SDHB and SDHD silenced pheochromocytoma spheroids respond differently to tumour microenvironment and their aggressiveness is inhibited by impairing stroma metabolism.

Germline mutations in more than 20 genes, including those encoding for the succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), predispose to rare tumours, such as pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma (PPGL). Despite encoding for the same enzymatic complex, SDHC and SDHD mutated PHEO/PGLs are generally benign, while up to 80% of SDHB mutated ones are malignant. In this study, we evaluated the different effects of tumour microenvironment on tumour cell migration/invasion, by co-culturing SDHB or SDHD silenced tumour spheroids with primary cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs).

Primary fibroblast co-culture stimulates growth and metabolism in Sdhb-impaired mouse pheochromocytoma MTT cells.

Pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PGLs) due to mutations of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) B, a subunit of the SDH complex with a role in the Krebs cycle and the respiratory chain, tend to be larger at diagnosis and more prone to metastatic disease than other tumors. This presentation contrasts with the behavior of some cell line models of SDHB impairment, which show reduced growth compared to wild type. We hypothesize that reduced growth of SDHB-impaired monolayer culture models might reflect lack of support from sources within the tumor microenvironment.

Non-tumorigenic epithelial cells secrete MCP-1 and other cytokines that promote cell division in breast cancer cells by activating ERα via PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling.

Efforts in understanding the role of the microenvironment in the development of breast cancer have focused on tumor-stroma cross-talk, but the possibility that normal epithelial cells might also play a role in tumor progression has received little attention. Here, we show that non-tumorigenic human mammary epithelial cells (MCF10A and HMEC) secrete factors able to enhance the proliferation of estrogen receptor α (ERα) positive breast cancer cells (MCF7 and T47D) and suppress their ability to undergo apoptosis. Conditioned medium (CM) derived from MCF10A and HMEC cells was capable of activating ERα in a hormone-independent way, by phosphorylating ERα on Ser167.

The colony-stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1) receptor sustains ERK1/2 activation and proliferation in breast cancer cell lines.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in western countries. Colony-Stimulating Factor-1 (CSF-1) and its receptor (CSF-1R) regulate macrophage and osteoclast production, trophoblast implantation and mammary gland development. The expression of CSF-1R and/or CSF-1 strongly correlates with poor prognosis in several human epithelial tumors, including breast carcinomas.