1. PIK3C[delta] expression by fibroblasts promotes triple-negative breast cancer progression
- Author
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Gagliano, Teresa, Shah, Kalpit, Gargani, Sofia, Lao, Liyan, Alsaleem, Mansour, Chen, Jianing, Ntafis, Vasileios, Huang, Penghan, Ditsiou, Angeliki, Vella, Viviana, Yadav, Kritika, Bienkowska, Kamila, Bresciani, Giulia, Kang, Kai, Li, Leping, Carter, Philip, Benstead-Hume, Graeme, OHanlon, Timothy, Dean, Michael, Pearl, Frances M.G., Lee, Soo-Chin, Rakha, Emad A., Green, Andrew R., Kontoyiannis, Dimitris L., Song, Erwei, Stebbing, Justin, and Giamas, Georgios
- Subjects
Genetic engineering -- Analysis ,Idelalisib -- Analysis ,Breast cancer -- Development and progression ,Cancer metastasis -- Development and progression ,RNA -- Analysis ,Health care industry - Abstract
As there is growing evidence for the tumor microenvironment's role in tumorigenesis, we investigated the role of fibroblast-expressed kinases in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Using a high-throughput kinome screen combined with 3D invasion assays, we identified fibroblast-expressed PIK3C[delta] (f- PIK3C[delta]) as a key regulator of cancer progression. Although PIK3C[delta] was expressed in primary fibroblasts derived from TNBC patients, it was barely detectable in breast cancer (BC) cell lines. Genetic and pharmacological gain- and loss-of-function experiments verified the contribution of f-PIK3C[delta] in TNBC cell invasion. Integrated secretomics and transcriptomics analyses revealed a paracrine mechanism via which f-PIK3C[delta] confers its protumorigenic effects. Inhibition of f-PIK3C[delta] promoted the secretion of factors, including PLGF and BDNF, that led to upregulation of NR4A1 in TNBC cells, where it acts as a tumor suppressor. Inhibition of PIK3C[delta] in an orthotopic BC mouse model reduced tumor growth only after inoculation with fibroblasts, indicating a role of f-PIK3C[delta] in cancer progression. Similar results were observed in the MMTV-PyMT transgenic BC mouse model, along with a decrease in tumor metastasis, emphasizing the potential immune-independent effects of PIK3C[delta] inhibition. Finally, analysis of BC patient cohorts and TCGA data sets identified f-PIK3C[delta] (protein and mRNA levels) as an independent prognostic factor for overall and disease-free survival, highlighting it as a therapeutic target for TNBC., Introduction Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC; [ER.sup.-], [PR.sup.-], [HER2.sup.-]) represents a molecularly diverse and highly heterogeneous subtype of breast cancer (BC) (15%-20%) with a poor prognosis and high rates of recurrence [...]
- Published
- 2020
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