title: Embryonic stem cell preconditioned microenvironment suppresses tumorigenic properties in breast cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Microenvironment is being increasingly recognized as a critical determinant in tumor progression and metastasis. However, the appropriate regulatory mechanism to maintain the normal balance between differentiation and self-renewal of the cancer cell in microenvironment is not well known.
  
  
  METHODS
  4T1 breast cancer cells were treated with embryonic stem (ES) cell conditioned medium which was collected from mouse ES cells. Inhibition of tumor cell growth was based on the reduction of cell proliferation and viability, and inhibition of aggressive properties of tumor cells were examined using the wound-healing and mammosphere assays. The expression of stem cell-associated genes was detected by quantitative RT-PCR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We used a real-time imaging system to investigate the effect of the mouse ES cell microenvironment on aggressive breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Exposure of breast cancer cells in mouse ES cell conditioned medium resulted in inhibition of growth, migration, metastasis, and angiogenesis of cancer cells. For many tumors, aggressive properties were tightly related to Stat3 signaling activation. We specifically discovered that the ES cell microenvironment sufficiently suppressed Stat3 signaling pathway activation in aggressive tumor cells, leading to a reduction in tumorigenesis and invasiveness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We identified important functions of Stat3 and their implications for antitumor effects of ES cell conditioned medium. Some factors secreted by ES cells could efficiently suppress Stat3 pathway activation in breast cancer cells, and were then involved in cancer cell growth, survival, invasion, and migration. This study may act as a platform to understand tumor cell plasticity and may offer new therapeutic strategies to inhibit breast cancer progression.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, Tianjin, 300071, People's Republic of China.|Key Laboratory of Bioactive Materials, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.|Institute of Radiation Medicine, Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Ningning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Department of Genitourinary Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, 300060, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Guowei
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, Tianjin, 300071, People's Republic of China.|Key Laboratory of Bioactive Materials, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, Tianjin, 300071, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Beijing Institute of Transfusion Medicine, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiaoyan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Tianjin Union Medical Center, Nankai University Affiliated Hospital, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Bioactive Materials, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yuebing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Bioactive Materials, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Lailiang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ou
authors.affiliation: Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Beijing Institute of Transfusion Medicine, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xuetao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Pei
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, Tianjin, 300071, People's Republic of China. liuna@nankai.edu.cn.|Key Laboratory of Bioactive Materials, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China. liuna@nankai.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Na
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, Tianjin, 300071, People's Republic of China. zongjinli@nankai.edu.cn.|Key Laboratory of Bioactive Materials, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China. zongjinli@nankai.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Zongjin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay; D063646:Carcinogenesis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned / Q000494:pharmacology*; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D061252:Feeder Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D015674:Mammary Neoplasms, Animal / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D055153:Stem Cell Niche / Q000235:genetics*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; C494087:Stat3 protein, mouse
keywords: Breast cancer cells; Embryonic stem cells; Imaging; Microenvironment; Stat3 signaling