Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) has been found to be expressed in the tumor-associated neovasculature of multiple solid tumor types including breast cancers. However, thus far, the number of cases studied from some tumor types has been limited. In this study, we set out to assess PSMA expression in the tumor-associated vasculature associated with invasive breast carcinomas in a sizable cohort of patients. One hundred and six patients with AJCC stage 0-IV breast cancer were identified. Ninety-two of these patients had primary breast cancer [invasive breast carcinoma with or without co-existing ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) (74) or DCIS alone (18)]. In addition, 14 patients with breast cancer metastases to the brain were identified. Immunohistochemical staining for PSMA and CD31 was performed on parallel representative tumor sections in each case. Tumor-associated vascular endothelial cell PSMA immunoreactivity was semi-quantitatively assessed based on two parameters: overall percent of endothelial positivity and staining intensity. PSMA expression for tumor-associated vascular endothelial cells was scored 0 if there was no detectable PSMA expression, 1 if PSMA staining was detectable in 5-50%, and 2 if PSMA expression was positive in >50% of microvessels. CD 31 staining was concurrently reviewed to confirm the presence of vasculature in each case. Tumor-associated vasculature was PSMA-positive in 68/92 (74%) of primary breast cancers and in 14/14 (100%) of breast cancers metastatic to brain. PSMA was not detected in normal breast tissue or carcinoma cells. All but 2 cases (98%) showed absence of PSMA expression in normal breast tissue-associated vasculature. The 10-year overall survival was 88.7% (95% CI = 80.0%, 93.8%) in patients without brain metastases. When overall survival (OS) was stratified based on PSMA score group, patients with PSMA scores of 0, 1, and 2 had 10-year OS of 95.8%, 96.0%, and 79.7%, respectively (p = 0.12). When PSMA scores of 0 and 1 were compared with 2, there was a statistically significant difference in OS (96.0% vs 79.7%, respectively, p = 0.05). Patients with a PSMA score of 2 had a significantly higher median tumor size compared with patients in the lower PSMA score groups (p = 0.04). Patients with higher nuclear grade were more likely to have a PSMA score of 2 compared with patients with lower nuclear grade (p < 0.0001). Patients with a PSMA score of 2 had a significantly higher median Ki-67 proliferation index compared with patients in the lower PSMA score groups (p < 0.0001). Patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-negative tumors were more likely to have a PSMA score of 2 compared with patients with ER-positive tumors (p < 0.0001). Patients with progesterone receptor (PR)-negative tumors were more likely to have a PSMA score of 2 compared with patients with PR-positive tumors (p = 0.03). No significant association was observed between PSMA score group status and lymph node involvement (p = 0.95). Too little variability was present in Human epidermal growth factor recept...

BackgroundLimited understanding of the cancer biology of metastatic sites is a major factor contributing to poor outcomes in cancer patients. The regional lymph nodes are the most common site of metastasis in most solid cancers and their involvement is a strong predictor of relapse in breast cancer (BC). We have previously shown that ezrin, a cytoskeletal–membrane linker protein, is associated with lymphovascular invasion and promotes metastatic progression in BC. However, the efficacy of pharmacological inhibition of ezrin in blocking cancer cell migration and metastasis remains unexplored in BC.MethodsWe quantified ezrin expression in a BC tissue microarray (n = 347) to assess its correlation with risk of relapse. Next, we developed a quantitative intravital microscopy (qIVM) approach, using a syngeneic lymphatic reporter mouse tumor model, to investigate the effect of systemic ezrin inhibition on cancer cell migration and metastasis.ResultsWe show that ezrin is expressed at significantly higher levels in lymph node metastases compared to matched primary tumors, and that a high tumor ezrin level is associated with increased risk of relapse in BC patients with regional disease. Using qIVM, we observe a subset of cancer cells that retain their invasive and migratory phenotype at the tumor-draining lymph node. We further show that systemic inhibition of ezrin, using a small molecule compound (NSC668394), impedes the migration of cancer cells in vivo. Furthermore, systemic ezrin inhibition leads to reductions in metastatic burden at the distal axillary lymph node and lungs.ConclusionsOur findings demonstrate that the tumor ezrin level act as an independent biomarker in predicting relapse and provide a rationale for therapeutic targeting of ezrin to reduce the metastatic capacity of cancer cells in high-risk BC patients with elevated ezrin expression.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13058-018-1079-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

