Abstract 5835: Adipocyte-released agents induce resistance of breast cancer cells to lapatinib
Authors: Geneste Aline , Duong Minh Ngoc , Cleret Aurore , Beaumel Sabine , Chettab Kamel , Delay Emmanuel , Valet Philippe , Jordheim Lars Petter , Dumontet Charles 
Published: August 2018

Adipose tissue is often reduced to its role in fat storage and metabolic support for tumor cells. However, several studies have shown an adipocyte-mediated resistance effect to various anticancer therapies. However, the responsible agent(s), the mechanism(s) and the signaling pathway(s) involved in this resistance remain unclear. In the present study, we assessed the cytotoxic effect of lapatinib on several breast cancer cell lines in the presence or absence of adipocyte-conditioned medium. We performed different physical and chemical treatments on these conditioned media in order to separate and identify the different molecules and agents involved. In parallel, we investigated the changes that occurs in breast tumor cells following the contact with adipocyte-conditioned medium and the exposure to lapatinib both at transcriptional and protein level. In order to validate our hypothesis in vivo, we created a mouse model reproducing the contact between adipose tissue and tumors. Our results showed that tumor cells exposed to adipocyte-conditioned medium were less sensitive to lapatinib-mediated cytotoxic effects and cell cycle blockade than cells grown in standard culture medium. For example, we found that the IC50 was approximately seven-fold increased with lapatinib for tumor cells exposed to adipocyte-conditioned medium compared to the cells kept in control medium. This resistance was observed with the conditioned medium obtained both from human and murine adipocytes and confirmed on different breast tumor cell lines overexpressing HER2. Using a xenograft of normal human adipose tissue with implantation of tumor cells in contact to this adipose tissue, we also confirmed the protective effect against the antitumoral activity of lapatinib in vivo. The nature of the responsible agents of the resistance has been partly elucidated as well as the mechanisms. Indeed, it seems that the presence of soluble factors released from adipocytes such as lipolysis and metabolism products are required to limit the effect of lapatinib on tumor cells. The exposure of tumor cells to adipocyte-conditioned medium triggered changes on the lapatinib-mediated cell cycle blockade and on the expression of cell cycle regulation dependent proteins such as AKT, P27 and cyclins. In conclusion, compounds released from adipocytes reduced the lapatinib induced cytotoxicity on breast cancer cells overexpressing HER2 by interfering with the AKT signaling pathway. These results suggest possible strategies to counteract tumor cell resistance to lapatinib, by targeting adipocyte-released mediators.

Citation Format: Aline Geneste, Minh Ngoc Duong, Aurore Cleret, Sabine Beaumel, Kamel Chettab, Emmanuel Delay, Philippe Valet, Lars Petter Jordheim, Charles Dumontet. Adipocyte-released agents induce resistance of breast cancer cells to lapatinib [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5835.