Response-based molecular subtyping-emergence of the third generation of breast cancer subtypes

Zwitterionic polymer-coated magnetic nanoparticle induced chemotherapy and ferroptosis for triple-negative breast cancer therapy

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), an aggressive cancer with a high risk of metastasis and recurrence, is resistant to conventional chemotherapy. Ferroptosis, a non-apoptotic form of cell death, is primarily caused by excessive accumulation of lipid peroxides, and is closely associated with the occurrence and development of various diseases. Mounting evidence indicates that ferroptosis is becoming a promising treatment for TNBC based on its inherent characteristics. Herein, zwitterionic polymer poly (N-(3-sulfopropyl)-N-methacryloxyethyl-N,N-dimethylammonium betaine) (PSBMA)-coated gambogenic acid (GNA)-loaded magnetic composite nanoparticles (Fe3O4@PSBMA-GNA) were fabricated for chemotherapy combined with ferroptosis therapy for TNBC. Fe3O4@PSBMA-GNA achieved significant cytotoxicity against TNBC cell lines and contributed to the disruption of intracellular redox homeostasis. Furthermore, Fe3O4@PSBMA-GNA could induce apoptosis through the inhibition of Bcl-2 and trigger ferroptosis by inhibiting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR/GPX4 pathway in MDA-MB-231 cells simultaneously. Given the excellent blood circulation performance, Fe3O4@PSBMA-GNA enhanced tumor accumulation and showed a satisfactory tumor suppression effect on MDA-MB-231 tumor-bearing mice. This strategy of chemotherapy combined with ferroptosis therapy is expected to be a feasible treatment for refractory TNBC.

Assembly of Dye Molecules in Covalent Organic Frameworks for Enhanced Colorimetric Biosensing

Colorimetric assays have been extensively investigated for biosensing applications due to their advantages of visual recognizability, ease of use, and low cost. However, advancing their development is a great challenge due to the inherent limitations of colorimetric dyes. Herein, we report a strategy to assemble dyes in covalent organic frameworks (COFs) to effectively reinforce the applicability of pH-responsive dyes in colorimetric bioassays. Experimental results reveal that three-dimensional COFs can promote the assembly of dyes through hydrogen bonding, resulting in the formation of a dye-supermolecule@COF assembly. Consequently, when sensitized at increased pH levels (e.g., hydroxyl ions), disruption of hydrogen bonds may trigger a rapid transition from their insoluble fixed state within the COFs into soluble, visibly detectable dye anions. This process can also be facilitated by increased hydrophilicity and elevated electrostatic repulsion between the dye anions and COFs, leading to the substantial release of chromogenic dye anions from the COF pores into the solution, thereby amplifying the colorimetric signal output. Therefore, by employing various synthesized dye-supermolecule@COFs as signal tags, we developed a colorimetric bioassay capable of accurately identifying breast cancer cell subtypes. This study not only highlights the effectiveness of dye-supermolecule@COFs in enhancing colorimetric biosensing but also underscores the potential of employing the COF-mediated dye assembly strategy for colorimetric assays.

Protein biomarkers for subtyping breast cancer and implications for future research: a 2024 update

INTRODUCTION

Breast cancer subtyping is used clinically for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment decisions. Subtypes are categorized by cell of origin, histomorphology, gene expression signatures, hormone receptor status, and/or protein levels. Categorizing breast cancer based on gene expression signatures aids in assessing a patient's recurrence risk. Protein biomarkers, on the other hand, provide functional data for selecting therapies for primary and recurrent tumors. We provide an update on protein biomarkers in breast cancer subtypes and their application in prognosis and therapy selection.

AREAS COVERED

Protein pathways in breast cancer subtypes are reviewed in the context of current protein-targeted treatment options. PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Cochrane Library were searched for relevant studies between 2017 and 17 August 2024.

EXPERT OPINION

Post-translationally modified proteins and their unmodified counterparts have become clinically useful biomarkers for defining breast cancer subtypes from a therapy perspective. Tissue heterogeneity influences treatment outcomes and disease recurrence. Spatial profiling has revealed complex cellular subpopulations within the breast tumor microenvironment. Deciphering the functional relationships between and within tumor clonal cell populations will further aid in defining breast cancer subtypes and create new treatment paradigms for recurrent, drug resistant, and metastatic disease.

Three-Dimensional Visualization of Breast Cancer Pathology Evolution in Clinical Patient Tissues with NIR-II Imaging

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common tumor worldwide and requires crucial molecular typing for treatment and prognosis assessment. Currently, approaches like pathological staining, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and immunofluorescence (IF) face limitations due to the low signal-to-background ratio (SBR) and high tumor heterogeneity, resulting in a high misdiagnosis rate. Fluorescent assay in the second near-infrared region (NIR-II, 1000-1700 nm) exhibits ultrahigh SBR owing to diminished scattering and tissue autofluorescence. Here, we present a NIR-II strategy for accurate BC molecular typing and three-dimensional (3D) visualization based on the atomically precise fluorescent Au24Pr1 clusters. Single-atom Pr doping results in 3.9-fold fluorescence enhancement and long-term photostability. The Au24Pr1 clusters possess high fluorescence centered at ∼1100 nm and the SBR on pathological section diagnosis was 4 times higher than that of NIR-I imaging. This enables high spatial resolution 3D visualization of biopsy specimens, which can surmount tissue heterogeneity for clinical diagnosis of BC.

A Clinically Feasible Diagnostic Typing of Breast Cancer Built on a Homogeneous Electrochemical Biosensor for Simultaneous Multiplex Detection

Simultaneous detection of multiple tumor markers is of great significance for an accurate diagnosis and early treatment of cancer. Electrochemical homogeneous biosensing strategies have been shown to have advantages, such as high sensitivity and no electrode modification, but they are still a challenge in the field of simultaneous detection of multiple tumor markers. The ER, PR, HER2, and Ki67 proteins are the standard biomarkers for the clinical molecular typing of breast cancer. Precise, sensitive, and simultaneous detection of these four biomarkers is of great importance in the molecular typing of breast cancer, which helps in the creation of personalized treatment plans. In the present study, we developed an electrochemical homogeneous electrochemical bioplatform based on metal ions/SiO2NPs/magnetic beads for detection of the four biomarkers and simultaneous diagnosis of the 10 types of breast cancer directly in human serum at one system by a single electrode. The electrochemical bioplatform has a short detection time of 140 min; however, the current clinical tissue testing time takes about 1 week. Also, the electrochemical bioplatform selectively detects HER2, ER, Ki67, and PR in a range of 0-1000 pg/mL with detection limits of 2, 1.8, 10.36, and 1.33 pg/mL, respectively.

CYB561 is a potential therapeutic target for breast cancer and is associated with immune cell infiltration

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer (BC), a common malignant tumor originating from the terminal ductal lobular unit of the breast, poses a substantial health risk to women. Previous studies have associated cytochrome b561 (CYB561) with a poor prognosis in BC; however, its underlying mechanism of this association remains unclear.

METHODS

We investigated the expression of CYB561 mRNA in BC using databases such as The Cancer Genome Atlas, Gene Expression Omnibus, Tumor-Normal-Metastatic plot, and Kaplan-Meier plotter databases. The prognostic value of CYB561 protein in BC was assessed in relation to its expression levels in tumor tissue samples from 158 patients with BC. The effect of CYB561 on BC progression was confirmed using in vivo and in vitro experiments. The biological functions and related signaling pathways of CYB561 in BC were explored using gene microarray, Innovative Pathway, Gene Ontology enrichment, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses. The correlation between CYB561 and the BC tumor immune microenvironment was evaluated using the CIBERSORT algorithm and single-cell analysis and further validated through immunohistochemistry of serial sections.

RESULTS

Our study demonstrated that upregulation of CYB561 expression predicted poor prognosis in patients with BC and that CYB561 knockdown inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasive ability of BC cells in vitro. CYB561 knockdown inhibited BC tumor formation in vivo.CYB561 was observed to modulate downstream tropomyosin 1 expression. Furthermore, CYB561 expression was associated with macrophage M2 polarization in the BC immune microenvironment.

CONCLUSIONS

Elevated CYB561 expression suggests a poor prognosis for patients with BC and is associated with macrophage M2 polarization in the BC microenvironment. Therefore, CYB561 could potentially serve as a therapeutic target for BC treatment.

A Clinically Feasible Diagnostic Electrochemical Micronano Motors Biosensor Built on Miniature Swimmer for Multiplex Detection and Grading of Breast Cancer Biomarkers

Estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2), and Ki67 are four crucial biomarkers used in the clinical diagnosis of breast cancer. Accurate detection of these biomarkers is essential for an effective diagnosis and treatment. MOF-based micronano motors (MOFtors) are promising for various applications, including environmental remediation, targeted nanosurgery, and biomarker detection. This paper presents a clinically feasible diagnostic electrochemical micronano motor biosensor, built on a miniature swimmer, for the multiplex detection and grading of breast cancer biomarkers. We designed a biosensor, named MOFtor-MSEM, incorporating aptamers and antibodies functionalized on SiO2@Co-Fe-MOF, which acts as a miniature swimmer in solution. The SiO2@Co-Fe-MOF serves as the body, while complementary double-chain-linked antibodies function as paddles. In a homogeneous solution, when a positive voltage is applied to the working electrode, the electrostatic interaction between the neutral SiO2@Co-Fe-MOF and the negatively charged complementary double-linked antibody causes the antibody to move toward the electrode and then regress due to water resistance. This back-and-forth motion propels the miniature swimmer, enabling it to move the target analyte through the solution. The sensor features an automatic "sample-amplifying signal-output" process, achieving simultaneous signal amplification and output of four electrochemical signals on a single nanomaterial, a significant challenge in electrochemical sensing. The biosensor boasts a short detection time of 40 min, compared to approximately 1 week for current clinical tissue testing. Additionally, the bioplatform selectively detects HER2, ER, Ki67, and PR in the range of 0-1500 pg/mL, with detection limits of 0.01420, 0.03201, 0.01430, and 0.01229 pg/mL, respectively.

Breast cancer patient-derived organoids for the investigation of patient-specific tumour evolution

BACKGROUND

A reliable preclinical model of patient-derived organoids (PDOs) was developed in a case study of a 69-year-old woman diagnosed with breast cancer (BC) to investigate the tumour evolution before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgery. The results were achieved due to the development of PDOs from tissues collected before (O-PRE) and after (O-POST) treatment.

METHODS

PDO cultures were characterized by histology, immunohistochemistry (IHC), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), confocal microscopy, flow cytometry, real-time PCR, bulk RNA-seq, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and drug screening.

RESULTS

Both PDO cultures recapitulated the histological and molecular profiles of the original tissues, and they showed typical mammary gland organization, confirming their reliability as a personalized in vitro model. Compared with O-PRE, O-POST had a greater proliferation rate with a significant increase in the Ki67 proliferation index. Moreover O-POST exhibited a more stem-like and aggressive phenotype, with increases in the CD24low/CD44low and EPCAMlow/CD49fhigh cell populations characterized by increased tumour initiation potential and multipotency and metastatic potential in invasive lobular carcinoma. Analysis of ErbB receptor expression indicated a decrease in HER-2 expression coupled with an increase in EGFR expression in O-POST. In this context, deregulation of the PI3K/Akt signalling pathway was assessed by transcriptomic analysis, confirming the altered transcriptional profile. Finally, transcriptomic single-cell analysis identified 11 cell type clusters, highlighting the selection of the luminal component and the decrease in the number of Epithelial-mesenchymal transition cell types in O-POST.

CONCLUSION

Neoadjuvant treatment contributed to the enrichment of cell populations with luminal phenotypes that were more resistant to chemotherapy in O-POST. PDOs represent an excellent 3D cell model for assessing disease evolution.

A novel molecular subtyping based on multi-omics analysis for prognosis predicting in colorectal melanoma: A 16-year prospective multicentric study

Colorectal melanoma (CRM) is a rare malignant tumor with severe complications, and there is currently a lack of systematic research. We conducted a study that combined proteomics and mutation data of CRM from a cohort of three centers over a 16-years period (2005-2021). The patients were divided into a training set consisting of two centers and a testing set comprising the other center. Unsupervised clustering was conducted on the training set to form two molecular subtypes for clinical characterization and functional analysis. The testing set was used to validate the survival differences between the two subtypes. The comprehensive analysis identified two subtypes of CRM: immune exhausted C1 cluster and DNA repair C2 cluster. The former subtype exhibited characteristics of metabolic disturbance, immune suppression, and poor prognosis, along with APC mutations. A machine learning algorithm named Support Vector Machine (SVM) was applied to predict the classification of CRM patients based on protein expression in the external testing cohort. Two subtypes of primary CRM with clinical and proteomic characteristics provides a reference for subsequent diagnosis and treatments.

RAB10 promotes breast cancer proliferation migration and invasion predicting a poor prognosis for breast cancer

RAB10, a member of the small GTPase family, has complex biological functions, but its role in breast cancer (BC) remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between RAB10's role in BC, its biological functions, and BC prognosis. An online database was used to analyze the correlation between differential expression of RAB10 in BC and prognosis. The results of immunohistochemical assays in clinical cohorts were combined with the database analysis. The chi-square test and COX regression were employed to analyze the correlation between RAB10 and pathological features of BC. MTT, Transwell, and wound healing assays were conducted to detect BC cell proliferation, invasion, and metastatic ability. Bioinformatics techniques were employed to explore the correlation between RAB10 and BC tumor immune cell infiltration, and to speculate the biological function of RAB10 in BC and related signaling pathways. Our findings suggest that RAB10 expression is elevated in BC and is associated with HER2 status, indicating a poor prognosis for BC patients. RAB10 can promote the proliferation, migration, and invasion ability of BC cells in vitro. RAB10 is also associated with BC immune cell infiltration and interacts with multiple signaling pathways. RAB10 is a potential biomarker or molecular target for BC.