guide to reading articles: what cell line types represent which bc subtypes

[Lani]

her2+ v her2-?

ER+ vs ER-

PR+ vs PR-

which subtype do they most closely resemble?

article should act as a resource of this information:

Breast Cancer (Auckl). 2010 May 20;4:35-41.
The Expression Patterns of ER, PR, HER2, CK5/6, EGFR, Ki-67 and AR by Immunohistochemical Analysis in Breast Cancer Cell Lines.
Subik K, Lee JF, Baxter L, Strzepek T, Costello D, Crowley P, Xing L, Hung MC, Bonfiglio T, Hicks DG, Tang P.

Department of Pathology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY.
Abstract
The molecular classification for breast carcinomas has been used in clinical studies with a simple surrogate panel of immunohistochemistry (IHC) markers. The objective of this current project was to study the molecular classification of commonly used breast cancer cell lines by IHC analysis. Seventeen breast cancer cell lines were harvested, fixed in formalin and made into cell blocks. IHC analyses were performed on each cell block with antibodies to estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), HER2, EGFR, CK5/6, Ki-67 and androgen receptor (AR). Among the 17 cell lines, MCF-7 and ZR-75-1 fell to Luminal A subtype; BT-474 to Luminal B subtype; SKBR-3, MDA-MD-435 and AU 565 to HER2 over-expression subtype; MDA-MB-231, MCF-12A, HBL 101, HS 598 T, MCF-10A, MCF-10F, BT-20, 468 and BT-483 to basal subtype. MDA-MB-453 belonged to Unclassified subtype. Since each subtype defined by this IHC-based molecular classification does show a distinct clinical outcome, attention should be paid when choosing a cell line for any study.

PMID: 20697531 [PubMed - in process]

[Hopeful]

Thanks, Lani, this is a huge help. I printed it out to save.

Hopeful

[tricia keegan]

I did too, thanks Lani!

[das]

Hi, I am new to this literature, it is very interesting. For example some of the studies by Pegram showing synergistic effects of the combination of cisplatin/carboplatin and herceptin used MCF7 human breast cancer xenografts in athymic mice. From this new paper these breast cancer cells are not classified as HER2+ but as Luminal A and only weakly express HER2. Is that correct and what are the implications?

[Lani]

there are some papers on effects of herceptin and other agents against MCF-7 cells genetically modified to be her2+ they are usually listed as
MCF-7-her2something. I am just subject to 9 hours jetleg so not up to quoting the something but if you see MCF-7-her2 something and read the description, you will see they are artificial contructs to be both her2+ and ER+, but since BT474 are naturally her2+ and ER+ I pay more attention to those articles as those cells MAY more closely resemble her2+ ER + breast cancer --it is a cell line developed from a tumor in a real patient, although now grown in a petri dish, rather than a genetically modified tumor that had different characteristics to start with (ER+, but her2-) now with the her2 gene inserted via some tricky manuevers perpetuated in a petri dish

[das]

Yes, that makes sense, thanks!