@article {219, title = {Identification of genetic loci that control mammary tumor susceptibility through the host microenvironment.}, journal = {Sci Rep}, volume = {5}, year = {2015}, month = {2015}, pages = {8919}, abstract = {

The interplay between host genetics, tumor microenvironment and environmental exposure in cancer susceptibility remains poorly understood. Here we assessed the genetic control of stromal mediation of mammary tumor susceptibility to low dose ionizing radiation (LDIR) using backcrossed F1 into BALB/c (F1Bx) between cancer susceptible (BALB/c) and resistant (SPRET/EiJ) mouse strains. Tumor formation was evaluated after transplantation of non-irradiated Trp53-/- BALB/c mammary gland fragments into cleared fat pads of F1Bx hosts. Genome-wide linkage analysis revealed 2 genetic loci that constitute the baseline susceptibility via host microenvironment. However, once challenged with LDIR, we discovered 13 additional loci that were enriched for genes involved in cytokines, including TGFβ1 signaling. Surprisingly, LDIR-treated F1Bx cohort significantly reduced incidence of mammary tumors from Trp53-/- fragments as well as prolonged tumor latency, compared to sham-treated controls. We demonstrated further that plasma levels of specific cytokines were significantly correlated with tumor latency. Using an ex vivo 3-D assay, we confirmed TGFβ1 as a strong candidate for reduced mammary invasion in SPRET/EiJ, which could explain resistance of this strain to mammary cancer risk following LDIR. Our results open possible new avenues to understand mechanisms of genes operating via the stroma that affect cancer risk from external environmental exposures.

}, keywords = {Animals, Breast Neoplasms, Cell Line, Tumor, Cytokines, Female, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Mice, Mice, Inbred BALB C, Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced, Quantitative Trait Loci, Risk Factors, Transforming Growth Factor beta1, Tumor Microenvironment}, issn = {2045-2322}, doi = {10.1038/srep08919}, author = {Zhang, Pengju and Lo, Alvin and Huang, Yurong and Huang, Ge and Liang, Guozhou and Mott, Joni and Karpen, Gary H and Blakely, Eleanor A and Bissell, Mina J and Barcellos-Hoff, Mary Helen and A Snijders and Jiang-Hua Mao} } @article {209, title = {An interferon signature identified by RNA-sequencing of mammary tissues varies across the estrous cycle and is predictive of metastasis-free survival.}, journal = {Oncotarget}, volume = {5}, year = {2014}, month = {2014 Jun 30}, pages = {4011-25}, abstract = {

The concept that a breast cancer patient{\textquoteright}s menstrual stage at the time of tumor surgery influences risk of metastases remains controversial. The scarcity of comprehensive molecular studies of menstrual stage-dependent fluctuations in the breast provides little insight in this observation. To gain a deeper understanding of the biological changes in mammary tissue and blood during the menstrual cycle and to determine the influence of environmental exposures, such as low-dose ionizing radiation (LDIR), we used the mouse to characterize estrous-cycle variations in mammary gene transcripts by RNA-sequencing, peripheral white blood cell (WBC) counts and plasma cytokine levels. We identified an estrous-variable and hormone-dependent gene cluster enriched for Type-1 interferon genes. Cox regression identified a 117-gene signature of interferon-associated genes, which correlated with lower frequencies of metastasis in breast cancer patients. LDIR (10cGy) exposure had no detectable effect on mammary transcripts. However, peripheral WBC counts varied across the estrous cycle and LDIR exposure reduced lymphocyte counts and cytokine levels in tumor-susceptible mice. Our finding of variations in mammary Type-1 interferon and immune functions across the estrous cycle provides a mechanism by which timing of breast tumor surgery during the menstrual cycle may have clinical relevance to a patient{\textquoteright}s risk for distant metastases.

