Acquisition of Invasiveness by Breast Adenocarcinoma Cells Engages Established Hallmarks and Novel Regulatory Mechanisms

Abstract

Background/aim: Proteomics of invasiveness opens a window on the complexity of the metastasis-engaged mechanisms. The extend and types of this complexity require elucidation.

Materials and methods: Proteomics, immunohistochemistry, immunoblotting, network analysis and systems cancer biology were used to analyse acquisition of invasiveness by human breast adenocarcinoma cells.

Results: We report here that invasiveness network highlighted the involvement of hallmarks such as cell proliferation, migration, cell death, genome stability, immune system regulation and metabolism. Identified involvement of cell-virus interaction and gene silencing are potentially novel cancer mechanisms. Identified 6,113 nodes with 11,055 edges affecting 1,085 biological processes show extensive re-arrangements in cell physiology. These high numbers are in line with a similar broadness of networks built with diagnostic signatures approved for clinical use.

Conclusion: Our data emphasize a broad systemic regulation of invasiveness, and describe the network of this regulation.

Keywords: Breast cancer; invasiveness; proteomics; systems biology.