Quiescent OXPHOS-high triple-negative breast cancer cells that persist after chemotherapy depend on BCL-XL for survival.

ABSTRACT: The persistent residual tumor cells that survive after chemotherapy are a major cause of treatment failure, but their survival mechanisms remain largely elusive. These cancer cells are typically characterized by a quiescent state with suppressed activity of MYC and MTOR. We observed that the MYC-suppressed persistent triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells are metabolically flexible and can upregulate mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) genes and respiratory function ("OXPHOS-high" cell state) in response to DNA-damaging anthracyclines such as doxorubicin, but not to taxanes. The elevated biomass and respiratory function of mitochondria in OXPHOS-high persistent cancer cells were associated with mitochondrial elongation and remodeling suggestive of increased mitochondrial f

SUBMITTER: Andrzejewski S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12407681 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature