Regulation of breast cancer-induced bone lesions by β-catenin protein signaling.
Breast cancer patients have an extremely high rate of bone metastases. Morphological analyses of the bones in most of the patients have revealed the mixed bone lesions, comprising both osteolytic and osteoblastic elements. β-Catenin plays a key role in both embryonic skeletogenesis and postnatal bone regeneration. Although this pathway is also involved in many bone malignancy, such as osteosarcoma and prostate cancer-induced bone metastases, its regulation of breast cancer bone metastases remains unknown. Here, we provide evidence that the β-catenin signaling pathway has a significant impact on the bone lesion phenotype. In this study, we established a novel mouse model of mixed bone lesions using intratibial injection of TM40D-MB cells, a breast cancer cell line that is highly metastatic to bone. We found that both upstream and downstream molecules of the β-catenin pathway are up-regulated in TM40D-MB cells compared with non-bone metastatic TM40D cells. TM40D-MB cells also have a higher T cell factor (TCF) reporter activity than TM40D cells. Inactivation of β-catenin in TM40D-MB cells through expression of a dominant negative TCF4 not only increases osteoclast differentiation in a tumor-bone co-culture system and enhances osteolytic bone destruction in mice, but also inhibits osteoblast differentiation. Surprisingly, although tumor cells overexpressing β-catenin did induce a slight increase of osteoblast differentiation in vitro, these cells display a minimal effect on osteoblastic bone formation in mice. These data collectively demonstrate that β-catenin acts as an important determinant in mixed bone lesions, especially in controlling osteoblastic effect within tumor-harboring bone environment.
Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611.
Yan
Y
Chen
Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611.
Heidi Y
HY
Shi
Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611.
Stuart R
SR
Stock
Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611.
Paula H
PH
Stern
Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611. Electronic address: m-zhang@northwestern.edu.
Ming
M
Zhang
D000818:Animals; D051778:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000378:metabolism; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D015674:Mammary Neoplasms, Animal / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D010010:Osteoclasts / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D000073940:Transcription Factor 4; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000378:metabolism*
D051778:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors; C090743:Tcf4 protein, mouse; D000073940:Transcription Factor 4; D051176:beta Catenin