Inhibitory effect of soluble platelet‐derived growth factor receptor β on intraosseous growth of breast cancer cells in nude mice

Bone metastasis is a frequent complication of advanced breast cancer. On the basis of functional and molecular evidence, signaling mediated by the binding of platelet‐derived growth factor (PDGF)‐BB and ‐DD to PDGF receptor β (PDGFRβ) is critical for the survival and growth of metastatic breast cancer cells within the bone microenvironment. In this study, we propose a new approach to blocking PDGFRβ signaling using soluble PDGFRβ (sPDGFRβ) as a decoy receptor for PDGF‐BB and ‐DD secreted from tumor cells and bone marrow stromal cells. A bone‐seeking TNBCT/Bo cell line was established by in vivo selection from TNBCT human breast cancer cells, which are negative for estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 protein expression. The TNBCT/Bo cells were transfected with a mammalian expression vector encoding the extracellular domain of PDGFRβ. A stable transfectant (TNBCT/Bo‐sPDGFRβ) grew at a similar rate to that of control cells under normal culture conditions, although growth stimulation of human fibroblasts with PDGF‐BB was neutralized by the culture medium from TNBCT/Bo‐sPDGFRβ cells. Intratibial injection of TNBCT/Bo‐sPDGFRβ cells into athymic nude mice resulted in a significant decrease in tumor incidence compared with control mice ( P  < 0.01). This attenuated growth correlated with decreased cancer cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and recruitment of stromal cells, and with an increase in the number of apoptotic cells. These findings suggest that sPDGFRβ is useful for the treatment of breast cancer bone metastasis. ( Cancer Sci 2011; 102: 1904–1910)