Hypoxia promotes a dedifferentiated phenotype in ductal breast carcinoma in situ

In cultured neuroblastoma cells, hypoxia induces a dedifferentiated phenotype. We tested whether hypoxia-induced dedifferentiation also occurs in vivo in mammary ductal carcinoma in situ with its well-defined lesions and distinct areas of necrosis. Ductal carcinoma in situ cells surrounding the central necrosis have high hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha protein levels, down-regulated estrogen receptor-alpha, and increased expression of the epithelial breast stem cell marker cytokeratin 19; lose their polarization; and acquire an increased nucleus/cytoplasm ratio, hallmarks of poor architectural and cellular differentiation. The hypoxia-induced changes were confirmed in cultured breast cancer cells. We propose that hypoxia-induced dedifferentiation is a mechanism that promotes tumor progression in breast cancer.