Ectophosphatase activity in the triple-negative breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the female population worldwide, and its development is thought to be associated with genetic mutations that lead to uncontrolled and accelerated growth of breast cells. This abnormal behavior requires extra energy, and indeed, tumor cells display a rewired energy metabolism compared to normal breast cells. Inorganic phosphate (Pi) is a glycolytic substrate of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and has an important role in cancer cell proliferation. For cells to obtain Pi, ectoenzymes in the plasma membrane with their catalytic site facing the extracellular environment can hydrolyze phosphorylated molecules, and this is an initial and possibly limiting step for the uptake of Pi by carriers that behave as adjuvants in the process of energy harvesting and thus partially contributes to tumor energy requirements. In this study, the activity of an ectophosphatase in MDA-MB-231 cells was biochemically characterized, and the results showed that the activity of this enzyme was higher in the acidic pH range and that the enzyme had a K_m = 4.5 ± 0.5 mM para-nitrophenylphosphate and a V_max = 2280 ± 158 nM × h⁻¹ × mg protein⁻¹. In addition, classical acid phosphatase inhibitors, including sodium orthovanadate, decreased enzymatic activity. Sodium orthovanadate was able to inhibit ectophosphatase activity while also inhibiting cell proliferation, adhesion, and migration, which are important processes in tumor progression, especially in metastatic breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells that have higher ectophosphatase activity than MCF-7 and MCF-10 breast cells.     

阿帕替尼与白蛋白结合型紫杉醇在MDA-MB-231乳腺癌细胞系中的协同抗癌作用

目的阐明阿帕替尼 (apatinib)和白蛋白结合型紫杉醇 (nab-Paclitaxel)诱导MDA-MB-231乳腺癌细胞凋亡的分子机制。方法本研究以MDA-MB-231乳腺癌细胞为研究对象,并以apatinib和nab-Paclitaxel处理细胞后分组:0.1 %DMSO处理为阴性对照组;10 μmol/L apatinib处理组 (APA组);经5、10、15、20 nmol/L nab-Paclitaxel 处理组 (Nab-p 5组、Nab-p 10组、Nab-p 15组和Nab-p 20组);以及10 μmol/L apatinib分别与5、10、15、20 nmol/L nab-Paclitaxel 联合处理组 (APA+Nab-p 5组、APA+Nab-p 10组、APA+Nab-p 15组和APA+Nab-p 20组)。使用乳酸脱氢酶释放测定法测定apatinib和nab-Paclitaxel对MDA-MB-231细胞诱导的细胞毒活性,结合流式细胞术分析不同处理组细胞凋亡情况,通过JC-1染色法测定不同干预方式对MDA-MB-231细胞线粒体膜电位变化 (ΔΨ_m)的影响,借助FAM-FLICA荧光成像检测caspase-8和caspase-9 活性,通过彗星试验评估apatinib和nab-Paclitaxel对非致瘤上皮细胞株MCF-10A细胞DNA损伤的影响。两组之间独立样本t检验或单向ANOVA进行比较,多组之间使用Tukey事后检验。结果细胞毒性检测结果显示,与阴性对照组相比,Nab-p 20组MDA-MB-231细胞杀伤率在24 h时接近90 %;与单药处理组 (Nab-p 5组和Nab-p 10组)相比,APA+Nab-p 5组和APA+Nab-p 10组联合处理24 h和48 h后,分别检测到约85 %和95 %细胞死亡,差异均具有统计学意义 (P 均 < 0.001)。流式细胞术统计结果显示,与Nab-p5组和Nab-p10组相比,APA+Nab-p 5组和APA+Nab-p 10组24 h时MDA-MB-231细胞凋亡率(31.8 %±1.48 %、33.25 %±1.77 %比76.11 %±1.14 %、89.4 %±1.07%)升高 (P 均 < 0.05)。线粒体膜电位检测结果表明,与对照组相比,在单药处理组中,仅APA组和Nab-p 10组24 h时去极化细胞 (12.35 %±1.05%比78.33%±1.11%、46.74%±1.75%)增多;在联用处理组中,APA+Nab-p 5组和APA+Nab-p 10组24 h时去极化细胞 (68.47%±1.94%比90.03%±1.79%)增多,差异均有统计学意义 (P 均 < 0.05)。FAM-FLICA荧光成像结果显示,相较于单一处理组,apatinib和nab-Paclitaxel联用处理组的caspase-8和caspase-9蛋白高度活化。结合彗星试验分析,apatinib和nab-Paclitaxel 干预对MCF-10A非致瘤上皮细胞株DNA完整性没有显著影响。结论 apatinib/nab-Paclitaxel联用通过内源性的线粒体功能扰动和外源性的caspase激活诱导三阴性乳腺癌细胞MDA-MB-231凋亡,发挥协同抗癌作用。     

