RESUMO
A role of WNT signaling for primary breast cancers of the basal-like subtype and as a predictor of brain metastasis has been described. However, a responsible WNT ligand has not been identified. To further clarify this question, we comparatively investigated 22 human breast cancer brain metastases as well as the highly invasive human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 and the weakly motile MCF-7 as models for the basal-like and the luminal A subtype. WNT5A and B were found overexpressed in MDA-MB-231 cells as compared with MCF-7. This corresponded to reduction of MDA-MB-231 invasiveness by WNT inhibitors, whereas MCF-7 invasion was enhanced by recombinant WNT5B and abolished by WNT and Jun-N-terminal kinase antagonists. Expression and subcellular distribution of ß-catenin remained uninfluenced. Consistently, ß-catenin was not localized in the nuclei of brain metastases while there was strong nuclear c-Jun staining. Similar to MDA-MB-231, metastases showed expression of WNT5A/B and the alternative WNT receptors ROR1 and 2. These findings were validated using external gene expression datasets (Gene Expression Omnibus) of different breast cancer subtypes and brain metastases. Hierarchical cluster analysis yielded a close relation between basal-like cancers and brain metastases. Gene set enrichment analyses confirmed WNT pathway enrichment not only in basal-like primaries but also in cerebral metastases of all subtypes. In conclusion, WNT signaling seems highly relevant for basal-like and other subtypes of breast cancers metastasizing into the brain. ß-catenin-independent WNT signaling, presumably via ROR1-2, plays a major role in this context.
Assuntos
Neoplasias Encefálicas/genética , Neoplasias da Mama/genética , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas/genética , Proteínas Wnt/genética , beta Catenina/genética , Apoptose , Biomarcadores Tumorais/genética , Biomarcadores Tumorais/metabolismo , Neoplasias Encefálicas/secundário , Neoplasias da Mama/patologia , Carcinoma Basocelular/genética , Carcinoma Basocelular/patologia , Adesão Celular , Movimento Celular , Proliferação de Células , Feminino , Perfilação da Expressão Gênica , Regulação Neoplásica da Expressão Gênica , Humanos , Análise de Sequência com Séries de Oligonucleotídeos , RNA Mensageiro/genética , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase Via Transcriptase Reversa , Proteína Wnt-5aRESUMO
Domestic invasive mycoses are typically present as secondary diseases in patients definitely immunocompromised. This truth should not obscure the fact that a transient overload of the immune system, e.g. in the polytrauma patients, may likewise favour the development of mycoses. The two groups of patients show a comparable course of infection and, to some extent, diagnostic signs: surveillance cultures and monitoring of antibodies are more helpful with trauma patients and less reliable in the typically immunocompromised patients. In the latter, however, antigen tests may yield more reliable results than in the trauma patients. The different functional capacities of the immune system in the two groups of patients may also affect the appearance of fungal elements, particularly of aspergilli, in secretions and biopsies.