Reduced expression of the murine HLA-G homolog Qa-2 is associated with malignancy, epithelial-mesenchymal transition and stemness in breast cancer cells.

ABSTRACT: Qa-2 is believed to mediate a protective immune response against cancer; however, little is known about the role of Qa-2 in tumorigenesis. Here, we used 4T1 breast cancer cells to study the involvement of Qa-2 in tumor progression in a syngeneic host. Qa-2 expression was reduced during in vivo tumor growth and in cell lines derived from 4T1-induced tumors. Tumor-derived cells elicited an epithelial-mesenchymal transition associated with upregulation of Zeb1 and Twist1/2 and enhanced tumor initiating and invasive capacities. Furthermore, these cells showed increased stem characteristics, as demonstrated by upregulation of Hes1, Sox2 and Oct3/4, and enrichment of CD44^high/CD24^median/low cells. Remarkably, Qa-2 cell-surface expression was excluded from the CD44^high<

SUBMITTER: da Silva IL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5524840 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature