Abstract PO2-24-03: Soluble E-cadherin promotes inflammatory breast cancer tumorigenesis via PDIA4-mediated suppression of ferroptosis
Authors: Hu Xiaoding , Xiong Yun , Villodre Emilly , Song Juhee , Tripathy Debu , Woodward Wendy , Krishnamurthy Savitri , Chen Junjie , Debeb Bisrat 
Published: May 2024

Background: Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is an aggressive form of breast cancer known for its rapid progression and high metastatic potential without known distinctive drivers. Currently, there are no FDA-approved targeted therapies specifically for IBC patients, highlighting the urgent need for novel and effective treatments. Through our investigation of metastatic xenograft IBC sublines, we have identified soluble E-cadherin (sEcad), an extracellular proteolytic fragment of full-length E-cadherin, as a protein associated with IBC tumor progression. We hypothesize that sEcad promotes IBC tumorigenesis by suppressing ferroptosis. Methods: MDA-IBC3 (ER–/HER2+) and SUM149 (ER–/HER2–) IBC cell lines were used in this study. Stable overexpression of sEcad in IBC cell lines was achieved using lentiviral vectors. Cell death for ferroptosis was measured by propidium iodide staining using flow cytometry. Mass spectrometry and Bio-ID-based proteomics assays were used to identify sEcad-interacting proteins and potential mechanisms. For in vivo studies, control and sEcad -overexpressing SUM149 and MDA-IBC3 cells were injected into the cleared mammary fat pads of SCID/Beige mice and tumor growth was monitored via caliper measurements. Serum sEcad levels from IBC patients (n=301) were analyzed by ELISA. Results: High serum sEcad levels in IBC patients correlated with poorer OS (p=0.02) and earlier development of metastasis (p=0.006). Overexpression of sEcad in IBC cell lines enhanced cell proliferation and colony formation in vitro. Mice injected with sEcad-overexpressing SUM149 and MDA-IBC3 cells had significantly higher tumor growth rates compared to controls (SUM149: p=0.007; MDA-IBC3: p=0.006). Mechanistically, mass spectrometry and Bio-ID assays identified Protein Disulfide Isomerase Family A Member 4 (PDIA4) as a novel binding partner of sEcad, which was validated through co-immunoprecipitation. Additionally, sEcad increased the expression of PDIA4, an enzyme that plays a role in cellular redox regulation and protein folding. PDIA4 has been shown to regulate key players of ferroptosis such as ATF4, SLC7A11. Our results showed that, compared to controls, sEcad-overexpressing IBC cells displayed significant resistance to ferroptosis inducers, including RSL3, FIN56, and sulfasalazine. Knockdown of PDIA4 in sEcad high-expressing cells significantly increased their sensitivity to ferroptosis-promoting drugs. Moreover, we found that PDIA4 regulates ATF4 to impact ferroptosis-mediated cell death in IBC cells. Conclusions: Our study shows that sEcad affects ferroptosis through PDIA4, impacting tumorigenesis in IBC. These findings uncover a novel and pivotal role for sEcad in IBC tumor growth and progression, providing new insights and potential therapeutic targets for IBC patients.

Citation Format: Xiaoding Hu, Yun Xiong, Emilly Villodre, Juhee Song, Debu Tripathy, Wendy Woodward, Savitri Krishnamurthy, Junjie Chen, Bisrat Debeb. Soluble E-cadherin promotes inflammatory breast cancer tumorigenesis via PDIA4-mediated suppression of ferroptosis [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 PO2-24-03.