Altered purinergic receptor-Ca signaling associated with hypoxia-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition in breast cancer cells

Hypoxia is a feature of the microenvironment of many cancers and can trigger epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a process by which cells acquire a more invasive phenotype with enriched survival. A remodeling of adenosine 5´-triphosphate (ATP)-induced Ca2+ signaling via purinergic receptors is associated with epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced EMT in MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cells. Here, we assessed ATP-mediated Ca2+ signaling in a model of hypoxia-induced EMT in MDA-MB-468 cells. Like EGF, hypoxia treatment (1% O2) was also associated with a significant reduction in the sensitivity of MDA-MB-468 cells to ATP (EC50 of 0.5 μM for normoxic cells versus EC50 of 5.8 μM for hypoxic cells).

Source: Molecular Oncology - September 22, 2015 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Iman Azimi, Hannah Beilby, Felicity M. Davis, Daneth L. Marcial, Paraic A. Kenny, Erik W. Thompson, Sarah J. Roberts-Thomson, Gregory R. Monteith Source Type: research