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Altered TGF‐α/β signaling drives cooperation between breast cancer cell populations
Author(s) -
Franco Omar E.,
Tyson Darren R.,
Konvinse Katherine C.,
Udyavar Akshata R.,
Estrada Lourdes,
Quaranta Vito,
Crawford Susan E.,
Hayward Simon W.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fj.201500187rr
Subject(s) - breast cancer , transforming growth factor , signal transduction , cancer research , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , cancer , genetics
The role of tumor heterogeneity in regulating disease progression is poorly understood. We hypothesized that interactions between subpopulations of cancer cells can affect the progression of tumors selecting for a more aggressive phenotype. We developed an in vivo assay based on the immortalized nontumorigenic breast cell line MCF10A and its Ras‐transformed derivatives AT1 (mildly tumorigenic) and CA1d (highly tumorigenic). CA1d cells outcompeted MCF10A, forming invasive tumors. AT1 grafts were approximately 1% the size of CA1d tumors when initiated using identical cell numbers. In contrast, CA1d/ AT1 mixed tumors were larger than tumors composed of AT1 alone (100‐fold) or CA1d (3‐fold), suggesting cooperation in tumor growth. One of the mechanisms whereby CA1d and AT1 were found to cooperate was by modulation of TGF‐α and TGF‐β signaling. Both of these molecules were sufficient to induce changes in AT1 proliferative potential in vitro. Reisolation of AT1 tumor‐derived (AT1 ‐TD ) cells from these mixed tumors revealed that AT1 ‐TD cells grew in vivo , forming tumors as large as tumorigenic CA1d cells. Cooperation between subpopulations of cancer epithelium is an understudied mechanism of tumor growth and invasion that may have implications on tumor resistance to current therapies.—Franco, O. E., Tyson, D. R., Konvinse, K. C., Udyavar, A. R., Estrada, L., Quaranta, V., Crawford, S. E., Hayward, S. W. Altered TGF‐α/β signaling drives cooperation between breast cancer cell populations. FASEB J. 30, 3441–3452 (2016). www.fasebj.org