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Alterations in estrogen signalling pathways upon acquisition of anthracycline resistance in breast tumor cells.

ABSTRACT: Intrinsic or acquired drug resistance is a major impediment to the successful treatment of women with breast cancer using chemotherapy. We have observed that MCF-7 breast tumor cells selected for resistance to doxorubicin or epirubicin (MCF-7DOX2 and MCF-7EPI cells, respectively) exhibited increased expression of several members of the aldo-keto reductase (AKR) gene family (in particular AKR1C3 and AKR1B10) relative to control MCF-7CC cells selected by propagation in the absence of drug. Normal cellular roles for the AKRs include the promotion of estrogen (E2) synthesis from estrone (E1) and the hydroxylation and detoxification of exogenous xenobiotics such as anthracycline chemotherapy drugs. While hydroxylation of anthracyclines strongly attenuates their cytotoxicity, it is unclear whether the enhanced AKR expression in the above anthracycline-resistant cells promotes E2 synthesis and/or alterations in E2 signalling pathways and whether such changes contribute to enhanced survival and anthracycline resistance. To determine the role of AKRs and E2 pathways in doxorubicin resistance, we examined changes in the expression of E2-related genes and proteins upon acquisition of doxorubicin resistance. We also assessed the effects of AKR overexpression or downregulation or the effects of activators or inhibitors of E2-dependent pathways on previously acquired resistance to doxorubicin. In this study we observed that the enhanced AKR expression upon acquisition of anthracycline resistance was, in fact, associated with enhanced E2 production. However, the expression of estrogen receptor ? (ER?) was reduced by 2- to 5-fold at the gene transcript level and 2- to 20-fold at the protein level upon acquisition of anthracycline resistance. This was accompanied by an even stronger reduction in ER? phosphorylation and activity, including highly suppressed expression of two proteins under E2-dependent control (Bcl-2 and cyclin D1). The diminished Bcl-2 and cyclin D1 expression would be expected to reduce the growth rate of the cells, a hypothesis which was confirmed in subsequent cell proliferation experiments. AKR1C3 or AKR1B10 overexpression alone had no effect on doxorubicin sensitivity in MCF-7CC cells, while siRNA-mediated knockdown of AKR1C3 and/or AKR1B10 expression had no significant effect on sensitivity to doxorubicin in MCF-7DOX2 or MCF-7EPI cells. This suggested that enhanced or reduced AKR expression/activity is insufficient to confer anthracycline resistance or sensitivity to breast tumor cells, respectively. Rather, it would appear that AKR overexpression acts in concert with other proteins to confer anthracycline resistance, including reduced E2-dependent expression of both an important apoptosis inhibitor (Bcl-2) and a key protein associated with activation of cell cycle-dependent kinases (cyclin D1).

SUBMITTER: Chewchuk S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5308870 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Alterations in estrogen signalling pathways upon acquisition of anthracycline resistance in breast tumor cells.

Chewchuk Simon S Guo Baoqing B Parissenti Amadeo Mark AM

PloS one 20170214 2

Intrinsic or acquired drug resistance is a major impediment to the successful treatment of women with breast cancer using chemotherapy. We have observed that MCF-7 breast tumor cells selected for resistance to doxorubicin or epirubicin (MCF-7DOX2 and MCF-7EPI cells, respectively) exhibited increased expression of several members of the aldo-keto reductase (AKR) gene family (in particular AKR1C3 and AKR1B10) relative to control MCF-7CC cells selected by propagation in the absence of drug. Normal ...[more]

PMID: 28196134

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Project description:Recent studies have suggested that elevated expression of aldoketoreductase (AKR) 1C1 or 1C2 in tumour cells is associated with increased resistance to DNA damaging agents such as cisplatin and doxorubicin. However, it has not been shown whether selection of tumour cells for resistance to DNA-damaging anthracyclines actually results in increased expression of AKRs and increased conversion of anthracyclines to 10-fold less toxic 13-hydroxy metabolites. It is also unclear whether the induction of aldokeoreductases is temporally correlated with the onset of anthracycline resistance and whether there is a direct relationship between the level of AKR expression or activity and the magnitude of drug resistance. Through microarray profiling of MCF-7 breast cancer cells selected for progressive resistance to doxorubicin or epirubicin, we have identified several genes whose expression has been correlated with both the onset and magnitude of drug resistance, including a “1C” AKR. AKR 1C overexpression was verified by quantitative PCR. Also associated with the onset of anthracycline resistance were genes involved in drug transport (ABCB1), cell signaling and transcription (RDC1, CXCR4), cell proliferation or apoptosis (BMP7, CAV1), ROS protection (TXNRD1, MT2A), and structural or immune system proteins (IFI30, STMN1). Consistent with the role of AKRs in anthracycline resistance, doxorubicin- and epirubicin-resistant breast tumour cells exhibited 2.2-fold and 6.1-fold higher levels of the 13-hydroxy metabolite of doxorubicin (doxorubicinol) than wildtype MCF-7 cells. In addition, an inhibitor of AKR 1C2 (5- cholanic acid) almost completely restored sensitivity to doxorubicin in Abcb1-deficient doxorubicin-resistant cells, while having no effect on Abcb1-expressing epirubicin-resistant cells. Taken together, our findings strongly suggest the involvement of multiple genes in the acquisition of anthracycline resistance in breast tumor cells---in particular redox genes such as the 1C AKRs. Keywords: Drug resistance of breast cancer cells In order to identify genes whose expression strongly correlates with the acquisition or magnitude of drug resistance or are temporally related with the acquisition of resistance, we selected MCF-7 breast tumor cells for survival in increasing concentrations (doses) of doxorubicin or epirubicin. Panels of cells exhibiting progressive resistance to either doxorubicin (MCF-7DOX-2) or epirubicin (MCF-7EPI) were obtained. Cells were also “selected” in the absence of drug at each step during selection to serve as co-cultured control (MCF-7CC) cells. In this study, we have used cDNA microarray analysis of these cell lines to identify a variety of “redox” genes whose expression can be correlated with the acquisition or magnitude of drug resistance in MCF-7DOX-2 and MCF-7EPI cells, including a “1C” aldoketoreductase (AKR).

