Tumorigenicity of EGFR- and/or HER2-Positive Breast Cancers Is Mediated by Recruitment of Tumor-Associated Macrophages

Abstract

Basal-like breast cancer (BLBC) has a clinically aggressive nature. It is prevalent in young women and is known to often relapse rapidly. To date, the molecular mechanisms regarding the aggressiveness of BLBC have not been fully understood. In the present study, mechanisms of aggressiveness of BLBC involving EGFR and/or HER2 expression and interactions between tumor and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) were explored. The prognosis of breast cancer patients who underwent surgery at Samsung Medical Center was analyzed. It was found that the co-expression of EGFR and HER2 was associated with a worse prognosis. Therefore, we generated EGFR-positive BLBC cells with stable HER2 overexpression and analyzed the profile of secretory cytokines. Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2) expression was increased in HER2-overexpressed BLBC cells. Recombinant human CCL2 treatment augmented the motility of TAMs. In addition, the conditioned culture media of HER2-overexpressed BLBC cells increased the motility of TAMs. Furthermore, activation of TAMs by CCL2 or the conditioned culture media of HER2-overexpressed cells resulted in the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-8 and IL-1β. These observations reveal that CCL2 derived from EGFR and HER2 co-expressed BLBC cells can lead to increased TAM recruitment and the induction of IL-8 and IL-1β from recruited TAMs, triggering the tumorigenesis of breast cancer with the expression of both EGFR and HER2. Our findings demonstrate that EGFR+ and HER2+ BLBC aggressiveness is partially mediated through the interaction between BLBC and TAMs recruited by CCL2.