title: Regulation of inflammation- and angiogenesis-related gene expression in breast cancer cells and co-cultured macrophages.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) secrete key modifiers of tumor progression and their modification has been proposed as a therapeutic strategy. Phenotypic changes that may render TAMs selectively vulnerable to anti-cancer agents were examined.
  
  
  METHODS
  Gene arrays, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were used to study inflammation- and angiogenesis-related gene expression in co-cultured breast cancer cells and macrophages and to determine how their interactions were affected by tamoxifen and aspirin.
  
  
  RESULTS
  MCF-7 (mammary adenocarcinoma) cells down-regulated macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), but tamoxifen-pretreated MCF-7 cells up-regulated MIF in co-cultured macrophages. Two molecular variants of MIF were observed in the co-cultured MCF-7 cells. Aspirin induced IL-10 expression in the macrophages, MCF-7 and tamoxifen-pretreated MCF-7 cells. Aspirin-pretreated macrophages potently induced IL-10 expression in the MCF-7 cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Because MIF is a determinant of the M1 macrophage activation state, the MCF-7-induced ablation of MIF in TAMs is suggestive of partial M2 polarization. Tamoxifen modulates MCF-7 regulation of TAM gene expression and aspirin alters macrophage regulation of MCF-7 gene expression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Howard University, NW, Washington DC 20059, USA.
authors.forename: Giselle T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Burnett
authors.forename: Denise C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Weathersby
authors.forename: Tiffany E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Theodore A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Bremner