Vimentin filaments support extension of tubulin-based microtentacles in detached breast tumor cells

Solid tumor metastasis often involves detachment of epithelial carcinoma cells into the vasculature or lymphatics. However, most studies of cytoskeletal rearrangement in solid tumors focus on attached cells. In this study, we report for the first time that human breast tumor cells produce unique tubulin-based protrusions when detached from extracellular matrix. Tumor cell lines of high metastatic potential show significantly increased extension and frequency of microtubule protrusions, which we have termed tubulin microtentacles. Our previous studies in nontumorigenic mammary epithelial cells showed that such detachment-induced microtentacles are enriched in detyrosinated alpha-tubulin. However, amounts of detyrosinated tubulin were similar in breast tumor cell lines despite varying microtentacle levels. Because detyrosinated alpha-tubulin associates strongly with intermediate filament proteins, we examined the contribution of cytokeratin and vimentin filaments to tumor cell microtentacles. Increased microtentacle frequency and extension correlated strongly with loss of cytokeratin expression and up-regulation of vimentin, as is often observed during tumor progression. Moreover, vimentin filaments coaligned with microtentacles, whereas cytokeratin did not. Disruption of vimentin with PP1/PP2A-specific inhibitors significantly reduced microtentacles and inhibited cell reattachment to extracellular matrix. Furthermore, expression of a dominant-negative vimentin mutant disrupted endogenous vimentin filaments and significantly reduced microtentacles, providing specific genetic evidence that vimentin supports microtentacles. Our results define a novel model in which coordination of vimentin and detyrosinated microtubules provides structural support for the extensive microtentacles observed in detached tumor cells and a possible mechanism to promote successful metastatic spread.     

ROCK inhibition promotes microtentacles that enhance reattachment of breast cancer cells

The presence of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in blood predicts poor patient outcome and CTC frequency is correlated with higher risk of metastasis. Recently discovered, novel microtubule-based structures, microtentacles, can enhance reattachment of CTCs to the vasculature. Microtentacles are highly dynamic membrane protrusions formed in detached cells and occur when physical forces generated by the outwardly expanding microtubules overcome the contractile force of the actin cortex. Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) is a major regulator of actomyosin contractility and Rho/ROCK over-activation is implicated in tumor metastasis. ROCK inhibitors are gaining popularity as potential cancer therapeutics based on their success in reducing adherent tumor cell migration and invasion. However, the effect of ROCK inhibition on detached cells in circulation is largely unknown. In this study, we use breast tumor cells in suspension to mimic detached CTCs and show that destabilizing the actin cortex through ROCK inhibition in suspended cells promotes the formation of microtentacles and enhances reattachment of cells from suspension. Conversely, increasing actomyosin contraction by Rho over-activation reduces microtentacle frequency and reattachment. Although ROCK inhibitors may be effective in reducing adherent tumor cell behavior, our results indicate that they could inadvertently increase metastatic potential of non-adherent CTCs by increasing their reattachment efficacy.     

Tubulin detyrosination is a frequent occurrence in breast cancers of poor prognosis.

Tubulin, the dimeric subunit of microtubules, is a major cell protein that is centrally involved in cell division. Tubulin is subject to specific enzymatic posttranslational modifications including cyclic tyrosine removal and addition at the COOH terminus of the alpha-subunit. Tubulin is normally extensively tyrosinated in cycling cells. However, we have previously shown that detyrosinated tubulin accumulates in cancer cells during tumor progression in nude mice. Tubulin detyrosination, resulting from suppression of tubulin tyrosine ligase and the resulting unbalanced activity of tubulin-carboxypeptidase, apparently represents a strong selective advantage for cancer cells. We have now analyzed the occurrence and significance of tubulin detyrosination in human breast tumors. We studied a total of 134 breast cancer tumors from patients with or without known complications over a follow-up period of 31 +/- 10 months. The mean age of the patients at the time of diagnosis was 57 years. For each patient, detailed data concerning the histology and extension of the tumor were available. Tumor cells containing detyrosinated tubulin were visualized by immunohistochemical staining of paraffin-embedded tissue sections. Cancer cells with detyrosinated tubulin were observed in 53% of the tumors and were predominant in 19.4% of the tumors. Tubulin detyrosination correlated to a high degree of significance (P < 0.001) with a high Scarf-Bloom-Richardson (SBR) grade, a known marker of tumor aggressiveness. Among SBR grade 1 tumors, 3.8% were strongly positive for tubulin detyrosination compared with 65.4% of the SBR grade 3 tumors. The SBR component showing the strongest correlation with tubulin detyrosination was the mitotic score. In the entire patient population, neither the SBR grade nor the detyrosination index had significant prognostic value (P = 0.11, P = 0.27, respectively), whereas a combined index was significantly correlated with the clinical outcome (P = 0.02). A preliminary subgroup analysis indicated that tubulin detyrosination may define high- and low- risk groups in breast cancer tumors with an SBR grade of 2. Our study shows that tubulin detyrosination is a frequent occurrence in breast cancer, easy to detect, and linked to tumor aggressiveness.     

Twist 对EMT 调控在循环肿瘤细胞监测与抗癌药物评价中的临床意义*

肿瘤细胞的上皮间质可塑性变化包括上皮- 间质化（epithelial-mesenchymal transition ,EMT ）和间质- 上皮转化（mesenchymal-epithelial transition,MET ）的可逆过程,在循环肿瘤细胞（circulating tumor cells ,CTCs）形成、转归及肿瘤转移过程中起到重要作用。Twist在人横纹肌肉瘤、乳腺癌、胃癌等多种肿瘤中过表达,肿瘤细胞中Twist与多种信号通路连接,形成复杂的网状环路参与调控CTCs中EMT/MET的发生并促进肿瘤细胞向远处转移。因此,通过监测CTCs中Twist本身以及所调控的上皮- 间质表型分子标志物的变化,不仅可以增加肿瘤标志物CTCs的检出率,提供肿瘤临床分期及预后评估的直接证据;而且,对于评估多种抗肿瘤药物的疗效及耐药机制均具有重要的临床意义。      

Microtentacles tip the balance of cytoskeletal forces in circulating tumor cells

Detection of circulating tumor cells (CTC) is advancing as an effective predictor of patient outcome and therapeutic response. Unfortunately, our knowledge of CTC biology remains limited, and the impact of drug treatments on CTC metastatic potential is currently unclear. Improved CTC imaging in vivo and analysis of free-floating tumor cells now show that cytoskeletal regulation in CTCs contrasts starkly with tumor cells attached to extracellular matrix. In this review, we examine how persistent microtubule stabilization promotes the formation of microtentacles on the surface of detached breast tumor cells and enhances metastatic potential.     

Pericyte depletion results in hypoxia-associated epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and metastasis mediated by met signaling pathway

The functional role of pericytes in cancer progression remains unknown. Clinical studies suggest that low numbers of vessel-associated pericytes correlated with a drop in overall survival of patients with invasive breast cancer. Using genetic mouse models or pharmacological inhibitors, pericyte depletion suppressed tumor growth but enhanced metastasis. Pericyte depletion was further associated with increased hypoxia, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and Met receptor activation. Silencing of Twist or use of a Met inhibitor suppressed hypoxia and EMT/Met-driven metastasis. In addition, poor pericyte coverage coupled with high Met expression in cancer cells speculates the worst prognosis for patients with invasive breast cancer. Collectively, our study suggests that pericytes within the primary tumor microenvironment likely serve as important gatekeepers against cancer progression and metastasis.     

Twist基因在乳腺癌中的研究进展

乳腺癌的发生和进展是一个多种基因参与调解的复杂过程。Twist基因是胚胎发育过程中的重要转录因子,近期研究发现Twist基因的过度表达可诱导上皮细胞向间质细胞转换（EMT）,促进乳腺癌细胞的增殖和侵袭,与乳腺癌的复发和转移密切相关。另有研究证实Twist基因在乳腺癌中的表达对评估乳腺癌患者的预后及指导临床个体化治疗有重要意义。     

DEDD interacts with PI3KC3 to activate autophagy and attenuate epithelial-mesenchymal transition in human breast cancer

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a crucial developmental program, contributes to cancer invasion and metastasis. In this study, we show that death-effector domain-containing DNA-binding protein (DEDD) attenuates EMT and acts as an endogenous suppressor of tumor growth and metastasis. We found that expression levels of DEDD were conversely correlated with poor prognosis in patients with breast and colon cancer. Both in vitro and in vivo, overexpression of DEDD attenuated the invasive phenotype of highly metastatic cells, whereas silencing of DEDD promoted the invasion of nonmetastatic cells. Via direct interaction with the class III PI-3-kinase (PI3KC3)/Beclin1, DEDD activated autophagy and induced the degradation of Snail and Twist, two master regulators of EMT. The DEDD-PI3KC3 interaction led to stabilization of PI3KC3, which further contributed to autophagy and the degradation of Snail and Twist. Together, our findings highlight a novel mechanism in which the intracellular signaling protein DEDD functions as an endogenous tumor suppressor. DEDD expression therefore may represent a prognostic marker and potential therapeutic target for the prevention and treatment of cancer metastasis.     

上皮-间质转化及其干性作用与肿瘤

上皮-间质转化（EMT）参与肿瘤转移过程,Twist作为关键调控因子在EMT中发挥重要作用,放疗、化疗和多种细胞因子均可诱导Twist介导的EMT。研究表明,肿瘤细胞可能通过EMT转变为肿瘤干细胞样细胞,并进一步导致放化疗抵抗、肿瘤血管形成及远处转移,对肿瘤的预后产生巨大影响,EMT有望成为肿瘤治疗的重要靶点。     

乳腺癌前病变和乳腺癌中α、γ-tubulin蛋白表达的免疫荧光定量分析及其意义

目的:研究乳腺导管上皮不典型增生(ADH)、导管内癌(DCIS)及浸润性导管癌(IDC)中α-tubulin和Γ-tubulin表达的变化及其意义,进一步探讨中心体异常与乳腺癌发生发展的相关性。方法:研究样本被分为导管上皮不典型增生、导管内癌和浸润性导管癌3组,每组30例。采用流式细胞免疫荧光定量分析技术和免疫组织化学方法,检测上述各组中心体微管蛋白α-tubulin和Γ-tubulin表达水平,与30例正常乳腺组的检测结果比较,并进行统计学分析。结果:在全部样本组中α-tubulin及Γ-tubulin FITC标记的阳性细胞数均数不同,差异有显著性(P=0.000),浸润性导管癌组的过表达最高,正常组织组最低。α-tubulin、Γ-tubulin表达水平随着细胞增殖级别的增加和分化程度的变差呈增高趋势。除不典型增生组和导管内癌组两组间比较以外,其余各组间差异均有显著性(P=0.001)。在每组中α-tubulin和Γ-tubulin的表达程度无统计学差异(P<0.05),显示免疫荧光定量分析和免疫组织化学检测结果趋于一致。结论:乳腺癌发生的早期阶段即存在着中心体蛋白的过度表达,推测这种异常表达在促进细胞恶性转化、形成乳腺癌过程中可能扮演了重要角色。对于中心体蛋白过表达的检测,免疫荧光定量和免疫组化两种技术可相互补充。