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A Clinically Relevant Gene Signature in Triple-Negative and Basal-Like Breast Cancer

ABSTRACT: Current prognostic gene expression profiles for breast cancer mainly reflect proliferation status and are most useful in ER-positive cancers. Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) are clinically heterogeneous, and prognostic markers and biology-based therapies are needed to better treat this disease. We assembled Affymetrix gene expression data for 579 TNBCs and performed unsupervised analysis to define metagenes that distinguish molecular subsets within TNBC. We used n=394 cases for discovery and n=185 cases for validation. Sixteen metagenes emerged that identified basal-like, apocrine and claudin-low molecular subtypes, or reflected various non-neoplastic cell populations including immune cells, blood, adipocytes, stroma, angiogenesis, and inflammation within the cancer. The expressions of these metagenes were correlated with survival and multivariate analysis was performed including routine clinical and pathological variables. 73% of TNBCs displayed basal-like molecular subtype that correlated with high histological grade and younger age. Survival of basal-like TNBC was not different from non-basal-like TNBC. High expression of immune cell metagenes was associated with good and high expression of inflammation and angiogenesis-related metagenes were associated with poor prognosis. A ratio of high B-cell and low IL-8 metagenes identified 32% of TNBC with good prognosis (HR 0.37, 95% CI 0.22-0.61; P<0.001) and was the only significant predictor in multivariate analysis including routine clincopathological variables. We describe a ratio of high B-cell presence and low IL-8 activity as a powerful new prognostic marker for TNBC. Inhibition of the IL-8 pathway also represents an attractive novel therapeutic target for this disease. Analysis of primary breast cancer biopsies from patients before treatment. No replicates. No control or reference samples are included. The set of 579 TNBCs includes: (1) 67 new GEO Samples (GSM782523-GSM782589), (2) 489 re-analyzed GEO Samples (see 'Relation' links below), and (3) 23 re-analyzed ArrayExpress Samples. Cohorts: HH = University of Hamburg FRA = University of Frankfurt, adjuvant chemotherapy FRA-2 = University of Frankfurt, neoadjuvant chemotherapy FRA-3 = University of Frankfurt, no adjuvant chemotherapy Data processing of the 579 TNBC Samples: MAS5 values were taken from GEO if available. For samples with no MAS5 values, CEL files were downloaded from GEO and the affy package from Bioconductor was used to generate MAS5 values. Next, MAS5 values corresponding only to the 22283 probesets from the U133A array were compiled. Subsequently, normalization of MAS5 data was performed using the command line version of the program CLUSTER 3.0 (Michael Eisen; updated by Michiel de Hoon; http://bonsai.hgc.jp/~mdehoon/software/cluster/command.txt). The following three steps were performed in the following order: 1. log2 transformation of MAS5 values 2. median centering of arrays 3. magnitude normalization of arrays These three steps correspond to the following commands: cluster.com filename -l cluster.com filename -ca m cluster.com filename -na The resulting dataset, which is linked below as a supplementary file, was used for the subsequent analyses.

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

SUBMITTER: Karn Thomas

PROVIDER: S-ECPF-GEOD-31519 | biostudies-other |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Project description:Current prognostic gene expression profiles for breast cancer mainly reflect proliferation status and are most useful in ER-positive cancers. Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) are clinically heterogeneous, and prognostic markers and biology-based therapies are needed to better treat this disease. We assembled Affymetrix gene expression data for 579 TNBCs and performed unsupervised analysis to define metagenes that distinguish molecular subsets within TNBC. We used n=394 cases for discovery and n=185 cases for validation. Sixteen metagenes emerged that identified basal-like, apocrine and claudin-low molecular subtypes, or reflected various non-neoplastic cell populations including immune cells, blood, adipocytes, stroma, angiogenesis, and inflammation within the cancer. The expressions of these metagenes were correlated with survival and multivariate analysis was performed including routine clinical and pathological variables. 73% of TNBCs displayed basal-like molecular subtype that correlated with high histological grade and younger age. Survival of basal-like TNBC was not different from non-basal-like TNBC. High expression of immune cell metagenes was associated with good and high expression of inflammation and angiogenesis-related metagenes were associated with poor prognosis. A ratio of high B-cell and low IL-8 metagenes identified 32% of TNBC with good prognosis (HR 0.37, 95% CI 0.22-0.61; P<0.001) and was the only significant predictor in multivariate analysis including routine clincopathological variables. We describe a ratio of high B-cell presence and low IL-8 activity as a powerful new prognostic marker for TNBC. Inhibition of the IL-8 pathway also represents an attractive novel therapeutic target for this disease. Analysis of primary breast cancer biopsies from patients before treatment. No replicates. No control or reference samples are included. The set of 579 TNBCs includes: (1) 67 new GEO Samples (GSM782523-GSM782589), (2) 489 re-analyzed GEO Samples (see 'Relation' links below), and (3) 23 re-analyzed ArrayExpress Samples. Cohorts: HH = University of Hamburg FRA = University of Frankfurt, adjuvant chemotherapy FRA-2 = University of Frankfurt, neoadjuvant chemotherapy FRA-3 = University of Frankfurt, no adjuvant chemotherapy Data processing of the 579 TNBC Samples: MAS5 values were taken from GEO if available. For samples with no MAS5 values, CEL files were downloaded from GEO and the affy package from Bioconductor was used to generate MAS5 values. Next, MAS5 values corresponding only to the 22283 probesets from the U133A array were compiled. Subsequently, normalization of MAS5 data was performed using the command line version of the program CLUSTER 3.0 (Michael Eisen; updated by Michiel de Hoon; http://bonsai.hgc.jp/~mdehoon/software/cluster/command.txt). The following three steps were performed in the following order: 1. log2 transformation of MAS5 values 2. median centering of arrays 3. magnitude normalization of arrays These three steps correspond to the following commands: cluster.com filename -l cluster.com filename -ca m cluster.com filename -na The resulting dataset, which is linked below as a supplementary file, was used for the subsequent analyses.

