MCU-dependent negative sorting of miR-4488 to extracellular vesicles enhances angiogenesis and promotes breast cancer metastatic colonization

Oncogene. 2020 Nov;39(46):6975-6989. doi: 10.1038/s41388-020-01514-6. Epub 2020 Oct 16.

Abstract

Based on Stephen Paget's well-established theory, both cell-autonomous and non-cell-autonomous mechanisms are crucial for metastasis. Although the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) has been suggested to be involved in breast cancer (BC) progression via cell-autonomous mechanisms, whether it assists the metastasis of BC cells through non-cell-autonomous mechanisms remains unclear. This study aimed to demonstrate that the MCU regulates BC metastatic colonization via non-cell-autonomous mechanisms. The results suggested that extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from MCU-downregulated MDA-MB-231 cells suppressed angiogenesis in the metastatic niche in a nude mouse model, thereby hindering the colonization of BC cells. Mechanistically, we revealed that the MCU negatively correlated with miR-4488 in EVs derived from BC cells. Significantly, miR-4488 was determined to suppress angiogenesis of vascular endothelial cells by directly targeting angiogenic CX3CL1. Furthermore, we identified miR-4488 as being significantly downregulated in serum EVs from patients with triple-negative BC. Hence, this study suggests that MCU-dependent negative sorting of miR-4488 to EVs enhances angiogenesis in the metastatic niche and, thus, favors the metastatic colonization of BC cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Calcium Channels / metabolism*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Movement
  • Chemokine CX3CL1 / genetics
  • Chemokine CX3CL1 / metabolism
  • Circulating MicroRNA / metabolism*
  • Disease-Free Survival
  • Extracellular Vesicles / metabolism
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells
  • Humans
  • Kaplan-Meier Estimate
  • Mice
  • MicroRNAs / metabolism*
  • Neoplasm Metastasis / genetics
  • Neoplasm Metastasis / pathology
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic / genetics*
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic / pathology
  • Prognosis
  • Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms / blood
  • Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms / genetics
  • Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms / mortality
  • Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms / pathology*

Substances

  • CX3CL1 protein, human
  • Calcium Channels
  • Chemokine CX3CL1
  • Circulating MicroRNA
  • MIRN4488 microRNA, human
  • MicroRNAs
  • mitochondrial calcium uniporter