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Microtubule-associated tumor suppressors as prognostic biomarkers in breast cancer

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Abstract

Purpose

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women worldwide. Although important therapeutic progress was achieved over the past decade, this disease remains a public health problem. In light of precision medicine, the identification of new prognostic biomarkers in breast cancer is urgently needed to stratify populations of patients with poor clinical outcome who may benefit from new personalized therapies. The microtubule cytoskeleton plays a pivotal role in essential cellular functions and is an interesting target for cancer therapy. Microtubule assembly and dynamics are regulated by a wide range of microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs), some of which have oncogenic or tumor suppressor effects in breast cancer.

Results

This review covers current knowledge on microtubule-associated tumor suppressors (MATS) in breast cancer and their potential value as prognostic biomarkers. We present recent studies showing that combinatorial expression of ATIP3 and EB1, two microtubule-associated biomarkers with tumor suppressor and oncogenic effects, respectively, improves breast cancer prognosis compared to each biomarker alone.

Conclusions

These findings are discussed regarding the increasing complexity of protein networks composed of MAPs that coordinate microtubule dynamics and functions. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the prognostic value of combined expression of different MATS and their interacting partners in breast cancer.

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Funding

This work has been funded by Gustave Roussy Cancer Center, the ANR Grant MMO ANR-10-IBHU-0001, the Comité Ile-de-France of the Ligue Nationale contre le Cancer, the Ligue contre le Cancer 94/Val-de-Marne, the Entreprises contre le cancer (GEFLUC) Ile-de-France, the Fondation ARC pour la recherche contre le cancer, the CNRS, the INSERM, the Fondation Janssen Horizon, the Fonds de Dotation Agnès b., the association Odyssea and Prolific.

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Author notes

  1. Angie Molina

    Present address: Centre de Biologie du Développement, Centre de Biologie Intégrative, UMR 5547 CNRS/Université Paul Sabatier, 31400, Toulouse, France

Authors and Affiliations

  1. INSERM U981, LabEx LERMIT, Gustave Roussy Cancer Center, Department of Molecular Medicine, Université Paris Sud, 94800, Villejuif, France

    Sylvie Rodrigues-Ferreira, Angie Molina & Clara Nahmias

  2. Inovarion, 75014, Paris, France

    Sylvie Rodrigues-Ferreira

  3. Inserm U981, Gustave Roussy Cancer Center, 114 rue Edouard Vaillant, 94800, Villejuif, France

    Clara Nahmias

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  1. Sylvie Rodrigues-Ferreira
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Correspondence to Clara Nahmias.

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Rodrigues-Ferreira, S., Molina, A. & Nahmias, C. Microtubule-associated tumor suppressors as prognostic biomarkers in breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat 179, 267–273 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-019-05463-x

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