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Cancer stem cells from lobular infiltrating breast tumor metastasize to bone and acquire a gene signature associated to bone tropism

ABSTRACT: We investigated the role of breast cancer stem-like cells (CSCs-like), isolated from primary tumor, in promoting bone metastases in a human-in-mice model. Luciferase-transduced CD44+CD24- breast CSCs-like were injected through subcutaneous (SC) and intracardiac (IC) route in nonobese/severe combined immunodeficient (NOD/SCID) mice carrying subcutaneous human bone implants. The implanted bone was viable, active and human neo-vascularization was present. By in vivo luciferase imaging, we monitored tumor growth and detected bone-localized breast CSCs-like, both after SC and IC injection. Bone metastatic lesions were histologically evident, and tumor cells expressed epithelial markers and vimentin. Bone metastatic cells isolated from bone implants showed a CD44-CD24+ phenotype and re-created tumors and bone metastases after injection in secondary mice. A “bone tropism” expression signature was found to distinguish bone-colonizing cells from parental CSCs-like and to persist at subsequent passages also in the absence of surrounding bone tissue. The bone tropism signature displayed significant enrichment in genes discriminating bone metastases of breast cancer from metastases at other organs. Our results demonstrate the ability of breast CSCs-like to promote bone metastasis and provide a CSCs-like bone tropism signature, with potential prognostic value. C10 breast cancer stem-like cells (CSCs-like) were derived as mammospheres from a lobular-infiltrating breast carcinoma (ER+, HER2-). Samples are organized in the following groups: (i) Breast CSCs-like (C10, duplicate); (ii) Luciferase-transduced CSCs-like (C10L, simplicate); (iii) Bone-isolated C10L metastatic cells (C10-bone, duplicate) and subsequently (iv) grown in vitro as spheroids (C10-CSC, simplicate) or (v) re-grown in subcutaneous implants (C10-SC, duplicate).

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

SUBMITTER: Medico Enzo

PROVIDER: S-ECPF-GEOD-36102 | biostudies-other |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Project description:Breast cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers among women, and metastasis makes it lethal. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) that acquire an alternatively activated macrophage (M2) phenotype may promote metastasis. However, the underlying mechanisms are still elusive. Here, we examined how TAMs interact with breast cancer cells to promote metastasis. Immunohistochemistry was used to examine the expression of the M2-specific antigen CD163 in paraffin-embedded mammary carcinoma blocks to explore fusion events in breast cancer patients. U937 cells were used as a substitute for human monocytes, and these cells differentiated into M2 macrophages following phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and M-CSF stimulation. M2 macrophages and the breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 fused in the presence of 50% polyethylene glycol. Hybrids were isolated by fluorescence-activated cell sorting, and the relevant cell biological properties were compared with their parental counterparts. Breast cancer stem cell (BCSC)-related markers were quantified by immunofluorescence staining, RT-PCR, quantitative RT-PCR and/or western blotting. The tumor-initiating and metastatic capacities of the hybrids and their parental counterparts were assessed in NOD/SCID mice. We found that the CD163 expression rate in breast cancer tissues varied significantly and correlated with estrogen receptor status (p<0.05). The fusion efficiency of either breast cancer cell line with M2 macrophages ranged from 1.81 to 6.47% in the presence of PEG, and no significant difference was observed between the breast cancer cell lines used (p>0.05). Characterization of the fusion hybrids revealed a more aggressive phenotype, including increased migration, invasion and tumorigenicity, but reduced proliferative ability, compared with the parental lines. The hybrids also gained a CD44(+)CD24(-/low) phenotype and over-expressed epithelial-mesenchymal transition-associated genes. These results indicate that TAMs may promote breast cancer metastasis through cell fusion, and the hybrids may gain a BCSC phenotype.

Project description:The majority of the deaths from breast cancer is due to metastasis. Bone is the most common organ to which breast cancer cells metastasize. The mechanism regulating the bone-metastatic preference remains unclear; there is a lack of a gene signature to distinguish bone-metastatic breast cancer cells. Herein, florescence-labeled MDA-MB-231 cells were transplanted into the fat pads of of the mammary gland in nude mice to generate breast tumors. Tumor cells invaded into the circulation were tracked by in vivo flow cytometry system. Metastatic tumor cells in the bone were isolated using fluorescent-activated cell sorting technique, followed by assays of cell colony formation, migration and invasion, mammosphere formation in vitro, mammary gland tumorigenesis in vivo, and Next-Generation Sequencing analysis as well. Through tumor regeneration and cell sorting, two bone-metastatic cell sublines were derived from MDA-MB-231 cells; which showed higher abilities to proliferate, migrate, invade and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transit in vitro, and stronger ability to regenerate tumors and metastasize to the bone in vivo. Both cell sublines exhibited cancer stem cell-like characteristics including higher expression levels of stem cell markers and stronger ability for mommaspheres formation. Furthermore, a Normal Distribution-like pattern of the bone-metastatic cells invading into circulation was firstly identified. Deep-sequencing analysis indicated upregulation of multiple signaling pathways in regulating EMT, cell membrane budding and morphologic change, lipid metabolism, and protein translation, which are required to provide adequate metabolic enzymes, structural proteins, and energy for the cells undergoing metastasis. In conclusion, we established two bone-metastatic breast cancer cell sublines, carrying higher degree of stemness and malignancy. The gene signature distinguishing the bone-metastatic breast cancer cells holds therapeutic potentials in prevention of breast cancer metastasis to the bone.

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Cancer stem cells from lobular infiltrating breast tumor metastasize to bone and acquire a gene signature associated to bone tropism

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