Lung-derived factors mediate breast cancer cell migration through CD44 receptor-ligand interactions in a novel ex vivo system for analysis of organ-specific soluble proteins.

ABSTRACT: Breast cancer preferentially metastasizes to lung, lymph node, liver, bone, and brain. However, it is unclear whether properties of cancer cells, properties of organ microenvironments, or a combination of both is responsible for this observed organ tropism. We hypothesized that breast cancer cells exhibit distinctive migration/growth patterns in organ microenvironments that mirror common clinical sites of breast cancer metastasis and that receptor-ligand interactions between breast cancer cells and soluble organ-derived factors mediate this behavior. Using an ex vivo model system composed of organ-conditioned media (CM), human breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231,MDA-MB-468, SUM149, and SUM159) displayed cell line-specific and organ-specific patterns of migration/proliferation that corresponded

SUBMITTER: Chu JE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3978398 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature