BackgroundTreatment failure is a critical issue in breast cancer and identifying useful interventions that optimize current cancer therapies remains a critical unmet need. Expression and functional studies have identified connexins (Cxs), a family of gap junction proteins, as potential tumor suppressors. Studies suggest that Cx43 has a role in breast cancer cell proliferation, differentiation, and migration. Although pan-gap junction drugs are available, the lack of specificity of these agents increases the opportunity for off target effects. Consequently, a therapeutic agent that specifically modulates Cx43 would be beneficial and has not been tested in breast cancer. In this study, we now test an agent that specifically targets Cx43, called ACT1, in breast cancer.MethodsWe evaluated whether direct modulation of Cx43 using a Cx43-directed therapeutic peptide, called ACT1, enhances Cx43 gap junctional activity in breast cancer cells, impairs breast cancer cell proliferation or survival, and enhances the activity of the targeted inhibitors tamoxifen and lapatinib.ResultsOur results show that therapeutic modulation of Cx43 by ACT1 maintains Cx43 at gap junction sites between cell-cell membrane borders of breast cancer cells and augments gap junction activity in functional assays. The increase in Cx43 gap junctional activity achieved by ACT1 treatment impairs proliferation or survival of breast cancer cells but ACT1 has no effect on non-transformed MCF10A cells. Furthermore, treating ER+ breast cancer cells with a combination of ACT1 and tamoxifen or HER2+ breast cancer cells with ACT1 and lapatinib augments the activity of these targeted inhibitors.ConclusionsBased on our findings, we conclude that modulation of Cx43 activity in breast cancer can be effectively achieved with the agent ACT1 to sustain Cx43-mediated gap junctional activity resulting in impaired malignant progression and enhanced activity of lapatinib and tamoxifen, implicating ACT1 as part of a combination regimen in breast cancer.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12885-015-1229-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Connexins are a family of transmembrane proteins that are characterized by their capacity to form intercellular channels called gap junctions that directly link the cytoplasm of adjacent cells. The formation of gap junctions by connexin proteins facilitates intercellular communication between neighboring cells by allowing for the transfer of ions and small signaling molecules. Communication through gap junctions is key to cellular equilibrium, where connexins, and the gap junction intercellular communication that connexins propagate, have roles in cellular processes such as cell growth, differentiation, and tissue homeostasis. Due to their importance in maintaining cellular functions, the disruption of connexin expression and function underlies the etiology and progression of numerous pathologies, including cancer. Over the past half a century, the role of connexins and gap junction intercellular communication have been highlighted as critical areas of research in cellular malignancies, and much research effort has been geared toward understanding their dysfunction in human cancers. Although ample evidence supports the role of connexins in a variety of human cancers, detailed examination in specific cancers, such as breast cancer, is still lacking. This review highlights the most abundant gap junction connexin isoform in higher vertebrate organisms, Connexin 43, and its role in breast cancer.

Expression and functional studies have identified connexins (Cxs), a family of gap junction proteins, as potential tumor suppressors. Studies suggest that connexin 43 (Cx43) has a role in breast cancer cell proliferation, differentiation, and migration. Although pan-gap junction drugs are available, the lack of specificity of these agents increases the opportunity for off target effects. Consequently, a therapeutic agent that specifically modulates Cx43 would be beneficial and has not been tested in breast cancer. In this study, we now test a Cx43 specific agent, called α-connexin carboxyl-terminal (ACT1), in breast cancer. Our studies demonstrate that modulation of Cx43 activity in breast cancer can be effectively achieved with the agent ACT1 to sustain Cx43-mediated gap junctional activity resulting in impaired malignant progression. Furthermore, using ER+ and HER2+ breast cancer cell models, we show that ACT1 treatment enhances the activity of lapatinib and tamoxifen. Citation Format: Christina Grek, Joshua Matthew Rhett, Melissa Abt, Jaclynn Bruce, Gautam Ghatnekar, Elizabeth S. Yeh. Targeting connexin 43 with α-connexin carboxyl-terminal (ACT1) peptide in breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 4358. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-4358