Project description:Withaferin A isolated from Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) has recently become an attractive phytochemical under investigation in various preclinical studies for treatment of different cancer types. In the present study, a comparative pathway-based transcriptome analysis was applied in epithelial-like MCF-7 and triple negative mesenchymal MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells exposed to concentrations of Withaferin A (WA) which can be detected systemically in in vivo experiments. Whereas WA revealed attenuation of multiple cancer hallmarks the withanolide analogue Withanone (WN), did not exert any of the described effects in these cells at comparable concentrations. Pathway enrichment analysis identified that WA targeted relevant cancer programs related to cell death, cell cycle and proliferation, which could functionally be validated flow cytometrically and by real-time proliferation xCELLigence assay. With respect to cell motility, invasion and metastasis processes, WA was found to strongly decrease MDA-MB-231 invasion as determined by single-cell collagen invasion assay. This is further supported by gene expression changes which demonstrate increased expression of a validated breast cancer metastasis suppressor gene (BRMS1) and concomitant decreased expression of extracellular matrix-degrading proteases (PLAU, PLAT, ADAM8), cell adhesion molecules (integrins, laminins) as well as pro-inflammatory mediators of the metastasis-promoting tumor microenvironment (TNFSF12, IL6, ANGPTL2, CSF1R). Subsequent in silico network analysis listed key node transcription factors regulating these processes (p53, E2F1, CDKN2A, NRF2) and revealed the role of chromatin modifying enzymes (p300, JARID1B) as central master switches, linking multiple anticancer activities of WA. Furthermore, hierarchical clustering analysis of 84 chromatin writer-reader-eraser enzymes revealed that WA treatment of invasive mesenchymal MDA-MB-231 cells reprogrammed their transcription levels more similarly towards the pattern observed in non-invasive MCF-7 cells. In conclusion, taking in account that sub-cytotoxic concentrations of WA target multiple metastatic effectors in therapy resistant triple negative breast cancer, WA based therapeutic strategies hold promise for further (pre)clinical development to defeat aggressive metastatic breast cancer. Total RNA from 2 different cell lines treated with WA, are compared to their untreated states

Project description:Withaferin A (WA) isolated from Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) has recently become an attractive phytochemical under investigation in various preclinical studies for treatment of different cancer types. In the present study, a comparative pathway-based transcriptome analysis was applied in epithelial-like MCF-7 and triple negative mesenchymal MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells exposed to different concentrations of WA which can be detected systemically in in vivo experiments. Whereas WA treatment demonstrated attenuation of multiple cancer hallmarks, the withanolide analogue Withanone (WN) did not exert any of the described effects at comparable concentrations. Pathway enrichment analysis revealed that WA targets specific cancer processes related to cell death, cell cycle and proliferation, which could be functionally validated by flow cytometry and real-time cell proliferation assays. WA also strongly decreased MDA-MB-231 invasion as determined by single-cell collagen invasion assay. This was further supported by decreased gene expression of extracellular matrix-degrading proteases (uPA, PLAT, ADAM8), cell adhesion molecules (integrins, laminins), pro-inflammatory mediators of the metastasis-promoting tumor microenvironment (TNFSF12, IL6, ANGPTL2, CSF1R) and concomitant increased expression of the validated breast cancer metastasis suppressor gene (BRMS1). In line with the transcriptional changes, nanomolar concentrations of WA significantly decreased protein levels and corresponding activity of uPA in MDA-MB-231 cell supernatant, further supporting its anti-metastatic properties. Finally, hierarchical clustering analysis of 84 chromatin writer-reader-eraser enzymes revealed that WA treatment of invasive mesenchymal MDA-MB-231 cells reprogrammed their transcription levels more similarly towards the pattern observed in non-invasive MCF-7 cells. In conclusion, taking into account that sub-cytotoxic concentrations of WA target multiple metastatic effectors in therapy-resistant triple negative breast cancer, WA-based therapeutic strategies targeting the uPA pathway hold promise for further (pre)clinical development to defeat aggressive metastatic breast cancer.

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A Clinically Relevant Gene Signature in Triple-Negative and Basal-Like Breast Cancer

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