Project description:Recent studies have suggested that elevated expression of aldoketoreductase (AKR) 1C1 or 1C2 in tumour cells is associated with increased resistance to DNA damaging agents such as cisplatin and doxorubicin. However, it has not been shown whether selection of tumour cells for resistance to DNA-damaging anthracyclines actually results in increased expression of AKRs and increased conversion of anthracyclines to 10-fold less toxic 13-hydroxy metabolites. It is also unclear whether the induction of aldokeoreductases is temporally correlated with the onset of anthracycline resistance and whether there is a direct relationship between the level of AKR expression or activity and the magnitude of drug resistance. Through microarray profiling of MCF-7 breast cancer cells selected for progressive resistance to doxorubicin or epirubicin, we have identified several genes whose expression has been correlated with both the onset and magnitude of drug resistance, including a “1C” AKR. AKR 1C overexpression was verified by quantitative PCR. Also associated with the onset of anthracycline resistance were genes involved in drug transport (ABCB1), cell signaling and transcription (RDC1, CXCR4), cell proliferation or apoptosis (BMP7, CAV1), ROS protection (TXNRD1, MT2A), and structural or immune system proteins (IFI30, STMN1). Consistent with the role of AKRs in anthracycline resistance, doxorubicin- and epirubicin-resistant breast tumour cells exhibited 2.2-fold and 6.1-fold higher levels of the 13-hydroxy metabolite of doxorubicin (doxorubicinol) than wildtype MCF-7 cells. In addition, an inhibitor of AKR 1C2 (5beta-cholanic acid) almost completely restored sensitivity to doxorubicin in Abcb1-deficient doxorubicin-resistant cells, while having no effect on Abcb1-expressing epirubicin-resistant cells. Taken together, our findings strongly suggest the involvement of multiple genes in the acquisition of anthracycline resistance in breast tumor cells---in particular redox genes such as the 1C AKRs. Keywords: Drug resistance of breast cancer cells

Project description:Infiltration of breast tumors by tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) has been associated with sensitivity to anthracycline-based chemotherapy. However, it is unclear whether this is true within the estrogen receptor-alpha (ER)-negative subset of breast tumors that frequently manifest high TIL levels.The association of TIL with short-term and long-term clinical response to anthracycline-based therapy was assessed in two independent ER-negative breast cancer cohorts in which patients were categorized as TIL-high or TIL-low. We defined an eight-gene lymphocyte mRNA expression signature (including CD19, CD3D, CD48, GZMB, LCK, MS4A1, PRF1, and SELL) and used unsupervised hierarchical clustering to examine the association between TIL and short-term response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in a previously published cohort of ER-negative tumors (n = 113). We also examined the association between TIL and long-term chemotherapeutic efficacy in a second cohort of ER-negative tumors (n = 255) with longer than 6 years of median follow-up by using tissue microarrays and immunohistochemistry (IHC) for detection of CD3, CD8, CD4, CD20, and TIA-1.In patients with ER-negative tumors treated with neoadjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy, pathologic complete responses (pCRs) were achieved by 23 (74%) of 31 TIL-high patients and 25 (31%) of 80 TIL-low patients (odds ratio (OR), 6.33; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.49 to 16.08; P < 0.0001). Multivariate logistic regression with standard clinicopathologic features demonstrated that only tumor size (P = 0.037) and TIL status (P = 0.001) were independent predictors of anthracycline response. In the second cohort, adjuvant anthracycline-based therapy was associated with increased disease-free survival (DFS) only in patients with high levels of intraepithelial CD3+ TIL (P = 0.0023). In contrast, outcomes after CMF treatment (cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil) showed no association with CD3 status. In both cohorts, cytotoxic T-cells were the primary TIL subtype associated with anthracycline sensitivity. Finally, TIL significantly predicted anthracycline sensitivity for both the Her2-positive and triple-negative tumor phenotypes.ER-negative breast cancers with high levels of TIL have heightened sensitivity to anthracycline-based chemotherapy, as assessed by the immediate response to neoadjuvant therapy and long-term outcome following adjuvant therapy. Investigations of TIL-based predictive tests to identify patients likely to benefit from anthracycline-based treatments are warranted.

Dataset Information

Alterations in estrogen signalling pathways upon acquisition of anthracycline resistance in breast tumor cells.

Publications

Alterations in estrogen signalling pathways upon acquisition of anthracycline resistance in breast tumor cells.

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