Activation of Mammary Epithelial and Stromal Fibroblasts upon Exposure to Metabolites.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide. The mammary gland is composed of various types of cells including luminal cells, fibroblasts, immune cells, adipocytes, and specific microbiota. The reciprocal interaction between these multiple types of cells can dictate the initiation and progression of cancer, as well as metastasis and response to therapy.

Comparative Analysis of Breast Cancer Metabolomes Highlights Fascin's Central Role in Regulating Key Pathways Related to Disease Progression.

Omics technologies provide useful tools for the identification of novel biomarkers in many diseases, including breast cancer, which is the most diagnosed cancer in women worldwide. We and others have reported a central role for the actin-bundling protein (fascin) in regulating breast cancer disease progression at different levels. However, whether fascin expression promotes metabolic molecules that could predict disease progression has not been fully elucidated.

Osteoprotegerin (OPG) Upregulation Activates Breast Stromal Fibroblasts and Enhances Their Pro-Carcinogenic Effects through the STAT3/IL-6 Signaling.

Breast carcinomas are composed of cancer cells surrounded by various types of non-cancer cells such as fibroblasts. While active cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) support tumor initiation and progression, quiescent breast stromal fibroblasts (BSFs) inhibit these effects through various cytokines such as osteoprotegerin (OPG). We showed here that OPG is upregulated in CAFs as compared to their adjacent normal tumor counterpart fibroblasts.