, Yang)
| | - Shuling Zhou
- From the Department of Pathology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China (Li, Zhou, Lv, Cai, Wan, Lu, Shui, Yang)
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China (Li, Zhou, Lv, Cai, Wan, Lu, Shui, Yang)
- the Institute of Pathology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China (Li, Zhou, Lv, Cai, Wan, Lu, Shui, Yang)
| | - Hong Lv
- From the Department of Pathology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China (Li, Zhou, Lv, Cai, Wan, Lu, Shui, Yang)
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China (Li, Zhou, Lv, Cai, Wan, Lu, Shui, Yang)
- the Institute of Pathology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China (Li, Zhou, Lv, Cai, Wan, Lu, Shui, Yang)
| | - Mengyuan Cai
- From the Department of Pathology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China (Li, Zhou, Lv, Cai, Wan, Lu, Shui, Yang)
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China (Li, Zhou, Lv, Cai, Wan, Lu, Shui, Yang)
- the Institute of Pathology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China (Li, Zhou, Lv, Cai, Wan, Lu, Shui, Yang)
| | - Xiaochun Wan
- From the Department of Pathology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China (Li, Zhou, Lv, Cai, Wan, Lu, Shui, Yang)
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China (Li, Zhou, Lv, Cai, Wan, Lu, Shui, Yang)
- the Institute of Pathology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China (Li, Zhou, Lv, Cai, Wan, Lu, Shui, Yang)
| | - Hongfen Lu
- From the Department of Pathology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China (Li, Zhou, Lv, Cai, Wan, Lu, Shui, Yang)
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China (Li, Zhou, Lv, Cai, Wan, Lu, Shui, Yang)
- the Institute of Pathology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China (Li, Zhou, Lv, Cai, Wan, Lu, Shui, Yang)
| | - Ruohong Shui
- From the Department of Pathology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China (Li, Zhou, Lv, Cai, Wan, Lu, Shui, Yang)
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China (Li, Zhou, Lv, Cai, Wan, Lu, Shui, Yang)
- the Institute of Pathology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China (Li, Zhou, Lv, Cai, Wan, Lu, Shui, Yang)
| | - Wentao Yang
- From the Department of Pathology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China (Li, Zhou, Lv, Cai, Wan, Lu, Shui, Yang)
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China (Li, Zhou, Lv, Cai, Wan, Lu, Shui, Yang)
- the Institute of Pathology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China (Li, Zhou, Lv, Cai, Wan, Lu, Shui, Yang)
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Wang Y, Wang G, Liu Y, Yang F, Zhang H, Kong Y. Icaritin inhibits endometrial carcinoma cells by suppressing O-GlcNAcylation of FOXC1. PHYTOMEDICINE : INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHYTOTHERAPY AND PHYTOPHARMACOLOGY 2023; 120:155062. [PMID: 37683586 DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2023.155062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Icaritin has a wide range of pharmacological activities, including significant an-titumor activity. However, the mechanism of action of icaritin in endometrial cancer (UCEC) remains unknown. FOX proteins are a highly conserved transcription factor superfamily that play important roles in epithelial cell differentiation, tumor metastasis, angiogenesis, and cell cycle regulation. FOXC1 is an important member of the FOX protein family. FOXC1 is aberrantly expressed in endometrial cancer and may play a role in the migration and invasion of endometrial cancer; however, its mechanism of action has not yet been reported. O-GlcNAc glycosylation is a common post-translational modification. In endometrial cancer, high levels of O-GlcNAcylation promote cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Cancer development is often accompanied by O-GlcNAc modification of proteins; however, O-GlcNAc modification of the transcription factor FOXC1 has not been reported to date. PURPOSE To investigate the inhibitory effects of icaritin on RL95-2 and Ishikawa endometrial cancer cells in vitro and in vivo and to elucidate the possible molecular mechanisms. METHODS/STUDY DESIGN CCK8, colony formation, migration, and invasion assays were used to determine the inhibitory effects of icaritin on endometrial cancer cells in vitro. Cell cycle regulation was assayed by flow cytometry. Protein levels were measured based on western blotting. The level of FOXC1 expression in endometrial cancer tissues was determined by immunohistochemistry. To assess whether icaritin also has activity in vivo, its effect on tumor xenografts was evaluated. RESULTS Immunohistochemical analysis of clinical samples revealed that FOXC1 expression was significantly higher in endometrial cancer tissues than in normal tissues. Downregulation of FOXC1 inhibited the proliferative, colony formation, migration, and invasive abilities of RL95-2 and Ishikawa endometrial cancer cells. Icaritin inhibited the proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion of endometrial cancer cells and blocked the cell cycle in S phase. Icaritin affected O-GlcNAc modification of FOXC1 and thus the stability of FOXC1, which subsequently triggered the inhibition of endometrial cancer cell proliferation. CONCLUSION The anti-endometrial cancer effect of icaritin is related to the inhibition of abnormal O-GlcNAc modification of FOXC1, which may provide an important theoretical foundation for the use of icaritin against endometrial cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yufei Wang
- Institute of Neurology, General Hospital of Shenyang Military Command, Shenyang, Liaoning 110016, China
| | - Gang Wang
- Dalian Medical University, Lvshun South Road #9, Dalian, Liaoning 116044, China
| | - Yingping Liu
- Dalian Medical University, Lvshun South Road #9, Dalian, Liaoning 116044, China
| | - Fangyu Yang
- Institute of Neurology, General Hospital of Shenyang Military Command, Shenyang, Liaoning 110016, China
| | - Hongshuo Zhang
- Dalian Medical University, Lvshun South Road #9, Dalian, Liaoning 116044, China.
| | - Ying Kong
- Dalian Medical University, Lvshun South Road #9, Dalian, Liaoning 116044, China.
| |
Collapse
|