Activation of autophagy in mesenchymal stem cells provides tumor stromal support.

ABSTRACT: Recent studies have implicated multipotential mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as an aid to breast cancer cell proliferation and metastasis, partly as a result of the MSCs secretome. As the tumor gets beyond 2 mm in diameter, the stromal cells could undergo starvation due to the lack of sufficient nutrients in solid tumor microenvironment. In this study, we investigated the survival mechanisms used by stressed stromal cells in breast cancers. We used serum-deprived mesenchymal stem cells (SD-MSCs) and MCF-7 breast cancer cells as model system with a hypothesis that stromal cells in the nutrient-deprived core utilize survival mechanisms for supporting surrounding cells. We tested this hypothesis using in vivo tumor xenografts in immunodeficient mice, which indicated that SD-MSCs supported MCF-

SUBMITTER: Sanchez CG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3128555 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature