Abstract PO4-28-01: Molecular profiling revealed activation of cytokine signaling and suppression of lipid metabolism as the hallmarks of doxorubicin-resistant TNBC
Authors: Radhakrishnan Vishnubalaji , Alajez Nehad 
Published: May 2024

Background: Chemotherapeutic resistance observed in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) poses a substantial clinical hurdle, emphasizing the imperative to enhance our comprehension of the underlying mechanisms with the aim of potentially mitigating or reversing this phenomenon. Methods: Doxorubicin-resistant (DoxR) TNBC models (MDA-MB-231 and BT-549) were established through continuous exposure to increasing concentrations of doxorubicin. RNA-Seq was conducted using the Illumina platform, while bioinformatics analyses were performed using CLC genomics workbench 20.2 and iDEP.91. Colony forming unit (CFU), flow cytometry and fluorescent microscopy were used to assess cell proliferation, cell cycle distribution, and cell death, respectively. Western blotting was used to confirm the expression and phosphorylation of protein targets. Ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) and STRING database v 11.5 were used for network and pathway analyses, while Kaplan-Meier Plotter was used for survival analyses. Results: Herein, we provide a comprehensive functional and transcriptomic characterization of DoxR TNBC models, revealing multiple affected signaling networks and functional categories. The defense and immune response, response to stress, response to cytokine and external stimulus and cytokine-mediated signaling pathways were among the top activated, while suppression of cholesterol, sterol and lipid biosynthesis and metabolism were the hallmarks of DoxR cells. Upstream regulator analysis revealed IL-1B cytokine network activation in DoxR cells. Concordantly, disease and function analysis on the downregulated genes in DoxR TNBC cells revealed the most pronounced enrichment in pathways associated with cell invasion, colony formation, as well as lipid and carbohydrate metabolism. A number of upregulated genes were validated by qRT-PCR, which correlated with unfavorable overall survival (OS). Functionally, DoxR cells exhibited remarkable suppression of cell proliferation, as evidenced by diminished CFU potential, sphere formation and growth under 3D organoid culture, and cell migration. Although DoxR TNBC cells exhibited a slow cell cycling under normal culture conditions, wild-type TNBC cells exhibited remarkable arrest in the G2M phase when exposed to doxorubicin, which was less evident in DoxR TNBC models, suggesting DoxR cells undergo a quiescent state in response to chemotherapeutic challenge. In agreement with those data, increased phosphorylation of CHK2 and p53 proteins was remarkable in DoxR cells, thus promoting cellular dormancy. Conclusion: Our data revealed cellular dormancy and suppression of lipid metabolism as the hallmark associated with doxorubicin-resistant TNBC cells. On the other hand, cytokine signaling and stress response were the most enriched functional categories in DoxR TNBC cells. Therapeutic targeting to reverse the quiescent state or suppression of cytokine signaling networks could enhance the efficacy of doxorubicin-based therapeutics.

Citation Format: Vishnubalaji Radhakrishnan, Nehad Alajez. Molecular profiling revealed activation of cytokine signaling and suppression of lipid metabolism as the hallmarks of doxorubicin-resistant TNBC [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO4-28-01.