BCRP drives intrinsic chemoresistance in chemotherapy-naïve breast cancer brain metastasis

Rebeca Uceda-Castro, Andreia S. Margarido, Ji-Ying Song, Mark C. de Gooijer, Hendrik A. Messal, Cecilia R. Chambers, Max Nobis, Ceren H. Çitirikkaya, Kerstin Hahn, Danielle Seinstra, David Herrmann, Paul Timpson, Pieter Wesseling, Olaf van Tellingen, Claire Vennin, Jacco van Rheenen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Although initially successful, treatments with chemotherapy often fail because of the recurrence of chemoresistant metastases. Since these tumors develop after treatment, resistance is generally thought to occur in response to chemotherapy. However, alternative mechanisms of intrinsic chemoresistance in the chemotherapynaïve setting may exist but remain poorly understood. Here, we study drug-naïve murine breast cancer brain metastases (BCBMs) to identify how cancer cells growing in a secondary site can acquire intrinsic chemoresistance without cytotoxic agent exposure. We demonstrate that drug-naïve murine breast cancer cells that form cancer lesions in the brain undergo vascular mimicry and concomitantly express the adenosine 50-triphosphate- binding cassette transporter breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP), a common marker of brain endothelial cells. We reveal that expression of BCRP by the BCBM tumor cells protects them against doxorubicin and topotecan. We conclude that BCRP overexpression can cause intrinsic chemoresistance in cancer cells growing in metastatic sites without prior chemotherapy exposure.

Original languageEnglish
Article numberabp9530
Pages (from-to)eabp9530
JournalScience advances
Volume9
Issue number42
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 20 Oct 2023

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