title: Breast stromal fibroblasts from histologically normal surgical margins are pro-carcinogenic.
abstract: There is evidence that normal breast stromal fibroblasts (NBFs) suppress tumour growth, while cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) promote tumourigenesis through functional interactions with tumour cells. Little is known about the biology and the carcinogenic potential of stromal fibroblasts present in histologically normal surgical margins (TCFs). Therefore, we first undertook gene expression analysis on five CAF/TCF pairs from breast cancer patients and three NBF samples (derived from mammoplasties). This comparative analysis revealed variation in gene expression between these three categories of cells, with a TCF-specific gene expression profile. This variability was higher in TCFs than in their paired CAFs and also NBFs. Cytokine arrays show that TCFs have a specific secretory cytokine profile. In addition, stromal fibroblasts from surgical margins expressed high levels of α-SMA and SDF-1 and exhibited higher migratory/invasiveness abilities. Indirect co-culture showed that TCF cells enhance the proliferation of non-cancerous mammary epithelial cells and the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition of breast cancer cells. Moreover, TCF and CAF cells increased the level of PCNA, MMP-2 and the phosphorylated/activated form of Akt in normal breast luminal fibroblasts in a paracrine manner. Furthermore, TCFs were able to promote the formation and growth of humanized orthotopic breast tumours in nude mice. Interestingly, these TCF phenotypes and the extent of their effects were intermediate between those of NBFs and CAFs. Together, these results indicate that stromal fibroblasts located in non-cancerous tissues exhibit a tumour-promoting phenotype, indicating that their presence post-surgery may play important roles in cancer recurrence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Oncology, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Maha A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Al-Rakan
authors.forename: Dilek
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Colak
authors.forename: Siti-Faujiah
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Hendrayani
authors.forename: Albandary
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Bakheet
authors.forename: Falah H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Al-Mohanna
authors.forename: Namik
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kaya
authors.forename: Osama
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Al-Malik
authors.forename: Abdelilah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aboussekhra
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D054377:Chemokine CXCL12 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis; D058750:Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition; D005260:Female; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000379:methods; D064593:Heterografts; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis / Q000379:methods; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: C515255:CXCL12 protein, human; D054377:Chemokine CXCL12; D016207:Cytokines; C508600:IL6 protein, human; D015850:Interleukin-6; C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
keywords: breast cancer; epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition; gene expression; stromal fibroblasts