We report a functional germline mutation (polymorphism) in the galectin-3 gene at position 191 (rs4644) selleck substituting proline with histidine (P64H), which results in susceptibility to matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) cleavage and acquisition of resistance

to drug-induced apoptosis. This substitution correlates with incidence of breast cancer and racial disparity. Of note, Cleavage of galectin-3 by MMPs is related to progression of breast and prostate cancer. We show that galectin-3 regulated functions like chemotaxis, chemoinvasion, heterotypic aggregation, epithelial-endothelial cell interactions and angiogenesis are dependent in part on cleavage of the N terminus of galectin-3 followed by its release in the tumor microenvironment. Breast carcinoma cells harboring cleavable galectin-3 species showed BMS354825 increased chemotaxis towards collagen IV, invasion through Matrigel and heterotypic interactions with endothelial cells resulting in angiogenesis and 3-D morphogenesis in vitro compared to cells harboring non-cleavable galectin-3. Wound healing studies employing a novel cell culture insert showed

increased migration and phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase in endothelial cells migrating towards H64 cells compared to P64 cells. Using 3- dimensional co-cultures of endothelial cells with breast cells harboring galectin-3 peptides, we show that amino acids 1-62 and 33–250 stimulate migration and interaction of cells with the endothelial cells. Immunohistochemical

analysis of blood vessel density and galectin-3 cleavage in a breast cancer progression tissue array support the in vitro findings. These results indicate that cleavage of galectin-3 in tumor microenvironment leads to breast cancer angiogenesis and progression. In conclusion, Etofibrate we provide novel data implicating a galectin-3 germline nonsynonymous functional polymorphism in breast cancer progression and metastasis. O4 Extracellular Matrix Remodeling Forces Tumor Progression Valerie Marie Weaver 1 1 Department of Surgery, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, USA Tumor progression is accompanied by a desmoplastic response that is characterized by significant extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling. We have been studying the role of matrix metalloproteinase and lysyl oxidase-mediated collagen cross-linking in ECM remodeling and tissue desmoplasia during breast tumor progression. Thus far we have established a positive association between lysyl oxidase-dependent collagen cross-linking, the accumulation of linear, oriented collagen fibrils, tissue fibrosis and tissue stiffening during breast transformation. We have demonstrated that either pharmacological or antibody-mediated inhibition of lysyl oxidase-induced collagen cross-linking prevents tissue fibrosis, reduces tissue stiffening, enhances tumor latency and decreases tumor incidence in both the MMTV-Neu and PyMT transgenic mouse models of breast cancer.