Targeting CXCR4 abrogates resistance to trastuzumab by blocking cell cycle progression and synergizes with docetaxel in breast cancer treatment

Breast Cancer Research

Research

Adriano Marchese¹  Wenbin Liu²  Shuying Liu³  Debasish Tripathy³  Shelly M. Xie³  Akshara Singareeka Raghavendra³  Samir Hanash⁴  Nguyen Nguyen⁵  Sattva S. Neelapu⁶  Fuliang Chu⁶  Gloria Yang-Kolodji⁷  Mihai Gagea⁸  Carlos L. Arteaga⁹  Ariella B. Hanker⁹  Johann Zimmermann^1,10 

[1] Department of Biochemistry, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA;Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA;Department of Breast Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA;Department of Clinical Cancer Prevention, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA;Department of Leukemia, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA;Department of Lymphoma-Myeloma, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA;Department of Medicine, University of South California, Los Angeles, CA, USA;Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA;Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA;Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA;Spexis Ltd, Allschwil, Switzerland;

关键词: Breast cancer;    HER2;    Drug resistance;    CXCR4;    Trastuzumab;    Docetaxel;    Targeted therapy;    Combined therapy;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13058-023-01665-w

 received in 2022-12-17, accepted in 2023-05-25,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundAlthough trastuzumab and other HER2-targeted therapies have significantly improved survival in patients with HER2 overexpressed or amplified (HER2+) breast cancer, a significant proportion of patients do not respond or eventually develop clinical resistance. Strategies to reverse trastuzumab resistance remain a high clinical priority. We were the first to report the role of CXCR4 in trastuzumab resistance. The present study aims to explore the therapeutic potential of targeting CXCR4 and better understand the associated mechanisms.MethodsImmunofluorescent staining, confocal microscopy analysis, and immunoblotting were used to analyze CXCR4 expression. BrdU incorporation assays and flow cytometry were used to analyze dynamic CXCR4 expression. Three-dimensional co-culture (tumor cells/breast cancer-associated fibroblasts/human peripheral blood mononuclear cells) or antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity assay was used to mimic human tumor microenvironment, which is necessary for testing therapeutic effects of CXCR4 inhibitor or trastuzumab. The FDA-approved CXCR4 antagonist AMD3100, trastuzumab, and docetaxel chemotherapy were used to evaluate therapeutic efficacy in vitro and in vivo. Reverse phase protein array and immunoblotting were used to discern the associated molecular mechanisms.ResultsUsing a panel of cell lines and patient breast cancer samples, we confirmed CXCR4 drives trastuzumab resistance in HER2+ breast cancer and further demonstrated the increased CXCR4 expression in trastuzumab-resistant cells is associated with cell cycle progression with a peak in the G2/M phases. Blocking CXCR4 with AMD3100 inhibits cell proliferation by downregulating mediators of G2-M transition, leading to G2/M arrest and abnormal mitosis. Using a panel of trastuzumab-resistant cell lines and an in vivo established trastuzumab-resistant xenograft mouse model, we demonstrated that targeting CXCR4 with AMD3100 suppresses tumor growth in vitro and in vivo, and synergizes with docetaxel.ConclusionsOur findings support CXCR4 as a novel therapeutic target and a predictive biomarker for trastuzumab resistance in HER2+ breast cancer.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023

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