Mitochondria of highly metastatic breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 exhibits increased autophagic properties

Autophagy is a cellular housekeeping process that removes damaged or unwanted cellular components and recycles them to build new constituents. It is essential for tumor growth under adverse environment. Mitochondria play an important role in the formation of autophagosome and its subsequent docking and fusion with lysosome. To understand the contribution of mitochondria to the regulation of homeostatic autophagy in cancer cells, we used the transmitochondrial cytoplasmic hybrid (cybrid) model. Cybrid system allowed us to compare mitochondria from different cell types including highly metastatic breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 (c231), less metastatic breast cancer cell lines: MDA-MB-436 (c436) and MDA-MB-468 (c468), as well as non-cancerous mammary epithelial cell MCF-10A (c10A) in a defined nuclear background. The c231 exhibited lower LC3-II levels but higher ratio of LC3-II/LC3-I than c436, c468 and c10A. In addition, c231 displayed more punctate LC3-positive cells and had lower levels of sequestosome 1 (p62/SQSTM1) than other cybrids. These suggested that mitochondria could contribute to the increased autophagy and autophagic flux in metastatic cancer. This increased autophagy was found to be non-selective autophagy instead of selective mitophagy since LC3 puncta in c231 did not co-localize with mitochondria labeled by Mitotracker red or Tomm 20. The promotion of mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) in c231 also contributed to increased autophagy. Block of MPT by the inhibition of low-conductance stage of MPT pores resulted in a decrease of LC3 puncta in c231. These results suggested that mitochondria from highly metastatic breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 can promote homeostatic autophagy of cancer through opening low-conductance MPT pores.     

The monoamine oxidase-A inhibitor clorgyline promotes a mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition in the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line

Monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A) dysfunction has been historically associated with depression. Recently, depression as well as altered MAO-A expression have both been associated with a poor prognosis in cancers, although the mechanism involved remains ambiguous. For example, MAO-A mRNA is repressed across cancers, yet MAO-A protein and levels of serotonin, a substrate of MAO-A implicated in depression, are paradoxically increased in malignancies, including breast cancer.The effect of clorgyline (CLG), a selective inhibitor of MAO-A, on malignant behaviour, expression of transitional markers, and biochemical correlates was examined in two human breast carcinoma cell lines, i.e. the epithelial, oestrogen receptor (ER)-positive MCF-7 cell line and the post-EMT (mesenchymal), ER-negative MDA-MB-231 cell line.CLG exerted little effect on malignant behaviour in MCF-7 cells, but inhibited proliferation and anchorage-independent growth, and increased invasiveness and active migration of MDA-MB-231 cells. CLG induced the expression of the mesenchymal marker vimentin in MCF-7 cells, but not in MDA-MB-231 cells. In contrast, CLG induced the epithelial protein marker E-cadherin in both cell lines, with a more robust effect in MDA-MB-231 cells (where a nuclear E-cadherin signal was also detected). This effect appears to be independent of any canonical Snai1-mediated regulation of E-cadherin mRNA expression. CLG interfered with the β-catenin/[phospho]GSK-3β complex as well as the E-cadherin/β-catenin complex in both cell lines cells, but, again, the effect was more robust in MDA-MB-231 cells. Parallel studies revealed a general lack of effect of CLG on the ER-negative, epithelial Au565 breast cancer cell line. Thus, any effect of CLG on metastatic behaviours appears to rely on the cell's EMT status rather than on the cell's ER status.These data suggest that inactivation of MAO-A triggers a mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition in MDA-MB-231 cells via a non-canonical mechanism. This potentially implicates an MAO-A-sensitive step in advanced breast cancer and should be borne in mind when considering pharmacological treatment options for co-morbid depression in breast cancer patients.     

Differential proteomic analysis on the effects of 2-methoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone towards MDA-MB-231 cell line

BackgroundWe have previously reported the anti-metastatic effects of 2-methoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (MNQ) against MDA-MB-231 cell line.PurposeTo investigate the molecular mechanism underlying the anti-metastatic effects of MNQ towards MDA-MB-231 cell line via the comparative proteomic approach.Study design/methodsDifferentially expressed proteins in MNQ-treated MDA-MB-231 cells were identified by using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. Proteins and signalling pathways associated with the identified MNQ-altered proteins were studied by using Western blotting.ResultsSignificant modulation of MDA-MB-231 cell proteome was observed upon treatment with MNQ in which the expressions of 19 proteins were found to be downregulated whereas another eight were upregulated (>1.5 fold, p < 0.05). The altered proteins were mainly related to cytoskeletal functions and regulations, mRNA processing, protein modifications and oxidative stress response. Notably, two of the downregulated proteins, protein S100-A4 (S100A4) and laminin-binding protein (RPSA) are known to play key roles in driving metastasis and were verified using Western blotting. Further investigation using Western blotting also revealed that MNQ decreased the activations of pro-metastatic ERK1/2 and NF-κB signalling pathways. Moreover, MNQ was shown to stimulate the expression of the metastatic suppressor, E-cadherin.ConclusionThis study reports a proposed mechanism by which MNQ exerts its anti-metastatic effects against MDA-MB-231 cell line. The findings from this study offer new insights on the potential of MNQ to be developed as a novel anti-metastatic agent.     

Akt isoform-specific inhibition of MDA-MB-231 cell proliferation

To dissect the isoform-specific roles of Akt in breast cancer cells, constitutively active Akt isoforms were introduced into MDA-MB-231 cells. Both Akt1 and Akt2 efficiently inhibited the growth of MDA-MB-231 cells. Overexpression of Akt1 down-regulated ERK activity inhibiting Ser 259 phosphorylation of c-Raf and subsequent downstream signaling. Akt2 overexpression up-regulated the cell cycle inhibitor p27. Cycloheximide decay assays showed that Akt2 increased the stability and nuclear localization of p27, thus inhibiting the cyclin E/CDK2 complex. These results suggest that the inhibition of cell proliferation by Akt1 and Akt2 is mediated by isoform-specific mechanisms.     

Association between extract of Euphorbia szovitsii and expression level of microRNAs in MDA-MB-231 cell line

Molecular Biology Reports - The miRNAs have been shown to be involved in breast cancer. The aim of the present research was to evaluate the impacts of extract from Euphorbia szovitsii Fisch...     

Efficient induction of apoptosis by proteasome inhibitor: bortezomib in the human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231

The cellular and molecular effects of the proteasome inhibitor—bortezomib—on breast cancer cells are as yet poorly characterised. Bortezomib selectively induces apoptosis in some cancer cells. However, the nature of its selectivity remains unknown. Previously, we demonstrated that: there was no effect of bortezomib action on apoptosis and a time-dependent increase in senescence of human skin fibroblasts. The study presented here provides novel information on cellular effects of bortezomib in breast cancer cells line MDA-MB-231. Our findings demonstrated that in contrast to normal fibroblasts, bortezomib treatment evoked a strong effect on apoptosis in breast cancer cells incubated in hypoxic and normoxic conditions. We observed a time-dependent increase up to 70 % in apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 cells in hypoxic and normoxic conditions. There was no effect of bortezomib action on senescence of these cells. We suggest that bortezomib may be candidates for further evaluation as chemotherapeutic agents for human breast cancer.     

