AXL Is a Driver of Stemness in Normal Mammary Gland and Breast Cancer.

ABSTRACT: The receptor tyrosine kinase AXL is associated with epithelial plasticity in several solid tumors including breast cancer and AXL-targeting agents are currently in clinical trials. We hypothesized that AXL is a driver of stemness traits in cancer by co-option of a regulatory function normally reserved for stem cells. AXL-expressing cells in human mammary epithelial ducts co-expressed markers associated with multipotency, and AXL inhibition abolished colony formation and self-maintenance activities while promoting terminal differentiation in vitro. Axl-null mice did not exhibit a strong developmental phenotype, but enrichment of Axl ⁺ cells was required for mouse mammary gland reconstitution upon transplantation, and Axl-null mice had reduced incidence

SUBMITTER: Engelsen AST 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7578759 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature