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Tavianatou AG, Piperigkou Z, Barbera C, Beninatto R, Masola V, Caon I, Onisto M, Franchi M, Galesso D, Karamanos NK. Molecular size-dependent specificity of hyaluronan on functional properties, morphology and matrix composition of mammary cancer cells. Matrix Biol Plus 2019; 3:100008. [PMID: 33543007 PMCID: PMC7852304 DOI: 10.1016/j.mbplus.2019.100008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2018] [Revised: 05/28/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
High levels of hyaluronan (ΗΑ), a major extracellular matrix (ECM) glycosaminoglycan, have been correlated with poor clinical outcome in several malignancies, including breast cancer. The high and low molecular weight HΑ forms exert diverse biological functions. Depending on their molecular size, ΗΑ forms either promote or attenuate signaling cascades that regulate cancer progression. In order to evaluate the effects of different ΗΑ forms on breast cancer cells' behavior, ΗΑ fragments of defined molecular size were synthesized. Breast cancer cells of different estrogen receptor (ER) status - the low metastatic, ERα-positive MCF-7 epithelial cells and the highly aggressive, ERβ-positive MDA-MB-231 mesenchymal cells - were evaluated following treatment with HA fragments. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that HA fragments critically affect the morphology of breast cancer cells in a molecular-size dependent mode. Moreover, the ΗΑ fragments affect cell functional properties, the expression of major ECM mediators and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (ΕΜΤ) markers. Notably, treatment with 200 kDa ΗΑ increased the expression levels of the epithelial marker Ε-cadherin and reduced the expression levels of HA synthase 2 and mesenchymal markers, like fibronectin and snail2/slug. These novel data suggest that the effects of HA in breast cancer cells depend on the molecular size and the ER status. An in-depth understanding on the mechanistic basis of these effects may contribute on the development of novel therapeutic strategies for the pharmacological targeting of aggressive breast cancer.
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Key Words
- BTH, bovine testes hyaluronidase
- Breast cancer
- CD44
- ECM, extracellular matrix
- EMT, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition
- ER, estrogen receptor
- Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition
- Estrogen receptors
- HA, hyaluronan or hyaluronic acid
- HAS, hyaluronan synthase
- HMW HA, high molecular weight hyaluronan
- HYAL, hyaluronidase
- Hyaluronan
- LMW HA, low molecular weight hyaluronan
- MET, mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition
- MMPs, matrix metalloproteinases
- SDC, syndecan
- SEM, scanning electron microscopy
- Scanning electron microscopy
- TIMPs, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases
- o-HA, hyaluronan oligomers
- s-HA, sulfated hyaluronan
- tPA, tissue plasminogen activator
- uPA, urokinase plasminogen activator
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia-Gerasimoula Tavianatou
- Biochemistry, Biochemical Analysis & Matrix Pathobiology Research Group, Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Patras, Greece
| | - Zoi Piperigkou
- Biochemistry, Biochemical Analysis & Matrix Pathobiology Research Group, Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Patras, Greece
- Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH/ICE-HT), Patras, Greece
| | - Carlo Barbera
- Fidia Farmaceutici S.p.A., via Ponte della Fabbrica 3/A, 35031 Abano Terme, (PD), Italy
| | - Riccardo Beninatto
- Fidia Farmaceutici S.p.A., via Ponte della Fabbrica 3/A, 35031 Abano Terme, (PD), Italy
| | - Valentina Masola
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Ilaria Caon
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Maurizio Onisto
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Marco Franchi
- Department for Life Quality Studies, University of Bologna, Italy
| | - Devis Galesso
- Fidia Farmaceutici S.p.A., via Ponte della Fabbrica 3/A, 35031 Abano Terme, (PD), Italy
| | - Nikos K. Karamanos
- Biochemistry, Biochemical Analysis & Matrix Pathobiology Research Group, Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Patras, Greece
- Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH/ICE-HT), Patras, Greece
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