BackgroundThe membrane cytoskeletal crosslinker, ezrin, a member of the ERM family of proteins, is frequently over-expressed in human breast cancers, and is required for motility and invasion of epithelial cells. Our group previously showed that ezrin acts co-operatively with the non-receptor tyrosine kinase, Src, in deregulation of cell-cell contacts and scattering of epithelial cells. In particular, ezrin phosphorylation on Y477 by Src is specific to ezrin within the ERM family, and is required for HGF-induced scattering of epithelial cells. We therefore sought to examine the role of Y477 phosphorylation in ezrin on tumor progression.MethodsUsing a highly metastatic mouse mammary carcinoma cell line (AC2M2), we tested the effect of over-expressing a non-phosphorylatable form of ezrin (Y477F) on invasive colony growth in 3-dimensional Matrigel cultures, and on local invasion and metastasis in an orthotopic engraftment model.ResultsAC2M2 cells over-expressing Y477F ezrin exhibited delayed migration in vitro, and cohesive round colonies in 3-dimensional Matrigel cultures, compared to control cells that formed invasive colonies with branching chains of cells and numerous actin-rich protrusions. Moreover, over-expression of Y477F ezrin inhibits local tumor invasion in vivo. Whereas orthotopically injected wild type AC2M2 tumor cells were found to infiltrate into the abdominal wall and visceral organs within three weeks, tumors expressing Y477F ezrin remained circumscribed, with little invasion into the surrounding stroma and abdominal wall. Additionally, Y477F ezrin reduces the number of lung metastatic lesions.ConclusionsOur study implicates a role of Y477 ezrin, which is phosphorylated by Src, in regulating local invasion and metastasis of breast carcinoma cells, and provides a clinically relevant model for assessing the Src/ezrin pathway as a potential prognostic/predictive marker or treatment target for invasive human breast cancer.

Abnormal cell division leading to the gain or loss of entire chromosomes and consequent genetic instability is a hallmark of cancer. Centromere protein –A (CENPA) is a centromere-specific histone-H3-like variant gene involved in regulating chromosome segregation during cell division. CENPA is one of the genes included in some of the commercially available RNA based prognostic assays for breast cancer (BCa)—the 70 gene signature MammaPrint® and the five gene Molecular Grade Index (MGISM). Our aim was to assess the immunohistochemical (IHC) expression of CENPA in normal and malignant breast tissue. Clinically annotated triplicate core tissue microarrays of 63 invasive BCa and 20 normal breast samples were stained with a monoclonal antibody against CENPA and scored for percentage of visibly stained nuclei. Survival analyses with Kaplan–Meier (KM) estimate and Cox proportional hazards regression models were applied to assess the associations between CENPA expression and disease free survival (DFS). Average percentage of nuclei visibly stained with CENPA antibody was significantly higher (p = 0.02) in BCa than normal tissue. The 3-year DFS in tumors over-expressing CENPA (>50% stained nuclei) was 79% compared to 85% in low expression tumors (<50% stained nuclei). On multivariate analysis, IHC expression of CENPA showed weak association with DFS (HR > 60.07; p = 0.06) within our small cohort. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first published report evaluating the implications of increased IHC expression of CENPA in paraffin embedded breast tissue samples. Our finding that increased CENPA expression may be associated with shorter DFS in BCa supports its exploration as a potential prognostic biomarker.

N-linked oligosaccharides obtained from total serum of mice with implanted head and neck tumors were analyzed and compared with those from control samples of healthy mice. Methods used include a combination of a derivatization procedure with phenylhydrazine (PHN) and analysis by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). Oligosaccharides were enzymatically released from total serum with PNGaseF and purified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on a reversed-phase column. Mass spectra contained ion peaks of labeled oligosaccharides and MS/MS experiments provided useful data for the structural elucidation of these compounds. More than 40 N-glycans with compositions characteristic of high-mannose, hybrid, complex, neutral, and sialylated structures were identified in the serum of tumoral mice. Significant differences between samples were observed with respect to the abundances of high mannose and hybrid glycans. These oligosaccharides showed higher relative intensities in the spectra obtained from the cancer sera. Complex sialylated oligosaccharides had similar abundances in both types of sera, with the exception of fucosylated biantennary disialylated oligosaccharide, which was mostly detected with lower abundance in control samples. In the MALDI spectra, several minor species corresponded to uncommon carbohydrates. These structures have been investigated in detail by MS/MS. Among these novel glycoforms, a few sialylated oligosaccharides without a free reducing end were identified. Also, glycans with an extra 60 u were observed and likely feature the presence of a 2-acetamido-2-deoxyoctose residue attached on antennae of 3-or 6-linked mannose. . It has been recognized that altered glycosylation is an universal feature of living cells and several studies have demonstrated that the changes in cellular glycosylation profiles can be also related to aggressive cancer cell behavior, such as tumor cell invasion and metastasis [2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. As cancer cells can produce oligosaccharides that are significantly different from those in normal cells, comparative studies between glycoprotein carbohydrates produced by malignant cells and normal cells may provide useful information for diagnosis, prognosis, and immunotherapy of tumors [9].Mass spectrometry (MS) has been used extensively as the most sensitive method for the analysis of carbohydrate molecules [10 -14]. Moreover, modern MS instruments allow the measurement of unseparated mixtures, and make possible the identification of trace amounts of glycans in biological materials [15]. Nonetheless, biochemical analysis of carbohydrates is generally complicated, not only because of their lower concentration relative to with proteins, but also because of the structural diversity of molecules, anomericity, linkage positions, and branching patterns of monosaccharides. Moreover, carboxylic groups cause sialylated oligosaccharides to ionize with less efficiency than neutral oligosaccharides, making MS analysis of glycans more difficu...