}, keywords = {Animals, Disease-Free Survival, Estrous Cycle, Female, Humans, Interferons, Mice, Mice, Inbred BALB C, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Neoplasm Metastasis, RNA, Messenger}, issn = {1949-2553}, doi = {10.18632/oncotarget.2148}, author = {A Snijders and Langley, Sasha and Jiang-Hua Mao and Bhatnagar, Sandhya and Bjornstad, Kathleen A and Rosen, Chris J and Lo, Alvin and Huang, Yurong and Blakely, Eleanor A and Karpen, Gary H and Bissell, Mina J and Wyrobek, Andrew J} } @article {77, title = {NFkB disrupts tissue polarity in 3D by preventing integration of microenvironmental signals}, journal = {Oncotarget}, volume = {4}, year = {2013}, month = {2013 Nov}, pages = {2010-20}, abstract = {

The microenvironment of cells controls their phenotype, and thereby the architecture of the emerging multicellular structure or tissue. We have reported more than a dozen microenvironmental factors whose signaling must be integrated in order to effect an organized, functional tissue morphology. However, the factors that prevent integration of signaling pathways that merge form and function are still largely unknown. We have identified nuclear factor kappa B (NFkB) as a transcriptional regulator that disrupts important microenvironmental cues necessary for tissue organization. We compared the gene expression of organized and disorganized epithelial cells of the HMT-3522 breast cancer progression series: the non-malignant S1 cells that form polarized spheres ({\textquoteright}acini{\textquoteright}), the malignant T4-2 cells that form large tumor-like clusters, and the {\textquoteright}phenotypically reverted{\textquoteright} T4-2 cells that polarize as a result of correction of the microenvironmental signaling. We identified 180 genes that display an increased expression in disorganized compared to polarized structures. Network, GSEA and transcription factor binding site analyses suggested that NFkB is a common activator for the 180 genes. NFkB was found to be activated in disorganized breast cancer cells, and inhibition of microenvironmental signaling via EGFR, beta1 integrin, MMPs, or their downstream signals suppressed its activation. The postulated role of NFkB was experimentally verified: Blocking the NFkB pathway with a specific chemical inhibitor or shRNA induced polarization and inhibited invasion of breast cancer cells in 3D cultures. These results may explain why NFkB holds promise as a target for therapeutic intervention: Its inhibition can reverse the oncogenic signaling involved in breast cancer progression and integrate the essential microenvironmental control of tissue architecture.

}, keywords = {Breast Neoplasms, Cell Line, Tumor, Female, Gene Expression, Humans, Imaging, Three-Dimensional, Microarray Analysis, NF-kappa B, Phenotype, Signal Transduction, Transcriptional Activation, Tumor Microenvironment}, issn = {1949-2553}, doi = {10.18632/oncotarget.1451}, author = {Becker-Weimann, Sabine and Xiong, Gaofeng and Furuta, Saori and Ju Han and Kuhn, Irene and Akavia, Uri-David and Pe{\textquoteright}er, Dana and Bissell, Mina J and Xu, Ren} } @article {87, title = {Molecular predictors of 3D morphogenesis by breast cancer cell lines in 3D culture}, journal = {PLoS Comput Biol}, volume = {6}, year = {2010}, month = {2010 Feb}, pages = {e1000684}, abstract = {

Correlative analysis of molecular markers with phenotypic signatures is the simplest model for hypothesis generation. In this paper, a panel of 24 breast cell lines was grown in 3D culture, their morphology was imaged through phase contrast microscopy, and computational methods were developed to segment and represent each colony at multiple dimensions. Subsequently, subpopulations from these morphological responses were identified through consensus clustering to reveal three clusters of round, grape-like, and stellate phenotypes. In some cases, cell lines with particular pathobiological phenotypes clustered together (e.g., ERBB2 amplified cell lines sharing the same morphometric properties as the grape-like phenotype). Next, associations with molecular features were realized through (i) differential analysis within each morphological cluster, and (ii) regression analysis across the entire panel of cell lines. In both cases, the dominant genes that are predictive of the morphological signatures were identified. Specifically, PPARgamma has been associated with the invasive stellate morphological phenotype, which corresponds to triple-negative pathobiology. PPARgamma has been validated through two supporting biological assays.

}, keywords = {Biomarkers, Tumor, Breast Neoplasms, Cell Culture Techniques, Cell Line, Tumor, Female, Gene Expression Profiling, Histocytochemistry, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Models, Biological, Phenotype, PPAR gamma, Receptor, ErbB-2, Reproducibility of Results}, issn = {1553-7358}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000684}, author = {Han, Ju and Chang, Hang and Giricz, Orsi and Lee, Genee Y and Baehner, Frederick L and Gray, Joe W and Bissell, Mina J and Kenny, Paraic A and Parvin, Bahram} }