Analysis of gene expression involved in brain metastasis from breast cancer using cDNA microarray.
BACKGROUND
Brain metastases occur in 15% to 30% of breast cancer patients, usually as a late event. The patterns of metastases to different organs are determined by the tumor cell phenotype and interactions between the tumor cells and the organ environment.


METHODS
We investigated the gene expression profile occurring in brain metastases from a breast cancer cell line. We used cDNA microarrays to compare patterns of gene expression between the mouse breast cancer cell line Jyg MC (A) and a subline that often metastasis to brain, (B).


RESULTS
By Microarray analysis about 350 of 21,000 genes were significantly up-regulated in Jyg MC (B). Many candidate genes that may be associated with the establishment of brain metastasis from breast cancer were included. Interestingly, we found that the expression of astrocyte derived cytokine receptors (IL-6 receptor, TGF-beta receptor and IGF receptor) were significantly increased in Jyg MC (B) cells. These results were confirmed by RT-PCR.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that cytokines produced by glial cells in vivo may contribute, in a paracrine manner, to the development of brain metastases from breast cancer cells.
Department of Surgery-2, Yokohama City University, School of Medicine, 3-9 Fukuura Kanazawa-ku, Kanagawa 236-0004, Japan.
Itaru
I
Nishizuka
Takashi
T
Ishikawa
Yohei
Y
Hamaguchi
Masako
M
Kamiyama
Yasushi
Y
Ichikawa
Koji
K
Kadota
Rika
R
Miki
Yasuhiro
Y
Tomaru
Yosuke
Y
Mizuno
Naoko
N
Tominaga
Rieko
R
Yano
Hitoshi
H
Goto
Hiroyuki
H
Nitanda
Shinji
S
Togo
Y
Y
Okazaki
Yoshihide
Y
Hayashizaki
Hiroshi
H
Shimada
D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000556:secondary*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D017931:DNA Primers; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000378:metabolism
D016207:Cytokines; D017931:DNA Primers