uPAR expression under hypoxic conditions depends on iNOS modulated ERK phosphorylation in the MDA-MB-231 breast carcinoma cell line

Urokinase plasminogen activator receptor （uPAR） plays a major role in cancer-invasion and metastasis and uPAR expression is correlated with a poor prognosis in various cancer types. Moreover, the expression of uPAR is increased under hypoxic conditions. Nitric oxide （NO） and its metabolites produced by inducible nitric oxide synthase （iNOS） are important products ofhypoxic stress, and NO may activate or modulate extracellular signal regulated kinase （ERK）. Here, we evaluated uPA, uPAR, and activated ERK levels under hypoxic conditions, and the modulatory effects of iNOS and NO in the MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell line. Cells were incubated in a hypoxic or normoxic incubator and treated with PD98059 （a MEK 1/2 inhibitor, which abrogates ERK phosphorylation） and aminoguanidine （a selective iNOS inhibitor）, uPAR expression, ERK phosphorylation, and uPA activity were found to be increased under hypoxic conditions. Moreover, when cells were treated with PD98059 under hypoxic conditions, uPAR was downregulated, whereas aminoguanidine markedly increased ERK phosphorylation in a dose dependent manner. Furthermore, aminoguanidine increased uPAR expression and prevented the inhibition of uPAR expression by PD98059. These results demonstrated that uPAR is induced by hypoxia and that increased uPAR expression is mediated by ERK phosphorylation, which in turn is modulated by iNOS/NO in MDA-MB-231 cells. We conclude that iNOS/NO downregulates the expression of uPAR under hypoxic conditions via ERK pathway modulation.     

Modulation of septin and molecular motor recruitment in the microtubule environment of the Taxol-resistant human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231

Cell resistance to low doses of paclitaxel (Taxol) involves a modulation of microtubule (MT) dynamics. We applied a proteomic approach based on 2-DE coupled with MS to identify changes in the MT environment of Taxol-resistant breast cancer cells. Having established a proteomic pattern of the microtubular proteins extracted from MDA-MB-231 cells, we verified by Western blotting that in resistant cells, α- and β-tubulins (more specifically the βIII and βIV isotypes) increased. Interestingly, four septins (SEPT2, 8, 9 and 11), which are GTPases involved in cytokinesis and in MT/actin cytoskeleton organization, were overexpressed and enriched in the MT environment of Taxol-resistant cells compared to their sensitive counterpart. Changes in the MT proteome of resistant cells also comprised increased kinesin-1 heavy chain expression and recruitment on MTs while dynein light chain-1 was downregulated. Modulation of motor protein recruitment around MTs might reflect their important role in controlling MT dynamics via the organization of signaling pathways. The identification of proteins previously unknown to be linked to taxane-resistance could also be valuable to identify new biological markers of resistance.     

Cinobufacini induced MDA-MB-231 cell apoptosis-associated cell cycle arrest and cytoskeleton function

Cinobufacini is a traditional Chinese anti-tumor drug and widely used in clinic experiences. But little is known about its effect on the cells. In this study, the effects of cinobufacini on breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cell were evaluated by CCK-8 assay, and the data showed cinobufacini could inhibit the MDA-MB-231 cells growth effectively in dose-dependent and time-dependent manners. Cell apoptosis and cell cycle were detected by flow cytometry analysis. After the cells being treated with 50 μg/mL cinobufacini for 48 h, the early apoptosis percentage (20.45 ± 1.46%) is much higher than the normal group (7.73 ± 1.21%). The cell cycle data indicated that cinobufacini caused a cell cycle arrest at S phase. What's more, cinobufacini can affect the disruption of cytoskeleton, and these alterations changed the cell-surface ultrastructure and the cell morphology which were detected by atomic force microscopy (AFM) at nanoscale level. It indicated that the cell membrane structure and cytoskeleton networks were destroyed and the cell tails were narrowed after the cell being treated with cinobufacini. The present study is to provide valuable new insights to understand the mechanism of the drug in anti-tumor process. Furthermore, the knowledge concerning the signaling of cell cycle is potentially important to clinical utility.     

蛋白表达抑制稳定株MDA—MB-231-Tudor—SNI的筛选和鉴定

目的采用针对人类Tudor—SN基因的RNA干扰（RNAi）技术建立Tudor—SN表达抑制的乳腺癌MDA—MB-231稳定细胞株。方法利用脂质体转染方法将pGenesil—shRNA—hTudor—SNI质粒转染进入MDA—MB-231细胞,经G418筛选出稳定株,通过RT—PCR检测Tudor—SN的mRNA水平,再以Western印迹技术鉴定Tudor—SN蛋白表达情况并计算蛋白表达抑制率。结果与对照组相比,以G418筛选的MDA—MB-231-Tudor—SNI稳定株Tudor—SN的mRNA水平降低（P〈0．01,n=3）,蛋白表达水平明显下调（P〈0．01,n=3）,蛋白表达抑制率达78．12％。结论成功筛选并鉴定人类Tudor—SN蛋白表达抑制MDA—MB-231稳定株,有助于深入研究Tudor—SN蛋白在乳腺癌中的作用。     

Mutational activity in cell line WEHI-231

The cell line WEHI-231 expresses activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID), the enzyme that mediates hypermutation and immunoglobulin class switch recombination in activated B cells. Although both the cDNA sequence and protein expression of AID appear normal, the frequency of mutation at the endogenous immunoglobulin locus is low. In this report, we have tested the mutational activity of the cell line with three different indicator constructs. The first construct measures a composite rate of transversions of C to G and C to A, respectively. The second construct measures only transversion from C to G. The third measures the canonical AID activity, from C to U, which after cell replication can result in a C to T transition. We found that in WEHI-231, the C to G activity is 32- to 37-times lower than in the hypermutating cell line 18–81. The C to T activity is also much reduced, but only 12-fold. We suggest that the WEHI-231 lacks an activity that subverts the faithful repair of incipient C to U mutations.     

Synergistic enhancement of apoptosis by coralyne and paclitaxel in combination on MDA-MB-231 a triple-negative breast cancer cell line

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most outrageous subtype of breast cancer. Emphasizing the urge of new approach in cancer therapy, combinational drug therapy may be proven as an effective strategy. In our previous study, we reported that coralyne (COR) with paclitaxel (PTX) efficiently decreases the proliferation of MDA-MB-231 compared with MCF-7 cell line. Thus, we studied the effect of COR and PTX in combination on apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 cell line. In silico results demonstrated that COR intercalates DNA at a minor groove. In vitro approaches revealed that in combination (COR and PTX) increases the efficacy of apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cell line by a significant increase in G1/S phase arrest, DNA fragmentation, and change in mitochondria membrane potential. The expression of ATM and ATR a serine/threonine-protein kinase, ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related protein were depleted with an increase in time from 24 to 48 hours in concurrent with increased levels of γH2AX indicating that DNA damage routes cells to enter apoptosis. This was confirmed by high levels of caspase-3 and cytochrome c. Also, the decrease in the expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 confirmed the antimetastatic efficacy of COR + PTX. The present study indicates that the synergistic effect of COR and PTX can enhance apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cell line and may be proven as a potential anticancer therapy against TNBC.     

Cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic effects of Abrus precatorius L. on human metastatic breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB-231

