A Novel Inhibitor of Carbonic Anhydrases Prevents Hypoxia-Induced TNBC Cell Plasticity

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Giuseppina De Simone¹  Antonella Zannetti¹  Vincenzo Alterio¹  BillySamuel Hill¹  Annachiara Sarnella¹  Giuliana D’Avino¹  ClaudiuT. Supuran²  Jean-Yves Winum³ 

[1] CNR Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, 80122 Napoli, Italy;Dipartimento NEUROFARBA, Sezione di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università di Firenze, Sesto Fiorentino, 50139 Firenze, Italy;IBMM, Universite Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, 34296 Montpellier, France;

关键词: CA IX;    cell plasticity;    TNBC;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms21218405

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Cell plasticity is the ability that cells have to modify their phenotype, adapting to the environment. Cancer progression is under the strict control of the the tumor microenvironment that strongly determines its success by regulating the behavioral changes of tumor cells. The cross-talk between cancer and stromal cells and the interactions with the extracellular matrix, hypoxia and acidosis contribute to trigger a new tumor cell identity and to enhance tumor heterogeneity and metastatic spread. In highly aggressive triple-negative breast cancer, tumor cells show a significant capability to change their phenotype under the pressure of the hypoxic microenvironment. In this study, we investigated whether targeting the hypoxia-induced protein carbonic anhydrase IX (CA IX) could reduce triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell phenotypic switching involved in processes associated with poor prognosis such as vascular mimicry (VM) and cancer stem cells (CSCs). The treatment of two TNBC cell lines (BT-549 and MDA-MB-231) with a specific CA IX siRNA or with a novel inhibitor of carbonic anhydrases (RC44) severely impaired their ability to form a vascular-like network and mammospheres and reduced their metastatic potential. In addition, the RC44 inhibitor was able to hamper the signal pathways involved in triggering VM and CSC formation. These results demonstrate that targeting hypoxia-induced cell plasticity through CA IX inhibition could be a new opportunity to selectively reduce VM and CSCs, thus improving the efficiency of existing therapies in TNBC.

【 授权许可】

Unknown