Proteomic analysis reveals differences between xenograft models of triple-negative breast cancer associated with therapy response

摘要

Triple-negative breast cancers are characterized by the lack of expression of the estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and the human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2). As a consequence, existing effective therapies targeting these markers cannot be used. However, a portion of triple-negative breast cancers is very sensitive to chemotherapy due to a dysfunctional BRCA1 pathway1. BRCA1-deficient tumors are sensitive to DNA cross-linking agents, but often resistance occurs eventually. Crucial factors involved in the development of resistance remain to be elucidated. At the moment there is only limited knowledge of the proteomic differences between triple-negative breast cancers. Here we demonstrate that we can elucidate these differences by using mass spectrometry imaging (MSI).