Hypoxia-inducible factors are required for chemotherapy resistance of breast cancer stem cells.

ABSTRACT: Triple negative breast cancers (TNBCs) are defined by the lack of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 expression, and are treated with cytotoxic chemotherapy such as paclitaxel or gemcitabine, with a durable response rate of less than 20%. TNBCs are enriched for the basal subtype gene expression profile and the presence of breast cancer stem cells, which are endowed with self-renewing and tumor-initiating properties and resistance to chemotherapy. Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) and their target gene products are highly active in TNBCs. Here, we demonstrate that HIF expression and transcriptional activity are induced by treatment of MDA-MB-231, SUM-149, and SUM-159, which are human TNBC cell lines, as well as MCF-7, which is an

SUBMITTER: Samanta D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4273385 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature