Exosomes from docetaxel-resistant breast cancer cells alter chemosensitivity by delivering microRNAs

Breast cancer (BCa) remains chemo-unresponsive by inevitable progression of resistance to first-line treatment with docetaxel (doc). Emerging studies indicate that exosomes act as mediators of intercellular communication between heterogeneous populations of tumor cells, engendering a transmitted drug resistance for cancer development. Such modulatory effects have been related to the constant shuttle of biologically active molecules including microRNAs (miRNAs). Here, we aimed to investigate the relevance of exosome-mediated miRNA delivery in resistance transmission of BCa subpopulations. Using microarray and polymerase chain reaction, we found that exosomes from doc-resistant BCa cells (D/exo) loaded cellular miRNAs. Following D/exo transfer to the fluorescent sensitive cells (GFP-S), some miRNAs were significantly increased in recipient GFP-S. Target gene prediction and pathway analysis revealed the involvement of the top 20 most abundant miRNAs of D/exo in pathways implicated in therapy failure. Coculture assays showed that miRNA-containing D/exo increased the overall resistance of GFP-S to doc exposure. Moreover, D/exo was able to alter gene expression in GFP-S. Our results open up an intriguing possibility that drug-resistant BCa cells may spread chemoresistance to sensitive ones by releasing exosomes and that the effects could be partly attributed to the intercellular transfer of specific miRNAs.