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Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition status of primary breast carcinomas and its correlation with metastatic behavior.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been implicated as an important step in the development of distant metastases. We therefore wished to study EMT status of primary breast carcinomas from patients who during follow-up developed distant metastases. METHODS:mRNA expression profiles of primary breast carcinoma samples (n?=?151) from patients who developed metastatic disease were analyzed and EMT status was designated using a previously described EMT-core signature. EMT status of the primary tumor was correlated to clinicopathological characteristics, molecular subtypes, metastasis pattern, chemotherapy response and survival outcomes. In addition, using immunohistochemistry, the expression levels of several proteins implicated in EMT were studied (CDH1, CDH2, NAT1, SNAI2, TWIST1, VIM, and ZEB1) compared with the designated EMT status and survival. RESULTS:Utilizing the 130-gene-EMT-core signature, 66.2% of the primary tumors in the current study was assessed as EMT-activated. In contrast to our expectations, analyses revealed that 84.6% of Luminal A tumors, 65.1% of Luminal B tumors, and 55.6% of HER2-like had an activated EMT status, compared to only 25% of the basal-type tumors (p?

SUBMITTER: Savci-Heijink CD

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6438946 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition status of primary breast carcinomas and its correlation with metastatic behavior.

Savci-Heijink C D CD Halfwerk H H Hooijer G K J GKJ Koster J J Horlings H M HM Meijer S L SL van de Vijver M J MJ

Breast cancer research and treatment 20190104 3

<h4>Background</h4>Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been implicated as an important step in the development of distant metastases. We therefore wished to study EMT status of primary breast carcinomas from patients who during follow-up developed distant metastases.<h4>Methods</h4>mRNA expression profiles of primary breast carcinoma samples (n = 151) from patients who developed metastatic disease were analyzed and EMT status was designated using a previously described EMT-core signat ...[more]

PMID: 30610490

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Project description:The significance of the phenotypic plasticity afforded by epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) for cancer progression and drug resistance remains to be fully elucidated in the clinic. We evaluated epithelial-mesenchymal phenotypic characteristics across a range of tumor histologies using a validated, high-resolution digital microscopic immunofluorescence assay (IFA) that incorporates β-catenin detection and cellular morphology to delineate carcinoma cells from stromal fibroblasts and that quantitates the individual and colocalized expression of the epithelial marker E-cadherin (E) and the mesenchymal marker vimentin (V) at subcellular resolution ("EMT-IFA"). We report the discovery of β-catenin+ cancer cells that coexpress E-cadherin and vimentin in core-needle biopsies from patients with various advanced metastatic carcinomas, wherein these cells are transitioning between strongly epithelial and strongly mesenchymal-like phenotypes. Treatment of carcinoma models with anticancer drugs that differ in their mechanism of action (the tyrosine kinase inhibitor pazopanib in MKN45 gastric carcinoma xenografts and the combination of tubulin-targeting agent paclitaxel with the BCR-ABL inhibitor nilotinib in MDA-MB-468 breast cancer xenografts) caused changes in the tumor epithelial-mesenchymal character. Moreover, the appearance of partial EMT or mesenchymal-like carcinoma cells in MDA-MB-468 tumors treated with the paclitaxel-nilotinib combination resulted in upregulation of cancer stem cell (CSC) markers and susceptibility to FAK inhibitor. A metastatic prostate cancer patient treated with the PARP inhibitor talazoparib exhibited similar CSC marker upregulation. Therefore, the phenotypic plasticity conferred on carcinoma cells by EMT allows for rapid adaptation to cytotoxic or molecularly targeted therapy and could create a form of acquired drug resistance that is transient in nature. SIGNIFICANCE: Despite the role of EMT in metastasis and drug resistance, no standardized assessment of EMT phenotypic heterogeneity in human carcinomas exists; the EMT-IFA allows for clinical monitoring of tumor adaptation to therapy.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Activins belong to the transforming growth factor-? (TGF-?) superfamily of cytokines. Although the role of TGF-? in cancer progression has been highly advocated, the role of activin signaling in cancer is not well known. However, overexpression of activin-A has been observed in several cancers. AIMS:The gene expression profile indicated higher expression of Activin-A in breast tumors. Hence the aim of this study was to evaluate the status and role of Activin signaling pathway in these tumors. METHODS:Microarray analysis was performed to reveal gene expression changes in breast tumors. The results were validated by quantitative PCR and immunohistochemical analysis in two independent sets of normal and tumor samples. Further, correlation of activin expression with survival and distant metastasis was performed to evaluate its possible role in tumor progression. We used recombinant activin-A, inhibitors, overexpression, and knockdown strategies both in vitro and in vivo, to understand the mechanism underlying the protumorigenic role of this signaling pathway. RESULTS:We report that activin-A signaling is hyperactivated in breast cancers as indicated by higher activin-A, phosphoSMAD2, and phosphoSMAD3 levels in advanced breast cancers. Bone morphogenetic proteins and molecules involved in this signaling pathway were downregulated, suggesting its suppression in breast cancers. Activin-A expression correlates inversely with survival and metastasis in advanced breast cancers. Further, activin-A promotes anchorage-independent growth, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, invasion, angiogenesis, and stemness of breast cancer cells. We show that activin-A-induced phenotype is mediated by SMAD signaling pathway. In addition, activin-A expression affects the tumor-forming ability and metastatic colonization of cancer cells in nude mice. CONCLUSIONS:These results suggest that activin-A has a critical role in breast cancer progression and, hence, targeting this pathway can be a valuable strategy in treating breast cancer patients.

Dataset Information

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition status of primary breast carcinomas and its correlation with metastatic behavior.

Publications

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition status of primary breast carcinomas and its correlation with metastatic behavior.

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