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RAC1B function is essential for breast cancer stem cell maintenance and chemoresistance of breast tumor cells.

ABSTRACT: Breast cancer stem cells (BCSC) are presumed to be responsible for treatment resistance, tumor recurrence and metastasis of breast tumors. However, development of BCSC-targeting therapies has been held back by their heterogeneity and the lack of BCSC-selective molecular targets. Here, we demonstrate that RAC1B, the only known alternatively spliced variant of the small GTPase RAC1, is expressed in a subset of BCSCs in vivo and its function is required for the maintenance of BCSCs and their chemoresistance to doxorubicin. In human breast cancer cell line MCF7, RAC1B is required for BCSC plasticity and chemoresistance to doxorubicin in vitro and for tumor-initiating abilities in vivo. Unlike Rac1, Rac1b function is dispensable for normal mammary gland development and mammary epithelial stem cell (MaSC) activity. In contrast, loss of Rac1b function in a mouse model of breast cancer hampers the BCSC activity and increases their chemosensitivity to doxorubicin treatment. Collectively, our data suggest that RAC1B is a clinically relevant molecular target for the development of BCSC-targeting therapies that may improve the effectiveness of doxorubicin-mediated chemotherapy.

SUBMITTER: Chen F

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9957727 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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RAC1B function is essential for breast cancer stem cell maintenance and chemoresistance of breast tumor cells.

Chen Fuhui F Gurler Sevim B SB Novo David D Selli Cigdem C Alferez Denis G DG Eroglu Secil S Pavlou Kyriaki K Zhang Jingwei J Sims Andrew H AH Humphreys Neil E NE Adamson Antony A Campbell Andrew A Sansom Owen J OJ Tournier Cathy C Clarke Robert B RB Brennan Keith K Streuli Charles H CH Ucar Ahmet A

Oncogene 20230105 9

Breast cancer stem cells (BCSC) are presumed to be responsible for treatment resistance, tumor recurrence and metastasis of breast tumors. However, development of BCSC-targeting therapies has been held back by their heterogeneity and the lack of BCSC-selective molecular targets. Here, we demonstrate that RAC1B, the only known alternatively spliced variant of the small GTPase RAC1, is expressed in a subset of BCSCs in vivo and its function is required for the maintenance of BCSCs and their chemor ...[more]

PMID: 36599922

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Project description:There is increasing evidence that cancer recurrence and resistance to chemotherapy are linked to a subset of cancer stem cells. However, detecting these cells specifically and targeting them therapeutically remain challenging. As microRNAs (miRNAs) are emerging as key players in cancer biology, we set up to identify miRNAs involved in chemoresistance of breast cancer stem cells. In this study, we enriched populations of chemoresistant cancer stem cells from breast cancer and non-transformed breast cell lines using mammospheres. These mammospheres were treated or not with two chemoreagents, and we profiled surviving cells using miRNA microarray analysis. Comparison of the profiles from treated and untreated mammospheres as well as control and cancer cells yielded a six-miRNAs signature specific for chemoresistant stem cell-enriched subpopulations. From this signature miR-363-3p was found to be most highly overexpressed in various breast cancer cell lines and derived cancer stem cell-enriched populations, whereas non-tumorigenic cells had low levels. Inhibition of miR-363-3p was found to decrease cancer stem cell maintenance and tumorigenicity in vitro. Consistently, miR-363-3p downregulation decreased tumor growth and metastatization by human tumor cells transplanted in mice. Finally, miR363-3p levels in the sera of 38 breast cancer patients enrolled in a neoadjuvant trial correlated well with the response to the chemotherapeutic treatments. Altogether, miR363-3p was identified as a mediator of the breast cancer stem cell phenotype, and it may provide a predictor of the response to chemotherapy from a simple blood test, as well as a potential therapeutic approach for cancer stem cell targeting. This data set aims at identifying differentially expressed miRNAs in chemoresistant mammospheres, by the profiling of miRNA in MCF7 breast cancer cell-derived mammospheres selected to be resistant to 5 Fluorouracil (5FU) or Paclitaxel, as compared to unselected MCF7 mammospheres.

Project description:PurposeEvidence is lacking whether the number of breast tumor-initiating cells (BT-ICs) directly correlates with the sensitivity of breast tumors to chemotherapy. Here, we evaluated the association between proportion of BT-ICs and chemoresistance of the tumors.MethodsImmunohistochemical staining(IHC) was used to examine the expression of aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen, and TUNEL was used to detect the apoptosis index. The significance of various variables in patient survival was analyzed using a Cox proportional hazards model. The percentage of BT-ICs in breast cancer cell lines and primary breast tumors was determined by ALDH1 enzymatic assay, CD44(+)/CD24(-) phenotype and mammosphere formation assay.ResultsALDH1 expression determined by IHC in primary breast cancers was associated with poor clinical response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and reduced survival in breast cancer patients. Breast tumors that contained higher proportion of BT-ICs with CD44(+)/CD24(-) phenotype, ALDH1 enzymatic activity and sphere forming capacity were more resistant to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Chemoresistant cell lines AdrR/MCF-7 and SK-3rd, had increased number of cells with sphere forming capacity, CD44(+)/CD24(-) phenotype and side-population. Regardless the proportion of T-ICs, FACS-sorted CD44(+)/CD24(-) cells that derived from primary tumors or breast cancer lines were about 10-60 fold more resistant to chemotherapy relative to the non- CD44(+)/CD24(-) cells and their parental cells. Furthermore, our data demonstrated that MDR1 (multidrug resistance 1) and ABCG2 (ATP-binding cassette sub-family G member 2) were upregulated in CD44(+)/CD24(-) cells. Treatment with lapatinib or salinomycin reduced the proportion of BT-ICs by nearly 50 fold, and thus enhanced the sensitivity of breast cancer cells to chemotherapy by around 30 fold.ConclusionsThese data suggest that the proportion of BT-ICs is associated with chemotherapeutic resistance of breast cancer. It highlights the importance of targeting T-ICs, rather than eliminating the bulk of rapidly dividing and terminally differentiated cells, in novel anti-cancer strategies.

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RAC1B function is essential for breast cancer stem cell maintenance and chemoresistance of breast tumor cells.

Publications

RAC1B function is essential for breast cancer stem cell maintenance and chemoresistance of breast tumor cells.

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