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Updated: Jan 29, 2026
12:31
An Ex vivo Model to Study Hormone Action in the Human Breast
Published on: January 8, 2015
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Microenvironment Modulates Tumorigenicity of Breast Cancer Cells Depending on Hormone Receptor Status
Priscila Pagnotta1,2, Tomás González-Garello3, María Luján Crosbie4
1Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (IBYME), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Vuelta de Obligado 2490, Buenos Aires 1428, Argentina.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|January 28, 2026
Summary
Breast cancer progression is influenced by adipose tissue. Tumor proximity alters fat cells, releasing factors that impact breast cancer cell behavior differently based on subtype.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Cell Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Adipose tissue is integral to the tumor microenvironment, influencing breast cancer (BC) progression.
- Tumor proximity can modify adipose tissue characteristics and function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how tumor proximity alters adipose tissue markers.
- To assess the impact of adipose tissue-derived soluble factors on breast cancer cell tumorigenicity.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of adipose tissue explants from BC patients and healthy donors, categorized by proximity to the tumor (adjacent, distant, normal).
- Assessment of adipose-related and prognosis-associated markers (e.g., FABP4, vimentin, caveolin-1, CD44, MMP9, adiponectin).
- Evaluation of conditioned media (CM) from explants on hormone-receptor-positive (HR+ BC) and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell lines.
Main Results:
- FABP4 and vimentin expression increased near tumors; other markers showed minimal changes.
- CM from adjacent explants promoted migration, cytoskeletal changes, and reduced adhesion in T47D (HR+ BC) cells.
- CM affected TNBC cells (MDA-MB-231) differently, with adjacent-CM increasing MMP9 and both CM types partially inducing an epithelial-like state.
Conclusions:
- Adipose tissue near tumors exhibits altered marker expression.
- Soluble factors secreted by adipose tissue significantly influence breast cancer cell behavior.
- These effects are dependent on the breast cancer subtype (HR+ BC vs. TNBC).
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