Abrus precatorius is highly regarded as a universal panacea in the herbal medicine with diverse pharmacological activity spectra. This experimental study on the mechanism of the anticancer activity of A. precatorius leaf extracts, may offer new evidence for A. precatorius in the treatment of breast cancer in clinical practice. Cell death was determined by using MTT assay. Further analyses were carried out by doing DNA laddering, PARP cleavage, FACS, semi-quantitative RT-PCR and detection of cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) by DCFDA assay. A. precatorius showed very striking inhibition on MDA-MB-231 cells. MTT assay showed more than 75 % inhibition of the cells and treated cells indicated visible laddering pattern with thick compact band. PARP cleavage produced 89 kDa cleavage product which was associated with apoptosis. Flow cytometer exhibited a sub-G0/G1 peak as an indicative of apoptosis. mRNA expression level of apoptosis-related genes p21 and p53 was markedly increased in cells treated with the extract as compared to control. The up-regulation of p21 and p53 may be the molecular mechanisms by which A. precatorius extract which induces apoptosis. An increase in the concentration of A. precatorius extract does not generate ROS, instead it reduces ROS formation in MDA-MB-231 cells, as evident from the shift in fluorescence below untreated control. This is the first report showing that A. precatorius leaf extract exhibits a growth inhibitory effect by induction of apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cells. Our results contribute towards validation of the A. precatorius extract as a potentially effective chemopreventive or therapeutic agent against breast cancer.     

Differentiation and Ig-allele switch in cell line WEHI-231

Because of its susceptibility to apoptosis upon Ag receptor cross-linking and lack of IgD expression, cells of the mouse cell line WEHI-231 have been classified as immature B cells. In this study we show that early freezings of the WEHI-231 line express IgD but not CD93, which classifies the cells as more similar to mature B cells. Another, later line obviously has differentiated in culture and has all the hallmarks of activated B cells. But despite activation-induced cytidine deaminase expression, there is no switch in isotype; instead we found switching from one mu allele to the other. As a consequence of these findings, we now view the apoptosis studies in the WEHI-231 line to reflect properties of mature and activated B lymphocytes, respectively.     

IGF2BP3-EGFR-AKT axis promotes breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cell growth

Insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA binding protein 3 (IGF2BP3) is an emerging prognostic indicator, and its elevated expression correlates with malignancy in a broad spectrum of cancers. However, its regulatory networks have not yet been reported. In this study, we identified the regulatory targets of IGF2BP3 in breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells using RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing (RIP-seq) and high-throughput RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq). We discovered that these targets were enriched in the inflammatory response, endoplasmic reticulum stress, cell cycle, and cancer-related pathways, providing a new perspective for better understanding the functional mechanisms of IGF2BP3. Moreover, we identified that the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a downstream target, is regulated by IGF2BP3. IGF2BP3 binds to and protects EGFR mRNA from degradation and facilitates cell proliferation via the EGFR/AKT pathway in MDA-MB-231 cells. In addition, IGF2BP3 expression was robust and could not be altered by stimulation with EGF and anti-EGFR siRNA or EGFR signaling pathway inhibitors (gefitinib, LY294002 and SL-327). These results demonstrate that IGF2BP3, as a stubborn oncogene, promotes triple-negative breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cell proliferation by strengthening the role of the EGFR-AKT axis.     

Differential effects of EGF gradient profiles on MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell chemotaxis

Chemotaxis, directed cell migration in a gradient of chemoattractant, is an important biological phenomenon that plays pivotal roles in cancer metastasis. Newly developed microfluidic chemotaxis chambers (MCC) were used to study chemotaxis of metastatic breast cancer cells, MDA-MB-231, in EGF gradients of well-defined profiles. Migration behaviors of MDA-MB-231 cells in uniform concentrations of EGF (0, 25, 50, and 100 ng/ml) and EGF (0-25, 0-50, and 0-100 ng/ml) with linear and nonlinear polynomial profiles were investigated. MDA-MB-231 cells exhibited increased speed and directionality upon stimulation with uniform concentrations of EGF. The cells were viable and motile for over 24 h, confirming the compatibility of MCC with cancer cells. Linear concentration gradients of different ranges were not effective in inducing chemotactic movement as compared to nonlinear gradients. MDA-MB-231 cells migrating in EGF gradient of 0-50 ng/ml nonlinear polynomial profile exhibited marked directional movement toward higher EGF concentration. This result suggests that MDA-MB-231 cancer cell chemotaxis depends on the shape of gradient profile as well as on the range of EGF concentrations.